Posted on 09/12/2006 11:51:45 AM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Rush Wrestling With Faith On New Album
Neil Peart
September 11, 2006, 3:50 PM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. Rush has penned eight songs for its next studio album, which should be out in early 2007, according to drummer Neil Peart. The artist tells Billboard.com his lyrics for the as-yet-untitled set were greatly influenced by his motorcycle journeys throughout the United States, chronicled in the new book "Roadshow: Landscape With Drums."
Peart says he was struck by the ubiquity of religious billboards that have sprung up on America's highways, which got him thinking about some weighty topics. "Just seeing the power of evangelical Christianity and contrasting that with the power of fundamentalist religion all over the world in its different forms had a big effect on me," he says.
"You try to put your own way of seeing the world into some kind of congruence with other peoples, and that's difficult for me," he admits. "I mean, I see the world in what I think to be a perfectly obvious and rational way, but when you go out into it and see the way other people think and behave, and express themselves on church signs, you realize, 'Well, I'm not really part of this club.'"
"I looked for the good side of faith," Peart says. "To me it ought to be your armor, something to protect you and something to console you in dark times. But it's more often being turned into a sword, and that's one big theme I'm messing with."
Musically, the new album is continuing in much the same vein as 2002's "Vapor Trails," which returned Rush to a more guitar/bass/drums-driven sound. But Peart is quick to add that the music is "remarkably organic in a way that I haven't heard [from Rush] before. We spent a month together in May working on those songs and developing our individual instrument parts for them. It's early to characterize it, but it's definitely fresh and different and that's certainly satisfying."
Peart, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson will regroup next month to finish pre-production and will begin recording in November. However, as Peart writes at the conclusion of "Roadshow," he is ambivalent about putting himself through yet another massive world tour.
"It is true that in 1989 I announced that I wasn't going to tour anymore, and have said that every time since and have gone back and decided [to do it] for all good reasons," he says. "One of the main ones to me is that a band plays live, so if I want to consider our band as a living, working thing then that's the case. I haven't in my own mind committed to [another tour] yet, but of course I haven't ruled it out, either."
Eh, I don't know about that - I like his lyrics quite a bit and they're certainly unique in the hard rock world - at times they're a bit pretentious. But I love "Freewill" and "Witchhunt."
much more recent albums are probably 2 of the best they have done.
Obviously they peaked in general popularity at the end of the 70s but of the geriatric bands they're one of the few that are creating new music that fans actually like - unlike a lot of other bands like Yes and the Stones and such, people aren't looking at their watches and counting the agonizing minutes when they play new material in concert.
Grace Under Pressure is probably my favorite album which probably leaves me pretty alone there.
And I've always had a weird hatred for "Limelight" I can't explain.
And, for all of you "caring Christians" out there denigrating him, Neil lost his wife to Cancer and his 18-year old daughter to a Drunk driver within the same year a few years ago.
They're just annoyed and offended he didn't do the standard Born-Again conversion thing after all that happened and start spouting off about how it "all happened for a reason" blah blah blah.
I've never really understood people that have this tremendous obsession with whether a musician's political or religious views in lyrics or even just interviews deviates from their own in even a microscopic way.
Sorry, if all I could listen to was Toby Keith and Ted Nugent, I'd put a shotgun in my mouth and pull the trigger.
There are limits though - Rage Against the Machine had some really great songs, and were it not for the lyrics I'd probably have bought an album or two, but I didn't.
Not at all.....one of their best IMHO.....
"I've never really understood people that have this tremendous obsession with whether a musician's political or religious views in lyrics or even just interviews deviates from their own in even a microscopic way."
Me either. There's several other Canadian acts (since I am one) I'm quite fond of. The Tragically Hip - marginally lefty, doesn't show in their lyrics. Matthew Good (Band) - fairly left, occasionally shows in song lyrics. Sam Roberts - fairly left, shows very obviously in some of his songs, like the one called "Socialism" - "S, O, C-I-A, L-I-S-M is the only way, hey hey" - kinda catchy, actually. And his latest album has a song about an American (Vietnam war-era) draft-dodger. Still like the music, though, and anyway, I almost expect artsy types to be misguided socialists.
Yeah I doubt Neil would identify as a Randian now.
One thing to keep in mind is that in the 1970s Rush was viciously attacked in the British music press as "Nazis" by Socialist and Communist rock critics simply because of the anti-collectivist views in Neil's lyrics at the time.
You're not alone on liking "Grace Under Pressure." I prefer '80s Rush--"Grace Under Pressure," "Subdivisions," "Hold Your Fire." "A Show of Hands" is one hell of a good live album. Nah, they're not conservatives, but I like their music. And, hey, I'll take libertarian rock stars over the Ditzy Chix any day of the week!
}:-)4
Sometimes I think I'm the only person south of about, eh, Buffalo that owns TTH albums. Even if they're old--"Up To Here" and "Road Apples," nothing newer. "Road Apples" is one of my favorites from any band, ever.
}:-)4
Peart is hands down the best rock drummer to ever live.
I think some of their best stuff came after the Signals album, which every "used to listen to them in the 80's" person refers to.
Not sure what he's trying to say here, but it doesn't sound derogatory as much as it shows his confusion.
If the next CD is like Vapor Trails, then that will make just one more Rush CD that I'll listen to until it wears out.
Actually, I would put secular humanists at number 1 and the Islamic Fundamentalists at number 2.
How do you define Christian Fundamentalism? The 50 million Evangelicals in this country or some lunatic fringe militant pseudo-Christian wannabe group? If the former, then you don't understand Christianity and if the latter, there aren't enough of them to make a dent.
Hippie? Commie? Or none of the above. To me, he almost still seems the hippie-commune dwelling, live off the earth type I took him for as a kid in the 70's. Maybe that wasn't right either, but he seemed to me the kind of Haight-Ashbury hippie from the 60's in a commune living a Woodstock lifestyle everyday. And, to me, he seems to be unchanged himself. And disgusted with his peers whom he seems to think sold out for the riches or corporate lifestyle. He does seem to practice what he preaches.
Who among us didn't believe some things 20 or 30 years ago that maybe turned out to be a little silly down the road?
Amen to that. And thank goodness we do 'mature' for lack of a more exact, inclusive term.
Casinos?? hahaha Not sure where you got that information but Rush sold out every huge venue in the United States on their last 2 tours and not talking about 25 years ago. Last year and year before that. Try to get tickets next time Rush visits your city and see how much you'll pay to get in.
Unless you agree with that POV, and for all I know you do, I don't think taking exception to that comparison is as over the top as you pretend.
Unless you agree with that POV, and for all I know you do, I don't think taking exception to that comparison is as over the top as you pretend.
You should try some of their newer stuff - their last album, whose name eludes me off the top of my head, was really good. A little different style, though, to be sure.
I think we were talking more generally, to people who seem to take issue with any performer whose political views don't jive perfectly with their own. Me, I tend to judge music on its own merits.
As far as I'm concerned, their last album was Moving Pictures.
Rush "jumped the shark" with 'Subdivisions'.
..."seeming unfavorable comparison"....would be the the debate topic.....as of yet I haven't seen anyone prove that Peart is comparing Christians to diddly....
His daughter was not killed by a drunk driver...she died because her jeep was over-corrected making a turn on a mountainside road. I can see your anti-Christian bias and anger towards anyone who says anything negative against the band....it's ok fanboi. Take a deep breath.
My Favorite Headache (A Rush fan since 1980...who thinks it's ok to call out the band and its members when something might approach the opposite of my point of view. By the way Rush circa 78-89 is where it is at...perfection through those years...especially Signals, Grace Under Pressure,and Power Windows.)
Geriatric rockers whose brains atrophied from drugs 30 years ago account for nothing in public discourse.
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