Rush To Release "Sectors" Three Box Sets Spanning Entire Mercury Records Era On November 21, 2011

PRNewswire, October 18, 2011


LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 40 million records sold worldwide and countless sold-out tours, Rush - Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart - are not only one of the most successful and influential bands in rock history but continue to garner new fans and continue in popularity every year.

On November 21, 2011, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) celebrates the legacy of Canadian rock trio Rush with the release of three separate six-disc box sets which together spans their entire historic Mercury Records recording career. Each "Sector" contains five of their 15 Mercury albums in chronological order, all transferred to high resolution 96kHz/24-bit audio and digitally remastered for optimal quality. In addition, each volume includes an exclusive booklet packed with unpublished photos, original album lyrics and credits, and features one album from each set specially remixed on DVD in high resolution 96kHz/24-bit, 5.1 surround sound and stereo, compatible with both DVD-Audio players and DVD-Video players. Each album is packaged in a replica vinyl mini-jacket of the original album release with all three box sets forming a Rush CD road case.

SECTOR 1

RUSH - Their hard-rocking, self-titled 1974 debut hit the Billboard 200 and features classics such as "Working Man" and "Finding My Way."

FLY BY NIGHT (1975) - Released in 1975, Fly By Night sees the debut of drummer Neil Peart who would help drive the band towards more complex material. Included are fan favorites such as the title track, "Anthem" and the eight-minute composition "By-Tor And The Snow Dog," which shows the band's musical growth and progression.

CARESS OF STEEL (1975) - Also released in 1975, Caress Of Steel hit the Top 200 and gives a further glimpse of the band leaning toward prog rock and features Rush classics such as "Lakeside Park" and "Bastille Day."

2112 (1976)- One of Rush's all-time classics, 2112 was the band's commercial breakthrough reaching the Top 100 on the album chart and remains one of their most popular albums successfully merging prog rock with their hard rock roots, a first for its time. 2112 features epic tracks such as the 20-minute title track "2112," taking up the entire first side of the original vinyl album.

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE (1976): Hitting Top 50, this was Rush's first live album and features classics such as "Fly By Night/In The Mood" which reached Top 100, "2112," "Bastille Day" and "Something For Nothing."

DVD: FLY BY NIGHT - Their classic 1975 sophomore release is now, for the first time, presented in high-resolution 96kHz/24-bit 5.1 surround sound and stereo.

SECTOR 2

A FAREWELL TO KINGS (1977) - Their 1977 Top 40 release features their hit "Closer To The Heart," "Xanadu" and the title track, "A Farewell To Kings."

HEMISPHERES (1978) - Reaching Top 50 on the album chart, Hemispheres includes the 20-minute opus "Cygnus X-1Book II - Hemispheres" and the metaphoric social commentary "The Trees."

PERMANENT WAVES (1980) - This 1980 release hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and features classics such as "Freewill" and "The Spirit Of The Radio."

MOVING PICTURES (1981) - Considered one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time, this quadruple platinum-selling masterpiece features the Grammy® nominated instrumental "YYZ" and rock radio staples such as "Tom Sawyer," "Red Barchetta," "Vital Signs" and "Limelight."

EXIT...STAGE LEFT (1981) - Released in 1981, this Top 10 live album features performances of favorites such as "Tom Sawyer," "Freewill," "YYZ" and deeper album tracks such as "La Villa Strangiato" and "Broon's Bane."

DVD: A FAREWELL TO KINGS - The album that set their musical course and signature songwriting style is now presented in high-resolution 96kHz/24-bit 5.1 surround sound and stereo.

SECTOR 3

SIGNALS (1982) - The synthesizer-driven Signals reached Top 10 and produced their No. 1 hit "New World Man" and the Top 20 hits "Subdivisions" and "The Analog Kid."

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE (1984) - This 1984 release hit Top 10 on Billboard's album chart and features classics such as "Red Sector A" and "Distant Early Warning."

POWER WINDOWS (1985) - Released in 1985, Power Windows features Top 10 hits "Marathon" and "Big Money," plus the Top 50 hits "Territories" and "Mystic Rhythms."

HOLD YOUR FIRE (1987) - The Top 20 album includes "Force Ten" and "Time Stand Still" with both reaching No. 3 on the Mainstream Rock chart, plus the Top 50 hits "Lock And Key" and "Mission."

A SHOW OF HANDS (1988) - While 1976's All The World's A Stage shows Rush's hard rock roots and 1982's Exit...Stage Left showcases their mix of synth and prog rock, the Top 50 double live album A Show Of Hands concentrates on the band's later synth-driven era with tracks such as "Subdivisions," "Force Ten," "Red Sector A" and "Marathon."

DVD: SIGNALS - The 1982 Top 10 album Signals is also featured in high-resolution 96kHz/24-bit 5.1 surround sound and stereo.

Topped only by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Rush remains at the No. 3 spot for the most consecutive gold/platinum studio albums by a rock band certified by the RIAA, and their current single "Caravan" went to No. 3 on the radio chart. In addition to their commercial success, Rush has also been recognized with a number of Juno Awards, multiple Grammy® nominations and, with their recent pop culture renaissance, the band made a rare and a memorable cameo in the hit comedy I Love You, Man. With sold-out concerts worldwide, including the recent critically acclaimed "Time Machine Tour," Rush continue to gain new generations of fans worldwide. 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.

SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises