“I was reluctant, even in Rush, towards the end – I was not playing nearly as many solos. I just wanted to get away from that”: Alex Lifeson on his complicated relationship with guitar solos – and why he cut down on leads in Rush’s later years

Alex Lifeson’s guitar work defined Rush’s ’70s repertoire – with tracks such as The Strange Villa and Working Man encapsulating their six-string-forward approach. However, once the ’80s rolled around, Rush did a 180: guitars took a backseat in favor of synths.

“I was reluctant, even in Rush, towards the end – I was not playing nearly as many solos,” Lifeson says in an interview on Q with Tom Power (via 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.”