I also had some trouble "getting" Rush. But the guys in the band I managed were all huge Rush fans...
Years later, I picked up a CD of Rush knocking off a few covers. 8 song EP IF I remember right.
It had Rush covering the Who (The Seeker), "Summertime Blues", "For What's It's Worth","The Soul", "Crossroads" for four of the tracks.
(EDITED: Guess that was 5 songs! Can't count this AM)
It enlightened me. Those boys can PLAY!!!
Still have a bit of trouble with Geddy Lee's vocals though.
I think it's about tonality for me.