RIP Neil Peart, Greatest Drummer in History

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the passing of Neil Peart, the drummer of the band Rush, reflecting on his contributions to music, his drumming style, and the impact of his death on fans and the music community. Participants share personal anecdotes, opinions on his drumming abilities, and comparisons with other drummers, while expressing their sadness over his loss.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express deep sadness over Peart's passing, describing him as a talented and innovative drummer.
  • There are differing opinions on whether Peart is the greatest drummer, with some suggesting he is creative but not the best, while others argue for his unique contributions to rock music.
  • Participants discuss the technical aspects of Peart's drumming, including his use of triplets and the rhythm of his lyrics, with some noting that he pushed the boundaries of rock drumming.
  • Comparisons are made between Peart and other drummers, such as Buddy Rich, Steve Gadd, and Ian Paice, with varying opinions on who deserves the title of "best drummer."
  • Some participants share personal experiences of attending Rush concerts and how Peart influenced aspiring drummers in their youth.
  • There are reflections on Peart's life, including his struggles and personal losses, which some believe shaped his music and artistry.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the impact of Neil Peart's death and his significance in music, but there are multiple competing views regarding his ranking among drummers and the qualities that define the "greatest" drummer.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions include personal anecdotes and subjective opinions on drumming techniques, which may not align with established metrics of musical excellence. The conversation reflects a mix of admiration and critical analysis of Peart's contributions and legacy.

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"It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday our friend, soul brother and bandmate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three and a half year battle with brain cancer ..."

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/neil-peart-rush-drummer-dead



I first saw anything Rush in an 8th grade Jazz Band practice in 1989 (I played trumpet), when my instructor put on a video of a solo similar to this and I was just blown away. I'd never seen anything else like it and still haven't.
 
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Wow, beauty. Amazing talent, and great innovation.

Thanks Russ.
 
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Had my hair parted the wrong way several times by getting seats too close to the stage at Rush concerts.A farewell to Kings.
 
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Concert at the 'Gardens, late 70's (probably) ; opened by Max Webster.

A great drummer and lyricist.
 
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russ_watters said:
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/neil-peart-rush-drummer-dead



I first saw anything Rush in an 8th grade Jazz Band practice in 1989 (I played trumpet), when my instructor put on a video of a solo similar to this and I was just blown away. I'd never seen anything else like it and still haven't.

Not the greatest drummer but a creative one and a great musician.
 
pinball1970 said:
Not the greatest drummer but a creative one and a great musician.

Not in (what i think of as) the jazz category metrically, but pushed the boundaries of rock (even prog rock) and treated percussion as a huge palette that he was comfortable wielding.
 
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When the great ones pass, I often find myself listing to my favorites of theirs. All the drummers in the high school and college bands I played in wanted to be Neil Peart.
 
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Dr. Courtney said:


When the great ones pass, I often find myself listing to my favorites of theirs. All the drummers in the high school and college bands I played in wanted to be Neil Peart.

I was talking techniques, creativity, musicality.
Jazz drummers tend to have better technique because the music is more demanding.
Ian Paice is the best rock drummer I have heard.
I saw Peart and Paice in the 80s.
Buddy Rich is the best drummer that ever lived (missed a chance to see him) and Neil Peart organized a tribute in his honour when he died.
He recognised his genius.
To be honest I think Buddy would hated that sort of drumming as he was a snob when it came to music.
I would not have had Peart dying younger than buddy who had major health issues in the 80s.
I had Rush down as a clean living band with long lives ahead when they split.
Brain cancer though, very sad.
Hopefully the music community will do something in his honour.
 
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RIP Neil.

pinball1970 said:
Buddy Rich is the best drummer that ever lived

Amen!
 
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  • #10
Dr. Courtney said:


When the great ones pass, I often find myself listing to my favorites of theirs. All the drummers in the high school and college bands I played in wanted to be Neil Peart.

Wow. Was that one of their recording studios or something? What a location and setup! :smile:
 
  • #11
It is a truly a great loss.

Best drummer ever? I always enjoyed his drumming, and nobody else could use triplets the way he did without sounding like they were overdoing it, but there are others out there who might be considered the best. Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Tony Williams, and Bernard Purdie would be on my list. (And I would rank Gene Krupa and Papa Jo Jones above Buddy Rich)

One area I think Peart does not get enough credit for is the rhythm of his lyrics.
 
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  • #12
Vanadium 50 said:
It is a truly a great loss.

Best drummer ever? I always enjoyed his drumming, and nobody else could use triplets the way he did without sounding like they were overdoing it, but there are others out there who might be considered the best. Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Tony Williams, and Bernard Purdie would be on my list. (And I would rank Gene Krupa and Papa Jo Jones above Buddy Rich)

One area I think Peart does not get enough credit for is the rhythm of his lyrics.
All those drummers you mentioned would probably tell you that Buddy Rich was the best drummer that ever lived
Buddy was a huge fan of Krupa but in terms of playing ..edit from 3.15
 
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  • #13
pinball1970 said:
All those drummers you mentioned would probably tell you that Buddy Rich was the best drummer that ever lived

Yes, but they would be wrong and I would be right. :wink:
 
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  • #14
Vanadium 50 said:
Yes, but they would be wrong and I would be right. :wink:
We all have our preferences but you can lay out an argument why he was the best based on a few different things that stood out for me.
The left hand alone was just crazy, the speed and control he had using different techniques was not human. Everyone tried to copy it and failed.
Two handed stuff, cymbal play, single BD crazy stuff, cross overs and beautiful beautiful snare technique.
The solos were something else, he always seemed to do something you have never heard before that makes you think, 'How did he do that?'
A good example
I break /drop a stick I say, 'Guys? .....GUYS!? sorry can we start again?'
Buddy does this..

 
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  • #15
berkeman said:
Wow. Was that one of their recording studios or something? What a location and setup! :smile:

Le Studio.
 
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  • #16
Dr. Courtney said:


When the great ones pass, I often find myself listing to my favorites of theirs. All the drummers in the high school and college bands I played in wanted to be Neil Peart.

This was always one of my favourite Rush songs, understated.
This Album was the first thing I heard by Rush.
 
  • #17
Vanadium 50 said:
One area I think Peart does not get enough credit for is the rhythm of his lyrics.
Yes, much of his technical ability is over my head, but his lyrics speak for themselves - for me Red Barchetta, Limelight, The Trees (perhaps because it is the only Rush number I have successfully busked [EDIT forgot about Rivendell, thanks again Neil]) and New World Man (again perhaps because I cannot separate this track from my memory of hearing it alongside the laser show at the London Planetarium in the early 80s) stand out.

But then again, pretty much the whole of Hemispheres...

RIP Neil.
 
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  • #18
I remember growing up in Canada and watching or listening to music videos or live performances from Rush on MuchMusic (the Canadian music channel, similar to MTV in the US) during the height of their popularity during the '80s (the band itself was first formed in 1968, but I always think of them as an '80s rock band).

They were an amazing band, with an amazing drummer in Neil Peart. This is very sad news indeed!

RIP Neil.
 
  • #19
pinball1970 said:
I had Rush down as a clean living band with long lives ahead when they split.
They probably would have continued in some fashion if Peart hadn't died. They were a tight trio, and Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson basically said there was continuing without Peart.

I watched a Netflix documentary on Rush a few days ago. According to the documentary, Peart took time off after his only daughter from his first marriage was killed in a single car accident (August 1997) and his wife died from cancer 10 months later (June 1998). Peart rode a motorbike 55,000 miles through Canada, US, Mexico and parts of Central America. Peart remarried in 2010, and in early 2001, Peart announced to his bandmates that he was ready to return to recording and performing.

What makes this song, Limelight great?
I saw Rush in Houston in 1976 during their tour following release of 2112. It was a great concert.
 
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  • #20
Astronuc said:
They probably would have continued in some fashion if Peart hadn't died. They were a tight trio, and Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson basically said there was continuing without Peart.

I watched a Netflix documentary on Rush a few days ago. According to the documentary, Peart took time off after his only daughter from his first marriage was killed in a single car accident (August 1997) and his wife died from cancer 10 months later (June 1998). Peart rode a motorbike 55,000 miles through Canada, US, Mexico and parts of Central America. Peart remarried in 2010, and in early 2001, Peart announced to his bandmates that he was ready to return to recording and performing.

What makes this song, Limelight great?
I saw Rush in Houston in 1976 during their tour following release of 2112. It was a great concert.

1988 NEC Birmingham. I don't think I knew the music well enough to appreciate it.
One thing I did notice was that his fils were the same as on the studio albums (that I knew)
I did appreciate that, he was a busy drummer in Rush as the music was open to it and that was a lot of stuff to reproduce accurately.
 
  • #21
Vanadium 50 said:
Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Tony Williams, and Bernard Purdie would be on my list. (And I would rank Gene Krupa and Papa Jo Jones above Buddy Rich)
You forgot the king of the missed drum fill, Lars Ulrich 🤣😆
 
  • #22
Mondayman said:
You forgot the king of the missed drum fill, Lars Ulrich 🤣😆
I really like some of the studio stuff, although not my sort of drummer.
I don't understand why he gets a bad rap though, the bass drum work on one is really good.
Peart only seem to use his double bass drum for those quick doubles between his toms. Not straight triplets or single roll which is far harder to do.
Peart had a massive kit full of gadgets and stuff and some commented he was more like a percussionist.
I'll go along with that.
I would say non drummers like Neil Peart the same way non singers think Freddie Mercury was the greatest rock vocalist.
 
  • #23
Greatest is a dubious proposition, but certainly no greater drummer than Tony Williams

 
  • #24
BWV said:
Greatest is a dubious proposition, but certainly no greater drummer than Tony Williams


No he was not the greatest, rock drummer or otherwise.
There are some amazing technicians out there but I am yet to hear anyone come close to Buddy Rich for a combination of musicality and technique.
 
  • #25
pinball1970 said:
No he was not the greatest, rock drummer or otherwise.
There are some amazing technicians out there but I am yet to hear anyone come close to Buddy Rich for a combination of musicality and technique.

Tony was, at least Miles thought so. Buddy created modern jazz drumming, but remained in the swing era. williams did it all - bop, post-bop, fusion.
 
  • #26
BWV said:
Tony was, at least Miles thought so. Buddy created modern jazz drumming, but remained in the swing era. williams did it all - bop, post-bop, fusion.
I was referring to Neil Peart. Yeah I like Tony Wlliams but from what I have seen he was not close to BR. Buddy did more than just swing too. I refer you to 'Live at Ronnie Scott's' There are many styles on that one album.
For a quick solo there is a Johnny Carson video from about 1979. I've never seen a solo with so many little trade mark plays he practically invented.
Edit. This one it's only 2.23 minutes long

 
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