RUSH To Release '2112 (50th Anniversary)' And 'The Spirit Of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987' In October

UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records label groups continue to celebrate the renewed reign of RUSH with a pair of new releases that will both be made available on October 2, 2026, as the legendary Canadian band forges forward with its celebrated "Fifty Something" tour.

First up is the 50th-anniversary liquid vinyl edition of RUSH's 1976 multi-platinum selling studio album "2112", which was recently certified four times platinum. It was initially made available in a limited quantity sold exclusively at the UMusic Shop in New York City in late July when RUSH was in town for their four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. The black liquid vinyl pressing for "2112 (50th Anniversary)" was inspired by the breakthrough album's iconic cover art, and the album cover is presented with a die-cut hole so fans can readily showcase their liquid vinyl disc. The liquid vinyl "2112 (50th Anniversary)" LP is now available as a Sound Of Vinyl exclusive, and it can be pre-ordered here.

RUSH once again enlisted producer Terry Brown to harness their in-studio sound for "2112", and its seven-part, 20-plus-minute title track solidified them as one of the most forward-thinking bands of the rock era. Taking up the album's entire first side, "2112" chronicles one man's creative struggle against authority and oppression that remains as relevant as ever, 50 years later.

The second side spreads the songwriting wealth, with Neil Peart's "A Passage To Bangkok" following the highs and lows of traveling with a clear mission in mind, while his venture into "The Twilight Zone" honors a pair of episodes from Rod Serling's classic sci-fi/fantasy TV anthology series. Alex Lifeson's "Lessons", punctuated by some ferocious slide guitar, leads into the heartfelt balladry of Geddy Lee's "Tears", while "Something For Nothing" closes the proceedings with Peart's rumination on making choices and dealing with their consequences.

The second offering is the first-ever vinyl release for the band's 2003 compilation, "The Spirit Of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987", which features distinctive artwork by the band's longtime creative director Hugh Syme. This collection, which compiles a number of key tracks that highlight the first phase of RUSH's long and storied recording career, will be made available in two configurations: (1) the original 16-track collection spread across 2LPs on 180-gram black vinyl, and (2) an abbreviated, retail exclusive edition with 10 tracks on 1LP black vinyl. While the 1LP edition shares nine tracks with its 2LP counterpart, "Finding My Way" — the opening salvo from the band's self-titled 1974 debut album — only appears on the retail exclusive edition. Both versions of "The Spirit Of Radio" can be pre-ordered here.

"The Spirit Of Radio" compilation is rife with RUSH classics, commencing with the guitar-driven fortitude of "Working Man", the wistful leaving-home travelogue of "Fly By Night", the conceptual us vs. them template of "2112: Overture / The Temples Of Syrinx" and the vulnerability linchpin track, "Closer To The Heart". Then comes the politics of human nature that irrigates the "The Trees", the joyful appreciation of the crackling energy of the airwaves in "The Spirit Of Radio", the time-signature-challenging "Freewill" and the observational luminescence of "Limelight", a timeless, if not prescient look at how introverted artists grapple with public demands while trying to maintain a personal level of earned privacy.

Other tracks include the band's iconic concert staple "Tom Sawyer" and the multi-generational dreamscape of "Red Barchetta", a song that chronicles the thrills and chills of a high-stakes backroads car race. Meanwhile, the kinetic, reggae-tinged lilt of "New World Man" helped propel the song to its No. 1 chart-topping single status in Canada. "New World Man" ultimately peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, RUSH's singular Top 40 hit in the United States. And then comes the generation-defining, synth-driven "Subdivisions", which succinctly captures the angst of the perennial restless dreams of youth.

"The Spirit Of Radio" also features "Distant Early Warning" from 1984's "Grace Under Pressure", the Top 50 hit "The Big Money", and 1987's "Force Ten", which reached No. 3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The final track on both versions of "The Spirit Of Radio", the ever-reflective "Time Stand Still", features one of the few outside guests to ever appear on a RUSH album — 'TIL TUESDAY's Aimee Mann, who provides the haunting title-phrase vocal counters to buttress Geddy Lee's leads on the choruses. Back in June, Mann joined RUSH onstage at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on the first four dates of the "Fifty Something" tour to sing her parts of "Time Stand Still" live with the band for the very first time.

RUSH's universally acclaimed "Fifty Something" tour continues throughout the rest of 2026 in North America, and then the band will take the show to South America and Europe in 2027.

RUSH co-founders Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson joined by acclaimed drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold kicked off the highly anticipated "Fifty Something" tour in Los Angeles marking the band's first tour performance in 11 years.

The special "evening with" performances feature two sets each night, with RUSH building every setlist from a catalog of 40 songs for this tour spanning the band's celebrated five-decade career across.

"2112" 50th-anniversary liquid vinyl edition track listing

Original album produced and arranged by RUSH and Terry Brown

Side 1

1. "2112"

I Overture
II The Temples Of Syrinx
III Discovery
IV Presentation
V Oracle: The Dream
VI Soliloquy
VII Grand Finale

Side 2

1. A Passage To Bangkok
2. The Twilight Zone
3. Lessons
4. Tears
5. Something For Nothing

"The Spirit Of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987" 2LP and 1LP editions track listings

2LP Edition

Original recordings produced by RUSH, Terry Brown, Peter Henderson and Peter Collins

LP 1 - Side 1

1. Working Man
2. Fly By Night
3. 2112: Overture / The Temples Of Syrinx
4. Closer To The Heart

LP 1 - Side 2

1. The Trees
2. The Spirit Of Radio
3. Freewill
4. Limelight

LP 2 - Side 3

1. Tom Sawyer
2. Red Barchetta
3. New World Man
4. Subdivisions

LP 2 - Side 4

1. Distant Early Warning
2. The Big Money
3. Force Ten
4. Time Stand Still

1LP Edition - Retail Exclusive

Original recordings produced by RUSH, Terry Brown, Peter Henderson and Peter Collins

Side 1

1. Finding My Way
2. Fly By Night
3. 2112: Overture / The Temples of Syrinx
4. Closer To The Heart
5. The Spirit Of Radio

Side 2

1. Tom Sawyer
2. New World Man
3. Distant Early Warning
4. The Big Money
5. Time Stand Still