Professor of Rock

Hey Music Junkies, Professor of Rock here with another edition of Pop Fix where we celebrate the greatest artists and songs of all time; Please subscribe and help us keep the music alive. On January 7th, we lost one of the most revered musicians of the Rock Era when Neil Peart passed away. A revered God of the drum solo. Peart, was different from other rock drummers, because HIS drum solos were not bombastic displays of self-indulgence, they were complex musical arrangements with unconventional patterns and time signatures. Fans went to Rush concerts just to experience the performance of the amazing Neil Peart Neil created his own style that was so difficult to emulate, that his peers would often just shake their heads in disbelief of the sounds he could produce, but it was a style that Nell formulated from a love of many different musical genres, and relentlessly studying his heroes. In a 2007 interview with Modern Drummer, Neil gave some valuable advice to budding musicians admonishing them not to copy one drummer, which included trying to imitate only him. Neil emphasized his point by saying that he had borrowed from “a hundred musicians” that influenced him over his lifetime- starting with drummers of the Big Band Era of the 40s and 50s, and leading into R&B & Rock players of the 60’s- including prolific rock drummers such as The Who’s Keith Moon, Cream’s Ginger Baker, and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. In the 90s, Peart continued to re-invent, and evolve as a musician, incorporating jazz & swing influences into his unparalleled arsenal of talent. During that time, he even took lessons from jazz musicians Freddie Gruber and Peter Erskine (Er skin) to keep perfecting his craft. Just shy of his 31st birthday, Neil was inducted into the Modern Drummer Readers Poll Hall of Fame in 1983, making him the youngest to receive that honor. And in 2013, Neil was inducted into the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame along with his Rush bandmates & fellow virtuosos Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson, an honor that was ridiculously overdue. Neil had such incredible skill as a drummer, that his brilliance as a lyricist is often overlooked. He wrote the words for most of the Rush classics, including the 1980 masterpiece “Spirit of Radio”, a song that showcases Neil’s penchant to compose high-brow, thought-provoking lyrics. “Spirit of Radio” appears to be a tribute to the airwaves, but evolves into an indictment against the unprincipled corporate programming of the radio industry, with Neil’s conception best stated in the following verse: “One likes to believe in the freedom of music But, glittering prizes, and endless compromises, shatter the illusion of integrity." Sheer genius!! It’s a tough decision, but here are my Top 5 Rush songs written or co-written by the great Neil Peart: #5- “Time Stands Still” from 1987 with the great Aimee Mann who was just coming off the top 10 smash Voices Carry from 1985. A very complex song, that’s catchy as hell. #4- "Fly By Night" from 1975 Peart wrote this about his first trip away from home. In 1971, at the age of 18 he departed from his small-town Canadian life and flew to England, which was a turning point in his life. .#3- the Art rock masterpiece "2112 Overture/ The Temples of Syrinx" from 1976 #2- “Tom Sawyer” from 1981 also one of my favorite performances from Geddy Lee, Mean mean Stride, Mean Mean Pride #1-... Gotta go with the first Rush song I ever heard and got me hooked “Spirit of Radio” Which is what Rush exemplifies perfectly I would love to get input from the legions of Neil Peart and Rush fans- let us know your Top 5, and why and your thoughts on Neal as a drummer musician Please subsbribe or donate, that helps us continue to create videos and do interviews. Until next time Three Chords and the truth my friends... Neal Pert Bio: https://www.rush.com/band/neil-peart/ Rush Band Website: https://www.rush.com/ Top Five Songs Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ59UY38qLPbdBAXeqrizurzB1tj1Rruq Time Stands Still: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMSFqXGZ5TQ Fly By Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEVDZl5UvN4 2112 Overture/ The Temples of Syrinx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5jwxrTqoEA Tom Sawyer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auLBLk4ibAk Spirit of Radio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPBinohXHLc More Professor of Rock: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/professorofr... Twitter: https://twitter.com/professororock Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professorof... Website: https://www.professorofrock.com __ #NeilPeart #70svinyl #80svinyl Help us keep the music alive!