Album
Caress of Steel
Caress of Steel is the third studio album by Rush, released on 24 September 1975 on Mercury Records. The Canadian trio recorded it straight after touring Fly by Night, and it pushes their sound away from the blues-based hard rock of their debut towards progressive rock. "The Necromancer" deepens their taste for narrative, fantasy-driven writing, while "The Fountain of Lamneth" is their first prog epic. "Bastille Day" and "Lakeside Park" went on to become regulars in their live sets.
The record was a low point at the time. Its darker sound and fantastical songs failed to find an audience and puzzled some of their peers. Sales were poor enough to put their place at Mercury at risk, and the band nicknamed the tour the "Down the Tubes Tour". Fans have since warmed to it, though it is still often called the black sheep of their catalogue. Apart from Vapor Trails, it is the last Rush album with no keyboards or synthesizers.
Caress of Steel: tracklist, credits and charts
5 tracks · 45:02Tracklist
- 1Bastille DayLee, Lifeson, Peart4:40
- 2I Think I’m Going BaldLee, Lifeson, Peart3:41
- 3Lakeside ParkLee, Lifeson, Peart4:11
- 4The Necromancer: I. Into the Darkness / II. Under the Shadow / III. Return of the PrinceLee, Lifeson, Peart12:32
- 5The Fountain of Lamneth: I. In the Valley / II. Didacts and Narpets / III. No One at the Bridge / IV. Panacea / V. Bacchus Plateau / VI. The FountainLee, Lifeson, Peart19:58
- Produced by
- Terry Brown, Rush
- Recorded at
- Toronto Sound (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
- Recorded
- July 1975
- Labels
- Mercury Records, Mercury
- Length
- 45:02
Line-up
- Geddy Lee · bass guitar, vocals · guest
- Alex Lifeson · acoustic guitar, classical guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar · guest
- Neil Peart · percussion · guest
Singles
- “Return of the Prince” · October 1975
- “Lakeside Park” · November 1975
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1975 | 148 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1975 | 60 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1978 | Gold |
| United States · 1993 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
71.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.8k
ListenBrainz listeners
162k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
5.5k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 24 September
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Full discography →
Rush
1974
Fly by Night
1975
2112
1976
All the World’s a Stage
1976
Cygnus X‐1
1977
A Farewell to Kings
1977
Archives
1978
Hemispheres
1978
Rush Through Time
1979
Permanent Waves
1980
Moving Pictures
1981
Exit… Stage Left
1981
Signals
1982
Grace Under Pressure
1984
Power Windows
1985
Grace Under Pressure Tour
1986
Hold Your Fire
1987
A Show of Hands
1989
Presto
1989
Chronicles
1990
Roll the Bones
1991
Counterparts
1993
Test for Echo
1996
Retrospective I: 1974–1980
1997
Retrospective II: 1981–1987
1997
Different Stages Live
1998
Vapor Trails
2002
The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974–1987
2003
Rush in Rio
2003
Feedback
2004
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour
2005
Gold
2006
Replay X3
2006
Snakes & Arrows
2007
Snakes & Arrows Live
2008
Retrospective 3
2009
Working Men
2009
Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland
2011
Clockwork Angels
2012
The Studio Albums 1989–2007
2013
Clockwork Angels Tour
2013
R40 Live
2015
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1975-09-15 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 15 September 1975 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 24 September 1975 | |
| Wikidata | 24 September 1975 | |
| US release | 15 September 1975 | earliest US date |
20 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Anthem Records | 848818006667 | other |
| — | XE | Mercury Records | 042282254320 | other |
| — | XE | Anthem Records | 731453462526 | other |
| — | US | Mercury Records | 731453462526 | remaster |
| 15 September 1975 | US | Mercury Records | original | |
| 1978 | CA | Anthem Records | other | |
| 1983 | US | Mercury Records | 042282254313 | other |
| 1986 | US | PolyGram | 0208314540209 | other |
| 1987 | CA | Anthem Records | other | |
| May 1987 | US | Mercury Records | 042282254320 | other |
| May 1987 | US | Mercury Records | 042282254320 | other |
| 28 November 1991 | JP | Atlantic | 4988029031648 | other |
| 1997 | US | Anthem Records | 731453462526 | remaster |
| 1997 | CA | Anthem Records | 066825107720 | other |
| 1997 | XE | Mercury Records | 731453462526 | other |
| 6 May 1997 | US | Mercury Records | 731453462526 | remaster |
| 10 June 2009 | JP | Anthem Records | 4943674090211 | other |
| 22 September 2009 | XW | Island Mercury Labelgroup | 602527216638 | other |
| 17 February 2015 | US | Mercury Records | 602547185396 | remaster |
| 24 February 2015 | US | Mercury Records | 602547115706 | remaster |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 300×300 | upscaled |