Didacts and Narpets

"Didacts and Narpets"
"Didacts and Narpets"
Part II of "The Fountain of Lamneth" by Rush
from the album Caress of Steel
Released	September 24, 1975
Recorded	July 1975
Studio	Toronto Sound
Genre	Drum solo; avant-garde; art rock;
Length	1:00
Composer(s)	Geddy Lee; Alex Lifeson;
Lyricist(s)	Neil Peart
Producer(s)	Rush; Terry Brown;
"The Fountain of Lamneth" chronology

"Didacts and Narpets" is the second movement of Canadian rock band Rush's suite "The Fountain of Lamneth", the fifth and final track on Caress of Steel (1975). As with three other sections of the suite, the lyrics were written by drummer Neil Peart and the music composed by bassist and lead vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson. It was recorded in July 1975 at Toronto Sound under production of the band and Terry Brown.

The experimental avant-garde piece is Rush's shortest sole composition, and, according to band historian Martin Popoff, most bizarre recording. It is a drum solo punctuated by distorted power chords and yelps, representing an argument between the story's character and the titular didacts (teachers) and narpets (parents). Retrospective coverage of the band and Caress of Steel frequently highlight "Didacts and Narpets". Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini covered it for a Rush tribute album named Subdivisions (2005), which was released by Magna Carta Records and featured various artists.

Background and composition

"Didacts and Narpets"

The last 30 seconds of the avant-garde "Didacts and Narpets". Yelps of several words and guitar power chords, which are on top of an aggressive and chaotic drum roll, symbolize an argument between "The Fountain of Lamneth"'s protagonist and the titular didacts and narpets.

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Like three other sections from "The Fountain of Lamneth" ("At the Valley", "No One at the Bridge" and "The Fountain"), "Didacts and Narpets" was composed by bassist and lead vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson; its lyrics, as with all of the suite, were written by drummer Neil Peart.^[1] All of Caress of Steel (1975), including "Didacts and Narpets", was recorded in July 1975 at Toronto Sound.^[2]^: 204 It was arranged and produced by Rush and engineer Terry Brown.^[1]

The shortest composition on any Rush album,^[a] "Didacts and Narpets" is a minute-long avant-garde piece, a frantic, aggressive and "thunderous" drum solo punctuated by dramatic distorted power chords and unintelligible yelps of words: "Stay. Go. Work. No. Earn. Live. Earn. Give. Stay or fight. What's right?"^[3]^[4] It represents the unnamed character's angst, rebellion, energy and chaotic living circumstances during their teenage years, specifically an argument between them and the titular didacts (teachers) and narpets (acronym for parents), who each have conflicting teaching methods and viewpoints.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] This produces cognitive dissonance in the character.^[5]

Chris McDonald, interpreting "The Fountain of Lamneth" as an escapist fantasy that is an allegory for growing up and attempting to achieve a goal, described "Didacts and Narpets" as one of the character's obstacles; its guitar and vocals "sound a bit like sudden, marauding attacks and a bit like the barking of orders."^[7]^: 35–36

Reception and legacy

Caress of Steel was released on September 24, 1975; "Didacts and Narpets" is the second part on "The Fountain of Lamneth", which served as the album's fifth and final track.^[8] Lee attributed the initial critical and commercial of Caress of Steel to listeners and writers failing to understand the material, citing "Didacts and Narpets" as an example.^[9] Although "The Fountain of Lamneth" was heavily discussed in contemporaneous reviews, "Didacts and Narpets" was almost never covered except for its name cited as an example of Peart's "pretentious" poetry by Dave Dimartino of The State News.^[10]

Retrospective coverage of "Didacts and Narpets" has been positive. In 2013, Rush historian Martin Popoff labeled "Didacts and Narpets" "one strange minute of experimentation that remains the band's most bizarre recorded sequence."^[11]^: 26 In a Neil Peart obituary for Deadline Hollywood, Erik Pederson recommended "Didacts and Narpets" as a showcase of the drummer's lyrics and "insane drumming" on Rush's albums pre-Permanent Waves (1980); he cited no other song.^[12] Geoff Barton, writing for Classic Rock, also labeled "Didacts and Narpets" a highlight of Caress of Steel, for Rush biographers Bill Banasiewicz and James McCarthy a favorite moment on "The Fountain of Lamneth".^[13]^[14]^[15]^: 22

Voivod drummer Michel Langevin has expressed admiration for "Didacts and Narpets", calling it a Max Roach-esque avant-garde jazz piece, highlighting its "very dualistic" presentation of "order versus chaos, light versus darkness, good versus evil".^[16]^: 31 Adrien Begrand enjoyed "Didacts and Narpets" as a "fun" and "raucous" drum solo, a contrast to the "eleven-minute slog" of the following three sections of "The Fountain of Lamneth" combined.^[17]^: 33 Jordan Hoffman of Thrillist called it "glorious dark drug, art-rock weirdness".^[18]

More negatively, guitarist Jim Matheos founded "Didacts and Narpets" and "I Think I'm Going Bald" to be Caress of Steel's weakest tracks, being a "little out of place" and "failed experiments".^[16]^: 31 James Richards, although complimenting the "fabulous drumming" and the overall piece's "terrific crescendo", called it "about as enjoyable as standing on an upturned electric plug with your bare feet".^[3] He felt "Didacts and Narpets" hampered the flow of "The Fountain of Lamneth".^[3]

Drummer Mike Mangini covered "Didacts and Narpets" for Magna Carta Records' various artists tribute album for Rush, Subdivisions (2005).^[19]

Personnel

Credits from liner notes for Caress of Steel.^[1]

Rush

Geddy Lee – vocals, bass guitar
Alex Lifeson – electric guitar
Neil Peart – drums, lyrics

Technical

Rush – co-producers, arrangements
Terry Brown – co-producer, engineer, arrangements

Notes

^ Several other movements of Rush suites are less than a minute, and thus shorter than "Didacts and Narpets". "La Villa Strangiato" had seven, including "Buenos Nochas, Mein Froinds!", "Monsters!", "The Ghost of the Aragon", "Danforth and Pape", "The Waltz of the Shreves", "Monsters! (Reprise)", and "A Farewell to Things". "By-Tor and the Snow Dog"'s "At the Tobes of Hades", "Across the Styx" and "7/4 War Furor", and the first numbered section of "Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage" were under a minute as well. However, parts of those tracks do not function as separate songs the way those of "The Fountain of Lamneth" do, so they do not count as sole compositions. The acoustic guitar-only ballad "The Sphere A Kind of Dream", which concluded "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemsipheres", is a close second at 1:02.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Caress of Steel (Media notes). Rush. Anthem Records. 1975.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Popoff, Martin (2020). Anthem: Rush in the '70s. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77041-520-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d James, Richard (2024). "II: 'Didacts and Narpets'". Rush 1973 - 1982: Every Album, Every Song. Sonicbond Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 9781789521207. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ ^a ^b Body, Alex (2019). "The Fountain of Lamneth". Rush: Song by Song. Stroud: Fonthill Media. ISBN 9781781557297.
^ ^a ^b Zeiler, Millie (November 2, 2022). "Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Rush's Caress of Steel Album". Classic Rock History. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ McParland, Robert (27 October 2017). "Caress of Steel and The Twilight Zone". Science Fiction in Classic Rock Musical Explorations of Space, Technology and the Imagination, 1967-1982. McFarland & Company. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-4766-3030-4. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ McDonald, Chris (2009). Rush, Rock Music, and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253221490.
^ Reed, Ryan (September 24, 2015). "When Rush Delved Into Prog With 'Caress of Steel'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ Elliott, Paul (February 10, 2016). "The History Of Rush by Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson: from 2112 to stardom". Classic Rock. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ Dimartino, Dave (November 1975). "Rush' could use worthless lyrics". The State News.
^ Popoff, Martin (2013). Rush: The Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760343647. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ Pederson, Erik (January 10, 2020). "Neil Peart Dies: Longtime Rush Drummer & Lyricist Was 67". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ Barton, Geoff (April 23, 2023). "Losing my way: how I fell out of love with my favourite band, Rush". Classic Rock. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ McCarthy, James (2012). "The Fountain of Lamneth". Rush: Changing Hemispheres. Abstract Sounds Book, Ltd. ISBN 978-0956696076.
^ Banasiewicz, Bill (1988). Rush Visions: The Official Biography. New York: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711911622.
^ ^a ^b Popoff, Martin (2017). Rush: Album by Album. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0760352205.
^ Begrand, Adrien (2024). Cranking Up Rush: Their Musical Legacy in 11 Songs. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781493084753. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ Hoffman, Jordan (July 29, 2019). "All 180 Rush Songs, Ranked". Thrillist. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
^ "RUSH - Magna Carta's Subdivisions Tribute Album Due In March, Artwork/Tracklisting Revealed". Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles. January 27, 2005. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[3] Several other movements of Rush suites are less than a minute, and thus shorter than "Didacts and Narpets". "La Villa Strangiato" had seven, including "Buenos Nochas, Mein Froinds!", "Monsters!", "The Ghost of the Aragon", "Danforth and Pape", "The Waltz of the Shreves", "Monsters! (Reprise)", and "A Farewell to Things". "By-Tor and the Snow Dog"'s "At the Tobes of Hades", "Across the Styx" and "7/4 War Furor", and the first numbered section of "Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage" were under a minute as well. However, parts of those tracks do not function as separate songs the way those of "The Fountain of Lamneth" do, so they do not count as sole compositions. The acoustic guitar-only ballad "The Sphere A Kind of Dream", which concluded "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemsipheres", is a close second at 1:02.

[Linernotes-1] Caress of Steel (Media notes). Rush. Anthem Records. 1975.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[2] Popoff, Martin (2020). Anthem: Rush in the '70s. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77041-520-1.

[SongBySong19731982-4] James, Richard (2024). "II: 'Didacts and Narpets'". Rush 1973 - 1982: Every Album, Every Song. Sonicbond Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 9781789521207. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[Body-5] Body, Alex (2019). "The Fountain of Lamneth". Rush: Song by Song. Stroud: Fonthill Media. ISBN 9781781557297.

[ClassicRockHistory-6] Zeiler, Millie (November 2, 2022). "Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Rush's Caress of Steel Album". Classic Rock History. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[7] McParland, Robert (27 October 2017). "Caress of Steel and The Twilight Zone". Science Fiction in Classic Rock Musical Explorations of Space, Technology and the Imagination, 1967-1982. McFarland & Company. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-4766-3030-4. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[8] McDonald, Chris (2009). Rush, Rock Music, and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253221490.

[caressofsteelucr-9] Reed, Ryan (September 24, 2015). "When Rush Delved Into Prog With 'Caress of Steel'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[10] Elliott, Paul (February 10, 2016). "The History Of Rush by Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson: from 2112 to stardom". Classic Rock. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[Dimartino-11] Dimartino, Dave (November 1975). "Rush' could use worthless lyrics". The State News.

[12] Popoff, Martin (2013). Rush: The Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760343647. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[13] Pederson, Erik (January 10, 2020). "Neil Peart Dies: Longtime Rush Drummer & Lyricist Was 67". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[14] Barton, Geoff (April 23, 2023). "Losing my way: how I fell out of love with my favourite band, Rush". Classic Rock. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[15] McCarthy, James (2012). "The Fountain of Lamneth". Rush: Changing Hemispheres. Abstract Sounds Book, Ltd. ISBN 978-0956696076.

[Banasiewicz-16] Banasiewicz, Bill (1988). Rush Visions: The Official Biography. New York: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711911622.

[AlbumbyAlbum-17] Popoff, Martin (2017). Rush: Album by Album. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0760352205.

[18] Begrand, Adrien (2024). Cranking Up Rush: Their Musical Legacy in 11 Songs. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781493084753. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[Thrillist-19] Hoffman, Jordan (July 29, 2019). "All 180 Rush Songs, Ranked". Thrillist. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

[20] "RUSH - Magna Carta's Subdivisions Tribute Album Due In March, Artwork/Tracklisting Revealed". Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles. January 27, 2005. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

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