What made Neil Peart so special? A fan's retrospective. 

Is this Thee Terry Williams? Dire Straits? If so Thank-You sir for your awesome work.

Sorry. Different TW, tho I agree with your comment...

great work Terry! 😎

@NaghaviSystem Met Neil in 1972, before Rush. See "Ghost Rider" approx page 396...

@terry williams, after reading pages 396-397 I stopped @ the line Neil wrote about meeting you in St. Catharines (P.397) while you were a Dj @ the local radio station. Just curious if you worked @1220 CHSC or 610 CKTB back in '72? Both AM stations (for anyone wondering) as the first FM rock station didn't start broadcasting from the Garden City until June 27, 1986 @ 97.7 CHTZ FM (aka. Hits FM).en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHTZ-FM

Wish I'd thought 2 say that😟😎

He is my favorite lyricist of all-time.

@@eward41 I call him a true "Renaissance Man." Multiple talents, great in every one.

Theres millions of capable drummers but it's my belief it's the one with best imagination that makes one great

Well said and this is spot on!

Algoma Nation.

I am, but only for BBQ Sauce! :)

I’m not crying....you’re crying!!

Been cutting onions since January.

Hell yeah, hear hear! 👍

Neils drum solo from frankfurt show ! Take a few and watch it . Makes me smile and get choked up near the end when he breaks into a superb jazz rant on his kit. AWESOME !!!

Well said. "Pocket feel" is a great term!

Well said Hakim

As a fan(atic) of both Rush and The Purple Yoda... 👍🏼 💜

All taken from his own life experiences

So true

I got into Rush when a saw A Show Of Hands on TV, and then I bought that tape and then bought Presto. Songs like War Paint, Scars and Presto are great, but The Pass really spoke to me, especially as a 17 year old kid going through some heavy shit. His lyrics still speak to me to this day as a 48 year adult.

@@stephenmiller2337 As a 14 year old I have to say rush really speaks to me as well. My dad loved to listen to rush as a kid and introduced me to it a few years ago. The lyrics are what amaze me. In a time where you could say random words as fast as possible and that be called music pales in comparison to the lyrics of rush.

It really, really is and I kind of felt it from early on only I didn't quite realize how deep and honest until years /decades later.

I've only seen Rush 3 times. I'm a guitar player, but I went to their shows to watch Neil.

@@suncookrocks I only saw them three times also. Yes, of course I went to see Neil, but I also went to see Alex and Geddy and the lights and to hear what Rush sounded like live! To be that close to three musicians who changed the way I listen to music was surreal. 1992, 1996, 2011.

@@drewper73 Good for you! Now go wash your hands.

u must not ever watch don brewer then lol....

@@jefferyfunk6819 Never been to a Grand Funk Railroad concert

That's true. He once said that every single beat or fill or lick was worked so hard because everything was so hard to him . And he pushed and pushed until he reached the excellence. He was an example of the benefits of hard work.

Very well said. Perfectly, actually.

So true. And even though he was considered one of the best of his time, he never rested. He knew he could do better so he found a new mentor and relearned how the play the drums even better. Simply amazing.

Right on Craig. Well said.

Well said.

'Neil's drumming was the perfect blend of technicality and musicality, his lyrics a wonderful combination of head and heart, and he topped it all off by being an incredibly decent person.' Very well put.

What is technicality? Drums is a musical instrument so drumming should just be about musicality.

Bro, its one of my favorites and like nobody talks about how insanely awesome that song is.

Song bangs

@@elitewarrior0076 I know this is an old comment. But I just wanted to say that I listened to it today on my drive. And I'll listen to it again. Always been a fav. A hidden gem in their massive catalog.

@@idlemindedmage6925 yeah dude i've listened to it probably 100 times over the last year or so and all the time signature and rhythm changes blow my brains off every time. such a good song. Jacob's Ladder as well, another tremendous piece

That was always one my my favourite Lyrics from Rush and I have repeated them so many times cause its so true. We definitely are immortal for a limited time.

Facts!

"Is it living or, just existence?" -"The Enemy Within"

Hurts every time I hear it .........

So poignant...

Imo the reason it hit so hard is because Rush was calling it a day after 40 yrs of greatness and the fans always held onto the hope that they'd have a change of heart and come back out on tour, at least one more time. So while fans' hopes and expectations were still riding high, Neil's passing was the last thing anyone expected. No one knew about his condition, it was the ultimate shock to us all and it still hurts.

@@rickleblanc8900 And yet to add, Or just saying... I (personally) find/found Clockwork Angels album to be such a perfect rounding ender... I fing love CA.

@@HAKKY2112 oh ya, that album is brilliant, a fitting one to bookend their amazing career. And i saw them live on that tour, what an amazing concert.

gr3gc0 only a genius can create a lyric like that.

Jacobs Ladder, those lines are amazing. Rush songs are some of the only songs I know the words too.

I grew up in St. Kitts and now live in Welland. I went to Lakeside Park when I heard that he had passed. Others were there too. Some came across from the US. Fittingly, it was a rainy day.

He was at the definitive core of who I am, as a person. His precision, his focus, his work ethic, the quality of this work...all of that serves as a model and inspiration to me. I still feel like a part of me has been ripped out.

@@TheCocoaDaddy I hear you. I still get emotional listening to Rush these days ever since his death.

Agreed. Greater than John Bonham in some degree.

Same Danny. Great person, and really great, not casually stated. I still get teary eyed thinking about it.

I hear you man, the only celebrity that brought me to tears. Since 2112 All the Worlds a Stage" super fan!

Live2Shred PERFECTLY put and nither did I. I don’t believe ANYONE should because the introvert is simply just a quiet version of everyone else in the world. It’s not “ABOUT YOU” so just get over yourself and move on to what’s for dinner.

Perfectly said

And he chose to travel almost exclusively on a motorcycle... ( BMW GS 1200) Why?? because he could appreciate the landscape and the world ALONE. He was one of a kind.

Justin Fontaine Yesss . You read his book, I take it?

J.D. thanks☺️

Its likely that hi hats are a thing of hard rock and jazz(and in these days heavy metal) probably why drummers dont use it so much. I love using the hi hat

Stewart Copeland too

Pure effort made to look completely effortless!

Can't ever fade away, too many drummers have scars on their index fingers from playing so long chasing the Master's touch!!!!!

He will never fade away. Maybe until the year 2112 when the priests take him from us, and even then we will rebel against it and Neil will assume control once more.

Agree - I was really disappointed he was retiring-hated to hear the guys say they would not tour due to deteriorating ability to play live - I’d love to see them play with back up musicians just to see them again, other musicians do it all the time as they age, but I respected them - they had substance to their character, and now we all really know - he suffered from a terrible disease and there’s no reason he needed to share it, it wasn’t like lung cancer with a teachable moment of poor decisions like smoking, he went his own way gracefully. RIP!!! Canada should dedicate a statue to Mr. Peart!

@@mikemallery913 I think this is one band that shouldn't try to continue without each other. Solo careers, fine, but not as Rush.

He never judged people, he just took them as they were.... "I knew he was different in his sexuality, I went to his parties as a straight minority , never felt a threat to my masculinity , he only introduced me to a wider reality ,, as the years went by, we drifted apart, when I heard that he had gone I felt a shadow cross my heart , " one of the most accepting, non judgemental people ever to walk the earth .

I am a drummer and concur

I hate the whole 'best ever' argument...but if he isn't in someones top 5 their opinion is invalid in my eyes.

Great rock drummer. Best drummer ever on the planet was probably his idol Buddy Rich!

Rush shows at the Spectrum were my teen years! My first was Moving Pictures with FM opening. It doesn’t get more Canadian prog than that.

HEMISPHERES my favorite

J.S. Connolly Hemispheres blew me away,I bought an imported vinyl with the brains on the record label,prog !

Yep! I have a version of Hemispheres that is colored RED and the Cover Photo is Imprinted on it! VERY Rare record indeed! I have several RUSH "Color Disk" records like that in my collection! :D

J.S. Connolly Very nice mate.

Thanks Jelly. :)

Jim Maone Yeah man! I’m so glad you liked it! I hope the drumming is going well. Good luck.

Mill

@Kali Southpaw I think of that often, how Geddy and Alex are doing after Neil's passing. I wish them the very best in whatever they do next in life. I am very thankful for all the music Rush gave us.

same about the emotional/tears/celebrity comment. crazy. super good video, thanks Steve!

I’m from Louisiana too man- been a Rush fan since mid 80s. Nice to see another big Rush fan from “The Boot.” Rip Neil Peart- truly inspirationa!

I'll stand with that opinion.

Neil ..

Me 78ish but right behind ya!!!

All of the members can be argued as the greatest of their instrument of all time

...and still nobody brings up Terry Brown..... almost like he never played drums for Rush

That was beautiful Steve!! Thankyou for that!!

stoooopppp

Absolutely fitting!

Truth spoken; Amen to you brother.

60 meatheads gave this a thumbs down ?? Fucking idiots

Thankyou Very Much For your Respect

Stupidity 😂?

Must be Bonham fans

Thank you Penny!

Same here, I listened to Rush when they first hit the scene and continued from the point when Neil replaced the original drummer. They progressed from one album to the next I was extremely inspired by Neil's talent, he set the bar for many drummers the torch was passed from John Bonham to Neil.

I feel your pain brother. Unfortunately it's starting to happen all to often.

I'm 59 years old and a drummer and have read his books and ridden a BMW GS ( and other bikes) on many of the same roads. Lived the same life on the same bike. Same mom and pop motels. Same shitty weather. Same bad road food. The fact that with all his money and fame he chose to live his life the way that I do makes us brothers from a different mother.

Lee Jennings this was a tough one to take. Still cried during this video. Don’t think I will ever be able to listen to their music with out tears.

Yeah I agree.. with these great loses.. and not having any greats coming into this world to replace them sort of speak.. the world's getting worse.. people are ruining music now days. I can't even give it a minute of attention and I know it's garbage! What the hell's this world coming to?

Thank God for the music they've left! Inspired musician here.

Well written sir. Like you, I am not a musician. Like you, the music of Rush and the insightful, intelligent lyrics of Neil Peart penetrated every pitiful defense I erected due to the unfortunate circumstances of my youth, and not only broke through to speak to my psyche, but deeply molded the person I evolved into. I cannot fathom how my teenage years (late 70's - early 80's) would've been without the music of Rush and the lyrics of Neil Peart to see me through the best of times and the worst of times. I am diminished at Neil's passing. At the risk of appearing jaded and cliche, if there's a Rock-n-Roll heaven, well you know they've got a hell of a band... R.I.P Neil Peart. To live on in the hearts of those he touched is to never die.

You would have loved being into the 70s Rush also. I couldn't wait until their next album came out and where and how many times I could to go see them that year.

mstrtwister Unfortunately, I had never heard of Rush until around the time they released Moving Pictures. My brother came home with a vinyl copy, and after one listen I was hooked for life. Of course, I soon dug into their early releases, and was blown away by the prog, and fantasy themes, as well as the straight up rockers.

To put it simply, Neil was a drummer's drummer hence the professor.

I cannot like this comment enough 👍

@Bronze Brett: Couldn't agree more. I don't think I've ever directly commented to a video creator about their work, but giving this video a like just wasn't enough. Very well done, Steve.

The band Tool is the Rush of today. Listen to the full song Lateralus by Tool. Rush was great for their time but now there are other bands such as Dream Theater, or another band called The Aristocrats. If you give them a chance prepared to be blown away

@@aaroncrepeau3296 Thx. I have been listening to Tool a lot recently, as recommended by others on the interwebs. Danny Carey is in the same vein as Mr Peart- innovative, musical and intensely accurate. There is a video of Danny playing with Neil and Stewart at the Sacred Grove.

His brain made him special then ended up ending his life. Too young to die. RIP buddy 💔🙏

That was amazing. Thank you @Steve Holmes. Now where have I seen the shot of Neil on his BMW with both arms outstretched?

Randy Sych so sorry for your loss. I’ve only cried twice to mourn the loss of someone. My brother who died suddenly at 53 and Neil Peart. Rush music framed my entire life since the release of Permanent Waves. There will never be another Rush or Neil. I’m just happy to have been along for the ride.

Doug Still thank you. I’m sorry for the loss of you brother. Rush has meant so much to me since the Fly By Night album. Hearing Neil play sent me in the direction all parents dread,the drums. I literally gave up playing guitar and talked my parents into buying me my first drum kit. 45 years later I still play them. I agree,there will never be another Rush or Neil. No band or drummer even comes close. Last night I was watching all the videos I shot from every concert I’ve seen since cell phones were video capable. I broke down once again. The sadness never ends. My first Rush concert was the Hemispheres tour 1978. I’ve seen many Rush concerts but sadly I didn’t get to the R40 tour.

Same here

I am so very sorry for your loss. My parents are both gone. It is very hard....traumatic. Neil's passing was one of the few celebrities was where I cried. I cried like I lost a brother.

Neil's passing was like one of a family member... I thought as much as we knew about him through his writing that we still didn't know him... He will be missed... my only brother and mother passed within a year of each other so I know that pain when Neil passed I vowed to become great at my craft so I say all of that to tell you to let Neil inspire you to greatness!!! #longliveneil

Wonderful life? Daughter killed in a car crash and lost wife to cancer. A wonderful life you say?

@@taunokekkonen5733 and yet he lived a full life dispite all that !! What a special man !

She? Damn you are lucky to have known one of the 3 female rush fans!

May those people suffer the itch of a thousand mosquito bites!

@@johnpatrickmatthewsmusic May their earholes turn into arseholes and shit all down their necks!!

***holes!

They know and do NOTHING!

Wow, That's an awesome story. What was it like meeting Buddy?

Well... when I FIRST Met Buddy I was 12... the next summer I started to teach myself to play the drums. I had WANTED to play the bass and be "Gene Simmons"...{SO Glad I did do THAT!} Buddy was VERY Cool! He and his band played at the high school that was next to my middle school. I got a flyer for the concert and my dad INSISTED that we go! Tickets were like $5.00 each! Soooo we went And I was BLOWN AWAY! THEN After the show my Father and I went down to the stage to meet him and I got his Autograph! Fast Forward to Summer of 1985 at the Milwaukee Summer Fest and I see that "The Buddy Rich Orchestra" is playing that night. So I went to see him and even seven years later... and he was STILL INCREDIBLE! And after the show I went to the back stage area and there he was signing autographs. I waited 'till he was done and all the people had cleared out and I walked up and said "Hi Buddy... Nice to see you again!" He looked at me like "WHAT?!" THEN His eyes opened WIDE and he said, "Oh My God! Hey Kid How are you doing?!" And he Smiled wide and hugged me HARD and said "WOW! You've grown! How's your dad?" YEA! HE REMEMBERED! And I told him dad was doing good... and he asked what I was up to and I said. "Well.. since I saw you seven years ago I've since become a drummer too BECAUSE of YOU!" And ye says, "Well tell your folks I'm sorry!" And I said, "No actually they are VERY Proud of me! And we talked a bit longer but I could see he was very tired. So I shook his hand and he hugged me again and said he was VERY glad I stopped to say Hi! That was his LAST Concert in Milwaukee as he died later that year. I also got to meet and talk with Neil at a clinic in Hollywood Cal. in 1987... and I also met Stewart Copland at a local club that doesn't even EXIST anymore! All THREE Are. Were and AWAYS WILL BE MY DRUMMING/MUSIC Heroes! :D THEY gave me my DRIVE and I continue to "HOLD THE FIRE"!!!

"I'd like to think he enjoyed my company as much as I did! I did get the better part of that bargain though in my opinion!" LOL! I know what you meant to say but I can't stop laughing...it's like, "Full of yourself much?" Again, I know that's not what you meant, so don't get your feathers all ruffled. It's just funny :)

Thanks Joe - glad you enjoyed it.

Peart received the following awards in the Modern Drummer magazine reader's poll Hall of Fame: 1983 Best Rock Drummer*: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2006, 2008 Best Multi-Percussionist*: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 Best Percussion Instrumentalist: 1982 Most Promising New Drummer: 1980 Best All Around: 1986 1986 Honor Roll: Rock Drummer, Multi-Percussion As a member of the Honor Roll in these categories, he is no longer eligible for votes in the above categories. Best Instructional Video: 2006, for Anatomy of a Drum Solo Best Drum Recording of the 1980s, 2007, for "YYZ" from Exit... Stage Left Best Recorded Performance: 1980: Permanent Waves 1981: Moving Pictures 1982: Exit... Stage Left 1983: Signals 1985: Grace Under Pressure 1986: Power Windows 1988: Hold Your Fire 1989: A Show of Hands 1990: Presto 1992: Roll the Bones 1993: Counterparts 1997: Test for Echo 1999: Different Stages 2002: Vapor Trails 2004: R30 2007: Snakes & Arrows 2011: Time Machine 2012: Clockwork Angels Peart received the following awards from DRUM! magazine for 2007 Drummer of the Year Best Progressive Rock Drummer Best Live Performer Best DVD (Anatomy Of A Drum Solo) Best Drumming Album (Snakes & Arrows) Peart received the following awards from DRUM! magazine for 2008 Drummer of the Year Best Progressive Rock Drummer Best Mainstream Pop Drummer Best Live Drumming Performer Peart received the following awards from DRUM! magazine for 2009 Drummer Of The Year Best Progressive Rock Drummer Peart received the following awards from DRUM! magazine for 2010 Drummer of the Year Best Live Performer Best Progressive Rock Drummer

Neil = Picasso on a drum set . Artist who happened to use drum sticks

He probably sat at the top of the titled drum royalty of his era, possibly of any 20th century era of pop culture. He was also extremely intelligent and articulate, which lent itself well to his role of lead lyricist of Rush. I'm not so easily convinced that he was the BEST lyricist of his generation though. I say this for several reasons. He definitely nailed nearly every one of his advanced sci-fi poetry pieces in the decade spanning 1974-1983. However, I think his best work particularly had a tendency to get a bit too wordy and deep for the average listener. I get it, but my IQ is also 133. There are many people who don't necessarily possess the vocabulary skills that Mr.Peart was gifted with. On the flip side, he never allowed that to deter him from writing so many thought provoking lyrics, which I admire. My second gripe is that his lyrics got a bit too literal and inconsistent between 1984 and 1994 approximately. I was never a huge fan of the left turn the band made in the 80s into world flavored accompaniments or the leap from sci-fi lyrics to more cautionary tales about global preservation and social unrest that dominated that era of Rush albums. They did revert back to form a bit on Roll the Bones, but even it seemed a bit perfunctory compared to that golden era from Fly by Night on through to Signals. The Counterparts album went in another direction entirely, with a more stripped down, guitar oriented rock sound with lyrics ranging from the slightly obtuse and disjointed darkness of Stick it Out, to a sympathetic social justice ballad about a homosexual young man, with varying degrees of less inspired lyrical cocophonies that comprise the remainder of that album. I do find the final third of the bands work from Snakes and Arrows on to be more consistent and lyrically sound than the bands middle period, and the band seemed to enjoy a return to ubiquitous relevancy during the remainder of their existence. Finally (I apologize for the lack of brevity here, but it's a complicated discussion), I would argue that there were a number of immensely talented lyricists who were writing during the roughly 40 year recording tenure that Rush enjoyed. Black Sabbath bassist/GZR founder Geezer Butler was the godfather of dark, occult inspired lyrics that still influence a number of metal bands lyrics to this day. We also must take into consideration that each of The Beatles (Lennon and McCartney most notably)were active with solo careers that coincided with the active period of Rush. Ronnie James Dio penned alot of extremely imaginative Medieval period inspired fantasy based lyrics with Rainbow and Black Sabbath in addition to his successful solo career. Roger Glover and Ian Gillan penned quite a few anthemic sets of rock lyrics with Deep Purple from 1970-1973, again from 1984 to 1987, and yet again from 1996 to this day. (I'm not even including their solo careers, Gillans short stint with Sabbath, or Glovers five years writing the bulk of the original Bonnet and Turner era Rainbow tunes.) David Bowie had an impressive run of lyrical concepts from 1972/73 to 1980. Let's not forget the often overlooked Bob Daisley, who wrote the bulk of the Goalby era Uriah Heep lyrics, most of the lyrics for the first 3 or 4 Ozzy lyrics (despite the lack of credit and gratitude he received for those contributions ) and his lyrical contributions to a large portion of Gary Moores discography, in addition to a number of other writing credentials. Blue Oyster Cult have collaborated to write a number of intellectual, haunting lyrical pieces. Captain Beefheart was also busy throwing together a considerable collection of chaotic, abstract (ranging from the cleverly obscene to strangely beautiful) lyrics from 1967 to 1982 or so. I'm sure I'm forgetting at least a few, but as a lyricist alone Peart had some stiff competition. I would definitely say he was the king of lyricists among drummers, though his stiffest competition in that category is rather limited (Phil Collins and Ringo Starr immediately come to mind). At any rate, Neil Peart was certainly a God of modern rock culture, with lightning fast hands and a gift for poetry.

LLP TV's the stand

@@markrago7217 .... no one said he was the ONLY ONE writing good lyrics , (you forgot Merillion BTW) Just he was on the leading edge .