UPDATE - 4/30@10:40AM: NOTE: The release date has been pushed to May 22nd. From the Rush Backstage Club website:
Please note that the release date for The Art of Rush has changed to May 22, 2015. While we apologize for this delay, customers who have purchased the book will be happy to know that the reason for this was to add extra features to the book itself. Some of these features include debossing and foil stamping on the covers, special UV spot printing, inclusion of semi-translucent vellum pages within the book, and a soft-touch printing technique for the cover itself. All of these features take considerable time in production, and it was decided that a project as important as this warranted the extra time and expense.
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UPDATE - 3/27@12:15PM: The Slipcase Edition page is now also showing an explicit SOLD OUT message too.
UPDATE - 3/27@12:10PM: The Slipcase Edition page now says, "This item is not available for sale at this time". So either that means an issue with the website, or it's actually sold out. There isn't any explicit SOLD OUT message like with the Roadcase Edition though.
UPDATE - 3/27@11:43AM: The site is back up as of this moment, but it still looks to be having issues. The Roadcase Edition is already sold out, but there are still Slipcase Editions available.
UPDATE - 3/27@10:30AM: The pre-order is now underway, and it seems to have killed the Rush Backstage Club site! The site is apparently listing the ship date as May 1st.
Rush.com just sent out a newsletter announcing a new Art of Rush book that will soon be made available. From the Rush.com press release:
The Art of Rush is a 272 page coffee table book that delves into the 40 year relationship with Rush and their longtime artist and illustrator Hugh Syme. The stunning book begins with a foreword penned by Neil Peart, and contains original illustrations, paintings, photography, and the incredible stories behind each album that he has designed with the band since 1975.
The book's narration was written by music journalist Stephen Humphries and includes in-depth interviews with each Rush band member, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart and artist Hugh Syme. The Art of Rush also contains entertaining anecdotes and commentary from a wide array of notable musicians, actors, athletes, writers, radio personalities and Rush insiders about their favourite Rush album covers, which clearly reveals how vital and impactful the visual representation of their music has been through the years. ... "From the first time Hugh and I met, we shared a level of communication that would sustain us through all the years of discussing art by long distance. We had the same values and tastes in images and design, and simply spoke the same language. That's why I off-handedly referred to him one time as 'serving a life sentence as my art director," said drummer and lyricist Neil Peart ...
The book will be available for pre-order on Friday, March 27 at 10AM via the Rush Backstage Club. Three separate editions will be made available. The Roadcase Deluxe Edition is limited to 100 copies and costs $995. It will be numbered and signed by all 3 members of Rush and Hugh Syme, and come in a hand-crafted road case with a metal plate affixed to the outside with the limited edition number. The Special Edition is limited to 250 copies and will cost $495. It will be numbered and signed by all 3 members of Rush and Hugh Syme, and come enclosed in a custom slipcase. The Classic Edition is just the 272 page hardcover book and will cost $99. See Rush.com and the Rush Backstage Club for all the details.
