a veritable beast of a track which hogs the first side of the vinyl version of their album of the same name. Split into seven sections, the story is, put simply, about a society on another planet.

A PORTENTOUS riff heralds this classic song about drug use in different countries. Strangely enough, it was written around the time they started wearing kimonos onstage.

'ANTHEM' WAS inspired by objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand's 1938 book of the same name. A song about going against the system and looking after your own interests saw the band stupidly labelled as 'fascists' by some tools in the music press.

NAMED AFTER the French national holiday, 'Bastille Day' marks the beginning of the French Revolution when peasants stormed the Paris prison and toppled King Louis XVI and the aristocracy. Imagine this set to an aggressive, quick-paced song with an almost regal chorus and you're in for a treat.

the band looked towards science fiction and fantasy subjects for their second album. This recounts the battle between Prince By-Tor and the Snow Dog, their names inspired by their manager Ray Danniels' dogs: "a pissed off German shepherd" (a 'biter') and "a little white fluffy thing" (the 'snow dog'), both of whom terrorised house-guests.

this relatively short acoustic-led track was co-written with Peter Talbot, a friend of Peart. It was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales which has hosted Queen, Manic Street Preachers and Biffy Clyro. Oh, and T'Pau.

TAKEN FROM their 1984 album 'Grace Under Pressure', this synth-driven, environmentally aware track displays a guitar and reggae-tinged bass-line influenced by The Police.

this live track recorded before 40,000 Brazilian fans in Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium offers a far more satisfying, heavier take on the original. Surprisingly, the track is about falling in love with a junkie stripper. Just joking, it's named after the astrological phenomena where earthlight is reflected on the moon.

IN AUGUST 1997, Peart's 19-year-old daughter Selena died in a car crash and he lost his wife Jackie to cancer just 10 months later. Devasted, Peart went on a year-long motorcycle trip to come to terms with his loss. This track documents his healing process.

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL song about living in the public eye. The name was influenced by the soft drink Sprite and originally boasted the working title of 'Limonlight'.

A PUNCHY, bass-driven moment with dreamlike verses from 'Moving Pictures' about driving a Ferrari at high-speeds around the country. Makes a change from the swords-and-sorcery from their previous albums.

A MOVING song inspired by the Holocaust. Lee's mother and father were liberated from the Bergen-Belsen and Dachau concentration camps in April 1945. "It's about being on the brink and having the courage and strength to survive," says Lee.

THE NAGGING questions of life, death and luck and loss are all addressed in this funk-tinged track.

BASS-SYNTHESIZERS introduce this opening track from their album 'Signals'. Prepare yourself; it sums up the '80s more than leg-warmers, massive hair and Thatcher instigating a civil war between the miners and the police.

AN ARSENAL of synths feature on this busy opening track to 1985's 'Power Windows' album. It's not about over-sized coins, despite the misleading title.

THIS LOUD, seemingly celebratory anthem opens with Lifeson's distinctive riff. The song provided Rush with a Top 20 hit in the UK, reaching number 13. Says drummer Neil Peart: "The song's celebration of the ideals of radio seemed like an attack on the formulaic, mercenary programming of most radio stations, with music the last of anyone's concerns." Right on.

WHEN AMERICAN novelist Mark Twain wrote 'The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer' in 1876, did he wonder if his tale of boyhood scrapes would form the basis of a progressive rock classic? The song was featured in an episode of 'Futurama' when Fry listens to his 'All Rush Mixtape' while playing a video game.

An Ohio DJ played this self-released track on the air and received calls from listeners thinking it was Led Zeppelin. It caught the ears of Mercury Records and the rest, as they say, is history...

IRON MAIDEN weren't the first band to set Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poetry to music. 'Xanadu' is an ambitious 11-minute track that was recorded in just one take, using the poem 'Kubla Khan' as lyrical inspiration.

THIS DRIVING instrumental takes its name from Toronto International Airport's three-letter code. Communication enthusiasts will also be able to spot that the song's complex rhythmic introduction spells out YYZ in Morse Code. Geeks.