Bass Player: Geddy Lee

The popular history of Rush tells us that their third album, ‘Caress Of Steel’ was not successful enough for the record company and that the follow up was some thing of a ‘s*** or bust’ affair. The band needed a successful album or they woudl lose their recording contract and have to go back to their day jobs. So what did they do? Create a 20 minute ‘suite’ based around a pseudo-science fiction tale of a dystopian future in which all of society’s needs were met by the mysterious ‘Priests’ of the Temple of Syrinx. The 1976 album, ‘2112’ open with a single track that took up all of side one and comprised of:

Pt.1 – Overture.

Pt.2 – The Temples of Syrinx

Pt.3 – Discovery

Pt.4 – Presentation

Pt.5 – Oracle – The Dream

Pt.6 – Soliloquy

Pt.7 Grand Finale

The transcription features the whole of Geddy Lee’s bass part to ‘2112’ in one chart. If you want to print it off, you need to be aware that the chart is 11 pages long. Note: there is no bass on the track Discovery. A lot of the chart is fairly simple but there are moments when the reading becomes quite challenging, particularly during the Grand Finale section. As for Rush’s subsequent recording career. Well, that’s another story.