Which Rush album is cited as one of the greatest prog albums of all time and marked their commercial breakthrough?

• A. Caress of Steel
• B. 2112
• C. Permanent Waves
• D. Moving Pictures

Answer: (A)

This question hinges on recognizing a Rush release that is both celebrated as a landmark of progressive rock and credited with pushing the band into broader commercial success. The album that fits this description is the 1976 release that opens with a sprawling twenty-minute title suite. That piece showcases the kind of extended, intricate composition, shifting time signatures, and concept-driven storytelling that defines prog rock, while the album as a whole demonstrated Rush’s ability to blend technical prowess with ambitious ideas. Its reception helped expand their audience beyond their early fan base and laid the groundwork for the bigger mainstream breakthrough they’d achieve with later records. Earlier work on Caress of Steel didn’t reach the same level of critical prestige or commercial impact, whereas the later albums would bring widespread radio hits but are generally seen as building on the path that album charted.