Only Rush could have pulled this off, and only in the '70s. 2112--the title suite of the band's 1976 breakthrough album--is a comically pretentious, futuristic rock opera written by a nerdy drummer and sung by a whiny-voiced geek. It also happens to be a great piece of rock & roll that lifts the listener through a variety of moods and textures from genteel acoustic ("Oracle") to thrilling metal ("The Temples of Syrinx"). Perhaps realizing that they had taken conceptualism about as far as it could go, even these guys backed off on the epic hero stuff for later releases. 2112 still stands as one of the great signposts of the prog-rock era.

Geddy Lee - bass, bass pedals, vocals
Alex Lifeson - guitars, bass pedals
Neil Peart - drums, percussion
Hugh Syme - mellotron on the track "Tears"

1. 2112: 20:34
I. Overture 4:32
Ii. Temples Of The Syrinx 2:13
Iii. Discovery 3:29.
Iv. Presentation 3:42.
V. Oracle: The Dream 2:00.
Vi. Soliloquy 2:21
Vii. The Grand Finale 2:14.
2. A Passage To Bangkok 3:3
3. The Twilight Zone 3:18
4. Lessons 3:51
5. Tears 3:32
6. Something For Nothing 3:59