Rating: 
Summary: DVD?? I can't believe it!
Review: I just knew this would never be released onto DVD, so I bought the VHS "back then". I should have known but nothing of RUSH's was on DVD then either so I certianly didn't think this would make it so early.I have really enjoyed the depth that this goes into. Neil shares some insightful information into the construction of the songs beyond just the percussion arrangements. The interludes of philosophical discussion are interesting too. The accessibility that will come with the DVD format will only make this more fun. Guess I gotta' buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: disappointed
Review: I remember the time when I watched The Grace Under Pressure Tour Video...The time when I learned what it was to play hard, with power, but with grace and intelligence. I've been a Peart fanatic ever since... This DVD was supposed to be everything I've been waiting for...Being a professional drummer and serious Peart fan for about 15 years, knowing every fill in every song (like many of you out there reading this review) I could not wait to watch "A work in progress". Unlike many reviewers here I was totally disappointed. I was expecting to see the most intelligent, powerful and passionate drummer in the world but what I found was a person who in his own search of a new self, lost many qualities which made him what he is. Ãn this DVD what you are going to see is a different Peart, who aside from changing his grip changed his powerful and passionate style into some kind of a jazz player wanna-be.
This is not Vintage Peart but something else. (sorry for harsh words but a real fan should state the truth) Test for Echo songs, which are the main material for this DVD can not be ranked in a top 100 best Rush song list. And when you add poor sound and picture quality into this, what I got was a big dissapointment (...)
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece!
Review: I was captivated and completely enthralled when I first bought and watched this masterpiece. It is well over 2 and 1/2 hours of pure amazement and wonder. Neil as I expected is an excellent teacher and does a wonderful job explaining each song in beautiful detail and example. Every song from Test For Echo is played by Neil and afterwards he explains the major parts of the song and explains the what and whys of why he did what he was trying to accomplish through his drum parts. Neil plays the drums to backing tracks sans drums and he is just such a master at the art of drumming. The majority of the video takes place inside a studio, but he is shown out in nature, rowing a boat, walking through snow in snowshoes and is even shown on a back porch demonstrating how he warms up on a practice pad. Nature is used to explain his new techinique by speaking in terms of roundness. His drum study with drum guru Fred Gruber is gone over in great detail and Neil talks of how a new approach of drumming was taken on. A definite must have!
Rating:
Summary: Worth every cent... US or Canadian!!!
Review: I've been a Rush fan ever since I snuck into my older brother's room back in '81 and heard 'Tom Sawyer' for the first time... and the thing that impressed me the most was the drum playing. Since then, outside of buying the albums (funny how we still call them "albums") and getting the tour books at the concerts, info on Rush was hard to come by. 'A Work in Progress' is such a valuable treasure to a fan like me I can't put it in words. There have been two things in my life I have purchased - both $60 bucks - that have been the best investments I have ever made: a radio-flyer wagon I bought for my son and this 2-tape set. Thank you, Neil, for sharing a little piece of your world with us. This actually made me appreciate 'Test for Echo' a whole lot more.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected from a top drummer
Review: I've been a Rush fan, and drummer for over 20 years, and have all of their CD's. I can play all of the Rush drum pieces, and must say that the drumwork included on this video is not vintage Neil. The Test For Echo album is documented throughout, and Neil plays along with all of that album's songs, and nothing else. Although insight on Neil's creation of drum parts is interesting, I feel this video could have been edited to fit on one tape. It is rather slow paced, and is geared more towards a drum novice. Neil switched to traditional grip for most of this album, and I don't understand why. His playing is less impressive on this album than any before it. On the Test For Echo tour, Neil used match grip for all of the previous Rush songs, and it was much more powerful, and active. I am not arguing against traditional grip, but just feel that Neil is much more proficient at using match grip. If it isn't broke, why fix it? Instead of A Work In Progress, I'd rather see Neil at the top of his game, using match grip, on a collection of more active drum pieces than this album includes, and a few drum solo pieces which Neil is especially gifted.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for Peart fans
Review: If you're a Neil Peart fan order this video before you do anything else today! This DVD is simply top-notch. Of course, we've come to expect quality work from The Professor for almost three decades and this DVD maintains that fine tradition. Stop reading about it. There aren't enough words in any language to do it justice. Buy it now!
Rating:
Summary: Wow! He's still the best!
Review: Neil is absolutely the best! This DVD only proves it even more. Unlike one (in particular) who reviewed this DVD claiming to be a Rush fan (see "disappointed"), I find Neil to be very expressive and not stagnating. I also must find fault in the afore mentioned review, by saying that not everyone (probably very few real Rush fans) shares the same dislike for Test For Echo. I would dare say a vast majority LOVE the album.
As for "No Thanks" (Kissimmee,Florida)... Arrogance is such a bad thing! Unlike what many Narrow-Minded individuals may think, passion is not something that others can rightly judge and to do so is a demonstration in ignorance ("...Quick to judge, quick to answer - Slow to understand"). Neil only shows a gracious humility toward his astronomical abilities, and shows that he is only interested in expanding his skills through study, practice, and always striving for a higher level!
Rating:
Summary: Neil isn't stuck in the past, and neither is this Rush fan.
Review: One of the best instructional videos ever made. Neil has gotten better with time, aged like fine wine. Too many people that think they know Neil are stuck in the past. The songs on Test For Echo are more simple in general than Rush's earlier stuff, and in true Neil Peart fashion, the Professor shows how he spent painstaking hours coming up with just the right parts to compliment the songs, as he has never failed to do. The old drum parts were complex because the songs themselves had that quality, and so he always played accordingly with taste to suit the music. If he played with speed and power and fury on Test For Echo, it would sound out of place and dare I say it, overplayed, and Neil has never played anything out of place. This DVD is definitely worth buying, and this IS coming from a REAL fan speaking the truth. If you're disappointed by this DVD, you must be disappointed with Rush in general.
Rating:
Summary: Finding Echoes
Review: Outstanding! While I am a musician, I am not a percussionist. Regardless, Neil's presentation here is worthy of the price it takes to find it. He is extremely informative, clear, direct, and leads the viewer on a line which is easy to follow. I am impressed with his abilities as philosopher and perpetual student of the world as much as I am with his musical talent. Neil, fine job!
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!! uh yeah WOW!!!!
Review: Prehaps one of the best drummers in the world today and all you have to do to learn some of his licks is pop in the DVD. I've played drums for 14 years now and I would attribute probably 70% of my licks and style to this man so as you can see I had to have this when it came out. This DVD not only contains the songs from the Test For Echo album and how to play it but how Neil came to be the drummer he is today. He talks about the mechanics behind the new style that he has implamented into his playing that he learned from Freddy Gruber and explanes why they work for him and how they could work for you. Neil also disects the songs and goes over the hard fills. The only draw back to this video is that he dose not play the fills slower him self but slows down the film. This is not anything to be concerned about though. The DVD also contains a preformance only feature that lets you view his playing the whole Test For Echo album. So if you are a drummer buy this.
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