“Digital Man”: Geddy Lee & Neil Peart (Isolated Bass and Drums)

Editor’s note: This week is Isolated Bass Week III. Follow along and be sure to check out all of the Isolated Bass Week archives too.

In today’s isolated track, we find two-thirds of Rush laying it down on “Digital Man”, from Signals.

No guitar, no synths, a little bit of vocals leaking through… just plain awesome.

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  1. Next to the sound of my daughter’s voice: Geddy’s bass playing on his Jazz bass! HA! ;o)

  2. zowie! an all time favorite. Ged’s tone is soooooooo mmmmmmm.

  3. yeah, geddy is one baaaaaaaaddd bass player. such tone. go to youtube and check out the snakes and arrows concert. his tone is punchy.

  4. My Heeeero…… (have to say it in a real high pitched voice). The man is awesome. A major inspiration….and I’m stating the obvious for most B Players….. Did I mention the great tone? :-)

  5. Is it just me or do I hear a little keyboard bass during the double time jam at the end?

  6. Ok, this has to be the best isolated bass release of the bunch so far. This was my fav Rush song for quite some time and remains to this day one of my most-played bass lines. Geddy has been my favourite player since I first started listening to him and this just continues my appreciation for this living legend who had the most effect on my than any other musician. Next we need Hemispheres Prelude!

  7. Dam! Great isolated track on this one.

  8. It seems complete to me, nothing more is needed! :-) These posts with isolated bass & drums are amazing! I should follow then more frequently.

  9. Ahh…this is awesome. Love this track! Thanks for putting this up so we can all enjoy! btw – not to nitpick but it’s spelled “Neil” :)

  10. For a song about a “Digital Man” this is so deliciously delightfully analog! Spectacular bass playing and drumming.

  11. Whats up with those overheads man, the sound way to gated or something

  12. Cool. Like being in the studio with them. Enjoy all the little skrinky, skronky incidental string sounds that aren’t so obvious in the final mix. Couldn’t that overdubbed part near the end be from the high end of his bass pedals? Has that muffled sound…

  13. Paul Jewson

    This is by far one of my favorite bass lines in general. It’s so fun to play, even though it’s difficult!

  14. Man, between them Neil (“you’re kidding with that drum signature in La Villa Strangiato”) Peart and Geddy (“8 fingers on each hand”) Lee must be the most highly coordinated bass-drum outfit on the rock planet, No wonder when 3 men can sound like a 5-6 piece band when they play like this. It’s not fair how 3 talented guys managed to get together, someone up there is looking down on us nodding and uttering “…yeah”. Live Long and Rock on

  15. One of my favorite Rush songs from my first Rush album. What is the most amazing to me is that Geddy is singing and playing this. Amazing.

  16. Would love it to be in stereo. Bass on one side and drums on the other so that I could turn down the bass and see just how bad I can sound in comparison!
    Any chance of that happening?

  17. bassrob88

    It’s the Ricky for sure…i can tell that sound anywhere…jus sayn

  18. Jim Ramsey

    I have to change my shorts……

  19. Joel pilcher

    True masters man my hat is off these
    Dude’s are so good amazing

  20. Great quality isolation… i like the dry sound of the drums, and of course Geddy’s bass sound and playing is so… Geddy. Awesome.

  21. Jim

    Did he actually use the Fender Jazz bass on that or did he use the Steinberger? That sure sounds exactly like my Steinberger used to sound. But I may just be in my head because I think it

    • Don’t think he had a steinberger yet, but it was coming soon at this point. This is definitely the jazz. As a matter of fact anytime during and after Moving Pictures, if you would bet your left arm that it was the Rick, you would have lost your left arm. It was always the jazz..

  22. Dean Vinci

    More. That is simpl just AWESOME !

  23. Mike Matthews

    Just so cool man!

  24. brilliant bassplayer legend.

  25. Goosebumps, that signature “just the right amount of dirt” defines his sound……..as a rock bassist he sets the standard : )

  26. Rick

    The guitar solo is probably one of the best from Alex…automatically sends me into air guitar scrunched up face mode….I wish they left that on

  27. Peter Childs

    When this first came out I made a loop recording of just the drum intro and played it over and over…. Damn, such a cool song.

  28. Steve McLaughlin

    brilliant is an understatement : )