Former Rush producer Terry Brown spoke to Mitch Lafon and recalled the time when the band’s iconic drummer and lyricist Neil Peart joined the band as their new member. He highlighted that he had great contributions to the band especially with the help of his well-crafted lyrics.
Terry Brown proved his talent as a record producer and sound engineer while he was working with countless artists and bands such as Sonny and Cher, Kenny Rogers, Traffic, Joe Cocker, The Who, Procol Harum, The Troggs, and Manfred Mann. However, he became worldwide known when he was the man behind Rush’s eight studio albums. So, he was one of the few people who can share exclusive details about the band.
According to Brown, Neil Peart, who was hired as Rush’s new drummer when John Rutsey had to leave the band due to his ongoing health problems in 1974, became a game-changer member for the band thanks to his skills not only as a drummer but also as a songwriter. After Peart joined Rush, the band explored the new techniques, genres, and decided to focus on the progressive rock which was one of the main reasons behind their success.
Moreover, as a person who witnessed Rush’s first years and commercial breakthrough, Terry Brown stated that Peart was always a talented and hardworking person and tended to create works by combining various genres. He didn’t forget to give credit to his lyrics that changed the band’s style for good to highlight the drummer’s contribution to Rush’s unique and legendary works, especially as the primary lyricist.
Brown stated in his interview that:
“He was amazing back then. He had done his homework and was a great player back even back then. He played in a lot of other bands, progressive bands, and he has done his diligence.
Not least of all from a lyrical standpoint because the style of writing just changed dramatically.“
You can watch the interview below.
