Neil Peart down on band's 70s work

Toaster Mantis wrote: Don't most artists prefer their recent work to the early anyway? Especially if they've been active for as long as Neil Peart has, and hence have probably changed a lot personality-wise during their career.

 

Edited by moshkito - March 09 2014 at 12:24

Don't most artists prefer their recent work to the early anyway? Especially if they've been active for as long as Neil Peart has, and hence have probably changed a lot personality-wise during their career.

richardh wrote: ^Accept a load of fans bought 2112 which saved the band from extinction. To not recognise that fact is odd. Peart is being a bit too 'cold' about this imo.

Trashing is a word you have coined to describe his opinion.  All he has done is state what he thinks of them but because of your fondness for the albums, you feel entitled to overstate the case.  He has simply said he feels embarrassed about those records and wishes they would go away.  There's nothing wrong with that.  If that alone makes you feel entitled to say he's cracked (and others have echoed similar sentiments), I don't see anything wrong in my saying you all are making a fuss about it.  Peart has no obligation to be nice about his own work precisely because it is HIS work.  He was there, he wrote the lyrics, he played the drums, he's entitled to think they are cringeworthy because they are (partly) his creations.

Edited by rogerthat - March 07 2014 at 22:37

I am a bit surprised by the fuss over his opinion.  I mean, it's hardly something new.  Of course artists are more interested in talking about their latest work and if they aren't, there's a good possibility they are has beens milking their legacy of successful albums.  Some say it nicely and some don't but usually artists don't live in the past and there's nothing wrong with that.  

bAND members rarely give their early material any credit. Fans love them of course as we listen to them constantly and it grows as a part of our lives but members of bands move on and want to listen to their latest album or play it live rather than move into nostalgia mode. 

Well, as usual, it`s a matter of taste. But I must admit that I've always felt something similar to what Mr. Peart states. One of the things about Rush that I find curious is that while most bands peak early in their career, they started their best period around their seventh or eight album. I have nothing against those early records but I don't think that if it were for them Rush would be a favourite of mine. From the eighties on they started focusing on songwriting, delivering much better compositions, and improving as musicians themselves. Geddy Lee started to actually sing, and while his voice might not be one of the best, he did much better than his former falsetto screams, which honestly I find a little embarrassing. Not to mention the improvement in his bass skills. Alex Lifeson got into a more harmonic approach, adding a touch of interest to his role as a hard rock player. And Peart definitively got a hell better as a drummer and a lyricist, so I must agree with him. I'll take Power windows or Counterparts over Hemispheres anyday, although I know that's not the way most fans of the band feel. 

I can't help but disagree with that.  I'd give 3 examples, and they are not obscure ones.

IMO the earliest recorded work of Genesis, Yes (and I might even include the Beatles) are "not necessarily" their strongest bodies of work.  

And I personally would include Rush in that category.

verslibre wrote: dr prog wrote: Rush have been crap for the last 20 years. They were pretty average for the 10 years before that. Signals was their last stong album. Peart had a crappy snare sound after that. I reckon he needs a wake up call. Hemispheres is their best with Signals. Bit the 1974-77 period wasn't much better than the 83-91 period. Snare sounds aside (I agree the drums and Geddy's bass sound best on Signals), do you really think albums like Grace Under Pressure, Counterparts, Vapor Trails and Clockwork Angels are "crap"?

Grace Under Pressure is good. Counterparts is pretty bad (unavoidable when playing alt rock), but not without a few redeeming features. Vapor Trails and Clockwork Angels are prime crap, however.


Edited by King Crimson776 - March 05 2014 at 03:40

OK, put me down for liking (obviously in general) Hemispheres  through Presto.   Pretty much liked them all.

Yes, I liked 2112 in the day - but I can see Peart's point of view with that album and the earlier ones.  Their writing really blossomed with Hemispheres in my opinion.   Then took off from there.  

And starting with Roll the Bones, I was scraping for a couple cuts that I liked.

PS - I did like Clockwork Angels better than anything since Presto - which may not be saying much personally.  But I did like it somewhat.