“Far And Away” is a reflective, immersion-style travel diary detailing the musician’s motorcycle trips along the back roads of North America, Europe and South America.”When I write about history or nature or geology, it’s from a first-person point of view,” Peart tells the National Post. “It’s me riding past a town [by motorcycle] and figuring out why something is the way it is.”

“I got terribly lost between Brazil and Argentina, but it caused a beautiful experience. … I found myself lost in this little town in the corner of Brazil and basically ended up finding a place to stay just before the sun came down,” Peart says.
“There was this combination of West African music and Brazilian music, and I had never heard that combination before. It was a transcendent moment for me. … I had been lost, and now I was found.”

Peart‘s first book, “The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa”, was published in 1996, and his second, “Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road”, in 2002. The latter followed the death of his 19-year-old daughter in a car accident in July 1997, and the death of Jacqueline Taylor, his common-law wife of 20 years, just 10 months later. “Ghost Rider” introduced an embedded optimism in his writing, discussing his marriage to photographer Carrie Nuttall in 2000. The two had their first child, Olivia, in 2009.

The publisher’s official description of the “Far And Away: A Prize Every Time” book reads as follows: “Following in the tradition of ‘Ghost Rider’ and ‘Traveling Music’, RUSH drummer Neil Peart relates nearly four years of band tours, road trips, and personal discoveries in this introspective travelogue. From the ups and downs of a professional artist to the birth of a child, this revealing narrative recounts 22 adventures from rock’s foremost drummer, biker enthusiast, husband and father. Both playful and insightful, Peart‘s love of drumming and the open road weaves throughout the stories as Neil explores horizons that are both physical and spiritual, sharing his observations about nature, society, and the self.

Full-color photos round-out this tour of the open road that will resonate with RUSH fans and motorcycle enthusiasts alike.”

Read more from the National Post.

MEGADETH‘s vital, platinum-certified album, “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?”, has been digitally remastered for the first time and expanded for a commemorative 25th-anniversary release in multiple configurations on July 12 by Capitol/EMI.

All of the versions, including a 2-CD lift-top box, digital album, and a deluxe 5-Disc+3LP box set, include a previously unreleased 1987 concert from the band’s first world tour and new liner notes written by MEGADETH‘s Dave Mustaine and METALLICA‘s Lars Ulrich. The deluxe box set also includes previously unreleased and rare mixes of the album’s tracks and hi-res audio for the remastered album and concert, as well as an expanded 20-page book, plus 8″x10″ photos and reproductions of vintage MEGADETH memorabilia.

The cover of the box uses a new, unique process of lenticular 3D which reinterprets the original cover, creating the illusion of MEGADETH‘s Vic Rattlehead character jumping out of the art.

Released in 1986, “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” was MEGADETH‘s second album and the band’s first Capitol/EMI release. The acclaimed album thrust MEGADETH into the international spotlight, and it remains a powerful thrash metal staple.

In his liner notes for the new edition, Dave Mustaine reflects on writing the album’s title track: “I had written other lyrics by now, but there was something different about ‘Peace Sells’ because it told my story about my faith; my beliefs; my distrust of government; my work ethic; my integrity. This was MY song.”

“If there’s a new way, I’ll be the first in line”

“Amen!,” continues Mustaine. “I was so tired of not shaving, not bathing, not eating, not having a home, a companion, NOTHING. Yeah, I’ll be the first in line, but it had better work this time. Well, it was working, thank God, just fast enough for what I needed, but not nearly as fast as I would hope.”

“Whether you heard this record for the first time in 1986, or you hear this record for the first time today or tomorrow, ‘Peace Sells’ is a great heavy metal album,” writes Lars Ulrich in his liner notes for the new edition. “Nothing more, nothing less. It has stood the test of time. And will continue to do so.”

Dave Mustaine pioneered the hugely successful MEGADETH after his departure from METALLICA. Beginning with the band’s 1985 debut album, “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!”, and evolving through a shifting series of lineups, MEGADETH has crafted a dynamic, intelligent style that combines the aggressiveness of thrash metal, the improvisational nature of jazz, and cynical, articulate, politically-charged lyrics into an innovative mix that has built a rabid
worldwide following.

For nearly three decades, MEGADETH has taken heavy metal into the future — musically, lyrically, and culturally. The band has enjoyed great success on Billboard‘s album and single charts, including three Top 10 titles on the Top 200 Albums chart and four Top 10 Modern Rock singles, “Almost Honest”, “Trust”, “Breadline”, and “Crush ‘Em”. With defiance and grace, through unusual quality and intelligence, MEGADETH has raised a generation on a diet of truth serum and bitter pills. Instead of being kicked to the curb for their insolence, they’ve been rewarded with nine Grammy Award nominations, six gold, five platinum, and one double platinum album, and three gold-certified DVD releases,
in addition to last year’s double platinum concert DVD, “The Big 4: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria”.

MEGADETH is currently on tour in Europe. On April 23, MEGADETH will again join forces with METALLICA, SLAYER, and ANTHRAX for The Big Four Festival in Indio, California, and The Big Four have confirmed several European shows for July.
MEGADETH will also play more than 20 North American dates in July and August on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with DISTURBED, GODSMACK, MACHINE HEAD, IN FLAMES and TRIVIUM.

“Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” track listings:

2CD / Digital (Booklet with liner notes by Dave Mustaine and Lars Ulrich):

Disc 1 (original album, remastered)

01. Wake Up Dead
02. The Conjuring
03. Peace Sells
04. Devil’s Island
05. Good Mourning / Black Friday
06. Bad Omen
07. I Ain’t Superstitious
08. My Last Words

Disc 2 (previously unreleased 1987 concert)

01. Wake Up Dead
02. The Conjuring
03. Bad Omen
04. Rattlehead
05. Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good
06. Looking Down The Cross
07. My Last Words
08. Peace Sells
09. These Boots Were Made For Walkin’
10. Devil’s Island
11. Mechanix
12. Last Rites /Loved To Deth
13. Good Mourning / Black Friday

Deluxe 5Disc+3LP Box Set

* Two 8×10 photos / two 8 ½ x 11 reproduced vintage concert flyers / one reproduced vintage ticket stub /
20-page book with liner notes by Dave Mustaine and Lars Ulrich

Disc 1
(original album, remastered – tracklist above)

Disc 2

(Dave Mustaine mixes & masters for 2004 album reissue – tracklist above)

Disc 3
(Randy Burns mixes, remastered)

01. Wake Up Dead [previously released as bonus track on ’04 reissue]
02. The Conjuring [previously released as bonus track on ’04 reissue]
03. Peace Sells [previously released as bonus track on ’04 reissue]
04. Devil’s Island [previously unreleased]
05. Good Mourning / Black Friday [previously released as bonus track on ’04 reissue]
06. Bad Omen [previously unreleased]
07. I Ain’t Superstitious [previously unreleased]
08. My Last Words [previously unreleased]

Disc 4
(previously unreleased 1987 concert – track listing above)

Disc 5
(hi-res audio: original album + previously unreleased 1987 concert – tracklists above)

LP 1 (original album, remastered – track listing above)

LPs 2 & 3 (previously unreleased 1987 concert – track listing above)

Duff McKagan (GUNS N’ ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER, DUFF MCKAGAN’S LOADED) and Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) were the featured guests on this past weekend’s (Saturday, April 16) episode of VH1 Classic‘s “That Metal Show” at 11 p.m. ET/PT. You can now watch the entire episode below.

The boys are back and ready to rock! Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson host the only talk show where all things hard rock and heavy metal are discussed, dissected and debated. Metal musicians and rock royalty, including Kirk Hammett (METALLICA), David Coverdale (WHITESNAKE) and Lita Ford (THE RUNAWAYS), will be part of the roundtable discussions this season.

Remaining guests and premiere dates (all at 11 p.m. ET/PT):

April 23

* Matt Sorum (GUNS N’ ROSES)
* Cherie Currie (THE RUNAWAYS)
* Jim Norton (comedian on “Opie And Anthony” and “The Howard Stern Show”)

April 30
* Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW)
*ANVIL

May 7
* Carmine Appice (VANILLA FUDGE, OZZY OSBOURNE, BECK BOGERT APPICE, ROD STEWART)
* Dave Meniketti (Y&T)

Distilling decades of your favorite hard rock and heavy metal into sixty minutes of mayhem; “That Metal Show” will deliver the ever-popular “Stump The Trunk” as well as the triumphant return of “TMS Top 5” to your TV every Saturday night at 11 p.m., only on VH1 Classic. Fans can also catch the complete season six and bonus clips at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com.

New episodes of season seven will launch online every Monday morning following the show’s on-air premiere.

“That Metal Show” is a production of VH1 Classic. Lee Rolontz and Keshia Williams as executive producers for VH1. Jeff Baumgardner serves as producer for the series for VH1.