Rush bassist, keyboardist and singer Geddy Lee inspired a whole generation of musicians and over the decades he talked about the groups that influenced him. One of those bands were Pink Floyd, that Lee had the chance to see live in Toronto before he formed Rush. In an interview with The Quietus back in 2012 he revealed what is his favorite Pink Floyd album and explained the reason why.
What is Geddy Lee’s favorite Pink Floyd album
The bassist revealed that the 1971 album “Meddle” is his favorite Pink Floyd record, saying: “that was probably the last Pink Floyd album before they went into their run of classics. Before their really big records. But… again… again… it was their show in Toronto that captivated me and fired the imagination. They opened that show with the whole of Meddle and immediately I could sense the possibilities were immense for this band.”
“It was really exciting because you could tell that something unique was happening. Where would they go next? Well, it was a great precursor to Dark Side of the Moon. There were genuine ‘echoes’ of that already in place. It remains my favourite because of that timing. That moment when a band really starts to hit its peak. I am aware of Syd Barrett’s Floyd but, in a musical sense, that was a different time, a different band.”
For Geddy Lee, Pink Floyd knew what showmanship was
In an interview with Sirius XM back in 2013 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage), Geddy talked about his influences and once again explained why Pink Floyd was so important, saying: “Pink Floyd, I remember seeing them in Toronto and I think ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ was just coming out or hadn’t come out yet. I think the first set they played ‘Echoes’ from the previous album, you know, like a 20 minute extravaganza. They were impressive also into a young musician. Not just because of their song structure in the atmosphere but the fact that they really put on an amazing show. They really understood showmanship.”
Pink Floyd’s famous track “Money” was an inspiration for Geddy Lee
The Rush frontman chose back in 2019 for Amazon Music the 22 songs that inspired his bass playing consciously or subconsciously and one of them was Pink Floyd’s “Money” released on their classic album “The Dark Side Of The Moon” (1973).
In a video (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) Geddy Lee explained his choices in general, saying: “I chose these songs because I’m such a ‘bass-centric dude’. That’s all I’ve been thinking about for the last few years. Is the role of bass in popular music and what I tried to do with my book (The Beautiful Book of Bass) was provide an alternate history of popular music through the point of view of the bass player. From the murky bottom end to the twangy top end.”
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The classic power trio line-up was formed after the late drummer Neil Peart replaced previous drummer John Rutsey in 1974 after the release of their first album which had their first hit “Working Man”. Until 2005 the Canadian band sold more than 40 million records all over the world.