With the upcoming release of A Different Kind Of Truth by Van Halen, classic rock fans are even more excited for new music in 2012. One album that’s long in the works is Rush’s Clockwork Angels, which began way back in the beginning of 2010. Luckily, the first single “Caravan/BU2B” was released on June 1, 2010, but the fans are constantly on the lookout for updates on the album. Recently, Neil Peart wrote an update on his blog, and yes, eventually, he does mention the new record.
“Most recently, I had been recording in Toronto with my bandmates, from mid-October until December. While Alex and Geddy were finishing the writing and arranging in one smaller room of the studio, over in the big room I was working…recording my drum parts. As we prepare to start mixing in the New Year, it is too early to say anything about the results.” While that might not elicit optimism from fans about an impending release, they have only to keep reading to learn more about his practicing.
Nick Raskulinecz, the producer on the album, would stand in front of Peart and his massive drum set and actually conduct the drummer through the difficult songs. “I would attack the drums, responding to his enthusiasm, and his suggestions between takes, and together we would hammer out the basic architecture of the part. His baton would conduct me into choruses, half-time bridges, and double-time outros and so on—so I didn’t have to worry about their durations. No counting, and no endless repetition. What a revelation! What a relief!”
Obviously, Peart enjoys working with Raskulinecz, since even Peart himself sometimes has difficult with Lee and Lifeson’s complex songwriting. But before the writer/drummer moves on to another topic, he does relay some important advice for young musicians:
“Study, practice, experimentation, composition, and recording all reach their acme on the stage—nothing is more demanding than live performance, thus nothing does so much for my playing. (A fact about which I remain ambivalent, because until real-time holograms are possible, and accepted by audiences, it demands such long periods away from home.)”
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