# RIP Neal Peart



## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-peart-rush-obituary-936221/


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

A sad loss, and only 67. I cannot imagine Rush without Peart.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Very sad and shocking news. Terrible for his family after being on the road for so many years. I doubt I would have ever listened to Rush if Peart hadn't joined the band. I was not a big hard rock fan as a teenager but Peart's drumming and lyrics made things more interesting. I became a fan in 1976 after purchasing a copy of 2112. RIP, Maestro Peart.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

This concert video of Rush performing _Subdivisions_ shows the magic that existed between Rush and their adoring fan base, as the camera looks out over the faces of those of the Rush Generation nodding to one another and mutually affirming their bond with the group and with each other. Though coming to Rush at a relatively advanced age, I too became a fan of the trio, and still listen regularly and attentively; this video is one of my favorites....


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

My list of favorite Rush tracks:

2112 Suite
Lessons
Xanadu
Cygnus X-1
The entire Hemispheres album 
Free Will
Limelight
Red Barchetta
YYZ live version with drum solo from Exit Stage Left
New World Man
Digital Man
Prime Mover
Mission
High Water

I got off the bus after Hold Your Fire. But all of these tunes I happen to think are superb and have provided decades of enjoyment.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

^^^^All excellent selections! I rode the Rush Train from the beginning right through _Presto_, finding merit (selectively) all along the way. One cool band!


----------



## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Neal pushed himself as a musician, upping his game as he went until he reached the next step in drummer evolution. You've got to admire that tenacity. And his sound was so unique and integral to Rush that I have to agree with *Strange Magic* here and say that I don't know how you replace that. Then too, not many drummer/lyricists around to apply for that job.

"Static on your frequency
Electrical storm in your veins
Raging at unreachable glory
Straining at invisible chains"

I'm pouring myself a cold one and thinking about a dreamer who learned to steer by the stars.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I'm sure he became a much better drummer over the years especially by the mid 90s with the Buddy Rich projects. He was impressed with Steve Smith's accomplishments and level of playing and sought out his teacher, Freddie Gruber. But for me the quintessential Peart tracks are Xanadu, and La Villa Strangiato. The extended instrumental opening to Xanadu is my favorite thing they ever did.


----------



## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

A very sad day indeed...Xanadu live is really special...


----------



## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

*"Science, like nature, must also be tamed
With a view towards its preservation
Given the same state of integrity
It will surely serve us well"*

_N. Peart_


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Very sad. I count myself lucky by virtue of seeing them twice during what was my favourite Rush era (late 70s/early 80s). Neal was a brilliant musician - I'm normally sceptical with regards to drummers having unfeasibly large 'rock god' kits but one thing is for sure, Neal used every last bit of it.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Old Rush thread......

https://www.talkclassical.com/41570-strange-magic-rush.html?highlight=strange+magic+rush


----------



## Guest (Jan 11, 2020)

Knew nothing about Peart (not a fan of Rush, so he passed me by) until I was looking for someone else (Collins, perhaps, or Moerlen or Wackerman or Bozzio) on this website.

http://https://www.drummerworld.com/drummerchoice.html

I watched some of the videos - he was obviously extremely good.


----------



## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Indeed, a sad thing. Neil Peart wasn't very old. I initially missed this story because of the other tragic news events related to Canada that happened this week. On any other week, this might have been a bigger Canadian news story. I only found out about it here on this thread.

I’m finding this story a bit spooky. I know it’s merely a coincidence, but it’s just in the last month I have been listening to a lot of Rush. I never did before. I have purchased for the first time, three Rush albums. I’ve never owned a Rush album before. 2112, A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres. I currently have a book about Rush from my local library which I have been reading. Experiencing Rush A Listeners Guide by Durrell Bowman. And now I find out Neil Peart had died. Oddly coincidental. 

There’s been a lot of Canadian death this week. The big news event. And I’ve got a long time colleague who’s father just died. And I’ve got two family members who are not doing well. 

I will listen to Rush again this weekend.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

^^^^Best wishes, senza sordino. And good luck in your continuing exploration of Rush. Over the years I have met several people who told me that Rush's music--and especially the lyrics--helped them through difficult periods. It is interesting that Neil Peart, and to a certain extent the other two, were interested in the notions of Ayn Rand in their early period. But as their music evolved and as they matured, there was a growing interest in less "ideological" issues and on human emotions and interactions.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

^^^^Best wishes, senza sordino. And good luck in your continuing exploration of Rush. I have met several people who told me that Rush's music--especially the lyrics as they evolved--helped them get through difficult periods in their lives. It is interesting that Neil Peart, and to some extent, the other two, were in their youth influenced by Ayn Rand. But their songs gradually became less overtly "ideological" and more involved with other issues, including those of a common humanity.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Peart discusses his passions for writing, traveling, and music.


----------



## Tero (Jun 2, 2012)

Had a chance to see Rush twice, 40th anniversary tour and Time Machine. I came to Rush late, after my other 70s bands had quit touring. In the progressive rock genre I never saw most of my favorites. Tull once, Ian Anderson later when his voice was failing.


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Sad news, and unexpected. In my view he was the best rock drummer. Rest in peace.


----------



## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Rush were the first favorite band I ever had, and probably one of the things that led me to become so interested in music in the first place. Peart's drumming, often at the heart of their sound, was absolutely incredible; as technically proficient as it gets but never without finesse or tact. On top of that, his lyrics are some of my favorite in all of rock music, eloquently penned and passionate in a way that effectively complements the spirit and drive of Rush's music. Peart was a great musician and, from the interviews I've seen of him, a classy guy. May he rest in peace.


----------



## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

A few of their best songs (IMO):

2112
Closer to the Heart
Cygnus X1 Book I: The Voyage
Cygnus X1 Book II: Hemispheres
Fly by Night
Freewill
Limelight
Red Barchetta
Subdivisions
The Spirit of the Radio
Time Stand Still


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

NPR has a fine tribute/remembrance of Neil Peart, and some insights into the overall effect Rush (especially through Peart's lyrics) has had on many of its fans:

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/11/795555335/remembering-neil-peart-a-monster-drummer-with-a-poets-heart


----------



## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

Peerless among rock drummers, and one of the few rock drummers whose departure from the band necessitates the band's demise. RIP.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^
Agreed. The Who should have split in 1978 after the death of Keith Moon.


----------



## Guest (Jan 13, 2020)

elgars ghost said:


> ^
> ^
> Agreed. The Who should have split in 1978 after the death of Keith Moon.


Perhaps they should have split _before _his death.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

MacLeod said:


> Perhaps they should have split _before _his death.


Well, they were fairly dormant for the couple of years leading up to it. Unless he'd got his act together Moon was a spent force anyway - during the _Who Are You_ sessions he was so technically rusty and physically out of condition that he couldn't even play some of the material, so gigs would have been out of the question. I'm not a great fan of the _Who Are You_ album but it still, at least in my opinion, knocked spots off the two which followed when Kenney Jones was in the band. I would agree with you that the Who's decline had begun long before that.


----------



## Tero (Jun 2, 2012)

I'm almost as well set with Rush albums compared to the Beatles or Zappa, all studio albums and nearly all live ones. But Neil had quite a lot of complicated stories for lyrics. Some failed of course. I tried to decipher most of them, the sci fi ones not so much.

I read a bunch of his books too. He had bicycled in China Asia, other spots in Europe etc. Then he got to his primitive organized tour on the West coast of Africa. When traveling any of those places and getting dinner, I always remember Neil's phrase "rice with junk on top." I was in S Korea a few years back and noticed that I was always hungry afterwards if the meal had no rice. So I got rice with junk on top.


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Sad indeed. I only saw Rush once on the Hemispheres tour and they were top notch live. Incredible drummer but I still hate drum solos. Even his.


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Though I have approximately two dozen Rush albums (split between vinyl and CD), the one I have long returned to over and over is _A Farewell to Kings_, on which Peart banged drums, orchestral bells, tubular bells, temple blocks, cowbells, wind chimes, bell tree, triangle, and vibra-slap.









I'll admit I was originally drawn to the band (and to this particular album) more for my interest in the poetry of Coleridge ("Kubla Khan") than for my pursuit of the type of progressive rock fashioned by this Canadian trio, but I quickly fell for "Xanadu", which credits Peart for the lyrics. (Sorry, Samuel T.!) And over the years I actually used the song in classes I taught when the subject of Coleridge's poem came up. ("Kubla Khan" remains a fascinating study of the role of the Romantic artist in his society, among other things.) I also utilized the Griffes tone poem _Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan_, which proves an excellent musical background over which to read aloud the Coleridge poem.

I'm listening to _A Farewell to Kings _as I type. What a finer way to say farewell to a true king. RIP, Neil Peart.


----------



## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

Great band. I only got to see them once (in London, on the R30 tour) but what a show. They played a three hour set without a break. I was amazed at the stamina of all three of them, given that they would have been in their early 50s at the time. I can happily listen to any of their 70s output (apart from the first album, which is a bit sub-Zeppelin, but Peart didn't play on that one) whenever the opportunity arises. "Permanent Waves" and "Moving Pictures" were awesome as well but they got a bit too synth-heavy after that for my liking. Tragic for Peart to pass away at such a relatively young age though.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

*A beautiful eulogy composed yesterday by drummer Doane Perry, a friend of Neil Peart's.*

Neil Ellwood Peart - 9/12/52 - 1/7/20

I want to thank all the people who have so kindly written, texted, posted or called regarding Neil's passing. Like so many, this has completely undone me and I haven't quite known where to start. I am working on something more substantial to be posted in the future when things have settled a little for everyone.

During the last three and a half years, Neil faced this brutal, aggressive brain cancer bravely, philosophically and with his customary humor, sometimes light and occasionally dark - all very characteristic of him, even given the serious situation and the odds handed to him at the time of the diagnosis and subsequent surgery. But he fought it. By his own request for privacy, few people knew, but his understandable response to this news in no way excludes or diminishes ALL of those who also knew him, worked with him or loved and admired him from up close, or at a distance. His tenacious approach to life served him well during these last years and although he primarily kept his own counsel, he retained his dignity, compassion, understanding and his deeply inquisitive nature, which never deserted him. Remarkably, considering the severity of his condition (glioblastoma) and through the resulting aftermath, he really had no pain. This was always my first question when I saw him.
"Any pain?" I asked.
"No pain", came the reply.
What a blessing that was. We were all grateful for that.

For every one of us who loved him, near and far, this is a loss that is difficult and impossible to summarize in a few short paragraphs. The outpouring of love, respect and appreciation from every imaginable quarter for this extraordinary, singular talent and beautiful man with a mind like no one I have ever met, is touching beyond words. To those that had to guard and hold on to this information closely for three and a half years, for obvious and protective reasons; his wife Carrie, daughter Olivia, his loving family, band, colleagues and friends, they have my undying admiration. You know who you are.

Apart from his deeply gifted, genius talent and prolific output, which he brilliantly displayed through music, lyric and prose writing and that staggering storehouse of knowledge across an array of subjects in multiple fields, he remained a kind, gentle, considerate and modest soul and a consummate gentleman… as well as an extraordinary friend. If you were his friend, you knew it and he understood how to be the best friend that you could ever hope to have. I think I speak for all, known and unknown to him, to say he will be deeply missed, eternally loved, appreciated and remembered for his many invaluable contributions to music, art and the written word. That will be forever celebrated.

Despite what he knew and we knew which was inevitable, I believe there is some sense of relief that this long, difficult odyssey has finally ended.

Thank you my dear friend, for passing this way. We are all richer for your presence and light in our lives.

Doane Perry - January 16th, 2020


----------



## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Sirius XM Radio 27, the "Deep Tracks" channel has been doing all Rush for a few days now .:guitar:


----------

