A FAREWELL TO KINGS

Rush continued in the best direction, experimenting with longer and more developed pieces, and the sound began to become fuller. While not their best effort, this is an exceptional album, full of great music.

"A Farewell to Kings" Alex Lifeson gets the music going with a classical introduction. Otherwise, this is a heavy song with a moderate to upbeat tempo, and a somewhat filled-out sound (primarily due to Lifeson's tone).

"Xanadu" Quiet sounds reminiscent of nature at its most peaceful abound in the beginning of this lengthy track, alongside sweet swells of Lifeson's electric guitar and Neil Peart's blocks. Lifeson plays a static riff while the chords change, and at almost three minutes in, the band finally sounds more like Rush. There's the riff-based rock, but there's also enough variation to keep this piece fresh and lively. Five minutes passes before Geddy Lee even opens his mouth. A synthesizer interlude bridges the vocal sections. This is most definitely a progressive rock track in the richest sense.

"Closer to the Heart" A worldwide favorite, this little song has lots of charm and philosophical musings.

"Cinderella Man" Alternating between somewhat heavier sections and light acoustic sections, this song is a great short progressive rock number, with wonderful lyrics and excellent bass work from Lee.

"Madrigal" Another soft, short song, this has a whistling synthesizer and clean guitar.

"Cygnus X-1" Intergalactic noises and an extraterrestrial voice introduce the second lengthy piece on the album. In the distance, a growling, sputtering bass can be heard as it gradually comes to the fore. Over galloping chords enters a synthesizer lead. Again, five minutes passes before Lee sings. This lengthy track is not as great as some of Rush's others, and it can be difficult to follow, but it makes for an interesting piece of music, and serves as "part one" to the greatest song Rush ever created.