Is Neil Peart Still The King? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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sigod

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Topic: Is Neil Peart Still The King?
Posted: November 04 2004 at 11:50

I think he still is but what about Portnoy, Bruford, Collins (heh!), Dalton, etc???

Edited by sigod

I must remind the right honourable gentleman that a monologue is not a decision.
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Dan Bobrowski View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 11:55

Like everything we argue about on this forum... "Who's the best" is purely subjective. Peart's awesome. So is Bruford, Donati, Phillips, Portnoy and on and on and on....

Peart is sigod's favorite drummer.... No?

benny bouncer View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 15:50

naa....Carl Palmer

Edited by benny bouncer

Blacksword View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 15:56

He's still got it. There's no doubt. I think he wears the crown.

There are plenty of excellent drummers out there, some I'm sure are as good as NP, but its what they do with that talent IMO. Bruford for example is clearly an excellent drummer, but to me many of his fills sound scrappy, notably on albums like 'Discipline' His drummimg on the track 'Red' seems very messy to me, but then on 'Heart of the sunrise' and 'One more red nightmare' its excellent. NP's drumming is always tidy and click perfect as well as being powerfull. He also happens to be a driving force lyrically and an integral part of the Rush machine. Bruford IMO was interchangabe with the likes of Alan White (awaits abuse )

Mike Portnoy, again is tight, technical and powerfull, but chooses to drum, these days like any prog thrash drummer IMO. On 'Train of thought'he could have been replaced with Lars Ulrich.

Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!

Carlos

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 16:10

FANTASTIC... ONE OF MY FAVORITE DRUMMERS ALONG WITH PORTNOY, MOON, BONHAM, ULRICH, PALMER AND MITCHELL... NOT MANY PROG AROUND HERE, BUT WHAT A DRUMMERS FOR ME!

Democracy=A form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people...

Reed Lover View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 16:51

Neil Peart and Bill Bruford are the 2 most copied prog drummers.They are the template.

IMO Peart is the finest Rock musician regardless of instrument.

Big smile

Peter

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 16:54

^Template? Is that like a cold plate?

I like ham!

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.

Reed Lover View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 16:59

Peter Rideout wrote:

^Template? Is that like a cold plate?

I like ham!

OY Wipeout!- cant you be serious for one second?

The more thoughtful of us are getting tired of your little digs,wind-ups and frivolity! Angry

You are the reason that this site is going downhill fast. Angry Angry

Shame on you-you old cumudgeon!

Keep it up, old boy!

threefates View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 17:00

Sorry I'm with Benny... Palmer will always be King !...

THIS IS ELP

gdub411

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 19:55

What makes a bunch of non-musicians think they really know who is the best. That would be like asking me who is the best brain surgeon. I hate these topics. Most of you know squat about the quality of musicianship....me included! Now if I were to ask my room-mate(who is a musician) if Peart is any good, he will give me an opinion on it that I can respect.

Peart was obviously a good drummer but the only reason we know this is we have been told by the experts. These topics are rubbish!

sorry Sigod...you're a charming enough chap..no offence meant towards you for starting the thread. I am sure I am out on an island but I hate topics like

Which guitarist makes the best grr grr sound?

Which bass player makes the boom bitty boom sound?

Which keyboard makes the best ping ping sound?

Which drum makes the best boom, clang , bang sound?

alright...I finally got that out of my system..I'm done ranting

threefates View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 20:05

and done assuming I hope. I actually played drums from the time I was 6 until I left home at 17... I had 2 years of percussion lessons, I played snare in the junior and high school bands and I was the first female in the state of NC to get accepted 2 years to the percussive session of the all-state band. I was also selected from the State bands to attend a Buddy Rich and Stan Kenton drum clinics. However, after watching Carl Palmer play... and the way he practiced... I called home and told the folks to sell my drum set. I couldn't be that good on my most brilliant day. However, when I went back to college after my son was born.. .I minored in music and played tympani in the college orchestra. I might not have played in the last 10 years or so... by I'm sure I can still do a few paradiddles.. and I'm sure I can still detect who's the king percussionist...

Its Carl !!!

THIS IS ELP

gdub411

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 20:08

I did say most of you. Those who don't fit in the catagory I mentioned shouldn't feel offended

Cesar Inca View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 21:42

HE'S STILL ONE KING, UNDOUBTEDLY!! But there's more than one drummer king! According to what I see and hear from 'Live at the Budokan', DT's Portnoy is much less thrashier when playing the ToT tracks on stage... fortunately.

Oh... and what amazing pictures of Palmer!! He's a hell of a king, too! generally speaking, I prefer ELP to Rush, but individually speaking, Both Palmer and Peart are on the same level of energy, virtuosity, musical vision, and experience. Each one protraying his own styling. the same goes for other magician drummers such as Bruford, Bozzio, Barlow, Vander, van der Linden, Weathers,...

By the way, Happy The Man's new drummer is quite terrific, too.

dropForge

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 23:08

No one drummer will ever be King.

BUT...we WILL have a regal Council of Seven:

Bill Bruford

Dennis Chambers

Billy Cobham

Carl Palmer

Neil Peart

Lenny White

__________ (this can change weekly )

dropForge

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Posted: November 04 2004 at 23:10

However, after watching Carl Palmer play... and the way he practiced... I called home and told the folks to sell my drum set. I couldn't be that good on my most brilliant day.

I shudder when I ponder how many of my musical heroes could've felt the same way at some point in their lives and decided to hang it up.

Did you seriously do that? Or did you need the money for sweetleaf? Haha!

Ivan_Melgar_M View Drop Down

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Posted: November 05 2004 at 00:44

He never was the king, Bruford was the King IMO but there were too many pretenders to the crown: Palmer, Bozzio, Manu Katche, Collins, Peart and even Tony Fernandez (Wakeman crew).

In that level is hard to decide who is the best.

Iván

arqwave

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Posted: November 05 2004 at 01:07

Peart has been a great drummer, and has set the path for so many others,
however, naming king to a solitary being is quite pretentious, so i might
think that he is one of the few kings around wth the other great
drummers mentioned here earlier. We must remember that the "student
must be superior than the master", so in many cases we have "young"
guys like portnoy, donati, reinart and so many others... in this case Peart
and Bruford has been the only drummers to achieve "master status"
around the world, but we have forgotten great guys like Bozzio, Palmer
and Barlow, not to mention all the fusion drummers featured in here like
Cobham, Moreira, etc.

peace

between darkness and light

Blacksword View Drop Down

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Posted: November 05 2004 at 02:55

ivan_2068 wrote:

'Palmer, Bozzio, Manu Katche, Collins, Peart and even Tony Fernandez (Wakeman crew). = Pretenders!!!???

Wow I guess it really is subjective. What do you think they are pretendiing to be, ivan?? In what SPECIFIC technical way is Bruford better than Palmer, Peart, Collins & Co??

Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!

Blacksword View Drop Down

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Posted: November 05 2004 at 02:59

Excellent pics of Palmer indeed

Although I was never an ELP fan, Palmer is one hell of a percussionist. Always a joy to watch as well as listern to. His soloing is phenomenal, and more entertaining visually than Peart, who is actually my favourite drummer.

Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!

sigod

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Posted: November 05 2004 at 04:08

gdub411 wrote:

sorry Sigod...you're a charming enough chap..no offence meant towards you for starting the thread. I am sure I am out on an island but I hate topics like

Nah, I quite understand gdub, I should have explained this a little better.

Over the past few years Peart has had to deal with a series of personal family tragedy's (both is wife and daughter died with in months of each other if I remember correctly). Peart withdrew from the scene for a number of years and as a result of no visibility, I think that many people thought he might be done as a musician.

I noticed that a lot of the music press journalist began to look for a 'successor ' and I suspect they thought they had found one in the form of Mike Portnoy. In addition, when someone has to deal with a personal crisis in their life, it can leave them a little 'less' as a creative force, they lose focus or see their 'art' as a trivial thing compared to their family/friends/Rolls Royce collection. I accept this is not always the case but with Peart who has always been an introspective individual, the threat of total retreat was a real possibility. As a fan, I worried and felt for the guy and I was curious to know from other fans, if they felt the same way I did.

I agree that the 'who's best' debate can be a futile exercise but in this case, I really feel the question is valid.

..and yes threefates/everyone...Carl Palmer is a REALLY cool drummer too.

Edited by sigod

I must remind the right honourable gentleman that a monologue is not a decision.
- Clement Atlee, on Winston Churchill