New life ahead, indeed. Fly by Night signifies the beginning of Rush as nearly every fan would come to know it: A potent band comprised of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Recorded only four months after Mercury picked up the band’s eponymous debut for international distribution and distinguished by the piercing yellow eyes of the owl on its illustrated cover art, the 1975 album hints at the ambitious pursuits, emotional contrasts, heady complexities, and involved storytelling that soon became trademarks of the Canadian trio. Sourced from the original analog master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents the group’s platinum-certified sophomore effort in definitive sound. All the better for an album that Rush found satisfying to make with the same person (Terry Brown) and at the very studio (Toronto Sound) the group turned to rescue its debut from a host of production shortcomings. The kinship between Brown and the band is evident in how coherent everything sounds and feels. Rush fanatics can appreciate details such as Lee’s bass’ de-tuned E-string sent through a Fuzz-Tone pedal and repeated through an Echoplex on “By-Tor & the Snow Dog” like never before. With Fly by Night, Rush starts a new chapter, doing the best it can.
