Rush and Anthem Records

(Part of the Rush Collector Resources)

© Dave Weller, 2001 and 2002 - last updated 31st May. Not to be reproduced in whole or part without permission

Anthem Records, based in Toronto, has been the stable for Rush and a host of other Canadian artists for nearly three decades. It is one of the most important and successful independent record labels in Canada; part of an entertainment empire managed by Ray Danniels that includes artist management (SRO Productions), recording engineer and producer management, the record label itself, and a publishing and production outlet (Anthem Entertainment Group). Danniels also has property management interests (Ryan Consultants Inc.).

Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson formed SRO Productions in 1973, as a management company for Rush. Prior to that Danniels and Wilson were rivals. Wilson was running a management agency called Concept 376 and Danniels had a booking agency called Music Shoppe International. Danniels had been Rush's full time manager since 1970 and Music Shoppe had been their booking agency - early promotional material clearly features its logo. When SRO was formed - SRO is an abbreviation of standing room only - Danniels and Wilson sold their previous companies. Although SRO started off primarily as an artist management company it soon expanded into concert promotion, and record production and publishing. Canned Heat, Nazareth, Ry Cooder, April Wine and Badfinger were just some of the bands that SRO bought to concert halls in the Toronto area in the early 70s.

The pre-cursor to Anthem Records was Moon Records. At the time Rush were trying to release their first single in 1973 they were only able to get a distribution deal from London Records. Danniels and Rush formed Moon Records to release the first single 'Not Fade Away' and also their first eponymously titled album. I an interview in 1980, Rush drummer Neil Peart recalled "When we started no record company would touch us, and the only way we could get a record released was by putting it out ourselves on an independent label, which is pretty pathetic when you think about us being the biggest band Canada has produced. It makes you a little bit cynical about the whole thing". After the success of "Rush" they signed to Mercury Records, part of the Polygram Group, in 1974. At this stage Moon became a production company with distribution through Phonogram. This initial deal was for 2 albums.

In 1975 Danniels also formed Taurus Records. Like Moon Records, distribution was managed by London Records. Taurus released three singles by a band called Liverpool as well as the debut album by Max Webster. Both of these bands were being managed by Danniels. Then, in May 1977, Wilson and Danniels announced the formation of Anthem Records with Rush, Max Webster, Liverpool and A Foot In Cold Water as the initial recording artists. Taurus Records, owned by SRO, continued as a production company for Max Webster - much like Moon Records for Rush. The formation of Anthem was a vehicle to protect Rush's independence in Canada and to give Wilson and Danniels the flexibility to record and publish other bands. It was also a reaction against the continuing lack of interest from established labels for the bands Wilson and Danniels were managing. All three members of Rush became Associate Directors of Anthem. This way Rush was able to retain control over their work with Mercury releasing their records and distributing them worldwide outside of Canada. The deal with Mercury continued through until 1988 when Rush signed to Atlantic Records. Initially Polydor manufactured and distributed Anthem releases in Canada, but they were replaced by Capitol-EMI in March 1978, by CBS in October 1989 (CBS were acquired by Sony in 1988), and by MCA Records (now called Universal Music) in October 1995.

Rush's record label was named after the book, Anthem, by Ayn Rand. This was at a stage when Rush were at their most overtly political, and Rand was a major influence particularly on drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Indeed, "2112", Rush's fourth album acknowledges the "genius" of Rand. Her brand of libertarianism and anti Communist rhetoric struck a populist chord but this pro-capitalist political stance often landed Rush in hot water with the more 'right on' elements of the music press. The notorious article by Miles in the March 4th 1978 edition of the UK's New Musical Express was perhaps one of the most vehement attacks, and was repeated on many occasions. There were exceptions to this however; an article in the January 1978 edition of Macleans shows Rush and Danniels enjoying some of the trappings of their then newly found wealth.

The first release on Anthem Records was the Rush single "Making Memories" b/w "Temples Of Syrinx". The catalogue number was ANS-001, and it was released in May 1977, not 1975 as the label states. Needless to say this 7" single, complete with card picture sleeve, is incredibly hard to find. In general the Anthem Records stock singles have the prefix 'ANS' whilst promotional items have the prefix 'SPE', though there are a few exceptions to this. It is also worth noting that some of the 'ANS' stock copies were issued to AM radio stations with 'promotional only' stamped on them, but only those releases with unique catalogue numbers are included in this discography. The first Rush album to be exclusively released on Anthem Records was "A Farewell to Kings" in September 1977. It had the catalogue number ANR-1-1010. The releases prior to this were re-issues of the preceding five albums ("Rush" ANR-1-1001, "Fly By Night" ANR-1-1002, "Caress Of Steel" ANR-1-1003, "2112" ANR-1-1004", and "All The World's A Stage" ANR-2-1005) which had all been originally released on Mercury Records in Canada.

The history of Anthem and Ray Danniels is intimately tied to that of Rush. Danniels gave considerable financial support to Rush at the beginning of their career. He has also acted as manager to Van Halen, Queensryche, Kings X and Extreme amongst others. Anthem and SRO has served as the launch pad for a number of other careers in the music industry. Val Azzoli was general manager of SRO/Anthem from 1982 to 1989 when he left to join Atlantic Records where he is now co-chairman. Tom Berry was managing director when Anthem was formed until he left in early 1984 to establish Alert Records, another leading independent label in Canada. Vic Wilson retired from Anthem/SRO in April 1981, when he was bought out by Danniels, and became president of CIRPA the Canadian Independent Record Production Association and, more recently, formed First Nations Music.

In 1978 SRO/Anthem had ten members of staff. By 1980 this had grown to 14 members of staff with a turnover of more than 10 million dollars. The label continued to grow and reflect the success of not only Rush and Max Webster, but Canadian stablemates such as Coney Hatch, and Ian Thomas. Despite a focus on hard rock bands, who placed a heavy emphasis on live performances, other artists in the early 80s included jazz flautists Moe Koffman, Hungarian émigré new wave artist BB Gabor, and comedians Bob & Doug McKenzie. .Indeed, the latter's "Great White North" album, a spin off from their sketches on the SCTV comedy show and featuring Geddy Lee on the track "Take Off", even eclipsed the sales of Rush going triple-platinum just months after it's release.

Anthem is just one of a large number of independant labels in Canada. This is partly explained by the relationship between the Canadian and US music industries and re-inforced by Candian Contnet regulations imposed on Canadian broadcasters. In many cases large US recording companies establish Canadian-based subsidiaries to manufacture and market releases by their US artists but have little interest in developing Canadian bands. In contrast, the independnt labels are primarily focussed on artist development, relying on the US subsidiaries for manufacturing and distribution. According to Peart, "Canada is pretty immature as a rock and roll country - it has been all along but it's gradually waking up. Our independent label helps when you have a young industry, because we're in the position where we can and do take risks. We support things we believe in, whereas the Canadian companies, which in most cases are very much subsidiaries of American companies, won't take any risks. They're just happy to sell the records that America and Britain sends them without taking the responsibility of signing new talent in Canada."

The pressures of running a rock oriented label and a reluctance to rely on video meant that by the late 80s Danniels was focussing most of his energy on Rush. But by the 90s Anthem was in expansive mode again with a new Vice President, Bob Roper, to replace Val Azzoli and a clutch of new artists that included Gowan, Deadbeat Honeymooners, and Psycho Circus. The success of the 80s was not to be repeated though and in recent years the number of staff has dwindled as have the number of bands on the Anthem roster. Now the only Anthem artists are Rush, including their various solo projects, and newly signed Queensryche.

For Rush collectors some of the most interesting and desirable items are those released on Moon and Anthem Records - especially the promotional items. Many of these items feature interviews or music that is not available anywhere else. In addition to their desirability is their scarcity. The number of promotional records or CDs released in Canada is much less than in the United States and so they are much harder to find.

What follows is a 'top 10' of some of the most interesting and collectible Rush records and CDs issued in Canada. (Click here for a full Anthem Records discography). In addition to the items listed, there are a number of other releases worth tracking down. The 7" singles issued by Mercury Records in Canada are extremely hard to find - Rush have always been primarily an album band and have never sold many singles - although over 30 have been issued in Canada. The first Anthem pressings of the various LPs are also quite sought after, and the "Hemispheres" album was pressed on limited edition red vinyl and picture disc. These are both worth around £30.

The Top 10 Canadian Rush Collectibles

Catalogue #	Title	Current Mint Value
Moon Records MN 001	Not Fade Away / You Can't Fight It It (7", 1,000 copies, some stamped 'not for sale', ?/73) The very first Rush single, recorded during the Spring of 1973, the 'a' side was a cover of the song made famous by the Stones, but the 'b' side was an original Rush composition. These tracks have never appeared on any other (legitimate) release and so this 7" counts as one of the most prized possessions in any Rush fans' collection. The single was not a great success, and is certainly not the finest Rush recording, but provides a good insight into the formative stages of their career. Live shows from this period often featured another cover, "Bad Boy" by Larry Williams. Serious fans should try and track down a copy of a recently re-broadcast concert from the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland from August 1974, which features this song plus two Rush-penned compositions, "Fancy Dancer" and "Garden Road" which were never released on record. This concert was broadcast by WMMS radio in Cleveland as part of a weekend promoting the new Geddy Lee solo album. Back in 1974, WMMS was home to Donna Halper who was instrumental in introducing Rush to Mercury Records and breaking them in the United States.	£200
Anthem PRO 7	Superconductor (CDS, promo, ?/89) One of the holy grails of Rush collectors, this promotional CD was rumoured to exist despite the same catalogue number being used for another release on Anthem Records. Last year a copy emerged but this is the only one to have seen the light of day - one theory is that it was cancelled at the last minute. It's also worth noting that the disc itself is the same as the US promo CD Single issued by Atlantic with catalogue number PRCD 3331-2, but has slightly different artwork on the disc. This was common for a number of the Rush promotional CD Singles that Anthem issued.	£150
Anthem ANSD 9672	Test For Echo (CD, promo, ?/97) This is an advance promo CD of the full album issued by Anthem. It has a back insert with song listing, which is also printed on the CD. Probably pressed in very small numbers and one of the rarest of all Rush CDs.	£150
Anthem SPE-003	Live In St Louis (2LP, promo, 3/80) This is a live album recorded on the band's 'Permanent Waves' tour at the Keil Auditorium, St Louis MO on 12th - 14th February 1980. It was 'rush' released to Canadian radio stations in March 1980 to support a 90 minute 'in concert' special. Around 35 stations actually broadcast the show. It comes in a plain white sleeve and white labels, with the track listing printed on a postcard-sized insert.	£125
Moon Records MN 100	Rush (LP, 3,500 copies, 1/74) This self-titled debut album was recorded using cheap studio time towards the end of 1974. The flip side of the first single, You Can't Fight It", was left off the album in favour of "Finding My Way" and a frantic 2-day re-mixing session by Terry Brown returned a sense of energy that had been lost in an earlier mix. This was the start of a long relationship between Brown and Rush as he wen ton to produce ? more records for the band. Thanks to strong interest in the US, courtesy of Donna Halper and friends at WMMS amongst others, he band were soon signed to Mercury Records who took over the pressing and distribution in Canada as well. This has resulted in numerous variants of the Canadian pressings of the first Rush LP. As well as the original Moon Records pressings, collectors should also look out for early pressings that feature red Mercury labels instead of the more common 'buildings' label.	£100
Anthem ANS-001	Makin Memories / Temples Of Syrinx (7", picture sleeve, 4/77) The debut single from Rush on the newly formed Anthem Records label. As Rush were still a few months off releasing their next album this single featured a couple of older tracks.	£100
Anthem SPE-001	Hemispheres Radio Special (LP, promo, ?/78) Another radio special from Anthem Records, this time an interview by disc jockey John Donabie to promote the "Hemispheres" album. The record comes in a plain white sleeve with cue sheet and features tracks from "Hemispheres" interspersed with commentary from the band. As well as this radio special there is also a version of the album on Anthem Records, catalogue number SPE-002, that is specially banded for radio play. Complete with covering letter, it commands a similar price tag to the interview disc. Radio specials were also issued to promote the following albums; "Moving Pictures" SPE-007, "Signals" SPE-012, and 'Grace Under Pressure", SPE-021.	£100
Anthem SPE-2-009	The Rush Special (2LP, promo, ?/82) A 2 hour music and interview radio special. Plain white sleeve, white labels, and 5 pages of cue sheets. This was syndicated in Canada by Daniel Douglas. It is the same as the Rush Special radio show syndicated by 'The Source' in the United States.	£100
Anthem PRO 1	Marathon (CDS, promo, picture sleeve, ?/88) 200 copies of this CD Single were pressed to promote the live album "A Show Of Hands". The disc comes in a card picture sleeve with the distinctive ? artwork.	£80
Anthem PRCD 18	Different Stages Sampler (CD, promo, colour front insert, ?/98) To promote the most recent Rush album, the 3 disc "Different Stages" live set, Atlantic Records in the US and Anthem in Canada released a 9-track sampler with three tracks from each disc. The US version, catalogue number PRCD ?, is fairly easy to come by but what makes this Canadian pressing sought after is the colour picture insert. There are also copies of this disc with just a black and white rear insert but these are worth around £40.	£75

Sources:

"Danniels grace under pressure" Larry LeBlanc, Billboard 26/10/96

"To Hell with Bob Dylan. Meet Rush. They're in it for the money" Roy MacGregor, Macleans 23/1/78

"SRO/Anthem - Five years old and still growing" Nancy Gallo, RPM Weekly 1/4/1978

"Anthem Entertainment in Expansive Mode" Martin Melhuish, The Record, 4/11/91

Interview with Neil Peart, Sounds, 5/4/80

Jaimie Vernon, author of the JAM Canadian Music Encyclopedia , has provided invaluable information. This online encyclopedia of Canadian music, which he maintains, is a superb reference database of just about every Canadian artist imaginable

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