Rush instrumentals
Encyclopedia
The Canadian rock band Rush
has written, recorded, and performed several instrumentals throughout its career.
album, "Overture" opens up one of Rush's concept suites. Geddy Lee
's voice is recorded as an instrument in the early parts of the song, as he sings no words. However, there is, despite the Overture's overall instrumental nature, only one line sung at the end, as the piece transitions to "The Temples of Syrinx": "And the meek shall inherit the earth" (cf. Mt. 5:5). Like some overtures, music from the 2112 overture is repeated or built upon in other places in the suite, such as "The Temples of Syrinx", "Presentation", "Oracle: The Dream", and "Soliloquy." At the end of Overture, there's a direct quotation from Tchaikovsky's
1812 Overture
, played by Lifeson.
had, and the music in these sections correspond to the occurrences in his dream. The opening segment was played on a nylon-string classical guitar, while the live versions were played on an electric guitar. The next segment introduces the main theme of La Villa, the Strangiato theme. The song progresses to include an increasingly complex guitar solo backed by string synthesizer, followed closely by bass
and drum fills. The Strangiato theme is then revisited before the song ends abruptly with phased bass and drums. The song is divided as follows:
Live versions of "La Villa Strangiato" have often featured certain alterations. For instance, on Exit...Stage Left
, Lee sings part of a nursery rhyme over "Danforth and Pape" (the liner notes include a translation of his words) and adds a short bass solo during "Monsters! (Reprise)." During later tours, as documented on Rush in Rio
, a drum/bass vamp was inserted before "Strangiato Theme (Reprise)," over which Lifeson made a stream-of-consciousness rant. The classical guitar introduction was either played on electric guitar or, more commonly, cut out altogether. During the 2010-2011 Time Machine Tour
, the piece began with a polka
rendition of "To sleep, perchance to dream," then transitioned into the original arrangement.
The band set out to record the song in one take but eventually they had do it in three parts. According to Lee, "We spent more time recording 'Strangiato' than the entire Fly By Night album. It was our first piece without any vocals at all. So each section had to stand up with a theme and musical structure of its own."
The song includes an adaptation of Raymond Scott's
popular composition "Powerhouse"
. Though Scott's publishers did not attempt to take legal action until the statute of limitations had run out, Rush's management, feeling it was the right thing to do, gave some monetary compensation to Mr. and Mrs. Scott.
"La Villa Strangiato" translates roughly to "Strange Village" or "Weird City".
album. "YYZ" (natively pronounced why-why-zed) is the airport code
for the Toronto Pearson International Airport
, and the instrumental opens with a rhythm in 5/4 that is Morse code
for "YYZ" (-.-- -.-- --..). The piece evolved into a drum/bass solo during the 1980s. "YYZ" was the first of five Rush songs (over three decades) to be nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
album. "Where's My Thing?" was their second song nominated for a Grammy, in 1991, losing to Eric Johnson
's "Cliffs of Dover"
. The song is much more pop-like than the rest of Rush's work, featuring an upbeat tempo and a brass-like synthesizer line. This song was subtitled, "Part IV (Gangster of Boats Trilogy)" originally as a joke, since it's the fourth part of said trilogy
. There is no official continuation of the alleged trilogy, though subsequent instrumentals are similar in style and blend when played in reverse sequential order, starting with The Main Monkey Business
.
album. During the Counterparts
, Test for Echo
, and Vapor Trails
tours, and featured on the Different Stages and Rush in Rio
live albums, "Leave That Thing Alone" preceded Peart's drum solo and was played with an extended ending to showcase Lee's bass work. It was then omitted from the set lists until 2010's Time Machine Tour
.
This track was the third song nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1994, losing to Pink Floyd
's "Marooned
."
album. Like the "2112 Overture," "Limbo" features vocals by Lee; however, his voice is being used as an instrument as he is not singing any words. The song also includes samples from Bobby "Boris" Pickett oldie "The Monster Mash": 'Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist' and 'Ahh, Mash Good!'.
is the first Rush album to feature multiple instrumental tracks: The Main Monkey Business
, Hope
, and Malignant Narcissism
. The first, The Main Monkey Business, is slightly more than six minutes long. As with Limbo and 2112 Overture, Lee's voice is being used as an instrument as no words are being sung. The other two songs, Hope and Malignant Narcissism, are the two shortest songs ever recorded by Rush at just more than two minutes long. This was a distinction previously held (excluding the short sections of the multi-parted songs like 2112 and La Villa Strangiato) by the short track Need Some Love on the album Rush. Hope is a solo guitar piece written by Lifeson. Malignant Narcissism features Lee on a fretless bass
and Peart on a four-piece drum kit. Malignant Narcissism contains dialog of a woman's voice, "Usually a case of malignant narcissism brought on during childhood." The last word in the phrase is repeated, each time lower than the last. The phrase itself comes from the movie Team America: World Police, made by the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Malignant Narcissism became the fifth instrumental to be nominated for a Grammy under the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance, in 2008, losing to Bruce Springsteen's Once Upon A Time In The West. Hope became the sixth instrumental to be nominated for a Grammy under the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2009, only under the Songs For Tibet: The Art of Peace album which Rush contributed to with a live version of the song. It lost to Zappa Plays Zappa
's Peaches en Regalia
.
live album, "Broon's Bane" is a short classical guitar arrangement performed by Lifeson as an extended intro to "The Trees
". The song is named after Terry Brown
(Brown is also referred to as "T.C. Broonsie" during the intro to Jacob's Ladder) who produced Exit...Stage Left and 10 other Rush albums
. It is not featured on any other live or studio recording by Rush
. The song repeats and builds upon the same three-beat line, coming to a climax about one minute into the piece before segueing into "The Trees."
, an abridged version of Cygnus X-1 is performed as an instrumental. The piece contains the themes from 1:26 to 4:59 in the studio recording of the piece, shortened slightly by about 20 seconds. In other words, it includes the Prologue part without the spoken words. Also, the keyboard synthesizer heard in the studio recording is replaced with a more synthesized voice played by Lee with foot pedals. This is the same excerpt of the piece played as part of the R30
Overture.
The songs featured in the medley were:
."
by Neil Peart. These solos have been featured on every live album released by the band. On the early live albums (All the World's a Stage
and Exit...Stage Left
), the drum solo was included as part of a song ("Working Man/Finding My Way" and "YYZ," respectively). On all subsequent live albums, the drum solo has been included on a separate track. On A Show of Hands
and Different Stages, the drum solos were titled "The Rhythm Method" (a pun on the form of birth control); on Rush in Rio
, it was entitled "O Baterista"; and on R30 Live In Frankfurt it was titled "Der Trommler". On Rush's 2008 live album, Snakes & Arrows Live
, it is titled "De Slagwerker," and is coupled with "Malignant Narcissism" on the track-list. "O Baterista" was the fourth song nominated for a Grammy, in 2005, losing to Brian Wilson
's "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
". For the 2010 Time Machine Tour
, the solo was called "Love 4 Sale," but was renamed "Moto Perpetuo" for the CD and DVD release in November 2011.
The titles "O Baterista", "Der Trommler" and "De Slagwerker" all translate to "The Drummer" in Portuguese, German and Dutch respectively.
All of Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, leaving each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more-complex ones. Since the mid-late 1980s Peart has utilized MIDI
trigger pads
to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba
, harp
, temple blocks, triangles
, glockenspiel
, orchestra bells
, tubular bell
s, timpani
and vibra-slap as well as other, more esoteric percussion. Some purely electronic, description-defying sounds are also used. All are incorporated into each drum solo.
Every Peart solo since 1987-88, except those performed on the most recent 2007 and 2008 Snakes & Arrows Tour
s, has included marimba
excerpts from "Pieces of Eight," a piece that first appeared as a flexi disc
record in the May 1987 issue of Modern Drummer
magazine. In addition, all solos since 1991 have contained marimba portions of another Peart composition entitled "Momo's Dance Party," and those from 1991 to 2004 featured a complex pattern from the song "Scars" (from the studio album Presto
). For the Vapor Trails
and R30 tours, each solo concluded with a section of the Count Basie
standard "One O'Clock Jump
," which Peart recorded while producing Burning For Buddy, a two-volume tribute album to legendary big band
drummer and bandleader, Buddy Rich
. For the Snakes & Arrows Tour, Peart replaced the finale with an excerpt from "Cotton Tail
," which he recorded with the Buddy Rich Band in the mid-1990s. This was the only tour in which the length of his solo decreased when compared to the preceding tour. For the Time Machine Tour
, Peart again replaced the finale with an excerpt from the Buddy Rich standard "Love for Sale," which he also performed with the Buddy Rich Big Band at a 2008 memorial concert. He named the solo after that song, calling it "Love 4 Sale".
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
has written, recorded, and performed several instrumentals throughout its career.
Overture
From the 21122112 (album)
2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976.The album features an eponymous seven-part suite written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, with lyrics written by Neil Peart telling a dystopian story set in the year 2112. The album is sometimes described as a concept album...
album, "Overture" opens up one of Rush's concept suites. Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
's voice is recorded as an instrument in the early parts of the song, as he sings no words. However, there is, despite the Overture's overall instrumental nature, only one line sung at the end, as the piece transitions to "The Temples of Syrinx": "And the meek shall inherit the earth" (cf. Mt. 5:5). Like some overtures, music from the 2112 overture is repeated or built upon in other places in the suite, such as "The Temples of Syrinx", "Presentation", "Oracle: The Dream", and "Soliloquy." At the end of Overture, there's a direct quotation from Tchaikovsky's
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
1812 Overture
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
, played by Lifeson.
Grand Finale
This section of the suite includes some spoken (not sung) lines at the end, with each of the following sentences repeated three times in a row: "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation. We have assumed control."La Villa Strangiato
Found on the Hemispheres album, this was Rush's first entirely instrumental piece, clocking in at 9:37. The instrumental's subtitle is "An Exercise in Self-Indulgence." The multi-part piece was inspired by a dream guitarist Alex LifesonAlex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
had, and the music in these sections correspond to the occurrences in his dream. The opening segment was played on a nylon-string classical guitar, while the live versions were played on an electric guitar. The next segment introduces the main theme of La Villa, the Strangiato theme. The song progresses to include an increasingly complex guitar solo backed by string synthesizer, followed closely by bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and drum fills. The Strangiato theme is then revisited before the song ends abruptly with phased bass and drums. The song is divided as follows:
- I: "Buenas Noches, Mein Froinds!" (0:00–0:26; 0:26)
- II: "To sleep, perchance to dream..." (0:27–1:59; 1:32)
- III: "Strangiato theme" (2:00–3:15; 1:15)
- IV: "A Lerxst in Wonderland" (3:16–5:48; 2:32)
- V: "Monsters!" (5:49–6:09; 0:20)
- VI: "The Ghost of the Aragon" (6:10–6:44; 0:34)
- VII: "DanforthDanforth AvenueDanforth Avenue is an east-west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its western end begins in Old Toronto from the Prince Edward Viaduct as a continuation of Bloor Street and continues through East York until intersecting with Kingston Road in Scarborough...
and PapePape VillagePape Village is a commercial district in Toronto, Canada, located within the neighbourhood of Old East York. It is a mixed-use shopping street, consisting mainly of small-scale retail, restaurant and personal service uses.-Location:...
" (6:45–7:25; 0:40) - VIII: "The Waltz of the Shreves" (7:26–7:51; 0:25)
- IX: "Never turn your back on a Monster!" (7:52–8:02; 0:10)
- X: "Monsters! (Reprise)" (8:03–8:16; 0:13)
- XI: "Strangiato theme (Reprise)" (8:17–9:20; 1:03)
- XII: "A Farewell to Things" (9:20–9:37; 0:17)
Live versions of "La Villa Strangiato" have often featured certain alterations. For instance, on Exit...Stage Left
Exit...Stage Left
Exit...Stage Left is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 1981. A video release with the same name, with slightly different content, was released in 1982 on VHS and later on Laserdisc, and in 2007 on DVD....
, Lee sings part of a nursery rhyme over "Danforth and Pape" (the liner notes include a translation of his words) and adds a short bass solo during "Monsters! (Reprise)." During later tours, as documented on Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 2003 . The album is also available as a two DVD set. The album was recorded at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and was the final concert on the Vapor Trails Tour. However, the third CD contains two bonus tracks played previously on...
, a drum/bass vamp was inserted before "Strangiato Theme (Reprise)," over which Lifeson made a stream-of-consciousness rant. The classical guitar introduction was either played on electric guitar or, more commonly, cut out altogether. During the 2010-2011 Time Machine Tour
Time Machine Tour
The Time Machine Tour was a concert tour by the Canadian rock band Rush that began on June 29, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ended July 2, 2011 at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington...
, the piece began with a polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
rendition of "To sleep, perchance to dream," then transitioned into the original arrangement.
The band set out to record the song in one take but eventually they had do it in three parts. According to Lee, "We spent more time recording 'Strangiato' than the entire Fly By Night album. It was our first piece without any vocals at all. So each section had to stand up with a theme and musical structure of its own."
The song includes an adaptation of Raymond Scott's
Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor....
popular composition "Powerhouse"
Powerhouse (song)
Powerhouse is a instrumental musical composition by Raymond Scott, probably best known today as the iconic "assembly line" music in animated cartoons released by Warner Brothers.-History:...
. Though Scott's publishers did not attempt to take legal action until the statute of limitations had run out, Rush's management, feeling it was the right thing to do, gave some monetary compensation to Mr. and Mrs. Scott.
"La Villa Strangiato" translates roughly to "Strange Village" or "Weird City".
YYZ
From the Moving PicturesMoving Pictures (album)
- Personnel :* Geddy Lee - Bass guitar; Minimoog; Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer; OB-X, Moog Taurus bass pedals, vocals* Alex Lifeson - Electric and acoustic guitars, Moog Taurus...
album. "YYZ" (natively pronounced why-why-zed) is the airport code
IATA airport code
An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association...
for the Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
, and the instrumental opens with a rhythm in 5/4 that is Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
for "YYZ" (-.-- -.-- --..). The piece evolved into a drum/bass solo during the 1980s. "YYZ" was the first of five Rush songs (over three decades) to be nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Where's My Thing?
From the Roll the BonesRoll the Bones
Roll the Bones is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1991 . The album was recorded at Le Studio in Morin Heights and at McClear Place in Toronto with Rupert Hine returning as producer. The album won the 1992 Juno Award for best album cover design...
album. "Where's My Thing?" was their second song nominated for a Grammy, in 1991, losing to Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is an American guitarist. Though he is best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, gospel and country and western music into his recordings...
's "Cliffs of Dover"
Cliffs of Dover (song)
"Cliffs of Dover" is an instrumental composition by guitarist Eric Johnson which appeared on his 1990 Ah Via Musicom album. The album version of the song is composed in the key of G major, the song was played with a Gibson ES-335 through a B.K. Butler Tube Driver and an Echoplex plugged into a...
. The song is much more pop-like than the rest of Rush's work, featuring an upbeat tempo and a brass-like synthesizer line. This song was subtitled, "Part IV (Gangster of Boats Trilogy)" originally as a joke, since it's the fourth part of said trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
. There is no official continuation of the alleged trilogy, though subsequent instrumentals are similar in style and blend when played in reverse sequential order, starting with The Main Monkey Business
The Main Monkey Business
"The Main Monkey Business" is an instrumental from Rush's 2007 album Snakes & Arrows. It clocks in at 6 minutes and 1 second, making it Rush's second longest instrumental, the longest being La Villa Strangiato...
.
Leave That Thing Alone
From the CounterpartsCounterparts (album)
Counterparts is the fifteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1993. It became Rush's highest charting album in the US, peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200...
album. During the Counterparts
Counterparts (album)
Counterparts is the fifteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1993. It became Rush's highest charting album in the US, peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200...
, Test for Echo
Test for Echo
Test for Echo is the sixteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1996. The album marks the final Rush work prior to the events in Neil Peart's life that put the band on hiatus for several years...
, and Vapor Trails
Vapor Trails
-Personnel:* Geddy Lee - bass guitar, vocals* Alex Lifeson - electric and acoustic guitars, mandola* Neil Peart - drums, percussion-Album:Billboard Music Charts -Singles:...
tours, and featured on the Different Stages and Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 2003 . The album is also available as a two DVD set. The album was recorded at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and was the final concert on the Vapor Trails Tour. However, the third CD contains two bonus tracks played previously on...
live albums, "Leave That Thing Alone" preceded Peart's drum solo and was played with an extended ending to showcase Lee's bass work. It was then omitted from the set lists until 2010's Time Machine Tour
Time Machine Tour
The Time Machine Tour was a concert tour by the Canadian rock band Rush that began on June 29, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ended July 2, 2011 at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington...
.
This track was the third song nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1994, losing to Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's "Marooned
Marooned (song)
"Marooned" is an instrumental track on Pink Floyd's 1994 album, The Division Bell; the track won a Grammy Award in 1995.The piece was written by David Gilmour and Richard Wright. It has sounds that describe the setting as an island . It was composed while jamming aboard the Astoria in early 1993...
."
Limbo
From the Test for EchoTest for Echo
Test for Echo is the sixteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1996. The album marks the final Rush work prior to the events in Neil Peart's life that put the band on hiatus for several years...
album. Like the "2112 Overture," "Limbo" features vocals by Lee; however, his voice is being used as an instrument as he is not singing any words. The song also includes samples from Bobby "Boris" Pickett oldie "The Monster Mash": 'Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist' and 'Ahh, Mash Good!'.
The Main Monkey Business, Hope, and Malignant Narcissism
Rush's album Snakes & ArrowsSnakes & Arrows
Snakes & Arrows is the 18th full-length studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush. Co-produced by Nick Raskulinecz, it is Rush's first studio outing since 2004's Feedback, and their first complete studio album since Vapor Trails in 2002...
is the first Rush album to feature multiple instrumental tracks: The Main Monkey Business
The Main Monkey Business
"The Main Monkey Business" is an instrumental from Rush's 2007 album Snakes & Arrows. It clocks in at 6 minutes and 1 second, making it Rush's second longest instrumental, the longest being La Villa Strangiato...
, Hope
Hope (Rush song)
"Hope" is an acoustic instrumental from Rush's 2007 album Snakes & Arrows. It was performed on a twelve-string guitar in D Modal tuning.- Background :"Hope" is one of the three instrumentals on the Rush album Snakes & Arrows...
, and Malignant Narcissism
Malignant Narcissism (song)
"Malignant Narcissism" is an instrumental track from Rush's 2007 album Snakes & Arrows. Many Rush fans abbreviate the title to "MalNar", an abbreviation the band members themselves developed. "Malignant Narcissism" was nominated for a 2008 Grammy under the category of Best Rock Instrumental...
. The first, The Main Monkey Business, is slightly more than six minutes long. As with Limbo and 2112 Overture, Lee's voice is being used as an instrument as no words are being sung. The other two songs, Hope and Malignant Narcissism, are the two shortest songs ever recorded by Rush at just more than two minutes long. This was a distinction previously held (excluding the short sections of the multi-parted songs like 2112 and La Villa Strangiato) by the short track Need Some Love on the album Rush. Hope is a solo guitar piece written by Lifeson. Malignant Narcissism features Lee on a fretless bass
Fretless guitar
A fretless guitar is a guitar without frets. It operates in the same manner as most other stringed instruments and traditional guitars, but does not have any frets to act as the lower end point of the vibrating string...
and Peart on a four-piece drum kit. Malignant Narcissism contains dialog of a woman's voice, "Usually a case of malignant narcissism brought on during childhood." The last word in the phrase is repeated, each time lower than the last. The phrase itself comes from the movie Team America: World Police, made by the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Malignant Narcissism became the fifth instrumental to be nominated for a Grammy under the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance, in 2008, losing to Bruce Springsteen's Once Upon A Time In The West. Hope became the sixth instrumental to be nominated for a Grammy under the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2009, only under the Songs For Tibet: The Art of Peace album which Rush contributed to with a live version of the song. It lost to Zappa Plays Zappa
Zappa Plays Zappa
Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the eldest son of the late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa.- History :...
's Peaches en Regalia
Peaches en Regalia
"Peaches en Regalia" is an instrumental jazz fusion composition by Frank Zappa. It was released on Zappa's album Hot Rats in 1969 and has been recorded many times since. It was also released as a single in 1970, with "Little Umbrellas" as the B-side...
.
Broon's Bane
Found on the Exit...Stage LeftExit...Stage Left
Exit...Stage Left is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 1981. A video release with the same name, with slightly different content, was released in 1982 on VHS and later on Laserdisc, and in 2007 on DVD....
live album, "Broon's Bane" is a short classical guitar arrangement performed by Lifeson as an extended intro to "The Trees
The Trees (Rush song)
"The Trees" is a song by progressive rock band Rush from their 1978 album Hemispheres. The song is also featured on many of Rush's compilation albums and has been a perennial fan favorite of the band's live shows...
". The song is named after Terry Brown
Terry Brown (record producer)
Terry Brown is a record producer involved in a variety of work, but most noted for his involvement with the Canadian rock band Rush and the British/Canadian band Cutting Crew. Brown is currently working with emerging Ottawa roots-rockers Ken Workman & The Union. He is referred to fondly by the band...
(Brown is also referred to as "T.C. Broonsie" during the intro to Jacob's Ladder) who produced Exit...Stage Left and 10 other Rush albums
Rush discography
Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
. It is not featured on any other live or studio recording by Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
. The song repeats and builds upon the same three-beat line, coming to a climax about one minute into the piece before segueing into "The Trees."
Cygnus X-1 (Live Recordings)
On the live album Rush in RioRush in Rio
Rush in Rio is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 2003 . The album is also available as a two DVD set. The album was recorded at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and was the final concert on the Vapor Trails Tour. However, the third CD contains two bonus tracks played previously on...
, an abridged version of Cygnus X-1 is performed as an instrumental. The piece contains the themes from 1:26 to 4:59 in the studio recording of the piece, shortened slightly by about 20 seconds. In other words, it includes the Prologue part without the spoken words. Also, the keyboard synthesizer heard in the studio recording is replaced with a more synthesized voice played by Lee with foot pedals. This is the same excerpt of the piece played as part of the R30
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour is a live DVD by the Canadian band Rush, that was released on November 22, 2005 in Canada and the U.S. and November 28, 2005 in Europe, therein documenting the band's R30: 30th Anniversary Tour. The DVD was released in a standard and deluxe set...
Overture.
R30 Overture
The opening song of Rush's 2004 tour dates featured an instrumental combining sections of one song from each of the band's first six albums.The songs featured in the medley were:
- "Finding My WayFinding My WayFinding My Way is the first song on Rush's album Rush. It is five minutes and seven seconds long and in 4/4 time. The song was written by singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson...
'" (Rush) - "Anthem" (Fly by Night)
- "Bastille DayBastille Day (song)"Bastille Day" is the first song from Rush's third album Caress of Steel. The music was written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, and the lyrics were written by Neil Peart...
" (Caress of SteelCaress of SteelCaress of Steel is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1975. The album shows more of Rush's adherence to hard progressive rock, as opposed to the blues-based heavy metal and hard rock style of the band's first two albums. Long pieces broken up into various sections and...
) - "A Passage to BangkokA Passage to Bangkok"A Passage to Bangkok" is the second song on Rush's album, 2112. Released in 1976, the song follows the album's title song 2112. The song opens with a driving guitar riff...
" (21122112 (album)2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976.The album features an eponymous seven-part suite written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, with lyrics written by Neil Peart telling a dystopian story set in the year 2112. The album is sometimes described as a concept album...
) - "Cygnus X-1 PrologueCygnus X-1 seriesThe Cygnus X-1 duology is a duology of songs by Canadian progressive rock band Rush. It consists of "Book I: The Voyage" and "Book II: Hemispheres". Book I is the last song on the A Farewell to Kings album, while Book II is the first song on Hemispheres...
" (A Farewell to KingsA Farewell to KingsA Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1977. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, and mixed at Advision Studios in London....
) - "Hemispheres PreludeCygnus X-1 seriesThe Cygnus X-1 duology is a duology of songs by Canadian progressive rock band Rush. It consists of "Book I: The Voyage" and "Book II: Hemispheres". Book I is the last song on the A Farewell to Kings album, while Book II is the first song on Hemispheres...
" (HemispheresHemispheres (Rush album)Hemispheres is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1978. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and mixed at Trident Studios in London....
)
Closer to the Heart intro
During the 2010-11 Time Machine Tour, Lifeson would perform a brief 12-string guitar piece (entitled "O'Malley's Break" on the CD and DVD) that segued into "Closer to the HeartCloser to the Heart
"Closer to the Heart" is a single by Rush, released in 1977, from the album A Farewell to Kings. It was the first Rush song to have an external co-writer, namely Peter Talbot, a friend of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
."
Neil Peart's drum solos
A staple and highlight of Rush's concerts is a drum soloDrum solo
A drum solo is an instrumental solo played on a drum kit. A drum solo may be set or improvised, and of any length, up to being the main performance....
by Neil Peart. These solos have been featured on every live album released by the band. On the early live albums (All the World's a Stage
All the World's a Stage (album)
All the World's a Stage is a double live album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976. The album was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto on June 11 through 13 during their 2112 tour...
and Exit...Stage Left
Exit...Stage Left
Exit...Stage Left is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 1981. A video release with the same name, with slightly different content, was released in 1982 on VHS and later on Laserdisc, and in 2007 on DVD....
), the drum solo was included as part of a song ("Working Man/Finding My Way" and "YYZ," respectively). On all subsequent live albums, the drum solo has been included on a separate track. On A Show of Hands
A Show of Hands
A Show of Hands is a live album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1989. The band released a video of the same name, originally on VHS and laserdisc in 1989...
and Different Stages, the drum solos were titled "The Rhythm Method" (a pun on the form of birth control); on Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 2003 . The album is also available as a two DVD set. The album was recorded at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and was the final concert on the Vapor Trails Tour. However, the third CD contains two bonus tracks played previously on...
, it was entitled "O Baterista"; and on R30 Live In Frankfurt it was titled "Der Trommler". On Rush's 2008 live album, Snakes & Arrows Live
Snakes & Arrows Live
Snakes & Arrows Live is a live double CD by Canadian band Rush, released on April 14, 2008 in the UK and on April 15, 2008 around the world. The material was taken from two performances during the first leg of the Snakes & Arrows Tour, recorded at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on October...
, it is titled "De Slagwerker," and is coupled with "Malignant Narcissism" on the track-list. "O Baterista" was the fourth song nominated for a Grammy, in 2005, losing to Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
's "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (song)
"The Elements: Fire" is an instrumental song, also known as "The Elements", "Fire" and "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow", which was written by Brian Wilson. The title is in reference to the Great Chicago Fire. The song was originally intended for The Beach Boys famous unreleased album Smile as part of the...
". For the 2010 Time Machine Tour
Time Machine Tour
The Time Machine Tour was a concert tour by the Canadian rock band Rush that began on June 29, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ended July 2, 2011 at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington...
, the solo was called "Love 4 Sale," but was renamed "Moto Perpetuo" for the CD and DVD release in November 2011.
The titles "O Baterista", "Der Trommler" and "De Slagwerker" all translate to "The Drummer" in Portuguese, German and Dutch respectively.
All of Peart's drum solos include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation, leaving each performance unique. Each successive tour sees the solo more advanced, with some routines dropped in favor of newer, more-complex ones. Since the mid-late 1980s Peart has utilized MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
trigger pads
Sound module
A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a keyboard, for example. Sound modules have to be "played" using an externally connected device...
to trigger sounds sampled from various pieces of acoustic percussion that would otherwise consume far too much stage area, such as a marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, temple blocks, triangles
Triangle (instrument)
The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, usually steel but sometimes other metals like beryllium copper, bent into a triangle shape. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve...
, glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, orchestra bells
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
, tubular bell
Tubular bell
Tubular bells are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal tube, 30–38 mm in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is from C4-F5, though many professional instruments reach G5 . Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller...
s, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
and vibra-slap as well as other, more esoteric percussion. Some purely electronic, description-defying sounds are also used. All are incorporated into each drum solo.
Every Peart solo since 1987-88, except those performed on the most recent 2007 and 2008 Snakes & Arrows Tour
Snakes & Arrows Tour
Rush began the Snakes & Arrows Tour to promote the album, Snakes & Arrows on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2007 tour came to a close on October 29, 2007 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland...
s, has included marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
excerpts from "Pieces of Eight," a piece that first appeared as a flexi disc
Flexi disc
The flexi disc is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable...
record in the May 1987 issue of Modern Drummer
Modern Drummer
Modern Drummer is a monthly publication targeting the interests of on drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public...
magazine. In addition, all solos since 1991 have contained marimba portions of another Peart composition entitled "Momo's Dance Party," and those from 1991 to 2004 featured a complex pattern from the song "Scars" (from the studio album Presto
Presto (album)
-Personnel:* Geddy Lee - bass guitar, synthesizers, vocals* Alex Lifeson - electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals* Neil Peart - drums, percussion* Rupert Hine - additional keyboards, production*Stephen W Tayler - recording and mixing...
). For the Vapor Trails
Vapor Trails
-Personnel:* Geddy Lee - bass guitar, vocals* Alex Lifeson - electric and acoustic guitars, mandola* Neil Peart - drums, percussion-Album:Billboard Music Charts -Singles:...
and R30 tours, each solo concluded with a section of the Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
standard "One O'Clock Jump
One O'Clock Jump
"One O'Clock Jump" is a jazz standard, a 12-bar blues instrumental, written in 1937 by Count Basie, with arrangement from Eddie Durham and Buster Smith. The original recording of the tune by Basie and his band is noted for the saxophone work of Herschel Evans and Lester Young; trumpeting by Buck...
," which Peart recorded while producing Burning For Buddy, a two-volume tribute album to legendary big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
drummer and bandleader, Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
. For the Snakes & Arrows Tour, Peart replaced the finale with an excerpt from "Cotton Tail
Cotton Tail
"Cotton Tail" is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm". The first Ellington recording is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally an instrumental, "Cotton Tail" later had lyrics written for it by...
," which he recorded with the Buddy Rich Band in the mid-1990s. This was the only tour in which the length of his solo decreased when compared to the preceding tour. For the Time Machine Tour
Time Machine Tour
The Time Machine Tour was a concert tour by the Canadian rock band Rush that began on June 29, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ended July 2, 2011 at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington...
, Peart again replaced the finale with an excerpt from the Buddy Rich standard "Love for Sale," which he also performed with the Buddy Rich Big Band at a 2008 memorial concert. He named the solo after that song, calling it "Love 4 Sale".