“A lot of it is first takes and demos. Because of what had happened to Neil we didn’t want to re-record – the songs felt too precious”: Rush fans had to wait 11 years for Vapor Trails to become the album it deserved to be
Rush’s 2002 album Vapor Trails marked the band’s return after drummer Neil Peart suffered the deaths of his daughter and wife in 1997 and 1998. Fans welcomed the reunion, but the album’s harsh, heavily compressed sound disappointed many listeners, prompting the band to revisit it years later.
Guitarist Alex Lifeson said the sessions were emotionally raw, with many songs preserved as first takes or demos because the band felt protective of material shaped by Peart’s grief. After successful remixes of “One Little Victory” and “Earthshine” for a 2009 compilation, Rush concluded enough time had passed to improve Vapor Trails’ sound; a remixed version was released in 2013, 11 years after the original.
- Vapor Trails returned Rush after Neil Peart’s personal tragedies.
- Its original production frustrated fans and the band.
- Rush remixed the album in 2013.