A FAREWELL TO KINGS

A Farewell to King's is arguably the first fully progressive Rush album. A lot of the Zeppelin-sounding blues influence is gone on this album. Instead the band has adapted to the prog style they showed hints of in their previous works, with more complex song structures and time signature changes. This is also the first record to make use of synthesizers, which become a subtle, but integral part of the sound.

The title track starts things off with a serene acoustic intro with some keyboard, before going into an unforgiving heavy guitar riff. The rest is an energetic plethora of guitar, bass, and drums. I particularly like the part that begins about three minutes in. Geddy is truly one of the greatest bassists, and Lifeson's tone is like no other.

'Xanadu,' like the previous song, opens with a rather tranquil atmosphere, but explodes with an instrumental fury from then on. The melodies and riffs are spectacular. The song is simply a masterpiece from beginning to end.

'Closer to the Heart' is a very radio friendly hit, and is one of the first songs I had in mind when I first discovered Rush. Though it's not prog, one can't help but love the uplifting vibe given off from this song.

'Cinderella Man' has some great bass and guitar parts in the verses and chorus, but the jazzy bass work in middle is what really makes this song great.

'Madrigal' has some ethereal acoustic and keyboard work throughout its short duration.

The album ends with the first part of the Cygnus duology that is continued on the next album. Part one takes a while to get going, but the buildup is great. A simple but effective bass melody is played by Geddy, which is soon met by Peart's accompanying drums and finally Lifeson. Following are some rather metal riffs with keyboard embellishes, before going into a bass driven section. A gentle acoustic passage sets the listener up for the ending chaotic section for which Peart goes absolutely crazy on drums.

Overall, while A Farewell to Kings may be slightly inconsistent, the stronger songs truly make this one of Rush's best.

9/10