ALEX LIFESON Explains Why He Quietly Faded His Guitar Solos Prominence In RUSH’s Music – And No, It Wasn’t In The ’80s

For decades, Rush fans have associated the band’s identity with Alex Lifeson’s intricate guitar work. Songs like “Working Man,” “2112,” and “La Villa Strangiato,” remain milestones of rock guitar performance, with Lifeson’s six-string front and center. But by the 1980s, as synthesizers began to feature more prominently in the band’s sound, many long-time listeners felt the guitar had taken a backseat.

Surprisingly, Lifeson says that shift didn’t happen when many assumed it did.

“I was reluctant even in Rush towards the end, I was not playing nearly as many solos,” Lifeson shared in a recent appearance on Q with Tom Power, as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar. “That was part of the way we did things. There was always a spot for a solo, whether we used it as a solo or not. It was there. And I would do a solo.”

He continued, “And then, in the later years, I just wanted to get away from that. Because I didn’t want to bring so much attention to that. I don’t know, maybe I was thinking crazy, but it just seemed that way at the time. So, going into this Envy Of None, the music was so different. I just wanted to be in the background. And my job was to be a part of this thing. Not this guy from Rush.”

The period Lifeson refers to as “towards the end” of Rush‘s career includes the albums Snakes & Arrows (2007) and Clockwork Angels (2012), both of which marked the final chapters in the band’s studio output before their official retirement in 2015. That retirement became permanent with the death of drummer Neil Peart on January 7, 2020, leaving no question that Rush had played their final notes together.

Lifeson’s understated approach to guitar has carried over into his post-Rush project, Envy Of None, which released their second album, Stygian Waves, on March 28, 2025. With this project, he continues to prioritize texture and atmosphere over flashy solos – an intentional evolution from the towering guitar hero persona he once embodied.