(Credits: Far Out / IMDB)
Sat 4 October 2025 13:47, UK
One of prog rock’s most formidable bass players, Geddy Lee’s influence is often forgotten. The Rush man is a quiet presence in the world of rock, but his work can be heard in the sounds of Cliff Burton, Tim Commerford, and Steve Harris.
Having grown up around the time of the ‘British Invasion’, the sounds of British rock and progressive rock have had an incredible impact on the Rush bassist, and have gone on to not only shape his perspective on music but also how he would create his own songs.
Growing up in Canada as Britain’s musical exports were starting to go global, Lee had the chance to see some of his favourite bands tour North America. Seeing the magic of these bands live sparked something in him, pushing him to create a band and make his own music.
Rather than The Beatles or The Kinks, Lee’s favourite band was always The Who. The combination of Roger Daltrey’s vocals, Pete Townshend’s guitar, John Entwistle’s bass, and Keith Moon’s drumming inspired much of Rush’s output. Lee once praised Townshend as the greatest songwriter to grace the rock scene, which is no doubt why 1971’s Who’s Next is his favourite album of all time.
Who’s Next? is a masterful body of work on so many levels. Whilst elements of it today are understandably dated, in terms of composition, it is a fine example of a band finding its rhythm. Furthermore, the cerebral restrictions that the Who overcame to create it serve to make the album a glorious example of greatness through struggle. Just like everyone in life, The Who matured. They accepted the changing times, something many of their peers did not, which paved the way for them to continue on their long, sonic journey throughout the rest of the ’70s.
The Who. (Credits: Far Out / Flickr)
“That album embodies all the best things about rock and roll. Great songwriting, great playing. Almost every tune is a classic,” Lee told Classic Rock. By the time it was released, Lee was already fronting Rush and cited that album as a major influence on him and his bandmates, who’d play Who tracks as they rehearsed.
Lee is no stranger to a power chord, as ‘Dreamline’ is enduring proof of, but Lee always proclaimed Townshend as the pioneer and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ as the anthem of his life. “Maybe the greatest power chords ever recorded,” he said. “Who invented the power chord? Probably Pete.”
Townshend’s ferociously strummed chord patterns drove Who’s Next to sell over 100 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands of the British Invasion. Lee has said it never left his turntable for years after its release.
Although Townshend’s hand in The Who’s success tends to be the primary focus for Lee, he also had a massive admiration for the late bassist Entwistle, who he believed was not only one of the greatest of all time – but on the level of Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones and Jack Bruce.
After hearing ‘My Generation’, not only was Lee bowled over by Townshend, but declared Entwistle one of the “Gods of rock”. He told Rolling Stone: “That was a name you needed to know. I still rank him as the greatest rock bassist of all time, in one sense. First of all, he was ferocious. He had a sound that dared to encroach upon the domain of the guitar player. So he had a very loud, very aggressive tone.”
The reverence for Entwistle’s playing didn’t end there, with Lee saying, “He had incredible dexterity. Just moved across the strings in such a fluid manner with such ease, yet, sounded so tremendously ferocious at the same time.”
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