WCSX Classic Cuts : Subdivisions
WCSX Classic Cuts
Rush: “Subdivisions”
The Hook: A standout from the band’s synthesizer phase.
Album: Signals
Year: 1982
Writers: Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart
Stats: Went to number-three on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, though it missed the Hot 100, peaking at a not-so-hot 105.
Background: Though mainly known as a singer and bassist, Geddy Lee also plays keyboards in Rush. On “Subdivisions,” he manned an Oberheim OB-X synthesizer, with a Minimoog on the solos. Lee explains why the song occupies a special place in the band’s history.
Rush’s Geddy Lee on why “Subdivisions” occupies a special place in the band’s history. OC:…went through. :21
“It was kind of a key song for us in a way, because it was the first time that we brought keyboards really into the forefront as a big part of our sound, although that’s come and gone since then. That was a period of great experimentation with synthesizers. That song is very representative of a phase that we went through.”
