(Percussion). Taking Center Stage is the definitive print retrospective
and musical documentation of the career of one of the greatest rock
drummers of all time, Neil Peart of Rush. Originally conceived as a
companion to the groundbreaking 2011 3-disc DVD set of the same name,
this book combines astonishingly detailed musical transcriptions,
historical writing, instructional text, and a beautiful collection of
photographs to create a book that every drummer and every fan of Neil
and Rush will want to add to their collection. At the heart of the book
are note-for-note musical transcriptions of 17 songs that are included
on the Taking Center Stage DVD. These transcriptions are exclusive to
this book, since they are taken from the performances on the DVD,
documenting how Neil currently approaches the songs. Some of the tracks
included are Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, The Spirit of Radio, Free Will,
Subdivisions, Time Stand Still, Marathon, La Villa Strangiato, The
Trees, Caravan, BU2B, Far Cry, and many others. But this is much more
than a mere transcription book. The book is divided into chapters
corresponding to each and every Rush tour from the time Neil joined the
band in 1975, up to the present. Each of these chapters contains
extensive text discussing the musical approach of the band at the time,
the construction of the drum parts, and Neil's set up. Accompanying this
are exquisitely detailed diagrams of each of Neil's drumsets, produced
after extensive research into the exact instruments that were used on
every tour. Tying everything together is a beautiful collection of
dozens of photographs taken over the past 30 years, including exclusive
shots from the archives of Fin Costello and Andrew McNauhgtan, which
show Neil and his drums in vivid detail. The book also contains color
reproductions of just about every drum company advertisement that
featured Neil during his career. Written, transcribed, and researched by
well-known drummer, author, and educator Joe Bergamini (who also
co-produced and appeared in the DVD), and overseen and edited by Neil
himself, Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance is the most
complete, accurate, and definitive work on Neil Peart's career as a
drummer.
