Rush – Feedback (Rhino/Atlantic) 

If you have ever wondered what the legendary Canadian prog-rock trio Rush would sound like as a wedding band, then their 2004 covers EP, Feedback is for you!  All kidding aside, as part of Rhino Records’ Start Your Ear Off Right campaign, Rush’s Feedback EP was recently reissued on limited edition standard black vinyl.   

Feedback features eight tracks hand-selected by Geddy, Alex and Neil from influential artists such as The Who, Love, Blue Cheer and Cream.  Most of the songs date back to when the band members used to cover the songs in their formative pre-Rush bands.  For the most part, the songs feel faithful to the beloved originals but the band does put their own spin on the songs, most notably, when Peart gives their cover of Blue Cheer’s bluesy romp, “Summertime Blues,” some Rush-like flourishes with doses of double bass drumming.  Of all the covers chosen, their take on “The Seeker” by The Who, in my opinion, sounds the most like it could be a Rush original, it just feels right.  

One of the pleasant surprises is the band’s ability to – late in their career – speed things up on their standout version of Love’s proto-punk primer “Seven And Seven Is.”  The EP closes out on a high note with another blues rock standard – Cream’s “Crossroads” – where Geddy slaps and pops his bass to give the song some extra funky swagger and Alex lets loose with some of his best guitar soloing.    

Feedback is such a fun listen, because you can imagine what the inimitable Rush would sound like if instead of prog-rock, they became a psych-rock or a blues rock band and it also gives a glimpse into their influences.    —Justin Kreitzer for Icon Fetch