Oh, that growl!

Is this "growl"? Whatever it is, I like it.

 

Yo I haven't heard those in gems in a minute! Thanks fir that.
Also the 421's used as back-up singers mic's in the tiny desk vid
you posted work perfect for a tight space like that (mental note taken). Thanks fir sharing.

 

I read a tiny bit of self-promotion in OP.

 

The first time I noticed growl as a thing was on the Moving Pictures album. I heard the previous radio hits from Rush and of course Roundabout from Yes, and Entwistle on various Who hits before I ever bought albums.

But it was Geddy who really put it in my head. Not a mystery that he would cite Squire and Entwistle as heroes.

 

Not sure if he used the Fender, the Ric or both on this album. Definitely sounds like there's a little bit of dirt added, but I think it's mostly the playing. It enhanced all their albums and a good portion of the 70s and 80s.

 

IIRC, Geddy said that he first used his (now iconic) pawn shop find Jazz bass for recording on Moving Pictures.

 

When I was in my pre-teens in the early 80s, my older brothers always listened to what would be considered classic rock now. The only exposure I had to rush was likely just the few singles they played on the radio. Fly by night, spirit of radio, tom Sawyer and once in a while, the song battle scar they did with max Webster. But they were just radio songs on crappy radios to me.
It wasn't until my later teens, when I wanted to play bass that my brother and his friend suggested I buy (on cassette at the time) hemispheres. That's when I found out who Rush was. I bought all their stuff from the 70s and that's when I discovered the Ric sound and growly bass. At that point I basically forgot about every other band I liked or listened to. At the time, the only Yes on the radio was roundabout and a few singles from the 80s. It was probably a decade later when I bought (CDs this time) fragile and close to the edge and discovered Yes. It was Geddy's sound on steroids. I had no idea what kind of basses these guys played, or anything about music in general. Just a kid with a no name $100 pawn shop bass, obsessed with their sound and songs. I finally was able to get a 4003 in the early 90s and disappointingly,..... No growl. Of course, I realize now that it had everything to do with their setup, rigs, effects, playing style, etc.
Anyway, I'm not really going anywhere with that, other than I discovered that awesome bass sound in the 80s, after moving pictures, but it was being turned on to their 70s stuff. It really stood out on Cygnus X1.
And I never saw them in concert or really knew anything about the band themselves until just this last year (No YouTube back in my Rush obsession days).
Anyway, I'll take your word for when he got the first Jazz. But I know he started out with a P bass and still had it through albums 2-6. Not sure what songs were recorded with the Ric or the P bass, but between the effects and playing style, it's kinda hard to tell.

 

I forgot working man and closer to the heart.
Of course, I loved the bass sound on moving pictures, but it sounded much different to me than the growl on earlier albums. It almost had a chorus-y, guitar distortion sound. Sounded more effects-generated, as opposed to sounding raspy and overdriven from playing it like it owed you money.

 

I might be around the age of your older brothers, when classic rock was just "rock" (the '70s). Fly By Night (the single) and Working Man got airplay but for me were a blip on the radar considering all the amazing music being released at a dizzying pace one on top of the other. We're talking '74-'77---my high school years just to name a time period. In any case, those songs didn't portend anything special to me, or what Rush would become. I'm no Rush historian, but it seems 2112 was their watershed moment as far as what direction the band would take, and "prog" as such is lost on me. Probably no surprise that I related to Moving Pictures which the average Rush fan would consider the gateway by which many "discovered" Rush. It's like that album perfected what they started on Permanent Waves"...i.e. the radio friendly, accessible music for those like me who can't listen to 15 minute suites with funny sounding names.