Fly by Night (album)

In March 1974, the Rush line-up, consisting of guitarist Alex Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey, and singer and bassist Geddy Lee, released their self-titled debut album. In the following four months, however, Rutsey fell ill following complications with diabetes and had to sit out while the group continued with a replacement, Jerry Fielding. Rutsey rejoined the group for a month of club dates before Lifeson and Lee decided it was best for Rutsey to leave due to the difficulty in managing his health on tour and musical differences between them. Lee recalled: "We were guilt-ridden at first, but we realised that it's just the way it had to be. He wasn't happy and we weren't happy". Fly by Night was recorded during the last week of December 1974 and mixed in early January 1975 at Toronto Sound Studios during a gap in touring. Lifeson said it took around five days to record and once the mixing had finished, the group packed their cases and travelled to Winnipeg, starting their Fly By Night tour on January 15. It was the band's first album co-produced by Terry Brown who would maintain this role through to Signals (1982). Lifeson was pleased with the songs on the album and felt like it was a second beginning for the group. Lee recalled the difficulty that their label's management had in understanding the material on the album, particularly "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" as they had wanted material in the style of their debut. ==Songs==

The band wanted each song on Fly by Night to show a different side to their writing and playing, which resulted in an album of varied styles. The songs "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" and "Rivendell" are examples of the inclusion of fantasy themes into Rush's music. The original hand-penned lyrics for "Anthem" and "Fly by Night" include different or additional lyrics not sung in the final recording, including a prologue for the latter. The tracks "Best I Can" and "In the End" were written before Peart joined the band, and were performed regularly during Rush's first North American tour. Side one "Anthem" originated by Lifeson and Lee while Rutsey was still in the band and features a heavier sound with more complex arrangements than previous Rush tracks. It is a good versus evil fantasy song that originated from two dogs owned by Rush's manager Ray Danniels which their lighting man Howard Ungerleider named Biter and Snow Dog. Lee later said: "We must have been high one day, imagining a song about these two dogs. And then Neil went ahead and wrote it" which had the two characters fight with Snow Dog emerging victorious. He later deemed the track "a joke that got out of control". Side two "Fly by Night" is based on Peart's experience of moving from Canada to London as a young musician before joining Rush. "Making Memories" came about after the band had taken a wrong turn on a drive. Lifeson proceeded to write a tune on his acoustic guitar, and had a fully arranged piece by the time the band had entered the studio to record. "Rivendell" is a slower ballad, named after the fictional Elven settlement in The Lord of the Rings legendarium by J. R. R. Tolkien. ==Release and reception==

Fly by Night was released in February 1975 and reached No. 9 in Canada and No. 113 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The title track was released as a single in April 1975, reaching No. 45 in Canada. By October 1975, the album had sold 110,000 copies. They performed their first major headline shows across Canada, including a sold-out gig at Massey Hall in Toronto for 4,000 people. Michael Dolgy in RPM Weekly wrote the album is "a loud but sensitive excursion into ball-blaster rock/roll". Ultimate Classic Rock included the album on their list of the "Top 100 '70s Rock Albums", writing "Neil Peart wasn't just the new drummer; he was the spark that pushed them to greatness." ==Reissues==

A remaster was issued in 1997. It was remastered again in 2011 by Andy VanDette as part of the three-volume "Sector" box sets, which re-released all of Rush's Mercury-era albums. In addition to the standard audio CD, the album was also included on an audio DVD in the Sector 1 set, remixed into 5.1 surround sound. The complete album, along with the self-titled debut and Caress of Steel, was included as part of the 1978 Anthem release Archives. Fly By Night was remastered for vinyl in 2015 by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios as a part of the official "12 Months of Rush" promotion. The high definition master prepared for this release was also made available for purchase in 24-bit/96 kHz and 24-bit/192 kHz formats, at several high-resolution audio online music stores. These masters have less compression than the 1997 remasters and the "Sector" remasters by Andy VanDette. ==Track listing==

All lyrics written by Neil Peart, except where noted. ==Personnel==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Rush • Geddy Lee – bass guitars, classical guitar, vocals • Alex Lifeson – electric guitars, 6- and 12-string acoustic guitars • Neil Peart – drums, percussion, lyrics Production • Rush – production, arrangement, cover concept • Terry Brown – producer, engineer, arrangement • John Woloschuk – assistant engineer • Gilbert Kong – mastering at Masterdisk, New York • Eraldo Carugati – cover painting • AGI Chicago – art direction • Jim Ladwig – art direction • Joe Kotleba – design • Richard Fegley – photography • Howard "Herns" Ungerleider – By-Tor characters inspiration • Moon Records – executive producer ==Charts==