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RIP Neil Peart


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Saw this just an hour ago.

The world always misses people that dedicated themselves to being as good as they could be at what they do.

With music, I"m the thankful for the recordings that archive the creativity of great players.

Also glad these guys took it on the road one more time before losing Neal.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I really can"t gather the words of tribute that are needed.

 

His drumming was unparalleled.

His lyrics were unparalleled.

The influence of Rush music on my personal musical development is unparalleled.

 

Rush has deeply influenced my musical development.

 

This *toast* goes out to that bond that I share with my all former band mates who I ever played Rush songs with....

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The real tragedy was that Neil got a second chance to being a father again and watching his daughter grow up. Life can be cruel.

 

Yes =(

 

He got a second chance, and a decade with her. Doesn't make up for his original loss, but it's a ghost of a chance few get.

 

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I confess that I was never a big Rush fan--couldn't get past Geddy Lee's screechy vocals (though I loved his bass playing)--but I always enjoyed the instrumental parts of their stuff. When they announced that they'd no longer be touring I wondered if it was due to illness on the part of one of the band members. Turned out to be true, I guess. I'm sure there was mention of Peart's cancer somewhere but I never saw it, so it was just speculation on my part.

 

Sympathies to those who were major Rush fans.

 

Best wishes to Peart, his friends and family, and the band members.

 

Cancer sucks.

 

Grey

I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play.

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One of the greatest,

R.I.P.

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Like a few of you, I was never the biggest Rush fan. However, there are plenty of pieces in the Rush oeuvre that were undeniably stunning for me. I always appreciated the virtuosity and musicianship of the band.

 

The qualities of Neil, Alex and Geddy that I probably enjoyed the most were their sincerity, camaraderie, and sense of humor, which was evident in various interviews/documentaries.

 

On another forum, someone pointed out that while many bands succumb to ego and mugging, Rush remained true to their music and were able to distance themselves from the pitfalls of the business and remain genuine people.

 

Regarding Neil's passing, I lost one of my "inner circle" friends to Glioblastoma a year and a half ago. While we knew what was inevitable, it still seems unreal when our group gets together and Wayne hasn't yet shown up.

 

I'm sure that not only will Alex, Geddy and Neil's family/close friends experience this, but the rest of us, to a degree, as well.

 

 

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I am admittedly a huge fan, since the late 70s.

 

They were / are all having physical issues. Neil was already having tendonitis, arthritic, and joint issues from years of 3-hour sets regularly, not to mention the cardiovascular element.

 

Alex has been battling carpal tunnel and arthritis for years as well. And Geddy's voice has been in decline for some time, requiring at least one off day after a show.

 

They preferred to pack it in before things went south badly, embarrassing themselves, ruining their legacy and reputation, on their milestone 40th anniversary, more or less. Lots of other bands, including some of my personal favorites would do well to learn from that example.

 

Their was talk and speculation that they might still write and record, but not tour...perhaps doing a PPV event one-off, but don't see that happening.

 

Heartfelt sorrow for all his loved ones, and thankful his suffering is over.

 

Thanks to all three of those crazy Canucks for everything.

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100"s of bands trying to figure out an 'easy' Rush song to throw in a set tonight ðð

 

Seriously, though, RIP to the master

 

Noticed NBC and CBS have been using Rush snippets for the bumper music at various time outs ð¤ð¼

David

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I spent my adolescent and early teen years listening to Rush practically 24/7. My friends were all listening to Led Zeppelin and Ozzy, which I also liked, but I was way more into Rush. It's funny that it sort of reflected my other differences from them. They rode dirt bikes and I got a 10-speed. I went on to be the only one to become an engineer. I suppose a less polite way to put it was that I was the nerdy one in the group, but I connected with Rush.

 

I had every album on vinyl from Rush to Power Windows. About the time that I was transitioning to CD happen to be the same time that I was transitioning away from Rush. I owned Hold your Fire on CD. I had exposure to Presto and Roll the Bones but never bought the CDs. Didn't pay attention to much after that.

 

They went through several stages with all of the changes between the initial lineup with John Rutsy through the integration of Neil in Fly by Night and Caress of Steel before they had one of their best albums with 2112 which I think was when they first really gelled with what would be the lineup we all came to know. As keyboards became a bigger part and they migrated from longer thematic songs covering a full album side to shorter songs more friendly to a wider audience, I think the hot-spot intersection was Moving Pictures and Permanent waves. I love Hemispheres and Signals but can see where on one end you had stuff that was maybe the peak of their progressive nature, technically complex but not radio friendly, and on the other side, you had much more synth heavy and pop-ish, including even an MTV video for Subdivisions.

 

One thing is for sure, I haven't heard another band that can seamlessly weave all of the elements they did and sound so musical at the same time.....you can hear complex rhythms and tempo changes and not even realize it's happening unless you pay attention because you're wrapped up in the song and it just sounds natural. I feel like the fact that Neil wrote the lyrics AND played the rhythms has a lot to do with that.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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I'm one of the rare few who's a huge fan of their mid-80s and 90s stuff, probably more so than their early prog work. Super weird since I'm a huge prog head. But somehow their thick layering of arrangements during the 80s just really grabs me. Geddy's voice also mellowed and he sang in a more natural register. Permanent Waves will always be my favorite album, but Hold Your Fire is VERY HIGH on my list (I used to go by "Prime Mover" on old music forums), as is Presto. And their very last album "Clockwork Angels" was phenomenal.

 

I can't decide whether Neil was a better drummer or lyricist. Rush has some of my very favorite lyrics of any band, ever. Very clever, but also very emotive. This is a huge loss.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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My wife has been planning for some time now to record a version of "Red Lenses" backed by a band I play in, with horns and organ in place of the synths.. We just started actually working on it a couple weeks ago, and were in the process of figuring out a recording date when the news came through. Now it's obviously a more poignant tribute, but the plan is to just knock it out exactly as we would have.
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True, Neil wasn't just a drummer he was a musician.

 

Listen to any good college marching band and you'll hear a lot of fills similar to those that Neil played. Not just toms, percussion too. His snare sure sounded like a marching snare the way his rudiments sounded.

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This weekend I watched the Grace Under Pressure concert DVD.

 

When they were playing Spirit Of The Radio, I saw the sea of air drummers playing the drum fills during the 37/25 timing breakdown (or whatever weird timing it is) before the guitar solo. That jerked a tear. Wow.

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100"s of bands trying to figure out an 'easy' Rush song to throw in a set tonight ðð

 

Seriously, though, RIP to the master

 

Noticed NBC and CBS have been using Rush snippets for the bumper music at various time outs ð¤ð¼

 

Hah! As it happens we are doing exactly that. It's mainly though that we are bringing back our old drummer into the fold and he's a huge Rush fan, so it seems appropriate.

 

Something with keyboards, that everyone knows...that limits a bit. There's enough in Spirit of Radio to do that one, and of course Tom Sawyer, but I'm hoping we can do Subdivisions. We have a female lead singer but she is a low singer (alto?) and can't do a fair number of Rush songs. I wouldn't mind doing New World Man either. Signals was not mixed very well (IMO) and it was a huge departure in sound especially in the guitar tones, but I love the songs.

 

Countdown is a special song to me...I was standing on 528 before the first shuttle launch, an "analog kid" having ridden my bike down there because we all got out of school for the launch! "The cars and the cameras" indeed, it was packed with people as far as you could see. I'll especially never forget the many radios, all tuned to the official countdown...the delay as some were further than others....10-10-10...9-9-9....

When I heard Countdown I knew someone had experienced the same awe I did that day. My dad worked his whole life on the machines that launched the Saturns and the Shuttles, so it was a huge deal to our family and still is.

 

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I really didn't pay that much attention to Rush during their heyday.

 

I became aware of Neil mostly through his involvement with the Buddy Rich tribute recordings and videos. I have to say it was interesting to observe Neil's approach to big band drumming. It took a lot of guts to try to step into the shoes of Buddy Rich's charts, so Kudos to him for even trying.

 

Also.... Neil became rather notorious as a student of drum teacher/ Guru Freddie Gruber. Freddie was quite a character who often held court at many a NAMM show get together .Neil fell under his spell somewhat.

 

Freddie's approach had a lot to do with what I felt were philosophies that were ( my opinion) sometimes questionable.

 

Anyway, Neil changed his whole approach to drumming going as far as to change his hand positions to " traditional " stick grip etc. Which seems slightly awkward for someone who had to get around a rather large set of drums. Etc.

 

My impression was that he had a lot of class and was never arrogant. It is very sad that his time here was cut short significantly.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/neil-peart-obit-1.5422806

 

I was checking CBC for more info on the plane crash as they have understandably been covering it in more depth than the national media of other countries, and this shocker popped up on the front page. I don't read Rolling Stone so didn't see the one posted at the top here, but it seems to also be dated from today, meaning that world events blotted out his death for three full days. It wouldn't be the first time that someone of note has died and no one knew for days (or even longer) due to too many top stories understandably taking up all of the bandwidth.

 

This is a very sad death for me; he was one of my favourite drummers, and a nice guy to boot.

 

I see what you mean but that's impossible for news like this to just be buried and not announced. Only Neil's family and Rush suppressed it for three days, not the news media or other events pushing it aside.

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Oh, I didn't know that, but I wasn't suggesting a motive, which is why the word "understandably" showed up so many times in my statement, as it's only natural that stories like this would get bumped during major worldwide events that are soaking up all the bandwidth. But I can see why the family would have wanted a few days of GUARANTEED privacy before the potential onslaught of journalists.

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I remember how much influence NP had on me and my musician friends growing up. He was so amazing that he could energize a young musician to achieve. So many perfect drum licks- see YYZ and more. One of the challenges for a musician is to generate a sphere of influence through music. For me, NP consistently reached out through music to rock, amaze, and inspire. There are others, but the list is short. I remember attending Rush concerts waiting for the solo, and then it came and was everything I could have wanted. I am very thankful that NP brought his talents to the world and I got a chance to experience it. RIP.

Chris

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I am admittedly a huge fan, since the late 70s.

 

They were / are all having physical issues. Neil was already having tendonitis, arthritic, and joint issues from years of 3-hour sets regularly, not to mention the cardiovascular element.

 

Alex has been battling carpal tunnel and arthritis for years as well. And Geddy's voice has been in decline for some time, requiring at least one off day after a show.

 

They preferred to pack it in before things went south badly, embarrassing themselves, ruining their legacy and reputation, on their milestone 40th anniversary, more or less. Lots of other bands, including some of my personal favorites would do well to learn from that example.

 

Their was talk and speculation that they might still write and record, but not tour...perhaps doing a PPV event one-off, but don't see that happening.

 

Heartfelt sorrow for all his loved ones, and thankful his suffering is over.

 

Thanks to all three of those crazy Canucks for everything.

 

Absolutely. "Clockwork Angels" may not be their best album, but it was one of the best they had put out in some time. I'm sorry I never got to see them live more than once, but I'm glad they got to go out on a high note.

 

RIP, Neil

 

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In my opinion, the best rock drummer of all time and in the top three lyricist's penning words to paper. I'm not going to debate it, it's just my opinion.

All three so humble, intelligent, affable, funny, brilliant and virtuosic performers and writers.

My first concert ever in Toronto 1977, 15 rows up stage left above Geddy.

Absolutely electric and spine tingling, I still remember the shivers racing through my body at the start of 2112.

Setlist

Bastille Day

Lakeside Park

By-Tor & The Snow Dog

Xanadu

A Farewell to Kings

Something for Nothing

Cygnus X-1

Anthem

Closer to the Heart

2112 Part I: Overture

2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx

2112 Part III: Discovery

2112 Part IV: Presentation

2112 Part VI: Soliloquy

2112 Part VII: Grand Finale

Working Man

Fly by Night

In the Mood

Drum Solo

Encore:

Cinderella Man

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