Remembering NEAL PEART of RUSH

Neil Peart RIP

I don't do obituaries although at my age as well as my love of the music I grew up with maybe I should. Neil Peart, the drummer of RUSH, passed away the other day at the age of 67. This was after a three and a half year battle with brain cancer also known as Glioblastoma. It's definitely a sad loss.


If you were a kid growing up with music in the 1970's then you were a RUSH fan. I was lucky to have seen them three times back in the day. I'll get to that later. But if you were a fan back then you had a copy of RUSH's 2112 album. You also had their first live album, All the World's a Stage, because you were too young to have seen em in 1976. You would've been really cool and smart to have their first three albums; The Self Titled debut, Fly by Night and Caress of Steel.


Peart's first album with RUSH was on Fly By Night. It is still one of my favorite RUSH albums. Sure 2112 is the opus but on Fly By Night Neil Peart took a decent hard rock act to new levels with his percussion work as well as being a lyricist who delved into the whole fantasy rock style. There were a lot of great drummers in the 70's. Peart expanded the role as a drummer in hard rock and probably helped create prog metal as we know it today.

The first time I saw RUSH was on the A Farewell To Kings tour and Peart had that huge drum kit set up he was famous for. This was the time when they went from being a great hard rock band to a more progressive rock act. Early on Peart's contributions to the songs were to take something decent to higher levels. now they had some decent commercial songs worthy of radio plus some deep cuts which rocked.


The second time I saw RUSH was around the era of Hemispheres and Permanent Waves. This was when they were all radio friendly but still cool songs. The last time I saw em was on their Moving Pictures tour. That was probably when they were at the height career wise. Not the greatest fan of that album, great show in Philly. After that I kinda left RUSH as far as a huge fan. They put out some good stuff but I moved on. 


So with that said I leave you with a song from one of my favorite RUSH albums. Trust me it was tough to pick one song but this does fit the circumstances. Neil Peart you will be missed. 




Well, I can see what you mean
It just takes me longer
And I can feel what you feel
It just makes you stronger

I know, I know, I know
Oh, the feeling grows
I see, I see, I see
It's got to be

You can take me for a little while
You can take me, you can make me smile in the end

Well, I can do what you do
You just do it better
And I can cry like you cry
It just makes me sadder

Well, I can shine like you shine
It doesn't make me brighter
But if I think like you think

It don't make my load much lighter