Peart is a percussion legend, a rock behemoth whose impeccable skill influenced generations of drummers that studied every last bar of YYZ like Talmudic scholars. When drummer Neil Peart joined bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson to replace previous drummer John Rutsy, the band's line-up cemented into one of the most celebrated collaborations in rock history. What is Rush's appeal? Certainly a three-piece band that debuted thirty years ago with a self-titled album of weak-sounding Zeppelin knock-offs didn't inspire confidence that the trio would emerge into one of the most successful and beloved progressive rock acts of our time. Even as a staple of classic rock playlists, Rush continues to impress new generations of fans.

Today, while the sad state of popular music is awash with ultra-disposable and ponderously anemic pop, hip-hop and rock acts, Side 2 of A Farewell To Kings is sounding fresher than ever. On any pre-grunge rock channel - 'classic' rock, 'new' rock, 'modern' rock, what have you - Rushwas always as prevalent as carbon molecules.

Rush didn't just appeal to alienated guys who could work their way around both a graphing calculator and a gravity bong - pretty much all rock fans of all social strata listened to Rush. That suspiciously fictitious anecdote aside, my original statement is not entirely true. I once described Rush as the type of music that guys in Honors Algebra smoked dope to, which got me quickly booted out of our 9th Grade Math Fair.

By tor and the snow dog tab