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Working Man - studio and live - is it any difference?


YYZumbi
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As we all know, Neil Peart wasent with Rush on the first studio album, they had another drummer called John Rutsey.

 

And when they recorded the song Working Man, I am sure Rutsey had a different style then Neil on drums.

 

But when Rush play Working Man today live...Do Neil play it as Rutsey did on album, or have he got a own version?

 

I cant really tell... I have tryed to listen on both Working Man on studio and on live albums, but cant hear any different.

 

But my music-ears are not the best, so I thought someone else might be able to tell me, do Neil play it the same as Rutsey did on album or do he play a own version?

 

Thanks!

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Neil's more recent versions of Working Man definitely are the epitome of suckage, however his playing on All the World's A Stage is superb; actually, on the Permanent Waves tour he is nearly flawless playing the small portion of Working Man they did on that tour...just an amazing mix of feel, finesse, articulation, dynamics, and sheer technicality. In the last few years...not so much. He definitely couldn't care less any more to play this song with any ounce whatsoever of passion or purpose. Not only does he hate all old songs before 1980, he DEFINITELY hates the first album, and for SURE hates it that much more just because he wasn't on it.

 

When they play it nowadays he probably sits and sneers to himself in a glistening degree of pure repulsion for anyone in the audience he might think is enjoying such a plebian tune.

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I've always thought that Neil goes WAY overboard with the pointless fills when he plays Working Man. It didn't start right away, though. The earliest version I know of with Neil is from the "Fifth Order of Angels" Bootleg (also known as "ABC 1974") and on that version he plays a much more faithful version of the original album's drum part than I've ever heard out of him. By All the World's a Stage, he was playing it completely differently.

 

After that I think he started to become more comfortable playing with the other two and so he started to branch out. Personally, I don't feel like what he does on Working Man really fits the song at all. Working Man is supposed to be a loose jam, but Neil's fills are massive groove killers. I hold it up as an example of how a lot of times, less can be more.

 

But, I'm not a huge fan of Working Man anyway so it's no big loss to me.

Edited by Dscrapre
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Lately he plays it straight, which I think is an improvement. I think it's a change that's come with age, though. The first time I heard the All The World's a Stage version - I was an emerging drummer - I was blown away. Now it seems a bit distracting.

 

There might be live versions of the song on the You Tube. ;)

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Since that song has become a jam song (and a slight bit of improv) on recent tours, I'm not sure why Neil would get criticized for over-playing, but Alex doesn't. Did you see the Time Machine DVD? I have little interest in hearing this song played straight, and luckily I think they have little desire to play it that way.
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Since that song has become a jam song (and a slight bit of improv) on recent tours, I'm not sure why Neil would get criticized for over-playing, but Alex doesn't. Did you see the Time Machine DVD? I have little interest in hearing this song played straight, and luckily I think they have little desire to play it that way.

 

It's different coming from the rhythm section. In my estimation Alex could play basically anything and as long as Geddy and Neil were smooth, it would probably sound fine.

 

See, I'm not saying that Neil should play this thing EXACTLY as it's recorded. One of his great gifts is his ability to add interesting accents and fills without ruining the momentum of the song he is playing. The problem is that, to my ears, his fills and accents on Working Man do not suit the song and serve only as a distraction. It sounds like he added fills after every bar just so that his version is more complex than the original.

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I've always thought that Neil goes WAY overboard with the pointless fills when he plays Working Man. It didn't start right away, though. The earliest version I know of with Neil is from the "Fifth Order of Angels" Bootleg (also known as "ABC 1974") and on that version he plays a much more faithful version of the original album's drum part than I've ever heard out of him. By All the World's a Stage, he was playing it completely differently.

 

After that I think he started to become more comfortable playing with the other two and so he started to branch out. Personally, I don't feel like what he does on Working Man really fits the song at all. Working Man is supposed to be a loose jam, but Neil's fills are massive groove killers. I hold it up as an example of how a lot of times, less can be more.

 

But, I'm not a huge fan of Working Man anyway so it's no big loss to me.

 

I'm not a huge fan of the song either, although I do think it has its time and place.

 

Wasn't that enthused when the band brought it back for the Vapor Trails tour. Definately seems like an Alex set choice from the way he usually rips into it.

 

Favorite versions are probably the pre-Fly By Night version or the versions they were doing in 1980 or 1981. Since they brought it back it kind of lumbers along. I wouldn't shed a tear if it was replaced that's for sure.

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I wouldn't shed a tear if it was replaced that's for sure.

 

The moment of pure joy that myself and everyone else in the United Center experienced on September 15 2012 when Working Man was replaced by The Spirit of Radio is a testament to the universal truth of that statement.

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There are those who think that Neil overplays on it. Not sure I'd agree with that, but I do appreciate the difference.

 

I've always said this. I love Neil, but he overplays the shit outta' Working Man and kills it (not in the good way).

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Dont think Ive ever heard a version I dont like since he joined the band
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I agree with others who have said that Neil overplayed Working Man back in the day, and certainly the ATWAS performance is an example of that, but there's a verse where he's doing 16ths on the hi-hat that is just sublime.
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It depends on what version you listen to. Now, they do a reggae version and it's completely different. If you listen to all the worlds a stage, it still sounds the same, but he has his own style with that too.
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