RUSH

Rush were one of the few bands who could write a prog-rock epic and get away with it in 1978 amidst the the onslaught of th evil forces of punk rock and disco, forging ahead as if neither even ever occurred. Applying their unique formula of superior musical prowess in combination with well read, thoughtful lyrics, Hemispheres is arguably the Canadian power trios finest hour in their illustrious career. Thematically they began to veer away from Hawkwind-like sci-fi dabblings towards more mythical/philosophical regions. Lyricist/drummer Neil Peart also began to become more spiritual in his writing, displaying more human attributes which forshadowed future Rush projects. Not only did his compelling lyrics contain more depth, the band's musical lskills were also steadily coming to a focal point, becoming more diverse and refined than previous forays into the realms of prog-rock. This was achieved in part by the band's masterful employment of advances in recording and musical gear technology which was advancing at an exponential rate towards the end of the '70s which would usher in the digital age.

Right from the opening chords of the grandiose prelude to the main suite Cygnus X-1 Book II ( a continuation of sorts from Cygnus X-1 from the previous A Farewell To Kings album ) the listener becomes acutely aware that something collossal is about to transpire. Based loosely on Frederick Nietzsche's Book Of Tragedy, Cygnus X-1 Book II explores the complexities and differences between the right and left hemispheres of the human brain which is exemplified by the alluring cover art. Lricist Peart uses the compelling metaphor of two greek Gods, Dyonisus and Appollo, symbolizing the right and left brain hemispheres respectively, dueling for the fate of man. Various musical devices, such as insane chord and time signature changes, arpeggiated guitar runs and modal shifts to suggest various moods and atmospheres which occur as the battle rages. A moderator appears in the form of Cygnus materializes as the not-so-subliminal Cygnus X-1 main theme from A Farewell To Kings is re-visited . The mystical Cygnus rationalizes the two opposing factions and balance is achieved with the world being divided equally into two equal philosophical modus operandis and a new chapter in creation is written. Or something like that. I sometimes think that this would have made a great Star Trek episode with Captain Kirk taking the place of Cygnus. Live performances of this piece back in the seventies were simply mesmerizing.

The second side of the LP offers some respite from the intensity of side one ( although some effect of this is lost in the CD format ) and is introduced by a harder rocking reflective, soul searching autobiographical piece penned by Neil Peart. Circumstances contrasts somewhat with the rest of the work and is more representative of earlier Rush compositions heard on earlier albums such as Caress Of Steel or Fly By Night and this is perhaps why it is appropriately inserted in the middle of the album. Geddy Lee's vocals become somewhat annoying at times which shouldn't bother hard core fans of the band. Barely played in concert for a number of years , for some reason it resurfaced on the first set of the recent Snakes And Arrows tour so it must hold some special signifigance for the band. It also appears as a B side on the 1980 Spirit Of Radio single.

The album concludes with two of the band's undisputed favourites which also offer contrast. The Trees, which lyricist Peart claims is nothing more than a poetic vignette of a bunch of trees fighting like children in a comic strip he once saw, it has been most commonly metaphorically interpreted by fans as a microcosm of oppression and inequality among human beings. A very dynamic piece it features a classically inspired nylon string guitar intro with a sublime middle section building into a sharp crescendo for the grand finale. The closing blowout, La Villa Strangiato, a firebreathing 12 part instrumental monster, incorporates some of it's musical ideas from jazz composer and electronic music pioneer Raymond Scott's standard " Powerhouse " used in Warner Bros. cartoons in the 40s and 50s and was the subject of a lawsuit which went in favour of the band. The title itself takes it's name from a real castle in Italy which was once the home of an Italian aristocrat. Certainly one of the most bizarre rock instrumentals since Focus' off the wall Hocus Pocus from 1971.

A Prog-rock magus opus that appeared in the most dangerous of times when most "dinosaur" bands had gone along with the trends of the day or just faded into oblivion, Hemispheres made it into the North American top 100 charts peaking at #47. It also marked a pivotal point in ther career as their music became more streamined and their lyrics increasingly more concerned with human issues. Although it suffers from minor flaws such as Geddy Lee's vocal hysterics these can be overlooked when it's moments of sheer brilliance are considered. Even at the short running time of 38 minutes much is to be gleaned from subsequent listens from this 1978 jewel from Rush. So send grandmother to the store and PLAY LOUD!

The magnum opus of Rush and perhaps my favorite album of all times.

Like most albums you truly treasure, Hemispheres was first introduced to me when I was young by my dad who is as close to a Rush fan-boy you can get without actually being Canadian and hitting people in the mouth on skates(I'm sorry, Canada, that was cheap).

Most of the records that I've listened to since I was a kid are nowadays kept in their dusty corners, cherished but used up. Hemispheres on the other hand has survived all through my life, shifting only in how I view the album, its messages and its music.

At first this was all about the melody for me. I remember being six years old and my daddy playing the opening track on the highest volume possible on his insane stereo-set(this story is also in direct correlation with my present day tinnitus) loving the almost video game like melodies represented within. Then I got older and learned English, only to find that the record I had loved all my life had words of wisdom and meaning within it. As I got even older and started studying philosophy and ideologies it became even better when I for the first time began to comprehend the entire scope of its stories.

Later on I began studying music and again; revelation! I had always known that Rush were supposed to be a band of high musical standards and its hard missing the fact that Niel Peart is highly thought of as a drummer, and again the record grew.

I think that this is the prime example of what makes a classic and what truly constitutes for a five star rating. It gets better as time passes and represents not one but all aspects of what a great album should be about; melody, song structure, production, musicianship, soul, lyricism and perhaps most importantly a sense of "wholeness". Each of these aspects are present here and done so in a virtuoso manner.

For me it never gets better than this. Now or twenty years ago, it makes no difference; Hemispheres is a timeless classic.

Masterpiece! 5/5

Rush has been my favourite band ever since I got to know them a good 25 years ago. Only recently they have found strong opposition from Opeth and especially Porcupine Tree. But for now, they still hold their ground. One of the reasons I like them so much is because they have constantly been evolving and following their own vision and inspiration. Basically I've found myself liking all the phases they went through.

Presto is from the era when, looking at the band pictures, we were all wondering if we had purchased an album from a new boysband instead of from our beloved prog guys. Damn, how slick and clean they looked! Well, if these guys have one weakness it is that their looks have followed whatever trend was around at the time. From hard rock hippies to the typical prog-look (long capes and kimonos alert on 2112) and then whatever the most horrible haircut was around in the 80's. Yes, those guys are true fashion victims!

Now, are you still waiting till I'm going to start about the album? Bad luck, I can summarize that in one sentence: it takes a while to get used to the poppy and flimsy bubblegum sound here, but actually, this is a decent set of songs that could please most of their 80's fans.

3 stars for now but with potential for 4 once I'm done reviewing their entire catalogue.

A perfect album? Definatly, fresh, new, and inspiring is what I would call this album. The music overall is much better than Vapor Trails and easier to get into because the mix overall is much better and the production is excellent, everything is well heard. We do get a special apperance on this album too, a mellotron makes its way into a song.

"Far Cry" is already a perfect track from the start. With its pounding riffs, beautiful basslines, perfect drumming, incredible lyrics and vocals it's really hard not to like this song. It's always got an upbeat tempo and such a progressive metal feeling to it when you listen. "Armor and Sword" another essential track. It's got some of the best lyrics ever on the album, and the bassline is to die for. The acoustic guitars are really fitting to the overall darkness of the song, and it makes it that much better. Geddy's vocals on this song are very good, beautiful when he is playing is strong bassline. Also longest track. "Working them Angels" is a very upbeat song, it's very happy sounding. It kind of scares you at the first note because of how quick it happens. The lyrics are very good on this track, and the musicianship of all the band members is to die for. "The Larger Bowl" is a favorite for some reason, but I still don't know why people don't like it. It has nice guitar, dark, haunting, and thought-provoking lyrics, isn't that what most Rush fans like these times? I guess not, but at least I do. The acoustic works well with the rhythm section here. "Spindrift" is another favorite from the album, beautiful and scary intro. The music itself is intense and it's a roller coaster that you will want to go on forever, with some of the best bass riffs ever. The vocals are a little high for Geddy, you can tell. The guitar is very nice on this track. "The Main Monkey Buissness" is our first instrumental, and one of the best ones that Rush has ever put out. Geddy is playing some awesome basslines on this track, and the acoustic guitar is very nice. Though this is not a bass-heavy track, there is another instrumental that will be, though shorter. The drum playing is superb for this kind of music. "The Way the Wind Blows" is alright, nice drumming and very good guitar solo at the beginning after the drum solo intro, but this song isn't the best ever because it lacks to catch on very well with me. "Hope" is the all acoustic track, 12-string acoustic guitar if I remember correctly. It's simply stunning from start to finish. It makes you rethink how good of a guitarist that Alex Lifeson really is. "Faithless" is an interesting track with some nice vocals and some really good guitar playing. The lyrics are alright and the bassline isn't my favorite ever, but its a good some. Nice drumming throughout. "Bravest Face" is a different song, it's a little scary sounding on the Rush standard. It's a very dark sound with some nice dark vocal harmonies. The bassline isn't really there, it's a little hard to heard at least. It's got some nice acoustic guitar on this song. "Good News First" has the mellotron on this track, though it's not my favorite ever. I don't find the lyrics very facinating, but I really do like the music overall, nice guitar riffs, and the mellotron makes the song one. "Malignant Narnissm" is amazing. The best bassline ever in my opinion, I could not beileve that Geddy could ever play such an amazing thing in my life! Neil, espeicially on a 4-piece drumset, is doing some amazing stuff there! Though Alex isn't doing too much, he is playing fairly well here. "We Hold On" is a forgetable track, to say the least. The lyrics are alright here, but the music overall is just okay, nothing very special for the track.

This album is near perfection, a barley flawed masterpiece. 5 stars for a flawed masterpiece, definatly.

Wow, what a comeback. Rush came from one of their worst albums, then a terrible hiatus (sorry Mr. Peart) and then this! Though the production gets in the way heavily, I still can manage to get this album a decent review because the music overall is very good. The guys are playing better than ever, Geddy singing really well wtih some nice vocal harmonies with himself, great bass playing by the bass god, and some amazing guitar playing. Neil, as always, steals the show because of his force being so strong in songs.

"One little Victory" is amazing. It brings some proggy elements with the extreme playing by all members of the band, especially Geddy with his awesome bassline, and has some really good lyrics despite rocking harder than anything I have ever heard. It has such an odd tempo which makes this song so cool. "Ceiling Unlimited" is another personal favorite, and probably has the best bassline because Geddy goes really high on the fretboard for this one. The lyrics are pretty good, and the drumming is excellent. Alex plays fairly well, with his own style, and it makes this song feel unified. "Ghost Rider" is pretty good musically, though not the best from the album by far. The vocals are excellent, Geddy singing very well. The guitar sound is just kind of annoying to me to make this song slightly wrong sounding, out of place. The lyrics are not great for the album, as the first two songs had some stunning lyrics for the most part. "Peaceable Kingdom" is great, definatly a favorite. It sounds alot like "Half the World" from the previous album, but is executed much more accuratly than the last time. The bassline is a standout, and the lyrics are catchy to me. This sounds really fresh to my ears, and everything seems to work for them in this song. "The Stars Look Down" isn't great, it just seems to be a little boring. The riff dosen't make me feel good when i'm listening to it, but the bassline is appreciated, definatly. The drumming is very good, uptempo for Rush. "How it is" has some good acoustic guitar in this song, and it kind of feels like i'm flying when Geddy starts singing "oh, ho, oh." After that, it gets much harder and much more rocking and features some distorted vocals by Geddy that scream a little bit of "21st Century Schizord Man" to me at least. Geddy's vocals, to say are awesome, and so is the bassline. This song is definatly one of my favorites. "Vapor Trail" has an odd intro, but its okay. Not good, but not terrible. The guitar is good, but nothing else really stands out to me, but Geddy's bass tone is very nice. The lyrics aren't very good compared to the other tracks. "Secret Touch" is very sexy sounding, but has some aewsome lyrics. The bassline is perfect, and the overall music is just near perfection, to me. The drumming is definatly awesome, this track has to be one, if not, my favorite track from the album because of how up beat it is when it really gets into the song. "Earthshine" is also another excellent track, and one of the more popular ones from the album. The lyrics are definatly a standout and Geddys vocals performing the words just make is sound great. The vocal harmonies are killer with Geddy and himself, which he dosen't do too often unless its the same note, but in the past couple albums, hes been playing with octaves and overal harmonies, and I appreciate it. "Sweet Miracle" isn't great at all, its just not very good to me. The riff is alright, but not very exciting over time, and the bassline just dosen't catch me. The lyrics are one of Neil's worst that I have heard, nothing good can come from this song. "Nocture" is pretty good, the opening chord sounds a little bit like 1980s power metal, but I like the overdrive on the guitar. The vocals are great, though the lyrics are a little wierd to me. "Freeze" dosen't really scare me that much, but its great. The bassline is very nice and is very fast, the drumming is excellent of course, but the guitar seems a little sloppy considering the song. The lyrics are pretty good, considering the last song being a disaster from the lyrical standpoint, of course. This song just sounds great. "Out of Cradle" only really has a good bassline, and thats about it, the music is just very uninteresting to me. The lyrics arent very good, though I still do appreciate the basslines for the song, thats about it.

Though the production is a little distorted and hot sounding, and some of the lyrics are subpar for the course, everything is great on the album. The overall music is to die for, and is one of Rush's best of the 2000's and I highly recommend getting this album in your prog rock collection, because you will need it. Thats why I gave it 4 stars.

This may not be Rush's progiest record ever, but its an alright rock album. The lyrics on this album range from stunning and majestic to incredible terrible. Its too mcuh range in this album with the lyrics to make the terrible ones enjoyable. Geddy Lees voice has gotten alot better with age, and his bass playing has gotten alot more fluid and louder since their debut back in 1974. This is much more modern rock than some other records by the band. One thing that stands out for me in this album is the awesome drumming and the great vocal harmonies on some of the songs. Alex's playing is always a highlight as he is great at making riffs and solo's, and its well showcased for this album.

"Test for Echo" is a great title tack, one of the best in years. It has some interesting drumming and some great and melodic basslines. The guitar solo is very interesting to me, not too fast, but it has some nice flow with the overall feel. The vocal harmonies are great, though not at the Yes standard, they are definatly excellent for Rush harmonies. The lyrics are very good for this the hard rocker type of song. "Driven" is the next track, and is by far and away my absolute favorite of all the songs on the album. Its very dark, though maybe not as dark as "Test for Echo," the lyrics are much more thought-provoking than the other tracks on this record. The bassline is excellent, and so is the very interesting drumming. Neil is really pounding. The guitar in this song is alright. The bass solo that Geddy plays is extended and much more interesting live. "Half the World" has a nice and smooth bassline, and the guitar is pretty much nice and upbeat, not much too it. The drumming is excellent. The lyrics are very odd to me, though they make sense to me. Half the world, and half the world is bad is much the moral of the stroy for this song. "Color of Right" is where I usually loose interest in the album. The music is too much alternative and grungy to me, though I really like the drumming. The lyrics are pretty much about love, which you don't hear Rush do too often, though on the first Rush album thats all you heard. The music is just uninteresting, as with the lyrics. Not a top cut of beef from the album. "Time and Motion" is a personal favorite of mine, nice keyboards and a very great riff. The lyrics are pretty good for the most part, much better than the last two songs on the album. "Totem" is probably my least favorite, its just got an odd vibe. The music is not very good, but I like the lyrics for song reason. Geddy sings really well on this track, despite it being a track that isn't great. "Dog Years" is terrible. The lyrics and the music are so wierd and stupid sometimes. It sounds too much like a metal track than a regular Rush track, even though Rush is heavy prog, they are not really prog metal. This is one of the tracks that Rush swears, the word "bitch" appears on this track. "Virtuality" has some nice riffing and some great much, though the lyrics are really wierd. Its not a favorite, but I love the way they play it live. Awesome basslines, by the way. "Resist" is an alright ballad, though maybe not as good as Rush's other ballads 'Rivendell" or "Tears" but, it has some nice keyboards and vocal harmonies. "Limbo" is a very good instrumental, not as good as some other instrumentals back in the past or in the future for Rush. Its got some great basslines, and some crunching guitar topped with some smooth and fluid drumming by Mr. Peart. "Carve Away the Stone" is terrible, not a great song at all. I wish it closed with "Limbo" because the lyrics are crunching my ears at times. The music good on this track, despite the bad lyrics.

Good music with bad lyrics dosen't always make a good album, thats why I can only give this album a 2 stars because of that reason.

I heard the the single from the new album (at that time), 'Far Cry' just a month before the record come out, and to my surprise was a great track, after a record of covers, Feedback (2004) (which is fine), and several compilations and live albums, breaking its history to record a live album every 4 studio albuns, the band became active again with Snakes & Arrows (2007), back and well. And recorded in just two months in New York in November and December, 2006.

I made a point of not downloading from the internet and expect prices to calm down a bit to buy it, and did not regret, Snakes & Arrows have a highest level. He's in the line of Vapor Trails (2002), especially with regard to heavier guitars in some parts, which is very good, since he is also a great record. Geddy is back in thie one playing some parts with the keyboards, even though still shy, which had not happened in Vapor Trails. I hope he comes back in the next to the keyboard, harder.

The album booklet is simply brilliant, Hugh Syme who works with the band since 1975 made a brilliant work on his illustrations.

With regard to the songs we feature up to say enough, listen carefully to the opening track 'Far Cry', which is strong and requires the signature of Rush's quality. 'Workin' Them Angel 'the third is a semi-existentialist ballad with great bass line and superb melody. 'The Larger Bowl' has a unplugged feel, which is a little explored part of Rush, unfortunately. The record also has 3 instrumental tracks, which did not happen for some time, but unlike most bands who have their instrumental songs extremely annoying (and I do not like instrumental music, with rare exceptions) the band has always managed to compose instrumental tracks of a way that we could all sing the melody together. In this one we have 'The Main Monkey Business" with its eastern feel,'Hope', a solo piece by Alex on guitar (superb) and 'Malignant Narcissism' with a great bass line.

'Bravest Fac'e is another highlight. 'Good News Firs't is a brick on your window. And to finish with style 'We Hold On'.

It's always great to see bands like Rush, who age with dignity in the world.

In 70's, 80's, 90's and despite sumed in 00, too, that come another 30 years for this giant.

I bring love to give you light, in the darkness of the night.

Hemispheres is a bit of a crossroad for Rush. The second book of Cygnus had been written. It was great, but was it as great as the first one? Maybe not. It's a bit over the top to be honest, but it's still a great piece of music, and if we didn't have that great first Cygnus book to compare it to, we would probably see it in a different light. The album still offers very much. I love "Trees" and "La villa strangiato" but somehow feel the last one, "Circumstances" to be a bit fill, and it's here where Hemispheres loses it's fifth star. Farewell to Kings didn't have a single bad track on it, which Hemispheres seems to have, and even the epic can't rescue it because it's not as good as its prequel.

By no means a bad or only a mediocre album. A great rocker by Rush, just not a masterpiece as the other ones by them. 4 Stars.

Rush's debut has a pretty nice cover. Unfortunately it doesn't get much better than the cover. This really must be one of the worst albums I own. The reason I bought this was because I knew one track that is on this album: "Working Man". Not knowing any other songs from this album I decided to buy it, and I was very dissapointed when I listened it. This is not a progressive album at all. It is just an album full of blues-rock songs, but none of them is very good, with one exception.

The album basically consist out a buch of bad, cheesy blues-rock songs. Songs like "In The Mood", "What You're Doing", "Take A Friend" and "Need Some Love" are no interesting songs by any means and have nearly nothing in common with songs Rush would make during different eras in their carreer. The album also features some songs that are slightly less terrible, like the opener "Finding My Way" and the longest track from the album "Here Again". Also the song "Before And After" isn't too bad and it actually sounds decent at some moments. The only good moment from this album is the heavy "Working Man". Though not as excellent as many songs Rush would later release, this is a very fine song. It has some pretty simple but good riffs in it, and also a lot of soloing. This definitely is the only good musical moment on the album.

Apart from "Working Man" this album doesn't have much to offer. Also, "Working Man" can be found on live albums by Rush, and I would recommend them over this album. I honestly think this album doesn't even deserve two stars, as I only enjoy one song on the whole album. Because of that I give this album only one star.

A Farewell To Kings is Rush's fifth studion album, being released in 1977. The album has a more progressive sound than previous Rush albums did and shows a glimpse of what would become essential to Rush's sound on following albums: synths. The album isn't full of them, but some songs do contain some synth sounds. The album is not very consistent I must say, as it has some of Rush's masterpieces and several weak and uninteresting songs.

Some of those weaker songs are the poppy "closer To The Heart" which I absolutely dislike, the soft "Madrigal" and the title track. The title track is also the opening of the album. With a pleasant classical guitar intro the song sounds very promising. Unfortunately the song turns into a pretty uninteresting track, what a shame. Much more decent is "Cinderella Man". This song is not a classic, but it's a nice piece with lyrics by Geddy Lee.

Fortunately the album has some great songs too. "Xanadu" might be Rush's best song ever. It is a very progressive piece, with lots of different riffs, changes etc. It also is one of the only Rush songs, though I am a big fan, that really manages to make me shiver. The other song on the album that is among the best in the bands catalogue is "Cygnus X-1". After the introduction the song has an incredibily evil and striking sound. Alex Lifeson does a great job on this song, and manages to make his chords sound even more striking than most solos. This song also knows several different riffs and vocal parts.

This really is a tough album to rate, as it features both Rush's best and worst songs. Because of that I will rate the album with three stars. I do recommend this album to all Rush fans though, as both "Xanadu" and "Cygnus X-1" are essential pieces for any Rush fan.