5 Albums With HORRIBLE Backstories

Prog titans Rush were changing the music landscape with each release, but the rest of the world was not on board yet. Aside from some success behind releases like Fly By Night, the group's album releases were met with a lukewarm reception from audiences. The band's label became increasingly frustrated to the point where they called in Rush's manager, demanding that the band go in a more mainstream direction on their next release.

Rather than cower to what the label wanted, Rush made 2112, a record with a 20 minute track to start the record with a story centered around space federations. When they made it, the band was sure that everyone at the label would hate the record and drop the band. Their argument was that they would rather go out following their muse than cash in.

That stick-to-your-guns attitude turned into Rush's most widely-celebrated release. Without any radio play, fans arrived in droves for Rush because of the tremendous musicianship and the relatable stories told in their music. While made under tremendous pressure, this album bought Rush their artistic freedom to expand upon their musical visions regardless of what the labels had to say about it.