Far Out Magazine revisits the story behind Rush's 1976 album "2112", made as a defiant response to pressure from their record label. After the poor commercial performance of 1975's "Caress of Steel", Mercury Records pushed the Canadian trio to write shorter, more radio-friendly songs, but the band instead doubled down on their progressive instincts, producing a sprawling concept record built around a dystopian, Ayn Rand-inspired title suite.

The gamble paid off: "2112" became a breakthrough success, cementing Rush's reputation for ambitious, uncompromising songwriting and giving them the creative freedom to continue pursuing complex, conceptual work on subsequent albums. The album's defiant origins have since become one of the best-known stories in the band's history, illustrating their refusal to bow to label demands for a more commercial sound.