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The one song Neil Peart called the fastest that he could play
Known for his complex drumming style, progressive rock trio Rush's percussionist and songwriter Neil Peart revealed the track that demands his fastest playing.
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(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Music Ā» From The Vault
Sun 19 January 2025 21:30, UK
Canadian progressive hard rock trio Rush was an example of a band that never followed any trend, never tried to be anyone else, and existed on a musical island unto their own. Prog but far too much wry awareness to be lumped in with Yes or Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, hard rock but lost in boyish escapism of science fiction and fantasy that left half the metalheads cold. Even their commercial trajectory is inside out, gaining traction right as punk was lighting a fire underneath the stadium monsters Rush aspired to rub shoulders with.
They hit their commercial zenith in the early 1980s. Adding big phat synthesizers to their power virtuosity and embracing the MTV age, Rush condensed their prior complex arrangements into terser, more radio-friendly cuts while retaining their eccentric appeal.
Releasing the fan favouriteĀ Moving PicturesĀ in 1981, its third single, āTom Sawyerā, proved to be the bandās signature song and a further development in Rushās growing fascination with synths with its opening Oberheim OB-X snarls.
āāTom Sawyerā was a collaboration between myself and Pye Dubois, an excellent lyricist who wrote the lyrics for Max Webster,ā drummer and principal songwriter Neil Peart told the Rush Backstage Club in 1985. āHis original lyrics were kind of a portrait of a modern-day rebel, a free-spirited individualist striding through the world wide-eyed and purposeful. I added the themes of reconciling the boy and man in myself, and the difference between what people are and what others perceive them to beānamely me, I guess.ā
Such a stridently insurgent lyrical ambition required a suitably beefy songcraft befitting Mark Twainās adventurous literary creation. Lucky for Peart, master bassist Geddy Lee and legato guitarist Alex Lifeson were in the gang and combined set about crafting their opus single. Backed with a funky 4/4 rhythm and its celebrated instrumental 7/8 rideout, Peart has stated that despite his artistic satisfaction with writing and performing āTom Sawyerā, itās a punishing ordeal every time heās behind the kit to play it.
āTom Sawyer remains so difficult to play. Although it seems a slow tempo my right hand most of the time is going about as fast as itāll go and every beat is full force foot,ā Peart confessed on The Hour in 2011. āMy feet and hands are playing full force for that whole song so just to execute it with strength and smoothness, and I mentioned that duality before is something that Iāve worked all these years in drumming.ā
While Peart poured blood and sweat into his complex drum pattern, Lifeson revealed his much breezier time in the studio to Guitar World in 2007: āI winged it. Honest! I came in, did five takes, then went off and had a cigarette. Iām at my best for the first two takes; after that, I overthink everything and I lose the spark.ā
Forged in idiosyncratic thematic foundations and given life the only way Rush can, āTom Sawyerā was a key piece of work for the band, pushing them to the next strata of global prog stardom.
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