Californian heavy rock veterans FU MANCHU have paid tribute to late RUSH drummer Neil Peart by releasing their cover version of the Canadian power trio’s classic song “Working Man”. All sales proceeds from the track, which was recorded in January, will be donated to brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Peart‘s memory.
FU MANCHU said in a statement: “Members of our band and our manager were in the audience on August 1, 2015 when this was the final song played by Neil, Geddy [Lee] and Alex [Lifeson]. We are forever grateful for all of the music and memories.
“Thanks to Carl Saff for donating his mastering services and to David Medel for donating his art services. Thanks to Jim Monroe for the studio time, engineering & mixing hook up. Thanks to Meg and everyone in the RUSH family. Thanks to John Raso for going the extra mile to help us get this out.
“This is a digital release only… for now.”
FU MANCHU‘s 2018 album, “Clone Of The Universe”, featured a guest appearance by RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson on the 18-minute closing track “Il Mostro Atomico”.
FU MANCHU‘s legacy can be traced back to the early days of the desert rock scene and shows on the pier where psychedelic and metal collided with punk and hardcore. Performing on sandy desert stages, massive European festivals and headlining tours, FU MANCHU carved out their own niche among the bands with their unique style of punk-infused heavy rock. Over the next three decades, the band went on to release 12 critically acclaimed albums, including “No One Rides For Free” (1994), “The Action Is Go” (1997) and its most recent release, the aforementioned “Clone Of The Universe”.
FU MANCHU is Scott Hill (vocals, guitar), Bob Balch (lead guitar), Brad Davis (bass) and Scott Reeder (drums).
Photo credit: Thom Cooper
