Martin Popoff is at it again. The prolific rock book writer (having authored 85 books at this counting) is once again tackling one of his favorite subjects (and bands) with Limelight: Rush In The 80’s. This follow up to Anthem: Rush In The 70s keeps to Popoff’s meticulous reporting of the facts, warts and all, of what the famous Canadian trio were up to — on the road and in making their iconic albums — during what was arguably the band’s most mainstream commercial period. And even with the many hits the band managed during this decade, and how steadily their popularity rose, these years also saw a fair amount of controversy with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart’s most ardent fans.
Lucky for the reader, Popoff is a stone-cold Rush fan. This is what makes these Rush books, beyond all the many others he has authored, especially wonderful. He leaves no stone unturned in printing lots of interview nuggets with the band members, their crew, producers, and engineers all through the near 300 pages of Limelight: Rush In The 80s. Knowing the band’s music inside and out, he gets to what a real fan wants to know; the writing and recording of each song, road warrior stories, and the sometimes difficult balance-beam relationship between Rush and their record company.
At the end of this book, whose chapters are pretty much broken up and named after each album released, we get an extensive Rush discography (almost worth the price of the book alone) and some great pictures of the band on stage, along with some of the author’s personal memorabilia. Limelight: Rush In The 80s is for the die-hard Rush fanatic and the casual fan alike. Not that anybody should have any doubt, but Martin Popoff delivers once again.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
