Customer Reviews

Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

If you're looking for a book about Rush the band, this is not for you. If you are looking for insights into the inspiration behind the lyrics, this book is a step in the right direction.

Carol Selby Price comes off as well-read, with a wide range of knowledge covering philosophy, religion, literature and pop culture. She definitely is a fan of the music of Rush, but especially the lyrics of Neal Peart. Don't expect a lot of coverage on the instrumental music here, this is strictly about the lyrics.

I found that the breakdown of theme categories and selection of titles worked from the standpoint that she covered from 2112 through Presto. The book works best when clearly staying with the topic of a single song, then using some comparisons from literarture, etc. If one were to merely listen to the songs, there would be a surface meaning, but this book helps dig deeper below the surface layer, peeling through the layers of allegory and metaphor to some core visions.
For example, while "Red Barchetta" appears to be a thumbing of the nose against the powers of a dystopic society, I never thought about the adventure merely being a dream by the fireside itself. Did he actually drive the care or simply remain with his uncle by the fireside?
I liked the link of Analog Kid, Digital Man and New World Man, especially the inner/outer versions of New World Man comparing both individuals as well as the regions New World, Old World and Third World.
Criticisms: There must have been a copyright issue with reprinting the lyrics, because one would need the album/disk package at hand to review the writing. While there are plenty of quotes from other sources, the Rush songs are merely paraphrased. I also would have liked to have the entire song broken down, instead of going off on a tangent to show comparisons with Kant, Plato, Nietzsche or Ayn Rand. At times the writers appeared to be showing off their knowledge and there was some definite narrative preachiness about our society. E.T. one long commercial for Reese's Pieces? What does that have to do with Rush?
Some songs are covered briefly, such as 2112, which was then recovered in The Trees. Some editorial tightening would have helped this book, but then again, at barely 150 pages, it was not that long a read.
I would recommend this book to Rush fans who are scholars and have read works by some of those in the bibliography.

This is an incredible book. It combined and expanded on many of the things that I find interesting such as Rush ( obviously), people, and the deeper elements of sociality and how we as people function. Neil Peart is a living legend in both the drum world and the literary world of written communication. This book did a great job of providing additional insight to pure genius. I would recommend reading the book if you have a genuine interest in Rush and an advanced look at how we function as people and life in general. Go buy it!

I always thought I had a good grasp of Rush's, namely Neil Peart's, lyrics. And after reading this incredible book, that opinion has not changed. But this book has served to fill in the gaps for me. I now have a profoundly deep understanding of what was only vaguely implicated in the songs. It's a true shame that everyone doesn't live their lives based on the precepts presented in this book, and in Rush's songs. Then we'd have the "world that ought to be," as Neil so eloquently put it (which he almost always does =) ). Thank you, Carol and Robert Price (and Rush, of course), for enriching my life so much!

This book was an interesting read for me. I've read some other reviews of this book,and just want to add that the book is an inerpretive book, and that it, not Mr. Peart, is being reviewed here. I don't necessarily agree wih his every word or feeling, but I am interested in the inpetus behind the songs that have graced my life for many years. If you focus on Peart's devotion to rand (mostly in his earlier years, and he didn't endorse her every word), then I think you're missing the point. The authors have done a good job at bringing some of the more obscure meanings to light, as well as educating us on the interesting world of human interaction. You don't have to be a follower of Rand to enjoy this book and gain a little insight into the writings of one of music's more thoughtful lyricists.

As a big fan of the Canadian Power Trio, I tend to seek out anything "Rush-Related". Some good (Contents Under Pressure) and some bad (Mystic Rhythms).

I did give this 1 star primarily because I enjoy reading other people's preceptions and interpretations of the complex themes presented by Alex, Neil and Geddy. Nothing earth-shattering here and some interpretations; "2112" appear to be way off compared to what Neil Peart acknowledged as his true inspiration.

However, I hope the next time the authors embarks on such a subject, that they hire a better editor to proofread their product. The back spine acknowledges the three modern-day philosophers as Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and "Alec" Lifeson?!?! Pretty sad!

This is a good book. There are a few chapters that ramble aimlessly and laboriously, quote unlikely sources (the bible?) or at times overlook the obvious (such as 2112 being based partly on Ayn Rand's novel Anthem). But there are several excellent chapters. These include Fear (Witch Hunt, The Weapon, The Enemy Within) The Mass Production Zone (Grand Designs, The Body Electric, Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Digital Man, Tom Sawyer) and the final chapter Machine and Man (Red Tide, Manhattan Project, Countdown, Red Barchetta, Natural Science, Hemispheres).

Surprisingly, given the title the book, the author never attempts to briefly summarize Rush's "philosophy" in a paragraph. I'll take my best shot: Most people do not deal in reality...but do not despair. And for god's sake don't mindlessly conform to the masses! Regard the objectivity of natural, observable science and the trial and error experiments of human existence as a foundation for knowledge. Your life's experiences may seem to be dictated by "chance." But in fact, causality works in your favor. Use the volitional power of your mind (reason), the power of your creativity, and take action! Harness chance to your advantage for it is this probability game that enables you the opportunities to mold the world around you.

This is a good book on a great band with the most constructive philosophical "message" of any band or artist in the history of music. An overstatement? Sorry, but you have to admit it's slim pickins' out there.

I have at least two problems with this book.

1) The Prices are much better thinkers than they are writers. The writing style is frequently cackhanded and juvenile.

2) The book does not (as I thought) discuss ALL of Rush's songs, merely those than lend themselves to the Prices' Randian-based philosophical analyses. I was kinda hoping to at least get some comments on every song (such as Cygnus X-1 or the Necromancer), but the Prices stick only to the deeper songs which most clearly reveal the structure of Peart's thinking.

Notwithstanding this I rate the book 5 stars because it accomplishes nicely what it sets out to do; it's just that it set out to do a lot less than I hoped for.

Other gripes would include the fact that the Prices occasionally evince shoddy research (e.g., apparently not knowing that "Red Barchetta" was heavily lifted from that short story, "A Nice Morning Drive," (I forget by whom), which one can easily find on the internet.

I've sung along with Rush's canon nearly all my life, but reading this book definitely opened up completely unexpected ways of understanding them. Not a trifling achievement, considering I smugly assumed I knew all there was to know about "what Rush was saying."

On the whole, a worthy and useful achievement. Naturally it would be difficult to concoct something that would please ALL of Rush's variegated and finicky fans, but you're unlikely to regret having purchased it. There's something in here, I would think, for everybody.

I just finished Mystic Rhythms and I was pleasently suprised. This is a very good take on what he/she perceives as Rush's philosophy. A very articulate book that should be read by every ardent fan of Rush. However, I found at times, especially toward the latter part of the book, that she may dig a little too deep and is grasping at straws to convey her point. This is not to say that this is not a good book. On the contrary, it makes the reader think. This is a good thing. Again, if you have any interest toward the intellectual side of RUSH and Neil Peart, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. If not, I hear that Poison may soon be making a comeback.

The book Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush, is exactly as its name implies. The authors analyze several RUSH songs and discuss them philosophically, almost in a Zen fashion. The book is thought provoking and does place an interesting spin on the lyrics. However, the price tag does seem steep for a rather cheap looking paper back (it has the appearance of an institutional text book). As a RUSH "fan" I would like to see a book of the same topic written by the band. Overall I found the book enjoyable and recommend it for people who would like to read an opinion of some of the bands lyrics.

Unless you really enjoy academic writing, I would avoid this one. I did graduate work in an area similar to this, and I found the author's attempt to deconstruct (find hidden meaning) in what are very obvious lyrics, strained at best. The author sees very little in Rush other than themes of fighting programming, and the quest for the individual. While those themes are clearly there, sometimes a song is a song. I found myself rolling my eyes at many of the observations in this text. Do yourself a favor and listen to the songs while reading the lyrics. If you aren't bright enough to understand fairly simply lyrical meanings, you will really dislike this book.