I really hope you enjoying Rush Week 2.0. :) Be sure to check out my Neil Peart/Rush playlist and my Rush cover! th-cam.com/play/PLqspKksRqaUVia4e736aSQdeyr_KIN-hI.html SUBSCRIBE! ► th-cam.com/users/RooneyDrums DRUMEO 30 - Day Trial ► www.drumeo.com/andrewrooney/
“Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand. Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand.” My favorite Neil Peart lyric ever, it’s more true now than 40 years ago unfortunately.
A couple of tidbits. 1) As someone already stated, while Rush usually recorded with the mindset of a live band, this was written specifically as a studio experiment. As technology improved (not long after the recording mind you), they were able to perform it live up to their standards. 2) This is Part III of “Fear.” Part II is “The Weapon” from Signals (1982) & Part I is “The Enemy Within” from Grace Under Pressure (1984). Yes, it’s in reverse. Part IV would appear years later as “Freeze” on Vapor Trails (2002).
One of my favorite Rush songs. The angry mob is the band and producers at the lake behind the recording studio. After a few drinks they had a recording ‘session’ outside.
he's using 6, 8, 10, 12 inch concert toms then 12, 13, 15 inch closed toms then, 16, 18 inch floor toms, and a gong bass drum 22 inch I believe. His classic acoustic kit that defined his sound
I totally get the focus is on The Professor on the drum kit, but you are missing out on his lyrics. Such an impactful song. Sadly it's still relevant today than it ever has been. "Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand. Ignorance, and prejudice, and fear walk hand in hand..." Take care ✌
I always liked this song even though it never got any airtime. It has a much darker, more sinister tone than most Rush tunes. Geddy's bass has such a great sound to it as well. I like the lyrics as well, relevant today.
I remember hearing the Moving Pictures album for the first 100 times as a middle school student and beginning drummer. As you mentioned the drums fills pan right to left as if you were watching Neil preform. I would always switch my headphones so I was behind the kit and the fills would be left to right. Still in awe after all these years.
5:23 I don’t think Neil ever used Roto-Toms. This would have been the mahogany Tama kit; the uppermost toms are concert toms. All this is well-documented.
Great job, Andrew! his is one of Rush's best songs, both musically and lyrically. It is also probably their most underrated song from both standpoints, so I'm especially glad to see you reacting to this one. :) I always appreciate intelligent, coherent, relevant lyrics.
Probably the best example of Neil doing drums and percussion simultaneously is the song "Scars" on their '89 album Presto. IIRC, he originally conceived two separate parts and planned to have a friend come in to record the percussion, but then figured out a way to do it all himself.
Forty years ago the song Witch Hunt was literally my favorite song to listen to just before competing in the 800m (track & field). The perfect kill or be killed song!!!
Fun Fact - Notes On The Making Of Moving Pictures By Neil Peart Modern Drummer, December 1982/January 1983/February 1983 as well as the Backstage Club Newsletter, August 1982/May 1983/September 1983; transcribed by Kevin Jowers We took a slightly different course in constructing "Witch Hunt." Usually our songs are put together as a three piece, but we sometimes set aside one project to be a studio production number. Being a cinematic type piece, "Witch Hunt" also allowed a lot of atmosphere for unusual percussion effects which I took full advantage of! I emptied my armory using the gong bass drums, wind chimes, glockenspiel, tubular bells, conga, cowbell, vibraslap, various electronic effects, and in one section I double-tracked the whole drum kit. It was fun.
If I recall correctly - the drum part for this was originally written with an electronic drum track, I *think* simply as a guide for Geddy and Alex as they wrote the song. I recall Neil's "indignant" reaction, something along the lines of: "Imagine the indignity of being reduced to follow (in the footsteps] of a machine." That was BADLY paraphrased, but you get the drift. I don't know how much he added to what was originally "programmed" but I suspect it may have been quite a bit! 😊😂
Good morning from New England Andrew...This song and Vital Signs are my 2 favorite songs on Moving Pictures...It took me 4 months to nail Vital Signs but man is it fun to play... Peace ✌️
The "Mob" part was Rush's crew, the band and recording members outside yelling and acting like an angry mob being recorded while Neal was whipping them up into a frenzy.
Thank you Andrew, Rush week is amazing. I love the the way you love Neil's drumming 🥁 but one of the biggest contributions he made to rush was his lyrics. This song is a perfect example
You're right, Andrew: The cowbell was overdubbed in that part; It becomes quite obvious in various live versions of this song, where the cowbell has interruptions. And those high-pitched drums are a set of 4 concert toms above the hi-hat 🙂
The FM rock station in my hometown played Moving Pictures in its entirety soon after it was released. Overall my teenage self was thinking it sounded kind of plodding and muddy compared to Permanent Waves, till it got to Witch Hunt when my ears pricked up and I said, That's the Rush I know and love!
Commercially obviously, and "mainstream"-wise, Moving Pictures certainly could be considered their high point, but musically, they were still very "raw" in those days. They went through SO many phases in their careers, always experimenting, always expanding, but it could be argued that "musically" their highest points were their last 5 or so albums. Less "technical proficiency" pushing, more musically creative (and thus less mainstream-oriented, harkening back to their 70s periods, but with the "true-Rush-sound". Some of their phases (they were always expanding, incorporating, experimenting, they said so every interview for decades, if they heard something they liked (The Police as you note in this video being an influence they fully acknowledge having an effect on their creativity), they'd simply try that out and see where it went (can't wait till you get to "White Canadians Rap (their words in an interview" on "Roll The Bones" LOL): Up to -mid-70s (say first 3-4 albums)... playing a lot like "bands they like" (Led Zeppelin a huge influence), while mixing in their own creative twists once Neil got in especially. Late 70s through Moving Pictures - finding their style more, but moving synths more to the front (they'd used synths since they could afford one, but basically as "fill out the sound" or special effects, not front and center much other than some songs like Xanadu (one of my faves for many reasons). First half of 80s, more synth-heavy in "front" of the mix, and more "pop-friendly" as well format (no more 27 minute 6 part songs, LOL, more 3-6 minute cuts. (They still had multi-ALBUM concepts that started back with Cygnus X1 and such though, like "Fear" which is multiple parts each on a different album, a theme they continued with their instrumentals "Where's my thing" and "Leave my thing alone", LOL)... sometimes they were just linked in "name" and sometimes in actual concepts/continuations. Late 80s with "Hold Your Fire" in particular, they actually had some more radio hits, I would actually guess by sales of singles HYF may have equaled (possibly exceeded even, I haven't checked though) Moving Pictures, but not total album sales (it had multiple radio played songs), and while still synth heavy (something "purists" from the 70s hated) it represented true Rush, there is very little if anything on HYF that you'd be able to say was influenced by or ... by this point anything after this was simply "Rush". 1990s Continued some of the trend begun by Grace Under Pressure (what I'd consider the "end' of their run with highly sci-fi and synth-heavy experimentation) and Grace Under Pressure, then HYF, while still synth heavy, moved into more mainstream topics lyrically as well as radio-format cuts. This period would see several somewhat isolated (stylistically) albums, not any real cohesiveness album-to-album, although I love EVERY Rush album, they definitely jumped around some, lyrically, musically, instrumentation focus, etc. To a MUSIC fan, it was an enjoyable period, but I think a lot of old-purists just wanted the rocking, crazy technical 3-piece to go back to their 70s roots, and for the entire decade of around 82-92, calls were often made by old-school fans of "get back to hard guitars, bass, and drums (I'd challenge any garage musician to try any of their albums, to play clean, 3 of the songs on any given album, and let us know how much was "not" being done in that era, it was just more "back" feeling than the "old days", the proficiency if anything was even beyond the "how fast can you play", more crazy (but subtle) time shifts, more evocative phrasings/voicings, etc, anyhow, I digress... Late 90s "hiatus" period... attributable to Neil's wife and daughter passing within a year or each other (thus the bands hiatus as he "left everything" behind, in a sense, got on his motorcycle and rode pretty much the entire length of the NA and SA continents (keeping in touch with the band occasionally by postcards, and quick contacts, but he was pretty much self-isolated (in my mind, trying to figure out what life meant to him at that point). When Neil came back and rejoined the group in the early 2000s, between his journeys of discovery, and clear anger at what life had brought (evidenced in both words and playing) and in that time Alex and Geddy I think just "playing what they wanted to play (including their own albums) they released Vapor Trails... if the opening track doesn't say "Rush is back with a vengeance" I don't know what else can... Neil clearly had things he needed to express, and the band enabled him to do that with a passion! Their best album? (Musically?) Certainly not... but if you were saying Rush had lost their ability to rock... this album was a smack in the face to say "shut up, we can do whatever we want whenever we want. From that point forward, Rush just did "whatever the heck Rush wanted to" honestly musically they got more and more creative, and clearly weren't the least bit concerned anymore about anything being played on the radio... I'd say the last 10 years of their career, is truly when Rush went as close to the "progressive" label as they ever were, comparable much more to someone like Genesis, than the old Led Zeppelin days. If you were looking for "sci-fi Led Zeppelin played with 64-notes", they were past all that creatively. They could still jam as hard as anyone, it just wasn't important anymore unless it served the music, the concept, etc. I never considered Rush "progressive" like so many did in their career, because it simply didn't fit their music. Yes, they incorporated the concepts that progressive bands were doing, but it was always just a "part" of their music, "hard rock", "progressive", and as you've noted and others when really analyzing their stuff, they've incorporated tribal, ska, reggae, jazz (heavily in Neil's parts, while hardly at all in the other guys), a lot of Eastern influences in Alex's playing, and Geddy... well, "Best Bass Player of All Time" (per Bass Player mag's first reader's poll where he won so overwhelmingly that they immediately gave him the "of all time" award and disqualified him from future votes, LOL. (Something they probably learned from Modern Drummer with Neil, where he dominated his category (winning EVERY year Rush released a studio album for like 12 years in the "Best Recorded Performance" category, along with quite a few others like best percussionist, best live performances, and such, till they finally also disqualified him (for a decade, then due to their hiatus, they requalified him, and he promptly won again, LOL)... I guess someone has to define "Prog" to really determine if Rush was prog... is Lady Gaga "Prog"? Or any number of other bands/artists that incorporate many styles/influences? I don't think so, I think Prog is a particular genre that incorporates things such as someone like Genesis, Yes, etc "fit" into... Rush simply didn't fit, they are "wider" than prog, wider than pop (thus only 10 or so "hits" on the radio compared to hundreds of songs), certainly can be "hard rock" and even borderline metal at times (no one is going to say Yes is "Metal" LOL)... they simply are "Rush", there is no one else that fits the category they basically created, LOL. (Tool would almost fit, but they are much more consistently "prog" in my mind, only because their style and sound are consistent. With Rush, that's not the case (until you hear Ged's voice of course, LOL)... listening to the opening 4 bars of any random Rush song, it may sound absolutely nothing like another Rush song... First time I heard "Time Stand Still" on the radio as a teen with limited access to "Rush resources" LOL, I remember the opening crash and guitars and thinking... HUH, that almost sounds like Rush... then Geddy began singing (in a lower register than typical, but that voice is hard to miss" and was like OMG! It IS a new Rush song!!!!" Really their only trademark for 80%+ of their stuff is, if it starts off with an oddly challenging/crazy format on the opening bars, it's a good chance it's a Rush song, LOL. Just my thoughts, obviously everyone has different takes on things throughout their career and everyone's influences and perceptions. Grown up with them since around 1980 in some level of contact, and devoted fan since the late 80s, when I had enough money to "catch up" on everything, LOL.
Just a suggestion.... Most people react to Rush's music from 2112 to Moving Pictures (1976- 81). Rush had 19 studio albums. Some of their later albums are worth studying, especially their finale Clockwork Angels. Neil was a stickler for creating and rehearsing his parts. But on CA he improvised the entire recording process with the producer conducting him and critiquing him, then going over them again with the producer suggestions . His goal was to be more spontaneous.
The smaller toms were 6”, 8”, 10”, and 12” concert toms with black dot heads. They were Tama drums; maybe superstars or around the time Tama and Neil were developing the Artstar kit.
Awesome Work Mr. Rooney! Those were Concert Toms you heard up on the high end of those runs. 6” and 8”, to the 10” and 12”, etc…. They used to be very bright, and crisp sounding when he was using his Slingerland kit in times of old. (that chrome kit is on display somewhere). I believe he was using Yamaha on this recording.
@uncletom618 - Nah, he was playing a Tama kit on this album, as you can see in the various promo video clips shot during the studio sessions 🙂 And you're right, those high-pitched toms are concert toms, which were placed above the hi-hat. The three toms over the bass drums were double-headed, and he had replaced the floor toms with single-headed gong toms 🙂
Thank you Andrew for the video . I am enjoying your breakdown on moving pictures album . I’m enjoying how you’re breaking down I Neil Peart drum work. I am not a drummer but I have the ear for music . I have seen Rush 18 times in my life . Worth every penny I’ve seen Rush. Keep up the good work Andrew and thanks again .
Neil used 2 timbales (next to him , on his left @ snare height). Some of these fills have them in it. Later, after he had the MalletKat and electronic pads, he installed a floor tom. Also he played the cowbell part w/ his lest foot on thr Shark pedal. Early on, he just filled the 1/4 notes (cowbell)whenever possible ....
Thank you for that Andrew. I'm embarrassed to admit that I kinda forgot about this one. It's been a long time since I've dug this deep into some of their albums.
That album was recorded at le studio in morin heights, 1 1/2 hours from montreal. David bowie, the police, bee gees among many others had recorded there. The drum sounds recorded from that studio were always incredible for that time. They still sound great today.
Another great reaction to one of my all time favorites! The lyrics are just as good as the drumming on this one, I would suggest you take a look at the lyrics if you can; they are perhaps more timely today than they were when they were written 40 years ago. Neil had a wide array of toms starting with 8 inches and going all the way down to his floor toms. I believe the 8 inch and 10 inch toms were concert toms at this time, and I believe he switched to standard two-headed toms as time went on.
The last line has hit me like a ton of bricks over the last couple of years. As for toms: his setup during this time would have included 6/8/10/12 concert toms; 12/13/14 double headed rack toms, 16" floor tom (perhaps 18" as well?) and one of the early Tama gong bass drums.
Thanks for getting to this favorite of mine from Moving Pictures. The atmosphere in this song is amazing. Once you hear it a few more times you will get the meaning. The lyrics are more relevant today than when it was written in 1980. Get ready for more changes with Vital Signs tomorrow.....(Do you think there is a Stewart Copeland influence?)
I know there is. Just as there is an obvious Andy Summers influence in Alex's guitar playing at the time. They had their ears on the radio through their entire career.
The whole series on based around " Fear" are some of RUSH's more interesting work... "Witch Hunt" (Moving Pictures); part two,"The Weapon" (Signals); part one, "The Enemy Within" (Grace Under Pressure); and part four, "Freeze" (Vapor Trails). Everyone of these tracks is incredible but for me, part four "Freeze" on Vapor Trails.. As a fellow drummer and a long time RUSH fan, to me is one if not Neil's/Rush most incredible work by musically and lyrically. The way the song build tension sends shivers up my spine, every time I hear it. Of course the song stands alone, but the way it fits in that album, and the series of 'Fear" and the entirety of Rush's catalogue up to that time is as you say is "epic." I enjoyed you series on Moving Pictures . As someone in your comments remarked.. You might consider, shedding more light on the lyrics and how they flow with the percussion and the music as a whole . Just a thought.. The city crouches, steaming In the early morning half light The sun is still a rumor And the night is still a threat Slipping through the dark streets And the echoes and the shadows Something stirs behind me And my palms begin to sweat Sometimes I freeze until the light comes Sometimes I fly into the night Sometimes I fight against the darkness Sometimes I'm wrong, sometimes I'm right Coiled for the spring or caught like a creature in the headlights Into a desperate panic or a tempest of blind fury Like a cornered beast or a conquering hero The menace threatens, closing And I'm frozen in the shadows I'm not prepared to run away And I'm not prepared to fight I can't stand to reason or surrender to a reflex I will trust my instincts or surrender to my fright Sometimes we freeze until the light comes Sometimes we're wrong and sometimes we're right Sometimes we fight against the darkness Sometimes we fly into the night Blood running cold mind going down into a dark night Of a desperate panic or a tempest of blind fury Like a cornered beast or a conquering hero Sometimes I freeze, sometimes I fight Sometimes we freeze until the light comes Sometimes I fly into the night Into the night, into the night Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Alex Lifeson / Neil Peart / Geddy Lee Weinrib
In Neil's later kits all his high toms were full drums 8" 10" 12" and 13" but back in the earlier rush records I think used concert toms for his really high notes. They have no bottom head and i'm not sure the sizes he used. I think during the R40 tour he had two kits. The first one was much like his more recent kits with the previously mentioned sizes, but in the second half of the show he changed kits to one that resembled his earlier setup, and he had concert toms on that one.
Glad you're enjoying Moving Pictures. Here's a link to an interview with Neil where he discussed each track of this album. (It'll give you some insight into how he put things together.) Enjoy. 😁 th-cam.com/video/JWyeMA78EEk/w-d-xo.html
Fantastic. Can't wait for Vital Signs. It's so cool and different, as though it was a nod to their constantly evolving sound and the changes we'd hear on the next album. You'll be able to tell that Neil admired what Stewart Copeland.
This song was a "studio" song where they didn't take the ability to perform it live into consideration when arranging it. I think Neil recorded two separate drum parts for this track. Later, as sampling and sequencing technology got better, they were able to play it live. Neil never used roto toms! He had small concert toms tuned up high. I believe he tuned them high and then hit them SO HARD that they detuned when they were played but they detuned to the pitch that Neil wanted them to be at! This is partly why Neil retired: He played so physically hard that he just couldn't do it anymore at the expected level. If he was more of a laid-back drummer, he probably could have played until the end but .. that was not Neil.... In the later years, Rush would have a LOT of sounds sampled and played back via sequencers or whatever (background vocals, rhythm guitars, even bass guitar during the intro for Headlong flight) but at least triggered everything onstage themselves.
Yes, it does actually sound (to me) like I'm hearing two kits playing the exact same thing, especially during the tom fills! 😀 The cowbell after the 1st verse also is an overdub 🙂
Can we talk about Alex’s rhythm lines that feel like They are alternating starting on and off the beat? I don’t know if they are or aren’t haven’t figured it out but it’s just another bit of the genius that was Rush
I don't know if I could ever analyze this song, I'm always too caught up in the raw power and Truth of it. My gut reaction to this song simply washes everything else out.
Neil did not use rototoms, this was recorded as one of their production numbers, not intended to be performed live. even though the did so later as technology got better, they found a way to make it happen.never will forget this tour, max webster opened for rush and guitarist kim mitchell started the show with a blazing solo. he was wearing a bright pink outfit and had a white fender strat, he started playing when the stage was dark and when the first notes rang out , all the follow spot lights focused on him in the center of the stage.....that set the tone for the evening. then rush came on after ward and killed it.
I always found it interesting how this song and the next one, "Vital Signs," sound a lot more like their next 3 albums (Signals, Grace Under Pressure, and Power Windows). "Witch Hunt" could be on Grace Under Pressure and it'd sound seamless. The first 5 songs on Moving Pictures, however, sound much more like a continuation of the Permanent Waves sound.
This album transcends time, as most of RUSH'S music. Mr. Peart never used roto Tom's. This is a phenomenal song. It's very applicable still today. Seeing this performed live was a real treat. They did a tour in 2011? Where they reprised Moving Pictures & signals. What a show ! They also trigger any effects themselves, not at the mixing board. Unbelievable they find that millisecond. God bless CV them for the years of enjoyment I got from them. They are sorely missed.
Some fake account is spamming your comments. Ugh. Like many here, I have loved this song since the first time I heard it. Not sure what it says about me, but I love all the parts of the “Fear” cycle, with “The Enemy Within,” which essentially sounds like reggae hopped up on amphetamines, a particular favorite. Obviously, as a drummer, you help us appreciate Peart’s skills on the kit. I’m not a drummer, though I know enough to appreciate drummers from Joe Morello to Peart, Palmer, and Pete Thomas. What I am is an English professor, and I am convinced Peart is as great a lyricist as he is a drummer. “Quick to judge, quick to anger / Slow to understand / Ignorance and prejudice / And fear walk hand-in-hand” is both true and beautifully stated.
All of those high toms were concert toms (no bottom heads), not roto-toms. Just look at the kits that Neil used at various points prior to the change in his kit set-up.
Hey Andrew! question if I may... it looks like from the Drumeo transcription that this song goes between 4/4 and 2/4, and my question that I constantly battle with is why do they not subtract a 4 bar joined with a 2 bar and call it a 6 bar instead? Please help, this has been baking my noodle for years now!
They recorded this song the night John Lennon was murdered. They got the news mid-session... I always wondered if some of the energy evident in these performances were due to that anger and sadness
Awesome! Can I sneak a future band name in... Pink Floyd 😉 Check out, Pink Floyd "Echoes" (Part 1) live at Pompeii 1972 Nick Mason on Drums doing exactly enough😉
He has 6 8 and 10 concert toms before all the rack and floor etc etc. But as others have mentioned many of us fans got roto toms as they're much cheaper and readily available. I was lucky to pick up matching 6 and 8 concert toms for my xpk kit about tens years ago .I had an 8 piece thing going on with 9 cymbals.. I didn't play any better! In fact I probably hit more things badly! .... I'm totally into minimal 4 piece now. Pretty much since I've been watching what you can do on one . And how I wish I had my first 2 kits now . A 60s ? 4 piece Boosey and Hawkes. and a 60s ? 4 piece Premier . In off white mother of pearl and blue mother of pearl respectively. Of course I hated both kits at the time as all my hero's had massive kits! ... Idiot! 🤗❤️✌️💚
Quick to judge Quick to anger Slow to understand Ignorance and Prejudice And Fear walk hand in hand I am sad to say that I finally lived long enough to see these lyrics come to pass in 2020. Tell me Neil Peart was not a futurist. While you're at it, go back and listen to the entire 1982 album "Signals" and tell me that most of it is not a commentary on the internet age, written before the internet age.
I really hope you enjoying Rush Week 2.0. :)
Be sure to check out my Neil Peart/Rush playlist and my Rush cover!
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Hey there!
I think you have a scammer or a bot. Check out the response to my comment. "You" congratulated me and state I won a flying guitar?
My favorite song on Moving Pictures. Powerful musically and lyrically with a message that resonates to this day.
100% agree
the riff is class
It should have been the last song on this album. It has great ending. „Vital Signs” as the last song suits less
“Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand. Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand.”
My favorite Neil Peart lyric ever, it’s more true now than 40 years ago unfortunately.
Great lyrics Jim
Love the lyrics. I also like “You can twist perception, reality won’t budge”.
That cowbell in the beginning is played on his left foot with a midi trigger. Drumeo didn't mark it, but Neil is playing that as well.
A couple of tidbits.
1) As someone already stated, while Rush usually recorded with the mindset of a live band, this was written specifically as a studio experiment. As technology improved (not long after the recording mind you), they were able to perform it live up to their standards.
2) This is Part III of “Fear.” Part II is “The Weapon” from Signals (1982) & Part I is “The Enemy Within” from Grace Under Pressure (1984). Yes, it’s in reverse. Part IV would appear years later as “Freeze” on Vapor Trails (2002).
All four are amazing in there own way, but man do I love Alex's guitar sound on Freeze.
One of my favorite Rush songs. The angry mob is the band and producers at the lake behind the recording studio. After a few drinks they had a recording ‘session’ outside.
he's using 6, 8, 10, 12 inch concert toms then 12, 13, 15 inch closed toms then, 16, 18 inch floor toms, and a gong bass drum 22 inch I believe. His classic acoustic kit that defined his sound
there might be overdubs on the album, but he played it perfectly live, perfectly.
The lyrics still matter today, he was a baller all the way.
I totally get the focus is on The Professor on the drum kit, but you are missing out on his lyrics. Such an impactful song. Sadly it's still relevant today than it ever has been.
"Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand.
Ignorance, and prejudice, and fear walk hand in hand..."
Take care ✌
I agree 100 percent it reminds you of the typical liberal.
@@philippusviridi6527 What? Hmmm!!!
If The Professor was alive today, I'm convinced that he would write a part 5 titled "Cancelled"...
I always liked this song even though it never got any airtime. It has a much darker, more sinister tone than most Rush tunes. Geddy's bass has such a great sound to it as well. I like the lyrics as well, relevant today.
I remember hearing the Moving Pictures album for the first 100 times as a middle school student and beginning drummer. As you mentioned the drums fills pan right to left as if you were watching Neil preform. I would always switch my headphones so I was behind the kit and the fills would be left to right. Still in awe after all these years.
5:23 I don’t think Neil ever used Roto-Toms. This would have been the mahogany Tama kit; the uppermost toms are concert toms. All this is well-documented.
the descending tom runs are on concert toms. 6, 8, 10, 12 standard depth (not power depth). He also did have a set of timbales on this record as well.
Thanks! 👌
Great job, Andrew! his is one of Rush's best songs, both musically and lyrically. It is also probably their most underrated song from both standpoints, so I'm especially glad to see you reacting to this one. :) I always appreciate intelligent, coherent, relevant lyrics.
This is easily a top 10 all time Rush song for me from a lyrics perspective. Still meaningful all these years later.
Saw this one live with my son on their last tour. It truly was epic. Now I wish I had stood and yelled "she's a witch burn her"!
Would've been better if you threw a duck on the stage.
Probably the best example of Neil doing drums and percussion simultaneously is the song "Scars" on their '89 album Presto. IIRC, he originally conceived two separate parts and planned to have a friend come in to record the percussion, but then figured out a way to do it all himself.
Forty years ago the song Witch Hunt was literally my favorite song to listen to just before competing in the 800m (track & field). The perfect kill or be killed song!!!
Fun Fact - Notes On The Making Of Moving Pictures
By Neil Peart
Modern Drummer, December 1982/January 1983/February 1983 as well as the Backstage Club Newsletter, August 1982/May 1983/September 1983; transcribed by Kevin Jowers
We took a slightly different course in constructing "Witch Hunt." Usually our songs are put together as a three piece, but we sometimes set aside one project to be a studio production number. Being a cinematic type piece, "Witch Hunt" also allowed a lot of atmosphere for unusual percussion effects which I took full advantage of! I emptied my armory using the gong bass drums, wind chimes, glockenspiel, tubular bells, conga, cowbell, vibraslap, various electronic effects, and in one section I double-tracked the whole drum kit. It was fun.
Masterful performance, one of my favorite songs.
As for Monty Python, when performed live, Geddy triggered a “bring out your dead” clip from Holy Grail
I KNEW IT!
If I recall correctly - the drum part for this was originally written with an electronic drum track, I *think* simply as a guide for Geddy and Alex as they wrote the song. I recall Neil's "indignant" reaction, something along the lines of: "Imagine the indignity of being reduced to follow (in the footsteps] of a machine." That was BADLY paraphrased, but you get the drift. I don't know how much he added to what was originally "programmed" but I suspect it may have been quite a bit! 😊😂
Good morning from New England Andrew...This song and Vital Signs are my 2 favorite songs on Moving Pictures...It took me 4 months to nail Vital Signs but man is it fun to play... Peace ✌️
The "Mob" part was Rush's crew, the band and recording members outside yelling and acting like an angry mob being recorded while Neal was whipping them up into a frenzy.
this is my favorite song from the record, and quite possibly my favorite Rush song, this Redsector A and Natural Science.
Thank you Andrew, Rush week is amazing. I love the the way you love Neil's drumming 🥁 but one of the biggest contributions he made to rush was his lyrics. This song is a perfect example
100% Kurt
Just another fantastic learning experience thank you
You're right, Andrew: The cowbell was overdubbed in that part; It becomes quite obvious in various live versions of this song, where the cowbell has interruptions. And those high-pitched drums are a set of 4 concert toms above the hi-hat 🙂
It's either epic or bird, one or the other is the word. Neil and Rush are my favs.
Enjoying this so much, love Rush week!!!!
The FM rock station in my hometown played Moving Pictures in its entirety soon after it was released. Overall my teenage self was thinking it sounded kind of plodding and muddy compared to Permanent Waves, till it got to Witch Hunt when my ears pricked up and I said, That's the Rush I know and love!
Commercially obviously, and "mainstream"-wise, Moving Pictures certainly could be considered their high point, but musically, they were still very "raw" in those days. They went through SO many phases in their careers, always experimenting, always expanding, but it could be argued that "musically" their highest points were their last 5 or so albums. Less "technical proficiency" pushing, more musically creative (and thus less mainstream-oriented, harkening back to their 70s periods, but with the "true-Rush-sound".
Some of their phases (they were always expanding, incorporating, experimenting, they said so every interview for decades, if they heard something they liked (The Police as you note in this video being an influence they fully acknowledge having an effect on their creativity), they'd simply try that out and see where it went (can't wait till you get to "White Canadians Rap (their words in an interview" on "Roll The Bones" LOL):
Up to -mid-70s (say first 3-4 albums)... playing a lot like "bands they like" (Led Zeppelin a huge influence), while mixing in their own creative twists once Neil got in especially.
Late 70s through Moving Pictures - finding their style more, but moving synths more to the front (they'd used synths since they could afford one, but basically as "fill out the sound" or special effects, not front and center much other than some songs like Xanadu (one of my faves for many reasons).
First half of 80s, more synth-heavy in "front" of the mix, and more "pop-friendly" as well format (no more 27 minute 6 part songs, LOL, more 3-6 minute cuts. (They still had multi-ALBUM concepts that started back with Cygnus X1 and such though, like "Fear" which is multiple parts each on a different album, a theme they continued with their instrumentals "Where's my thing" and "Leave my thing alone", LOL)... sometimes they were just linked in "name" and sometimes in actual concepts/continuations.
Late 80s with "Hold Your Fire" in particular, they actually had some more radio hits, I would actually guess by sales of singles HYF may have equaled (possibly exceeded even, I haven't checked though) Moving Pictures, but not total album sales (it had multiple radio played songs), and while still synth heavy (something "purists" from the 70s hated) it represented true Rush, there is very little if anything on HYF that you'd be able to say was influenced by or ... by this point anything after this was simply "Rush".
1990s Continued some of the trend begun by Grace Under Pressure (what I'd consider the "end' of their run with highly sci-fi and synth-heavy experimentation) and Grace Under Pressure, then HYF, while still synth heavy, moved into more mainstream topics lyrically as well as radio-format cuts.
This period would see several somewhat isolated (stylistically) albums, not any real cohesiveness album-to-album, although I love EVERY Rush album, they definitely jumped around some, lyrically, musically, instrumentation focus, etc. To a MUSIC fan, it was an enjoyable period, but I think a lot of old-purists just wanted the rocking, crazy technical 3-piece to go back to their 70s roots, and for the entire decade of around 82-92, calls were often made by old-school fans of "get back to hard guitars, bass, and drums (I'd challenge any garage musician to try any of their albums, to play clean, 3 of the songs on any given album, and let us know how much was "not" being done in that era, it was just more "back" feeling than the "old days", the proficiency if anything was even beyond the "how fast can you play", more crazy (but subtle) time shifts, more evocative phrasings/voicings, etc, anyhow, I digress...
Late 90s "hiatus" period... attributable to Neil's wife and daughter passing within a year or each other (thus the bands hiatus as he "left everything" behind, in a sense, got on his motorcycle and rode pretty much the entire length of the NA and SA continents (keeping in touch with the band occasionally by postcards, and quick contacts, but he was pretty much self-isolated (in my mind, trying to figure out what life meant to him at that point).
When Neil came back and rejoined the group in the early 2000s, between his journeys of discovery, and clear anger at what life had brought (evidenced in both words and playing) and in that time Alex and Geddy I think just "playing what they wanted to play (including their own albums) they released Vapor Trails... if the opening track doesn't say "Rush is back with a vengeance" I don't know what else can... Neil clearly had things he needed to express, and the band enabled him to do that with a passion! Their best album? (Musically?) Certainly not... but if you were saying Rush had lost their ability to rock... this album was a smack in the face to say "shut up, we can do whatever we want whenever we want.
From that point forward, Rush just did "whatever the heck Rush wanted to" honestly musically they got more and more creative, and clearly weren't the least bit concerned anymore about anything being played on the radio... I'd say the last 10 years of their career, is truly when Rush went as close to the "progressive" label as they ever were, comparable much more to someone like Genesis, than the old Led Zeppelin days. If you were looking for "sci-fi Led Zeppelin played with 64-notes", they were past all that creatively. They could still jam as hard as anyone, it just wasn't important anymore unless it served the music, the concept, etc.
I never considered Rush "progressive" like so many did in their career, because it simply didn't fit their music. Yes, they incorporated the concepts that progressive bands were doing, but it was always just a "part" of their music, "hard rock", "progressive", and as you've noted and others when really analyzing their stuff, they've incorporated tribal, ska, reggae, jazz (heavily in Neil's parts, while hardly at all in the other guys), a lot of Eastern influences in Alex's playing, and Geddy... well, "Best Bass Player of All Time" (per Bass Player mag's first reader's poll where he won so overwhelmingly that they immediately gave him the "of all time" award and disqualified him from future votes, LOL. (Something they probably learned from Modern Drummer with Neil, where he dominated his category (winning EVERY year Rush released a studio album for like 12 years in the "Best Recorded Performance" category, along with quite a few others like best percussionist, best live performances, and such, till they finally also disqualified him (for a decade, then due to their hiatus, they requalified him, and he promptly won again, LOL)...
I guess someone has to define "Prog" to really determine if Rush was prog... is Lady Gaga "Prog"? Or any number of other bands/artists that incorporate many styles/influences? I don't think so, I think Prog is a particular genre that incorporates things such as someone like Genesis, Yes, etc "fit" into... Rush simply didn't fit, they are "wider" than prog, wider than pop (thus only 10 or so "hits" on the radio compared to hundreds of songs), certainly can be "hard rock" and even borderline metal at times (no one is going to say Yes is "Metal" LOL)... they simply are "Rush", there is no one else that fits the category they basically created, LOL. (Tool would almost fit, but they are much more consistently "prog" in my mind, only because their style and sound are consistent. With Rush, that's not the case (until you hear Ged's voice of course, LOL)... listening to the opening 4 bars of any random Rush song, it may sound absolutely nothing like another Rush song... First time I heard "Time Stand Still" on the radio as a teen with limited access to "Rush resources" LOL, I remember the opening crash and guitars and thinking... HUH, that almost sounds like Rush... then Geddy began singing (in a lower register than typical, but that voice is hard to miss" and was like OMG! It IS a new Rush song!!!!" Really their only trademark for 80%+ of their stuff is, if it starts off with an oddly challenging/crazy format on the opening bars, it's a good chance it's a Rush song, LOL.
Just my thoughts, obviously everyone has different takes on things throughout their career and everyone's influences and perceptions. Grown up with them since around 1980 in some level of contact, and devoted fan since the late 80s, when I had enough money to "catch up" on everything, LOL.
Just a suggestion.... Most people react to Rush's music from 2112 to Moving Pictures (1976- 81). Rush had 19 studio albums. Some of their later albums are worth studying, especially their finale Clockwork Angels. Neil was a stickler for creating and rehearsing his parts. But on CA he improvised the entire recording process with the producer conducting him and critiquing him, then going over them again with the producer suggestions . His goal was to be more spontaneous.
The smaller toms were 6”, 8”, 10”, and 12” concert toms with black dot heads. They were Tama drums; maybe superstars or around the time Tama and Neil were developing the Artstar kit.
Awesome Work Mr. Rooney! Those were Concert Toms you heard up on the high end of those runs. 6” and 8”, to the 10” and 12”, etc…. They used to be very bright, and crisp sounding when he was using his Slingerland kit in times of old. (that chrome kit is on display somewhere). I believe he was using Yamaha on this recording.
Thank you! I'm a Yamaha guy too :)
@uncletom618 - Nah, he was playing a Tama kit on this album, as you can see in the various promo video clips shot during the studio sessions 🙂 And you're right, those high-pitched toms are concert toms, which were placed above the hi-hat. The three toms over the bass drums were double-headed, and he had replaced the floor toms with single-headed gong toms 🙂
I stand corrected!
@@uncletom618 - No worries 😊
Neil had commented in an interview that he had to place a cowbell on a left foot pedal to play the half note ostinato live
Thank you Andrew for the video . I am enjoying your breakdown on moving pictures album . I’m enjoying how you’re breaking down I Neil Peart drum work. I am not a drummer but I have the ear for music . I have seen Rush 18 times in my life . Worth every penny I’ve seen Rush.
Keep up the good work Andrew and thanks again .
Top 3 best songs from Rush! Great track!
Yup great stuff
Neil used 2 timbales (next to him , on his left @ snare height). Some of these fills have them in it. Later, after he had the MalletKat and electronic pads, he installed a floor tom. Also he played the cowbell part w/ his lest foot on thr Shark pedal. Early on, he just filled the 1/4 notes (cowbell)whenever possible ....
Thank you for that Andrew. I'm embarrassed to admit that I kinda forgot about this one. It's been a long time since I've dug this deep into some of their albums.
Count me in. Great way to end a great week!
Great Cass!
That album was recorded at le studio in morin heights, 1 1/2 hours from montreal. David bowie, the police, bee gees among many others had recorded there. The drum sounds recorded from that studio were always incredible for that time. They still sound great today.
Wow great, i never used telegram but i'll figure it out thanks 👍
Another great reaction to one of my all time favorites! The lyrics are just as good as the drumming on this one, I would suggest you take a look at the lyrics if you can; they are perhaps more timely today than they were when they were written 40 years ago.
Neil had a wide array of toms starting with 8 inches and going all the way down to his floor toms. I believe the 8 inch and 10 inch toms were concert toms at this time, and I believe he switched to standard two-headed toms as time went on.
The last line has hit me like a ton of bricks over the last couple of years.
As for toms: his setup during this time would have included 6/8/10/12 concert toms; 12/13/14 double headed rack toms, 16" floor tom (perhaps 18" as well?) and one of the early Tama gong bass drums.
Thanks for getting to this favorite of mine from Moving Pictures. The atmosphere in this song is amazing. Once you hear it a few more times you will get the meaning. The lyrics are more relevant today than when it was written in 1980. Get ready for more changes with Vital Signs tomorrow.....(Do you think there is a Stewart Copeland influence?)
I know there is. Just as there is an obvious Andy Summers influence in Alex's guitar playing at the time. They had their ears on the radio through their entire career.
The whole series on based around " Fear" are some of RUSH's more interesting work... "Witch Hunt" (Moving Pictures); part two,"The Weapon" (Signals); part one, "The Enemy Within" (Grace Under Pressure); and part four, "Freeze" (Vapor Trails). Everyone of these tracks is incredible but for me, part four "Freeze" on Vapor Trails.. As a fellow drummer and a long time RUSH fan, to me is one if not Neil's/Rush most incredible work by musically and lyrically. The way the song build tension sends shivers up my spine, every time I hear it. Of course the song stands alone, but the way it fits in that album, and the series of 'Fear" and the entirety of Rush's catalogue up to that time is as you say is "epic." I enjoyed you series on Moving Pictures . As someone in your comments remarked.. You might consider, shedding more light on the lyrics and how they flow with the percussion and the music as a whole . Just a thought.. The city crouches, steaming
In the early morning half light
The sun is still a rumor
And the night is still a threat
Slipping through the dark streets
And the echoes and the shadows
Something stirs behind me
And my palms begin to sweat
Sometimes I freeze until the light comes
Sometimes I fly into the night
Sometimes I fight against the darkness
Sometimes I'm wrong, sometimes I'm right
Coiled for the spring or caught like a creature in the headlights
Into a desperate panic or a tempest of blind fury
Like a cornered beast or a conquering hero
The menace threatens, closing
And I'm frozen in the shadows
I'm not prepared to run away
And I'm not prepared to fight
I can't stand to reason or surrender to a reflex
I will trust my instincts or surrender to my fright
Sometimes we freeze until the light comes
Sometimes we're wrong and sometimes we're right
Sometimes we fight against the darkness
Sometimes we fly into the night
Blood running cold mind going down into a dark night
Of a desperate panic or a tempest of blind fury
Like a cornered beast or a conquering hero
Sometimes I freeze, sometimes I fight
Sometimes we freeze until the light comes
Sometimes I fly into the night
Into the night, into the night
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Alex Lifeson / Neil Peart / Geddy Lee Weinrib
In Neil's later kits all his high toms were full drums 8" 10" 12" and 13" but back in the earlier rush records I think used concert toms for his really high notes. They have no bottom head and i'm not sure the sizes he used. I think during the R40 tour he had two kits. The first one was much like his more recent kits with the previously mentioned sizes, but in the second half of the show he changed kits to one that resembled his earlier setup, and he had concert toms on that one.
Glad you're enjoying Moving Pictures.
Here's a link to an interview with Neil where he discussed each track of this album. (It'll give you some insight into how he put things together.) Enjoy. 😁
th-cam.com/video/JWyeMA78EEk/w-d-xo.html
Fantastic. Can't wait for Vital Signs. It's so cool and different, as though it was a nod to their constantly evolving sound and the changes we'd hear on the next album. You'll be able to tell that Neil admired what Stewart Copeland.
Thanks again Andrew for a great reaction/analysis. Very enjoyable as always.
well well....
... this songs about religion and the religious 😁
@@MrAuskiwi101 Not just religion - it is about intolerance, predjudice and bigotry.
@@seankeogh7280 Yes religion 😁
@@MrAuskiwi101 you make good point 🙂
@@seankeogh7280 lol. Gotta love Rush. The best
This song was a "studio" song where they didn't take the ability to perform it live into consideration when arranging it. I think Neil recorded two separate drum parts for this track. Later, as sampling and sequencing technology got better, they were able to play it live.
Neil never used roto toms! He had small concert toms tuned up high. I believe he tuned them high and then hit them SO HARD that they detuned when they were played but they detuned to the pitch that Neil wanted them to be at! This is partly why Neil retired: He played so physically hard that he just couldn't do it anymore at the expected level. If he was more of a laid-back drummer, he probably could have played until the end but .. that was not Neil....
In the later years, Rush would have a LOT of sounds sampled and played back via sequencers or whatever (background vocals, rhythm guitars, even bass guitar during the intro for Headlong flight) but at least triggered everything onstage themselves.
Yes, it does actually sound (to me) like I'm hearing two kits playing the exact same thing, especially during the tom fills! 😀 The cowbell after the 1st verse also is an overdub 🙂
Can we talk about Alex’s rhythm lines that feel like
They are alternating starting on and off the beat? I don’t know if they are or aren’t haven’t figured it out but it’s just another bit of the genius that was Rush
Great point Robert
The song that got me into Rush (the A Show of Hands version tho) back in the day...
I love the version on A Show of Hands! The long fills sound amazing in headphones..
I don't know if I could ever analyze this song, I'm always too caught up in the raw power and Truth of it. My gut reaction to this song simply washes everything else out.
I am really enjoying your videos
it's nice to hear opinions from someone who knows what they are talking about. keep it up
Amazing song, amazing message!
Interlude 2 always reminds me of the scene in Heat when Pacino is driving to catch up with Deniro.
Neil used Tama concert toms here that were 6 inch, 8 inch, 10 inch, and 12 inch if I remember correctly.
Great stuff Andrew. Thankyou
Neil did not use rototoms, this was recorded as one of their production numbers, not intended to be performed live. even though the did so later as technology got better, they found a way to make it happen.never will forget this tour, max webster opened for rush and guitarist kim mitchell started the show with a blazing solo. he was wearing a bright pink outfit and had a white fender strat, he started playing when the stage was dark and when the first notes rang out , all the follow spot lights focused on him in the center of the stage.....that set the tone for the evening. then rush came on after ward and killed it.
I always found it interesting how this song and the next one, "Vital Signs," sound a lot more like their next 3 albums (Signals, Grace Under Pressure, and Power Windows). "Witch Hunt" could be on Grace Under Pressure and it'd sound seamless. The first 5 songs on Moving Pictures, however, sound much more like a continuation of the Permanent Waves sound.
It's funny how a New Zealander has a Canadian band on the American Mount RUSHmore.
HAHAHAHA!
This album transcends time, as most of RUSH'S music.
Mr. Peart never used roto Tom's. This is a phenomenal song. It's very applicable still today. Seeing this performed live was a real treat. They did a tour in 2011? Where they reprised Moving Pictures & signals. What a show !
They also trigger any effects themselves, not at the mixing board. Unbelievable they find that millisecond.
God bless CV them for the years of enjoyment I got from them.
They are sorely missed.
@ 5:00 where you are talking about the type of drums.... that is played on concert toms. Starts on really small tom and goes all the way down the kit.
Some fake account is spamming your comments. Ugh.
Like many here, I have loved this song since the first time I heard it. Not sure what it says about me, but I love all the parts of the “Fear” cycle, with “The Enemy Within,” which essentially sounds like reggae hopped up on amphetamines, a particular favorite.
Obviously, as a drummer, you help us appreciate Peart’s skills on the kit. I’m not a drummer, though I know enough to appreciate drummers from Joe Morello to Peart, Palmer, and Pete Thomas. What I am is an English professor, and I am convinced Peart is as great a lyricist as he is a drummer. “Quick to judge, quick to anger / Slow to understand / Ignorance and prejudice / And fear walk hand-in-hand” is both true and beautifully stated.
Yup I'm on it Richard!
@5:20, the high pitched toms are concert toms (6", 8", 10", 12") not Roto-toms. Neil NEVER used Roto-Toms.
Concert toms not roto toms .In the beginning .i'm not sure if you think the cowbell is over dubbed. He used his left foot to play cowbell
All of those high toms were concert toms (no bottom heads), not roto-toms. Just look at the kits that Neil used at various points prior to the change in his kit set-up.
The Tom fills on this are a highlight of the track
Being a fan of Neil Innes and the Monty Python comedy troupe, Mr. Peart would surely approve of your, _"...and the Holy Grail"_ reference.
Yes I feel a sense of humor in much of the Rush stuff Frank :)
Neal Peart Driven, so smooooth
Cowbell was overdubbed but later as technically advanced he would play the cowbell part live with his left foot
Haha he said Subdivisions at 5:52!
you said it, no weak points in this álbum
New to your channel. I don't play but I enjoy the commentary. Getting a little more info on how percussion and the bass weave in and out, thank you.
Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching
Hey Andrew! question if I may... it looks like from the Drumeo transcription that this song goes between 4/4 and 2/4, and my question that I constantly battle with is why do they not subtract a 4 bar joined with a 2 bar and call it a 6 bar instead?
Please help, this has been baking my noodle for years now!
I recommend you to react to Kevin Paradis - Benighted Nails
Epic is correct!
They recorded this song the night John Lennon was murdered. They got the news mid-session... I always wondered if some of the energy evident in these performances were due to that anger and sadness
EPIC!!!!
To be honest, I am not Rushing to watch this video... but I am still super happy that you cracked 100K subs, well done Andrew.
Awesome!
Can I sneak a future band name in...
Pink Floyd 😉
Check out, Pink Floyd "Echoes" (Part 1) live at Pompeii 1972
Nick Mason on Drums doing exactly enough😉
He used Simmons sds live
Back in high school in the USA, early '80s, we had a satanic panic where the righteous ones would demonstrate against metal music.
I don't know any drummer from the 80's who considered themselves a Peart fan, or a great drummer that didn't have a set of roto-toms.
Who are you that is so wise in the ways of science?
🤣👌
I've NEVER seen Neil using roto toms.
Do we get Rush week 3.0 @ 101k subs?
More cowbell! 🐮
He has 6 8 and 10 concert toms before all the rack and floor etc etc. But as others have mentioned many of us fans got roto toms as they're much cheaper and readily available. I was lucky to pick up matching 6 and 8 concert toms for my xpk kit about tens years ago .I had an 8 piece thing going on with 9 cymbals.. I didn't play any better! In fact I probably hit more things badly! ....
I'm totally into minimal 4 piece now. Pretty much since I've been watching what you can do on one .
And how I wish I had my first 2 kits now . A 60s ? 4 piece Boosey and Hawkes. and a 60s ? 4 piece Premier . In off white mother of pearl and blue mother of pearl respectively. Of course I hated both kits at the time as all my hero's had massive kits! ... Idiot!
🤗❤️✌️💚
Such a pity the end doesn’t have a long epic solo
❤ ❤... ❤
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Great song, cant really say anything else.
Day 5 of asking for Inferno - At The Left Hand Ov God drum cam.
I'm nothing if not persistent.
Also, FOR THE ALGORITHM!
Neil’s higher toms were concert toms not roto Toms.
Neil never did overdubs and he never had roto toms.
You have done this one before.
The Drumeo missed the cowbell. He is playing the cowbell with everything else. Took me a while to figure it out, but it is so cool. You should try it.
Quick to judge
Quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and Prejudice
And Fear walk hand in hand
I am sad to say that I finally lived long enough to see these lyrics come to pass in 2020. Tell me Neil Peart was not a futurist. While you're at it, go back and listen to the entire 1982 album "Signals" and tell me that most of it is not a commentary on the internet age, written before the internet age.