Neil Peart is?
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Topic: Neil Peart is?
Posted By: Billy Pilgrim
Subject: Neil Peart is?
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 04:10
| a drummer with divided opinions here on PA. This should be interesting... |
Replies:
Posted By: progkidjoel
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 04:11
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I'd say he's incredibly good, but not in my top 5. Gonna vote ' a good drummer', since he seems to fit that criteria most aptly.
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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 04:19
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I don't know if he is the greatest drummer of all time, but he is on top of my list anyway. So I play safe and vote for option #2. ------------- 
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Posted By: mahavishnujoel
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 04:41
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i don't know why i cant vote on any polls including this one. anybody have an idea why? ------------- Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk. |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 04:44
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^because you're still a newbie, keep on posting and tell us what you think, which is more interesting (we hope  ) then just your vote.about Neil, |
Posted By: mahavishnujoel
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 04:50
but i have voted before... or is this a new rule!???? by the way i was gonna vote for Neil being in my top 5 because he was the reason why i first listened to rush and I am a guitar player!!! thats how much i like his playing!! ------------- Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk. |
Bonnek wrote:Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 05:03
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Downright boring. His technical abilities are fine, but they are no better or worse than those of dozens of other drummers. He lacks imagination and spontaneity though. Anyone who plays the same solo for years can't be called anything but downright boring. The most important characteristics of a good drummer are spontaneity and imagination, and Mr. peart is lacking there. A drummer must be able to do the unexpected; every good drummer does that. Just look at what jazz drummers do all thd time! As I said, I respect ghis technical abilities, but thats all. What he is incredibly good at is PA though. he has successfully created an image of himself as the überdrummer, and that is where his reputation stems from. Again, I do not doubt his technical abilities at all, but many other drummers have the same abilitiues; just listen to them play. -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 05:14
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Incredibly good, but by no means the best. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Atoms
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 05:23
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I voted OK, since I barely know what he has done, I know that he was the Drummer and Songwriter for Rush, but since I've only heard 3 albums by them (Moving Pictures, Hemispheres and 2112) and I only like 1. So I can't really give a fair vote, While I was writing this it occured to me how I always love his drumming, I think that is the only part of Rush that I really like. So I won't vote ok, because this is a poll about his Drumming I will vote: A good drummer.
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Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 05:39
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In my top 5. One of the very best drummers ever. And his reputation stems from the fact that he has been consistently excellent for 40 years. Thank you Neil. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: JD
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 05:50
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By no means the best in the world, but I have to say he's in my top 5. That's MY top 5 not THE top 5 just for clarification. He makes my list because; 1 - He's Canadian 2 - He 33.333% responsible for the sound of RUSH 3 - He writes lyrics 4 - He has survived extreme personal tragedy ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 05:54
Yes it's a new rule, something to do with a poll fraud I believe, anyway, serious business  |
Posted By: mahavishnujoel
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 06:16
so no polls for me until i get out of newbie???  i find it a little unfair... oh well i'll have to post like 50 post a day to get a out of newbie soon.to keep this comment on the topic of Neil Peart... i really like how he makes any song sound like it has so much energy. and i'm a big fan of his lyrics. by the way the lyrics in the song The Trees, were those his idea? ------------- Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 06:46
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Really cool in his cameo appearance on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 06:58
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Good drummer but don't put writing implements in his mitts (just drum sticks)
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Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 06:58
Dude, you're only four posts away from not being a newbie anymore. Post four more times and you should be a groupie I do believe. And then the power of the universe (of voting in Prog Archives polls) is in your hands!  ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: Zargus
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 07:04
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a good drummer. ------------- 
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Posted By: mahavishnujoel
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 07:08
hahha thanks for the info. even though i feel very disappointed now that i know the power of the universe is not really in my hands  ------------- Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk. |
Posted By: zvinki
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 07:12
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I guess that I am a newbie as well so here goes. Neil Peart is a very good drummer in my top five. He is the main reason that I got turned onto prog rock when I heard 2112 way back on my 16th birthday. I found his drumming unique, interesting and an integral part of the music. The last point is what I still find interesting about his playing. His drum parts are more than a rhythm section, they are an instrument on their own. I listen to Rush's songs and, as much as I listen to Lifeson's guitar, I anticipate Neil's drums as part of the actual melody of the song and not just a beat. Probably not explaining myself well but I am sure that his fans know what I mean. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 07:51
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My only real criticism of Peart is he tends to duplicate the studio recordings live - he often plays exactly the same fills as on the original recordings.
Anyone who doubts his technical ability should trying playing along to "La Villa Strangiato" - as I believe a few top drummers mentioned on the recent Rush DVD.
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Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 08:42
* Other - A great way to get Bald Friede and Bald Jean riled up ------------- -------someone please tell him to delete this line, he looks like a noob------- I don't have an unnatural obsession with Disney Princesses, I have a fourteen year old daughter and coping mechanisms. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 09:05
As I said,I do not doubt his skills at all. But I totally agree with your criticism. That's exactly what makes him boring to me. Another reason I dislike him is perhaps nthe hyperbole which is made around him on this site. I hadnever heard of him before I came here, so when I read some of the enthusiastic comments about him I became really curious. It was a real letdown to get to know that the hyperbolewas just that - hyperbole. Yes, a technically very able drummer, but that's all. I had already heard a lot of drummers with the same technical abilities who were mujch more original and exciting than him. Of course that is my personal opinion only; if someone thinks Peart's drumming is extremely exciting - feel free to think so. I have yet to hear something of him which really excites me. But I am open to suggestions. AAny Peart lover please feel free to post a track with some really exciting drumming of him. I promise I will listen with open ears. I may answer with what I consider to be extremelyy exciting drumming though and expect you to listen to it in return. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 09:11
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Erm...couldn't find the track as a link but his performance on YZZ from Moving Pictures just might be his best (I ain't a Peart worshipper BTW just think him 'good' no more than that)
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Posted By: Mr. Maestro
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 09:18
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Personally, Peart is my #1 drummer, but I don't think I can objectively call him the "greatest of all time." Option 2 for me. ------------- "I am the one who crossed through space...or stayed where I was...or didn't exist in the first place...." |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 09:54
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Yeah..us people who think that Neil Peart is a brilliant drummer are full of sh*t...obviously we know nothing, ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Lark the Starless
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 09:54
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Incredibly awesome, easily in my top 5 ------------- 
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Posted By: Lark the Starless
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 09:56
I'd say his best drumming is on "A Farewell to Kings" and "Hemispheres"...try listening to the longer tracks such as "La Villa Strangiato" and Cygnus Pts. 1 and 2 -------------
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 11:19
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I don't understand the hate, displeasure, dislike of an artist who has for 40yrs worked hard to be the best at what they do. I firmly believe had Rush quit after say 15-20yrs all these people would think differently and more would call him the greatest. But the fact that he is still drumming at the level that he is for his age and to put on 2.5 hour shows...is simply amazing.
If the music of Rush does not excite you then don't listen to it. You can find thousands of youtube vids on Rush in performance, its out there if you want to see it, go look for yourself. Why would I post it?
And for those that think he has not evolved? Then you really have not seen what he has done with his drumming technique between 90's to now. He has picked up a lot of what Buddy Rich was doing and some others.
I don't like the term "greatest" for anybody. He is between option 1 and 2 for me...so I will pick #2 with an up arrow.
And like the big Dog, I too am full of horsekrapp because I think he is a brilliant, amazing, accomplished drummer.......for easily the last 30yrs.
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Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 11:23
| Not terrible, but extremely predictable. A good rock drummer that might seem flashy to the classic rock crowd, but among prog drummers... meh. |
Posted By: The Neck Romancer
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 11:29
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^ exactly. But still, he's an awesome drummer, in my top 15 easily
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Posted By: DisgruntledPorcupine
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 11:36
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Peart is boring, repetitive, and the most overrated drummer of all time. He has good skills, but there's countless drummers out there with the same amount of skills, and at least many of them have spontaneity. |
Posted By: DisgruntledPorcupine
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 11:37
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Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 11:37
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^ exactly. |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 11:39
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A good drummer, definitely. My main criticism is that he frequently overplays, the drummers equivalent to Chris Squire or Yngwie Malmsteen, both of which I like but wish they would settle down sometimes (especially Yngwie). There are moments when he captures a good beat, driving the rest of the band, but any rhythmic pattern is quickly shattered by rapid runs and crashing cymbals. Of course there are places for drama, but there is a difference between a thespian and a drama queen. Peart could be a thespian, but he seems to prefers the other option all too often. ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 14:52
| overated and repetitive. He's not bad just not all that. |
Posted By: yanch
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 14:57
Agreed, couldn't have said it better. I'm not Canadian, but still........
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Posted By: lastplaneout
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 15:07
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I can't vote yet, but I'm definitely in the "incredibly technically proficient, but sometimes boring" camp. I like his playing on some of the classic Rush albums (2112 Overture will always be a favorite), but I've found his drum solos and his contributions to some of the later Rush material to be a little bit of a drag. This is mostly just a personal bias on my part- I tend to favor more jazzy and/or more raucous Keith Moon-type drummers.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/lastplaneout" rel="nofollow - My last.fm page http://wxdu.org/plmanager/world/djplaylists.php?id=342" rel="nofollow - WXDU playlist archives |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 15:08
| I think he's great. Certainly above average. I enjoy his playing. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 16:03
There are much older drummers around than Peart. Peart is fifty-eight. Jon Hiseman is sixty-six, and Mani Neumeier will be seventy-one by the end of the year. Both are very much alive and kicking... err, drumming. And once again: Peart IS an accomplished drummer; I never doubted that. But there are countless other drummers who are equally accomplished, with carreers even much longer. Peart has nothing on them except for a big name. Mani Neumeier does things on stage wich Peart would never dare. With Peart every single strole in a solo is planned ahead and well-rehearsed. Now look at this solo, especially the second half after Mani stands up. You can't plan or rehearse that; you have to improvise. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 16:19
This guy has amazing pot/pan playing abilities.......Mani should look this guy up.
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Posted By: Jörgemeister
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 16:28
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my father ------------- |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 16:36
You missed a subtle but important difference. Mani's pots and plates are moving around all the time. The pots and plates of your drummer don't.. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 17:28
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I always rate him as one of the best prog drummers because he can play with a smoothness and feeling for tempo while also giving it some serious whelly when he needs to. I can only really enjoy drummers who go for it and into that category goes Peart along with Carl Palmer (ELP) and Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden). There is also that amazing drummer Masuhiro Guto (Gerard) who probably smokes the lot of them! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVGM1Rw33no - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVGM1Rw33no
Anyway I voted option B.
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Posted By: 40footwolf
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 17:42
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I admire Peart's talent but not his style-there's something very mechanical about the way he drums that I find extremely off-putting. ------------- Heaven's made a cesspool of us all. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 18:22
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Neil Pert is? No he isn't. And I'm not entirely certain. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Libor10
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 19:30
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he is very good drummer imho. Yes, in my top five :-)
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Posted By: LateralMe
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 20:15
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He is a great drummer, in my top five. I'm not to into Rush though.
------------- A Flower!? |
Posted By: Jörgemeister
Date Posted: November 04 2010 at 21:41
I know what you say, i think the same of Palmer, is like if they memorize the movements, but you dont see them "grooving" like virgil donatti ------------- |
Posted By: rod65
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 14:28
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I rate him in my top five, and in all honesty could not rate any drummer any higher than that. When you get up to that level of skill--and his skill is widely acknowledged and beyond any reasonable dispute--then finer points of decision are matters of personal preference. And I do not believe that greatness can be determined by mere preference. If the options had been "my favourite drummer of all time" rather then "the greatest drummer of all time," then I might have chosen that one. |
Posted By: esky
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 15:57
| Incredibly good. In my top 5? There's plenty of competition for those slots. I love the guy though. |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 16:56
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Great Drummer, no more, no less.
No vote. -------------  |
Posted By: crimhead
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 17:01
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Top 5 drummer!?! Not in my Top 5. He's good but not Top 5. |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 17:11
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I guess it would be futile for me to say that Peart has been improvising significantly during the drum solo on the latest Rush tour. That said, Gavin Harrison claims to improvise on every track he plays live... |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 17:13
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Definitely in my top 5,the man is a percussive genius. -------------  |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 17:58
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This question poll reminds me of the Love is:
a) A Feeling.
b) a Curious Feeling.
c) The way i handle your hand.
d) etc. etc. etc
 ------------- |
Posted By: JROCHA
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 18:03
| Great Drummer, one of my favorite rock drummers for sure |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 19:11
------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: spookytooth
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 19:24
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Neil's a great drummer...but he's certainly not the best. He used to be my favorite, but other drummers like Bill Bruford and Carl Palmer have captured my attention more, especially when I started drumming and taking percussion courses myself.
-------------  Would you like some Bailey's? |
Posted By: Jazzywoman
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 21:27
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Greatest drummer...EVER -------------  
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Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: November 05 2010 at 21:37
| He's fine. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 05:14
It's a ridiuclous comparison. Mani is good, but lets be frank about this, there is no part of what he is doing that Peart couldn't do in his sleep. The fact that Peart doesn't play this way, doesn't mean he can't, it just means it would be completely out of place in Rush. What it really comes down to in these discussions is what type of music you prefer. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Kestrel
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 05:48
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I love Peart - he may not be the best drummer, but he is definitely one of my favorites. The accusation that his solo hasn't changed over the years is false by the way. There are also sections that he does improvise as well, and his solo during this last tour was much more experimental than I had anticipated. The solo before that one was also pretty damn different. As for drum solos, I found the first half of Mani's drum solo to be boring but the second half is pretty damn sweet - probably because of the expansion of the sound palette. On the other hand, why I love Peart's solos is because they are so damn lyrical - The Rhythm Method on Different Stages is a song in itself! As Blacksword said, it all comes down to what kind of drumming you prefer. I love Peart's mechanical drumming and Subdivisions, one of my favorite drum songs, is among his most mechanical. The fact that he doesn't change the drums from studio to live means I can air drum while at the concert which I view as a plus (not that improv is bad either). My favorite drummer is Phil Collins and it's because of what he added to Genesis. He is talented, but what mattered is how his drumming contributed to the overall sound of Genesis. I love Neil Peart because his style contributes to the overall sound of Rush - a sound I really enjoy. Bonham is another great example - could any other of the major drummers fit into Zeppelin? Or Keith Moon to the Who? That's really what matters - not skill, but how the style contributes to the music. To speak of one drummer being better than the other when all of the drummers we are discussing are so damn good is pointless. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 09:04
Good post. Subdivisions is an excellent example of how Pearts formula works in Rush. The song has an almost cold mechanical feel, which is contrasted by the emotional lyrics; a misfit trying to find his place in an world where there seems to be no room for emotion and free expression. I think it's one of their most heart felt songs. Phil Collins is also my favourite drummer, largely because of the feel he brings to the music. While I regard him as perhaps more versatile than Peart, I have enormous respect for Neil. He has said that playing to click tracks for a decade had made is drumming somewhat mechanical, and he sought drum lessons late on in his career so he could 'loosen up' for the next chapter in what Rush were doing. I think he succeeded, although I do prefer the Rush of old. To manage this transition, while managing all the other sh*t in his life, and to jointly take Rush to incredible heights of popularity once again, has to be applauded. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 12:06
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^ Agree
...this whole "mechanical" thing/excuse is just that.....There is nothing more mechanical than classical musicians, all the motions are choreographed. From this perspective I don't have a problem with it because its all about the musical style. If you struggle with appreciating classical musicians and their playing style then I can see how you might struggle with a style like Neil Peart's and maybe a Carl Palmer style.
Mani is a jazz drummer, so his style and persona is much different, I doubt you ever see Neil have a mic by him and he start yelling to get the crowd into it.....So I agree the comparison makes no sense. I added the guy at the boardwalk as a mere joke for his pot/pan playing skills...
We have all heard and know that Keith Moon and Bonham are huge influences on Neil Peart, but that does not mean he has to play like them. He obviously appreciates the mad skills they had underneath all that sloppy playing style.
There is so much more to Neil than just being a drummer, he is a very good writer too.....not just in the Rush lyrics but more so in some of the books he has written and also his monthly blog on his website. I can just imagine what a Moon or Bonham would have written about on their blogs back in the day....that would be some great reading for sure! -------------
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Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 12:21
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^^^ You may be confusing precision with mechanical playing. Classical is precise but enriched with dynamics, so a great classical performance would not sound mechanical. Some heavy metal modes of playing do sound mechanical, as in lacking variation. It's not for nothing it's said that metal is played at 11 right through, which would not happen in classical. Peart does have that problem like many other metal drummers and he doesn't have the spontaneity of Bill Ward or Ian Paice. However, he has awesome groove which for me makes him much more enjoyable than someone like Portnoy, who, for all his skill, I find difficult to endure. By the by, I tend to lump Rush in metal rather than hard rock, because they favour highly technical and precise style of playing, which is more important in metal (Megadeth) than hard rock (AC DC).
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Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 12:35
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you are both wrong. first of all, there is nothing mechanical about classical music. this is a misunderstanding brought up by the idealisation of "genius" of the romantic era. before the romantic era there was a lot of room for improvisation; the romantic ideal of genius was that performers should stick to the written notes and nothing else. this ideal was cherished for a long time afterwards. however, modern interpretations bring back that element of improvisation into classical music. most gre4at composers were virtuosos on some instrument and masters of improvisation; there are countless anecdoltes which prove that. also the solo parts of concertos for certain instruments always left room for improvisation and are by no means always completely written out -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 15:26
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I am not talking about the music....I am talking about playing style. Forget about the music, classical, rock, jazz, country......it was playing style I was trying to make a point about. Sorry if I was not clear.
The comment was made that Neil's strokes are all planned out...to me that is just like a classical trained musician plays.....and I have ZERO problem with that. I do feel Neil is very fluid in his motion.
Again if you listen to Rush then you know the improvisions they all do on stage......Its not drastic all the time, but subtle enough for a Rush listener to pick out and appreciate.
Cheers everyone! -------------
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Posted By: The_Jester
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 15:45
| I can't say in my top five but he's good. |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 15:45
but it isn't.. this is a general misconception which is not true at all. do you know, for example, how many concertos there are for some instrument + basso continuo? now if you think that "basso continuo2 is a bass line which is repeated over annd over by cerzain instruments - think again. a basso continuo player improvises all the time; all he or she has to go by is the harmoinic structure. this is exactly what jazz musicians are doing, only that jazz musicians use different harmonic structures and rhythms ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 19:02
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I love this "what I think is what I know" line of reasoning. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Also, to repeat, during the last year or so Neil Peart has been improvising parts of his drum solo, therefore any argument that states that Peart never does x, or always does y, fails. According to many drum sites Peart is the most popular drummer on the planet. He has also, apparently, influenced more people to take up the drums in N.America than anyone else over the last 30 years. That's a good thing isnt it? As for who's the best, well who cares? I'm all for the guy who has delighted and enthralled millions over 4 decades and propelled an unfashionable cult band from Canadian obscurity to 40 million plus album sales superstardom. Rush played to nearly 50,000 people in Santiago recently and the stadium was a sea of air drummers delighting in every beat - that's the true mark of Peart's legacy. How many of those people will take up or have already taken up the drums because of that one man? That's something that a Moerlan or a Vander could never do. And dont give me that "popularity does not equal quality" nonsense. This is a Canadian Heavy Prog band we are talking about, not Britny Spears... That's what 50,000 singing to an instrumental sounds like... |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 20:03
"on the planet" is a bit overdoing it. on the North American continent I will agree with. he is not especially popular in Europe, whatever you say, and definitely not in areas like India, where they have lots of drummers from their own country which are popular. I also doubt he is espcially popular in Africa, another region where there are a lot more local drummers which are popular. but I sincerely doubt these drum sites you mention ever cared to research there. and don't give me that nonsense of sales; they don''t say anything about quality of a muscian. if they did we would have to consider Ringo Starr to be the best drummer ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 21:18
He is, he has great technique. However, as I said earlier, there's an inbuilt fatigue factor built into going hammer and tongs all the way almost right through a set. I guess people who really, really like heavy music don't feel this sense of fatigue so much, but I, especially when the heaviness accompanies technicality/complexity, find it fatiguing. I want more expression in the drumming but that's also very difficult to accomplish in hard/heavy styles of drumming. Someone like Collins is a lot more expressive, look at how he almost submerges in the background while still very effectively emphasizing the subtle swells and ebbs in the instrumental section of Cinema Show, all the while playing fast too. I have never heard Peart do something like that and I appreciate that that is a problem inherent to playing heavy music but I can only judge what's in front of me.
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Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 21:28
I am afraid that's not true. The only local drummer of some repute in India is the very talented Sivamani who was also part of Shakti in their 2000-odd reunion. There are also some percussionists like Trilok Gurtu but they are not drummers in the Neil Peart sense, you know, playing rock or that sort of stuff. The percentage of music listeners that's aware of Western music here is small but within that subset, Neil Peart is definitely very popular, "God" and all that!
Let me see, Lars Ulrich, Joey Jordison, Nicko McBrain, Mike Portnoy and Neil Peart are the most popular drummers here and also commonly held up to be the best. They do know of Phil Collins from his popstar days but likely don't know just how good a drummer he is. Palmer? Bruford? Er, Buddy Rich? No idea, would be the general response. Rush and Dream Theater are both especially popular among youngsters going to school or college and learning to play an instrument, usually electric guitar. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 21:29
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However, I do agree with your point that popularity doesn't count. I am sure you'd agree that the most talented keyboardist on the planet doesn't have an iota of Geddy Lee's popularity.
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 21:48
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I am not sure what people mean by "popular". For me "popular" means "well known outside of fan circles". I do not doubt that Rush fans know his name and that there are lots of Rush fans in Europe.. But I had not heard of Peart before I came to this site, or maybe I did hear of him and forgot; anyway, his name did not make enough of a lasting impression on me to ring a bell. I could have given you the names of dozens of other drummers though. What is this? Selective perception? Or did I just happen to move in circles in which he was extremely unpopular? I have no idea, but you can believe me that it is true that I was not familiar with his name at all before I came to this site. On the other hand Jean did know him and told me about him when I mentioned I had not heard his name before, but somehow he never was the subject of one of our talks before we discovered this site. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 21:52
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I guess that you never read any of the articles in the Playboy magazines where he was voted number 1 drummer of the year 10 years in a row. Probably too busy looking at the pics? I do find it strange, but then again I'd never heard of any of the drummers that you two are always mentioning either so as usual I've added another worthless post. ------------- 
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Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 21:52
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He's a good drummer. ------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 22:13
I don't read Playboy; the only comparable magazine I read is the Sappho magazine. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 23:01
Firstly, Peart IS one of the more recognized names as far as drummers go OUTSIDE the Rush fanbase. Many people who don't listen to Rush or are not much interested in their music will still say Peart is a great drummer. Secondly, no, popularity within a large fanbase does count. Just because people outside Linkin Park's fanbase would not rate Chester Bennington as a singer - and he's technically not bad at all - doesn't mean he is not popular.
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 06 2010 at 23:31
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I can only repeat that I never heard of him before I came here, believe it or not. He was definitely not popular in the circles I moved in. And we listened tol a lot of prog. Rush do not exactly have a prog image in Germany, by the way; many see them as a hard rock band, and that was my view of them too from the little I had heard of them. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 00:03
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Hmm...maybe the circles you moved in were not much interested in heavy rock or the technical metal wave of late 80s. It's amazing that even Moving Pictures would have passed you by, or at least the song Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer even makes it to rock compilation tapes/CDs, that's where I heard my first Rush song and thought then that the female singer was pretty good.
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 00:33
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We did hear heavy rock, but not Rush. Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple were fine though, also Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep, and at one point I discovered High Tide. We all had albums of them. But no-one, really no-one owned a Rush album. And if you ask "who was your big name in drums then?" the answer is: Pierre Moerlen, and to a slightly lesser extent Christian Vander, since not everyone liked Magma. Gong were a big name in our circle, and everybody was a big fan of Moerlen's drumming (which is stylistically just the opposite of Peart's drumming, in a way). But Rush and Peart meant absolutely nothing to us. Of course Rush are a lot more popular than Gong, and hence Moerlen''s name is a lot less known. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 00:36
| That's the point, Gong and Magma are hardly much popular outside some European pockets. Even leaving aside Peart, people are more likely to name drummers like Bruford, Collins, Palmer, Barrie Barlow rather than Vander from prog drummers. |
Posted By: 40footwolf
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 00:43
It's not really an "excuse" so much as "what it sounds like to me personally". Nobody's doubting the man's abilities in the strictest sense, I just find that his style lacks character. ------------- Heaven's made a cesspool of us all. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 01:20
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Oops, something happened to my post; it was put into a wrong place in the thread.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 01:29
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Test.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 01:30
As I said, in the circles I moved in bands like Gong, Magma, Hawkwind, the whole Canterbury scene, RIO-Avant and Krautrock were all the rage. Actually it was not my circle really, it was my brother's circle. He is ten years older than I am, and I was just seven when he discovered all this music. We were three kids, but the flat we lived in had two children's rooms only. Actually my parents used one of those as their bedroom, and my brother and I shared what was meant to be the bedroom. So I came in touch with all these strange sounds at a very young age; I must have been six or seven. There was always some sweet smoke in the air too. I have no idea why neither my brother nor any of his friends listened to Rush; the most probable explanation is that Rush published their albums a few years later than the other bands, but at the time I am speaking of (1975-1977) they had already published albums too. But they definitely were not well-known here at that time ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 01:32
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^ Duly noted 40footwolf......I respect that comment. And not that my comment means much but yes Neil is 56 or so, plays drums for Rush, 2.5 hour concerts.....about 80% of the time he rides his BMW motorcycle to the venues, he does not travel by air or bus to the shows, as long as he has the time in between shows to make it. The Time Machine tour was 44 shows and he rode his bike over 23,000 miles.He rode recently in S.America from south Brazil to Buenos Aires and then onto Chile....that trip alone was 5,000 km. Most of the roads he is on are horrible...for a car, I can't imagine doing that on a motorbike for 500 km per day.......and still he is able to play at the level he does.
I'd like to change my vote to Option #1 please
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 01:32
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Must be the resetting of daylight saving time. I will have to wait an hour so that what I actually want to post appears at the proper positionin this threadf. Interesting bug though.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 01:32
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^^^^ They had but it would not be until Permanent Waves that they had truly arrived, though their releases preceding it were not inferior in quality to it. So that also sounds like a good explanation. I reckon at this time - late 70s - Rush would have been more popular in the Canadian-North East USA belt rather than worldwide but maybe the oldtimers have a different story. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 01:34
That's a bit like saying Bruce Dickinson is the best vocalist ever because he can fence and drive airplanes. I know a lot of people think like that too, but, sorry, I disagree. Of course, it's commendable that Peart is so active and energetic at his age but that does not sway my opinion of his drummer, which is quite favourable, by the way, while probably not as high as your own. |
Posted By: TheLastBaron
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 01:54
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Neil Peart is the greatest drummer of all time!!!! But than again he isn't the only one I say this about. I can never really make list anymore, i like a lot of bands and appreciate a lot of thins about a wide variety of musicians.
------------- " Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds." - FDR |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 02:27
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He is probably the most overrated drummer in the archives. By that I
don't want to belittle his abilities, I just want to put the abilites of
other drummers into perspective. Peart is not a drummer with
sensational skills. He has an excellent technique with a style which I
consider to be boring, but that's my personal taste, and if anyone else
likes his style that is fine with me. But it is not as some members of
the archives appear to think, that his skills surpass those of any other
drummer. They don't; there are lots of others who are just as equally
skilled. And that's what I mean by "Peart is overrated".
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 05:07
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Hes in my top 5 for sure along with Portnoy, Bruford, Palmer, and Vander . ------------- 
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 08:08
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Interestingly there is at least one country in the world in which Mani Neumeier is more popular than Neil Peart. Can you guess which country that is? And no, it is not Germany.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 10:09
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Luxembourg? -------------
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 10:20
No, a much bigger country. Population 127 million people. That's one-and-a-half as many as in Germany. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Zargus
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 16:25
 -------------
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: November 07 2010 at 17:10
Indeed. Mani Neumeier is extremely popular in Japan. His wife is Japanese too, by the way, and is a performance artist; they often do performances together. For the Japanese Mani is "one of us". This does of course not express in record sales, simply because of the availibility of Guru Guru albums in Japan. Guru Guru are not with a major label or record company and sell their albumns through their homepage mostly. And they don't produce them by the millions. Neverthekles Mani Neumeier is extremely popular in Japan. You can buy keyring pendanrts of Mani in Japan, there is an effigy of him in the Tokyo equivalent of madame Tussaud, he tours Japan regularly, always having to give unpkanned extra colnceerts when doing so and so on. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: November 08 2010 at 06:34
Again incorrect. The simple fact is that Ringo Starr, despite his obvious lack of special skills, is probably the most influential drummer ever in terms of inspiring people to take up the drums. In terms of "on the planet" I was obviously referring to popular music and your pedantry implies, as usual, that you post based on what you think rather than what you know. At no point have I said that Peart is the best at anything other than in inspiring people to take up drumming over the last 30 odd years... |