I'm never quite sure what Roadrunner Records is up to when they sign bands that I think are random (see: Kenny Wayne Shepherd), but then they sign a band, like they just did with Rush, and I am like, "FUCK YES!" And yes, you read that right: Rush has signed with Roadrunner Records after twenty years with Atlantic.
While the prog rock legends are working on their next studio album, which we will see in 2012, the first Roadrunner release will be a live album from their last tour.
From the Roadrunner Records website:
Roadrunner Records has announced a new worldwide partnership withAnthem Records and rock trio Rush. The band will remain on Anthem/Universal Music in Canada only.
“We have tremendous respect for Roadrunner Records, and what Cees Wessels and Jonas Nachsin have built on a worldwide level. After years of Roadrunner pursuing the band, Tom Lipsky presented a deal that worked and the timing was right. We wanted to be at a label focused on the rock genre – and that’s Roadrunner,” said Ray Danniels, manager of Rush.
“In another life I worked with Rush and their great management team more than 30 years ago and to have Rush finally on the Roadrunner label is a dream come true. I am grateful for Ray Danniels’ confidence in this new partnership,” said Cees Wessels, Roadrunner Records Chairman.
“Rush has a tradition of excellence and independence, both in the studio and on the live stage, and they remain as prolific today as at any point in their career. We are excited to be their label partners,” said Tom Lipsky, President of Lipsky Music, LLC, who brokered the significant deal for Roadrunner.
The first release from Rush through this deal will be various live configurations, recorded during their highly successful Time Machine tour that wrapped earlier this summer. Details of the release will be revealed in the coming weeks.
With more than 40 million records sold worldwide and countless sold-out tours, Rush – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart – is not only one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock history, but remains one of the most popular. The RIAA has certified Rush for the third most consecutive gold/platinum studio albums by a rock band, topped only by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Rush’s vast catalog includes such classics as 1974’s self-titled debut, 1976’s2112, 1981’s Moving Pictures, 1996’s Test For Echo, and 2002’s Vapor Trails. Rush’s most recent studio album, 2007’s Snakes & Arrows, debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, marking the band’s highest chart debut since 1993, as well as their eleventh top 10 album in the U.S. Their 20th studio album, entitled Clockwork Angels, is due in 2012.
In addition to their commercial success, Rush has also been recognized with a number of Juno Awards and multiple Grammy nominations, including one for the acclaimed documentary Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage at this year’s gala event. Enjoying a recent pop culture renaissance, Rush made a rare television appearance – their first in over 30 years – on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” and a memorable cameo in the film I Love You, Man. A career-chronicling Rolling Stone feature summed up the renowned rock trio’s continuing artistic vitality by observing, “It’s true that Rush doesn’t mean today what it did in ’76 or even ’96. It may mean more.” For more information about Rush, visit www.rush.com.
