Rush hoax triggers frenzy

By Paul Cantin, Jam!Showbiz, March 13, 2002


The webmaster of a Rush fan site got an idea of just how hotly fans are anticipating the Canadian rock legends' long-in-the-making new studio album.

The Rush Interactive Network fan website (www.r-u-s-h.com) received a posting on its message board Tuesday night from someone claiming to have a pre-release copy of Rush's upcoming album, and planned to post a sample of the new album online.

Over the next four hours, the site's servers were inundated with up to several thousand fans trying to download the file, causing the server to malfunction. By 9 p.m. central time, the site's operators had to take the site down.

There was only one problem, though. No leaked music was ever posted, and it appears no advance copy of the album was ever available. The entire episode was a hoax.

The merest hint of a leak of the new Rush album triggered "a feeding frenzy for several hours that brought our dedicated server to its knees," the site's administrator R.G. Terrez told JAM! Music.

It's just the latest manifestation of the intense interest the new disc has created. In January, the band announced they had completed work on their 17th studio album, their first since 1996's "Test For Echo." The disc was produced with Paul Northfield, whose credits include Marilyn Manson and Hole. The band had been inactive since its last performance, July 4, 1997 at Ottawa's Corel Centre, the final date in support of "Test For Echo."

Recently, fans reported that a disc jockey in New Jersey went on air to announce that the new Rush album will be entitled "Vapor Trails" and the first single from the album is "One Little Victory."

When asked for comment on the fan reports, Universal Music Canada (which is distributing the disc in Canada) said the information was "not necessarily" true, and would only say that the group is completing work on the album.

For what it's worth, a tracklist has also started to trade among fans: "One Little Victory," "Earthshine," "Ghost Rider," "Peacable Kingdom," "Secret Touch," "How It Is," "Vapor Trails," "Ceiling Unlimited," "The Stars Look Down," "Freeze (Pt. IV of "Fear")," "Sweet Miracle," "Nocturne," "Out Of The Cradle." The reports also said artist Hugh Syme, whose work adorned some of Rush's classic early covers ("A Farewell To Kings," "Moving Pictures," etc.) is providing artwork for the new disc.

When asked about the track details, Universal said simply that all will be revealed soon.