Talk:John Rutsey
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[edit] Neil Peart
I take issue with part of this sentence: "His replacement, Neil Peart ended up being one of the most respected drummers and lyricists of all time." I doubt that anyone would argue with Peart as a highly respected drummer. But his over-blown lyrics are more often an object of ridicule than scorn. He's certainly an abitious lyricist, but that ambition rarely pays off for him. He may be admired in prog-rock circles, but he is not generally respected as a lyricist, as far as I know. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Wheat (talk • contribs).
I would question very strongly the above statement. Peart criticizes himself for some of his earlier material from the 1970s, but lyrically speaking, most critics have given credit to Rush's varied songwriting approach. At least they never stooped to writing graphic sex lyrics, or employing morally questionable themes. Even Rolling Stone Magazine, one of Rush's most notable detractors, paid compliments to Neil Peart's lyrical talent in their reviews of "Grace Under Pressure," "Power Windows," and "Presto."
Beside this page was supposed to be about John Rutsey, whose drumming talents were perfect for Led Zeppelinesque blues-rock -- but not for the progressive rock that Rush would purvey. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 157.182.123.51 (talk • contribs).
Neil Peart is considered one of the greatest lyricists of all time to anyone who has bothered to actually read his work. His novels have also appeared on best seller lists, further indicating not only his genius, but his ability to connect with the masses. The most poignant, if unlikely, tribute comes from the fact that the author of the first paragraph has gone so far as to very nearly quote Peart's lyrics in the very sentence that most disparages them!
"So often fragile power turns to scorn and ridicule." - Neil Peart, "Emotion Detector" from the album "Power Windows" —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Esroberto (talk • contribs).
[edit] keeping Peart material on-topic
- The "blessing-in-disguise" wording is unnecessarily dismissive of Rutsey; and anyway the subject of how respected or talented Neil Peart may be (I'm pretty impartial on the issue) is off-topic on this page. What would be relevant is that Peart's writing and drumming style became some of the band's dominant and popular characteristics, and Rutsey's departure cleared the path. I'm swapping that in, but feel free to reword the paragraph (especially for conciseness) as long as the divisive, subjective, and mostly off-topic issue of Peart's greatness is not re-introduced. Further consideration of Neil Peart really belongs on the pages for Neil Peart or Rush. – edgarde 17:57, 19 September 2006 (UTC)
- Incidentally, the "blessing-in-disguise"[1] paragraph is mostly duplicated from the Rush (album) page, which needs a similar rewrite just for the dismissive tone (which can be read as disrespectful toward Rutsey). – edgarde 18:54, 19 September 2006 (UTC)
- I'm also removing the {{fact}} tag as opinions on Peart's influence are adequately linked on the Rush and Peart pages. Also removing the Peart album count (an updating nuisance) because Rutsey isn't involved with those albums. – edgarde 18:03, 19 September 2006 (UTC)
