Neil Peart down on band's 70s work

Wondering what Rush fans think of a recent Neil Peart quote, which would seem to diss some of their most beloved albums....

No 2112, no Hemispheres, no Permanent Waves???  Say it ain't so Neil! 

"Those were the growing years. I often equate that to children's drawings on the refrigerator that hang around too long, you know?

I really wish they would just go away.  I think we really started....wow, given my druthers, I would make our first album "Moving Pictures."  I can't think of a single reason not to do that!"


Great drummer, but I think he's cracked on this one.  I love their early work. 

I'm just the opposite now.  Years ago I enjoyed post MP stuff more.  These days I have rediscovered the aggression and intensity of the early work and I can't get enough of it.  The later stuff just doesn't grab me...as much.  I'm finding that of a lot of bands though.  I love their youthful power and naivity more than their later "sophistication."  

i can see what he means, to a degree. The band really had a more professional and confident way of doing things since Moving Pictures, but I still think their work before that are excellent, especially their albums from 77-80, which are my three favorites by them

It reminds me of the Floyd when they diss their pre-Meddle work, I just love that stuff.  LZ1 and LZ3 are two favorites.  I like Tull's early albums better than their acclaimed ones.  Benefit especially.  Yes and Genesis, the same story. 

Then again, to play on Neil's quote, I would probably rather look at a collection of children's artwork than what passes for most "real" art by sophisticated types..... 

Statements like this really piss me off. I was going to mention Floyd Jim which you did already and the two guys from Kraftwerk as well who all seem embarrased with their early stuff. I can see how a musician becomes a better song writer and player as they get older and more mature but they also lose something in my opinion as to what is so important about music that they had in their youth. My favourite music touches my heart, soul and my feelings in some way which most of the music from the three bands I mentioned did early on. To me it's an insult to say he wished Permanent Waves never existed. Notice all three bands I mention are all rich older men and I guess their early stuff doesn't touch them like it did their fans. And to be fair maybe musicians look at their music differently than fans do, maybe they are more objective or equate the ones that sold the most as being the best. I don't know but he just insulted a lot of his fans. 

I always preferred their 70s material, but Neil Peart is entitled to his own perspective on it, even though I don't feel that way about it.

Finnforest wrote: I hear you John.  I doubt he intended to insult anyone, Neil seems like a nice chap.  But there is sort of an arrogance that develops over time (more pronounced in Waters) where the older, wiser, matured artist looks down his nose with a sneer at the youthful days.  It may make perfect sense to these guys who are now all businessmen, but not to me.  I give Rush a lot of credit for the constant pursuit of refinement and the seriousness with which they took their career, I really do.  But it's just always been this way for me.....with very few exceptions, the spark is captured early in rock music....it is a young person's game in my opinion.  For me as a fan, it's about the fun and energy, not the precision of the production or the social conscience of their latest lyric.  All about the spark in the eye, the fire in the belly.

^hey, John, I guess I see how you feel, them being your favorite band. I guess if Jurgen Fritz said that about Triumvirat's early work, I'd be peeved.

I agree with him but I'm not the biggest Rush fan--there's a sameness to their sound that I can take in small doses--I have like 4 of their albums.

Permanent Waves is their best album so obviously he's drunk.