Rush and Neil Peart listed in Modern Drummer's "50 All-Time Prog Classics"
The October 2007 issue of Modern Drummer is their "Prog" issue, with Mike Portnoy on the cover. In the article "50 All-Time Prog Classics," Rush's 2112 is listed in the "classic" section with the following quote:
"2112 is the first essential Rush album, the one that garnered widespread acclaim for the band." NEIL PEART's godlike rep was built upon his technical and muscular approach to the opening twenty-minute title track."
While Neil isn't interviewed for this issue, his presence is felt throughout--especially in the interview with Mike Portnoy. When asked about "the great innovators" of Prog drumming," Portnoy answers:
"My biggest and most obvious progressive drumming influence was Neil Peart. Before I heard Rush I was into The Who, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles. Neil Peart's drumming was the first time I'd ever heard a drummer playing a lot of odd time signatures, and his massive kit was immediately intriguing to me. The way he created drum parts that played such a lead role on the early Rush albums captured me. I couldn't listen to Hemispheres, 2112, Permanent Waves, or Moving Pictures without immediately being drawn to the drumming. I was one of the kids obsessed with Rush and the drumming of Neil Peart in the late '70s and early '80s."
In addition to the interview with Portnoy, there's an interview with Bill Bruford, an update on Porcupine Tree's Gavin Harrison, a "Woodshed" article with Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson), "Playback" with Aynsley Dunbar (Frank Zappa, Journey, David Bowie, and Jeff Beck), and more. If you like drumming and progressive music, I recommend this issue of Modern Drummer.
Labels: magazine article
