Rush Back in the Studio
By Rob Kemp
01/31/2001

Five years after the release of 1996's Test for Echo, Rush are in Toronto developing songs for what will be the Canadian progressive-rock trio's 17th studio album.

"It's very early days in the process, but it's nice to be back in touch with each other," bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee said in a statement about studio rehearsals for the as-yet-untitled album, which does not yet have a release date.

"It's been almost five years since we've done any writing together, and there's a bit of feeling each other out that needs to happen - we've all been in such different head spaces, it's going to take some time for us to communicate musically," he continued. "I think you have to start to communicate as people first, and the music comes as an extension of those good feelings."

Late last year Lee released his first solo album, the very Rush-esque My Favorite Headache, which debuted at No. 52 on the Billboard 200 and quickly fell off the albums chart three weeks later. He'll continue limited promotional efforts for Headache while conceiving the new Rush record with guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart.

Between the release of Test for Echo and 1998's live album Different Stages, Peart lost his daughter, Selena, to an auto accident, and his wife, Jackie, to cancer. Different Stages was dedicated to the two.