Essential Peart...

Mike Portnoy shares his highlights from Neil Peart’s drumming legacy

“When I discovered Neil Peart and Rush in the early ‘80s, it was very much a case of the right band and the right drummer at the right time. It was exactly the type of challenging music I was looking for to help me grow and develop as a musician in my mid-teens. Neil became my number one hero. Nobody was applying themselves to a big kit in the same way that he was, and I was fascinated by his setup, his incredible time signatures and the feel of his patterns. He constructed his drum parts in such a musical way, and everything he played was so meticulously thought out and crafted.

“I’ll never forget my first Rush concert: December 1982 on the Signals tour. It was so surreal to be in the same building as those guys, and I have never felt such respect when it was time for the drum solo – everyone was air drumming!

“My first personal meeting with Neil came through Rhythm, and I still get a tremendously fond feeling when I think about that day. I got to be the fan boy – it was my job to ask him about drums! – but after that we struck up a great friendship that lasted until he passed. I have so many great memories, but one that’s very poignant is from our last meeting on the band’s final tour. Neil invited me down to the show and soundcheck as he always did – he was so welcoming and gracious – and I got to take my son, Max. Max played his kit at soundcheck, and it was very special to share that last Rush show with him.

“Neil was always so modest; he never acted like the drum hero and legend that he was. In fact, he always talked about how he could be better! From the golden era of Rush, here are my personal highlights from Neil’s incredible drumming legacy, and it’s these tracks and albums that helped make me the drummer I am today...”

Fly By Night (1975)

“The band’s second album, but Neil’s first with them. There is so much great drumming on here, but for me, the standout track is the epic ‘By-Tor And The Snow Dog’. It’s one of the first Rush songs that I learned to play, and the drumming is so challenging... I particularly love the middle section with the mini drum solos and the really cool, progressive pattern, where every bar takes away one beat. That creative, and very clever, nature of playing with numbers and patterns really appealed to me.”

Caress Of Steel (1975)

“Probably one of the most underrated albums in their catalogue, but it features Neil’s first recorded drum solo in the sub-section of ‘The Fountain Of Lamneth: II. Didacts And Narpets’. It includes so many of the styles that would become staples of his live solos and was an incredibly important moment for him as a drummer.”

2112 (1976)

“The breakthrough album for the band and a masterclass in Neil’s drumming – especially the first two passages, ‘Overture’ and ‘The Temples Of Syrinx’. You are not considered worthy if you can’t air drum ‘Overture’! Right to the end it was a key part of their live show, and that big opening tom fill at the start of ‘The Temples Of Syrinx’ is typical, and classic, Neil. ‘A Passage To Bangkok’ is also great. This was the start of their true prog era, and the next five albums that followed are my absolute favourites...”

A Farewell To Kings (1977)

“One of the all-time Rush greats, and an album that took drumming to a whole new level. ‘Xanadu’ and ‘Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage’ are pure perfection and true prog classics. ‘Xanadu’ is quite possibly one of their best songs, and ‘Cygnus X-1’ gives a real sign of what was to come, as this track pretty much expands to an entire sequel on the band’s next album.”

Hemispheres (1978)

“Rush’s progressive peak, and my personal benchmark in terms of virtuosity, musicianship and how far you can take it... I spoke in depth about ‘La Villa Strangiato’ in Rhythm last year [Tracks That Inspired A Generation, Issue 293], but the whole album is an exercise in pure indulgence (as they called it). ‘The Trees’ – my goodness, the drumming on that is just ridiculous. Masterful and musical, and the odd time signatures in 5s and 7s are an education in phrasing. There is so much there...”

Permanent Waves (1980)

“Just when you thought that they had peaked, along comes Permanent Waves to usher in a new decade for the band, and it’s the perfect mesh of prog and sensibility. If I had to pick a favourite Rush album, this would be it. There are only six songs, and I look at them as three different animals. The Spirit Of Radio’ and ‘Freewill’ are the radio tracks, and they got lots of airplay, but that didn’t mean that the musicality was turned down. Rush did as much in five minutes on each of those songs as most bands would do in 20! They are drumming masterworks, but are also easily digestible.

“The understated ‘Entre Nous’ and Different Strings’, are equally great, and then you have the two heavy-hitters that close each side of the record – ’Jacob’s Ladder’ and ‘Natural Science’. The composition of these is epic and showcases some of the greatest drumming of Neil’s career. I have covered dozens of Rush tracks over the years, but ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ was one of the hardest. That middle section that alternates between 6 and 7 is so masterfully crafted, and the way that Neil develops the part and jams within it is just incredible. To craft every nuance of those grooves, beats and development shows such discipline; he really did have the mind of a professor.”

Moving Pictures (1981)

“Their most popular album, an undeniable masterpiece from start to finish, and the record that changed everything and turned Rush into a fully-fledged arena band. Side one is complete perfection, and somehow it also translated to the mainstream, because Tom Sawyer’, ‘Limelight’ and ‘Red Barchetta’ all became radio staples, while ‘YYZ’ became the band’s most famous instrumental.

“On side two, ‘The Camera Eye’ is one of my favourites of their more epic songs, ‘Witch Hunt’ is so dark and ‘Vital Signs’ is incredibly forward thinking – with the reggae influence that The Police were introducing around that time. It was to go on and become something bigger on the next album, but here it was ushering in a new era...”

Signals (1982)

“The height of my fan-boy fanaticism, the first tour that I saw them on and that red Tama drum kit that I reproduced for my Rush tribute years later! Here, they brought in more keyboards, and the songs became shorter and a bit more traditional in their arrangement. Neil’s playing in ‘Subdivisions’ and the way he is grooving and phrasing in 7 is mind blowing. The highlights for me are The Analog Kid’ and ‘Digital Man’. Even though I went in different musical directions after Signals, there are moments on every subsequent album that I love, right up to Clockwork Angels.

“As a band, and as individual musicians, Neil, Geddy and Alex were always developing, growing and embracing new influences and challenges. And, as a drummer, Neil was never content to stay in the same place – introducing electronics, new setups and sounds, scaling down to a single kit, relearning his whole approach with Freddie Gruber, playing swing and big band... He was, and always will be, a constant source of inspiration.

“RIP, Professor.”