10 Song Guide To Neil Peart's Awesomeness
4. Red Sector A
After the massive popularity Rush garnered in the early 80's, the band decided to go down another musical rabbit hole by incorporating synthesizers into their traditional sound. This made for a string of albums that were a bit contentious amongst Rush fans but were still brilliant pieces of musical complexity.
As a song, "Red Sector A" stands as one of the greatest songs to come out of this period, with chilling guitar and synth interplay and Neil's tasteful use of electronic drum kits and additional percussion.
Contrary to the sweet melodic structure, Neil's lyrics on this track are a morbid look at what occurred at Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The way the story plods along as a prisoner is doing everything they possibly can just to stay alive is truly sobering. The paranoia surrounding this person as they hold on to whatever amounts of hope they have left brought out an emotional side of the band that was certainly a welcome change of pace.
The band had tackled many different subjects throughout their tenure, but this track may in fact be the most emotionally gripping songs Neil had ever written for the band.