Buddy Rich says hello.
Best drummer ever? In the conversation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/a...gtype=Homepage
Singler is IRON
I STILL GOT IT! -- Ryan Kelly, March 2, 2013
Buddy Rich says hello.
Hard at work making beautiful things.
No offense to Moon or Bonham, but the rock GOAT drummer, who still pushed himself to take lessons from Freddy Gruber and Peter Erskine well into his career. Uncompromising and driven to the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-BRee2bAho
Certainly in the conversation, how you sort the top few is a personal thing.
Dude was genius, on that we can agree presumably.
Someone check on Keith Richards, all my rock heroes are going these days . . . .
I was not a RUSH fan, but I did recognize their amazing talents. Astonishing that three people can do what they did. Peart lost 3 year battle with brain cancer. Tough way to go. RIP.
Last edited by -jk; 01-11-2020 at 03:51 PM. Reason: Clarity
Huge loss.
"One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese
He was also the lyricist, the main one, for Rush's songs. He put the words into Geddy Lee's voice...knew what would sound compelling.
As an aside, during a play stoppage last night at the Hurricane's hockey game, they played "Tom Sawyer" in tribute...and the reference was mentioned by the Canes TV crew on air.
Rush has never been my cup of tea, but as a former drummer, there is no denying the chops and inspiration that Peart brought to the drum kit. By all accounts, a wonderful guy, too.
As a child of the 70’s and 80’s I grew up a Rush fan. Last night was rough. There is something about a larger than life childhood icon passing away that truly punches you on the gut. I know Rush isn’t for everyone but you would be hard pressed to find a more loyal fanbase. Peart’s lyrics were something that teens and young adults could escape to and many times relate to. And the instrumentation is practically unparalleled. As the great Chuck D said on twitter - Rest in Beats my man.
“Suddenly you were gone, from all the lives you left your mark upon”
Yeah, but for all his talent, he never could pretend a stranger was a long-awaited friend.
Best ever? Geo. Clooney once said something like, "I don't know how you judge art". It's kind of a silly question in a way (but questions like that sell magazines and get clicks). He was really talented. Someone speculated that he's likely to be the drummer that more people have "air-drummed to" than any other, and I can believe that.
He was also a fine writer, and not just of lyrics. I can recommend his book Ghost Rider, a chronicle of the motorcycle journey he took following the closely-timed deaths of his college-aged daughter (from auto accident, IIRC) and his wife (cancer). He was a keen observer of flora and fauna, and an excellent chronicler of his exceedingly long trip, which IIRC went across Canada, down through the USA & Mexico, and South America, and back. Tens of thousands of miles, I forget how many.
As Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters said, he had the hands of God. They were a band for fans and critics focused on a cool image. When the record company insisted on a shorter, more commercial songs, they went all in the other way. But, they were revered by fellow musicians who cared about actual musicianship.
https://mobile.twitter.com/foofighte...82356457385984
If you hadn’t listened to them in awhile, check out “Clockwork Angels.” They went out with one of their best. And the lyrics for the last song are a fitting statement from Neil reflecting on life towards the end.
Two things:
1. I am ashamed that I never saw this before looking around tonight.
2. I always pronounced and heard his last name as “Pehrt” not “Peert” until this. Bad on me I guess.
But this is insane:
That was a cliff’s notes version for network TV. They also had a good appearance where N entire episode of The Colbert Report focused on them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWRMOJQDiLU
That's not even one of his best solos IMO. I'm partial to the one on Exit Stage Left, only b/c it was one of the first I heard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TlsezUbXq0
And if you're a drum/music nerd, here's a video to Neil breaking down one of Rush's signature songs, "Limelight."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kILxZMfFBVY
I've been a big Rush fan since I saw them live in 1992 when I was in High School. Didn't sit down for a good 8 songs and we were in the upper deck. I have seen them around 10 times total since then, usually once or twice per tour when they came through NC. Their catalog is all over the map, and songs are full of complex rhythms and interlocking melodies. What I admire about them is that they always made the music THEY wanted to make without caring what the critics had to say about it. Their individual and collective talent was undeniable to anyone who ever picked up an instrument. Geddy's voice isn't for everyone . Their lyrics were typically deep and carried a message that resonated with the outcasts, intellectuals, and nonconformists who (like the band) didn't fit in anywhere else. And Neil was the engine that drove them. Rush effectively retired in 2015, going out on a tour with no headliner that was selling out every night. During that show, they started with their most recent album "Clockwork Angels," and slowly worked their way backwards through their 40 year catalog. As they went, the stage props slowly devolved with them, getting smaller and less intricate, until the encore when a single amp sat on a folding chair behind a backdrop designed to look like a HS gymnasium. It was the perfect sendoff to a 40+ year career IMO.
Neil was a voracious reader and a constant learner. He joined the band in the early 70's and quickly became the chief lyricist. He was very private and shied away from the spotlight, rarely doing interviews or meeting with fans. His social circle was very small, and anyone who knew he was ill was forbidden with sharing it publicly. To wit, he was (apparently) diagnosed with a brain tumor 3 and a half years ago and the general public and media did not know. He died on Tuesday, and word of his death didn't leak until Friday afternoon.
Fans like me know we've lost a piece of history that we'll never get back. I sat Friday night at home rewatching a concert video. I knew in 2015 Rush was truly done touring, but I'm saddened that Neil didn't get a chance to enjoy the retirement he so richly deserved. He was one of a kind.
I found this on youtube, which is a montage of several videos he did over they years creating an unofficial "top 10" list. It definitely helped put a smile on my face.
https://youtu.be/OoyfhEAAjz
"There can BE only one."
The man was amazing!
"We are not provided with wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take for us, an effort which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world." --M. Proust