Caress of Steel

Caress of Steel is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 24, 1975, by Mercury Records. It was recorded immediately after the band concluded touring in support of their previous album, Fly By Night, and marked a development in the group's sound, moving from the blues-based hard rock style of their debut towards progressive rock. Songs such as "The Necromancer" furthered Rush's advancement into narrative-driven, fantasy-based compositions, while "The Fountain of Lamneth" was their first prog-rock "epic" to span an entire side of vinyl. Other tracks like "Bastille Day" and "Lakeside Park" became staples of the band's live setlists.

Though the band members were initially proud of their work on Caress of Steel, the album proved to be a commercial and critical nadir for Rush as the album's darker sound and fantastical compositions failed to find an audience and confused some of the band's peers, while poor sales put the band in danger of being dropped by Mercury. The mediocre reception impacted the band's gigging opportunities, leading them to dub the supporting tour the "Down The Tubes Tour". Despite being more positively viewed by the band's fans in retrospect, Ultimate Classic Rock noted that the album is still considered "the black sheep of their catalog".