10 Song Guide To Neil Peart's Awesomeness
9. 2112
A few years after his debut, Neil and the guys found themselves in a bit of a dilemma. During the recording process for their latest record, Rush's record company was adamant about getting the band to write more commercial material. But Rush was not a band that would go quietly. Instead of cowering to their superiors, the band decided to make "2112," a song that was a 20-minute journey to a dystopian planet run by tyrannical priests.
This song alone took Neil's songwriting abilities to the next level. While the band had flirted with songs that had narrative elements, this was one of the first instances of Rush writing a kickass song with a coherent story from beginning to end. The concept of a man discovering music and refusing to cower to the priestly figures was a blunt reflection of the band's own label struggles. Rather than being the band's dying breath, the story was the lynchpin that crossed over to mass amounts of people who had also felt looked down upon.
After this song, the album saw major success and gave the band total freedom to make experimental music to their heart's content.