Roll the Bones

Roll the Bones is the fourteenth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 3, 1991, by Anthem Records in Canada and Atlantic Records internationally. Produced by the band and Rupert Hine, the album continued the shift away from the keyboard-heavy arrangements of the 1980s toward a more guitar-oriented sound, a transition that had begun with their previous release, Presto (1989). The sessions, primarily held at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, saw the band embracing funk and jazz influences, most notably in the title track's inclusion of a rap segment performed by bassist Geddy Lee. Lyrically, the album explores themes of chance, fate, and the weight of circumstances, inspired by drummer Neil Peart's interest in the role of fortune in human life. The title is a slang term for rolling dice, a motif reflected in the Juno Award-winning cover art designed by Hugh Syme. The Grammy-nominated instrumental "Where's My Thing?" marked the band's first instrumental track since 1981. Roll the Bones was a commercial success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200—the band's highest US chart position since Signals (1982)—and achieving platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Critical reception was generally positive, with reviewers praising the group's renewed musical energy and melodic focus, though some contemporary critics were polarised by the title track's rap section. It has been remastered several times, most recently in 2015 by Sean McGee at Abbey Road Studios. The album remains a significant entry in Rush's discography, bridging their synth-rock era with the leaner, heavier sound of their 1990s work.