I got into Rush late, and I think it was DTF that got me into them. Had a big binge discovering all their music and as Tim, go back to them from time to time. I wouldn't class them as a top 10 band, but considering my collection, having Rush and all their albums in there, really says something. Whenever I need something fresh and different, Rush is there.
I guess I'm a little different as I didn't really dig a lot of their earlier stuff. I much prefered Grace Under Pressure forward until Counterparts. That's the Rush sound for me. Neil passing away is absolutely tragic.