With this week's sad news of the passing of Neil Peart, music fans are facing up to the fact that the career of Rush is over apart from the memories and memorials. There was a discussion about the end of the band on this board a few years back: Alex Lifeson says Rush are "basically done" Most agreed Rush had finished as a touring/recording entity, but there remained a few glimmers of hope. No longer. With that in mind, what Rush are you playing to remember the band? Personally I recall reading a short article in Creem magazine in 1976 about the band and their interest in the prog rock tradition, and the concept behind 2112. That year I asked for All The World's A Stage for my birthday not long after it was released. I had not heard any Rush at all at the time, since if you can possibly imagine they were not played on FM radio, at least where I was. And MTV was a few years away. So this morning as soon as I hear the neighbours are awake I am going to put on that album and recall just what it was like first hearing it on my fifteenth birthday, six months before I went to my ever first rock concert.
Right now, running through some bootlegs I have downloaded over the years of the shows I went to - currently the last show they did at the LA Forum reliving the experience in the light of the sad news today
the tour rehearsal from Pensacola, FL from Jan 1994. Nice tape......only just got it and have been checking it out.
Signals and Grace Under Pressure to start, probably everything after that through Counterparts in the next few days. Their most humanistic period for me—Neil’s lyrics really resonate.
Xanadu... Never more shall I return Escape these caves of ice For I have dined on honey dew And drunk the milk of paradise
I start off every year playing all of Rush's studio albums. I was playing Presto at the time the news started to break. I usually do just one album a day, but tonight, I finished up Clockwork Angels. This is a tough one. I dreamed that there would be one last run ending with shows in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toronto playing a different set in each city. Bob
I can understand that. People react differently. For me, one of my first actions upon hearing of a musician's passing is to reach for a recording. It's like recognising the ascension to Rock and roll Valhalla - sort of 'Yeah? Well take this, Mr Death - this musician still rocks, and there is nothing you can ever do to touch that...' A role Mr Peart suits admirably. 'Anthem'...mmm....
I’m pretty sure I will have to leave it a few days before listening to any Rush. If I tried to watch any of the live videos or Beyond... I’d be a bit of a mess.
I've been playing the Roll the Bones gold disc. This is a collection of Neil Peart's lyrics that are less esoteric than his wonderful '70s and '80 output. "If love remains we will pay the price but we will not count the cost." It's more a personal manifesto rather than straight storytelling. "I don't believe in destiny Or the guiding hand of fate I don't believe in forever Or love as a mystical state" Plus, I felt that Neil was speaking to me as an 18-year old seeker. He seemed more real than Henry David Thoreau or Oscar Wilde. Little did I know how deep the classics shaped Neil's literary acumen. It's just that Neil made those words jump to a clever tune. Man, I refuse to get bent over Neil Peart's death. I'm celebrating his influence on me with some good smoke and the knowledge that "We're only immortal for a limited time."
Moving Pictures. Others will follow. It will be (very likely) a Rush weekend. The S&A live BD will get its time too.
It always feels kind of perverse to me to play more of an artist's music after someone passes away--like why wasn't I playing it that much when they were alive? That's not to criticize what anyone else does--I'm just reporting my personal quirks. And my quirk is that I'm always uncomfortable with the idea. It almost feels to me like celebrating their death. So I just stick to the listening system I always use.
Different Stages Live, now ‘The Trees’ R.I.P. Clockwork Angel I can’t believe you have now also joined the great gig in the sky...
If we burn our wings Flying too close to the sun If the moment of glory Is over before it's begun If the dream is won Though everything is lost We will pay the price But we will not count the cost When the dust has cleared And victory denied A summit too lofty River a little too wide If we keep our pride Though paradise is lost We will pay the price But we will not count the cost And if the music stops…
It's the celebration of a life well-lived. We're all going to die. I'd rather not mope around. Neil knew about death quite well before his moment arrived. Now wouldn't you rather you're people beat a drum over your passing rather than sit themselves in soot and wear sackcloth?
I spun All The World’s A Stage last night when the news broke. Starting today with A Farewell To Kings. I’ll play everything I own by them over the next few days.
