“Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime Of Live Performance”

According to a post on the RUSH fan site RushIsABand.com, Hudson Music will release a full-color retrospective/transcription book companion to RUSH drummer Neil Peart‘s “Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime Of Live Performance” DVD on October 15. The book was written by Hudson Music Senior Drum Editor Joe Bergamini.

Peart wrote the foreword for the book and also supervised the project as well as provided additional factual editing.

According to a press release, “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.

“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 setup. Accompanying this are detailed diagrams of each of Neil‘s drum sets, produced after extensive research into the exact instruments that were used on every tour. Tying everything together are photos taken over the past 30 years and color reproductions of just about every drum company advertisement that has featured Neil during his career.”

Commented Bergamini: “Working with Neil on the ‘Taking Center Stage’ DVD was a dream come true, and this book, to me, is the true completion of the project.

“I always wanted to do a coffee-table style book that would not only include drum transcriptions, but also include colorful photos, interesting text, and historical magazine covers and ads that documented Neil‘s career.

“I designed the book with all RUSH fans in mind (not just drummers), and I think they will enjoy reading and looking it at as much as I enjoyed working on it.”

A PDF sneak peek is available at RushIsABand.com.