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SECTOR 2

Rush

Heavy Prog


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Rush Sector 2 album cover
4.65 | 55 ratings | 4 reviews | 67% 5 stars

Essential: a masterpiece of
progressive rock music

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Boxset/Compilation, released in 2011

Songs / Tracks Listing

Disc 1: A Farewell to Kings

1. A Farewell To Kings (5:49)
2. Xanadu (11:04)
3. Closer To The Heart (2:51)
4. Cinderella Man (4:19)
5. Madrigal (2:33)
6. Cygnus X-1 (10:21)

Total Time: 36:57

Disc 2: Hemispheres

1. Hemispheres (18:04)
- (i) Prelude (4:27)
- (ii) Apollo/ Dionysus (4:36)
- (iii) Armageddon (2:55)
- (iv) Cygnus (5:01)
- (v) The Sphere (1:02)
2. Circumstances (3:40)
3. The Trees (4:42)
4. La Villa Strangiato: (10:34)

Total Time: 37:00

Disc 3: Permanent Waves

1. The Spirit of Radio (4:56)
2. Freewill (5:21)
3. Jacob's Ladder (7:26)
4. Entre Nous (4:37)
5. Different Strings (3:48)
6. Natural Science (9:17)

Total Time: 35:25

Disc 4: Moving Pictures

1. Tom Sawyer (4:34)
2. Red Barchetta (6:08)
3. YYZ (4:24)
4. Limelight (4:21)
5. The Camera Eye (10:57)
6. Witch Hunt (Part III of Fear) (4:44)
7. Vital Signs (4:47)

Total Time: 39:55

Disc 5: Exit... Stage Left

1. Spirit Of Radio (5:12)
2. Red Barchetta (6:48)
3. YYZ (7:44)
4. Closer To The Heart 3:09)
5. Beneath, Between and Behind (2:34)
6. Jacobs Ladder (8:47)
7. Broon's Bane (1:37)
8. The Trees (4:50)
9. Xanadu (12:10)
10. Freewill (5:33)
11. Tom Sawyer (5:01)
12. La Villa Strangiato (9:38)

Total Time: 76:29

Disc 6: A Farewell to Kings (5.1)

1. A Farewell To Kings (5:49)
2. Xanadu (11:04)
3. Closer To The Heart (2:51)
4. Cinderella Man (4:19)
5. Madrigal (2:33)
6. Cygnus X-1 (10:21)

Total Time: 36:57

Line-up / Musicians

- Geddy Lee / bass, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals, rhythm guitar
- Alex Lifeson / guitars, bass pedals
- Neil Peart / drums, percussion

Releases information

Six-Disc Set on Mercury; notable because the set contains "A Farewell to Kings" on DVD in 5.1 sound.

Thanks to sfranke for the addition
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RUSH Sector 2 ratings distribution


4.65
(55 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(67%)
67%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(29%)
29%
Good, but non-essential (0%)
0%
Collectors/fans only (2%)
2%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

RUSH Sector 2 reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Gooner
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars A message from the Rush website:

We are aware of some slight technical issues surrounding the CD of 'Fly By Night' inside the Sector 1 box set release and the DVD for 'A Farewell To Kings' inside the Sector 2 box set that some fans are experiencing. It stems from a production flaw and it is currently being addressed. As soon as production is completed a formal announcement of how to replace the discs will follow shortly. Please be aware that there may be a time delay in shipping and receiving the disc and we sincerely apologize for this inconvenience ? Geddy, Alex & Neil

(Gooner review): Yes, the DVD mix of _A Farewell To Kings_ (especially the mix on Cygnus X-1 where the bells are missing and other tracks on Closer To The Heart) is rather questionable; Rush states they are production issues and plan to make good on it by replacing the DVD or CD). Believe it. These guys are a class act.

The CD remasters are quite superb, though... and I am especially impressed with the remaster of "A Farewell To Kings" (which I call Rush's"orchard" album). Xanadu sounds like you're in the orchard (must be Haggersville, Ontario maybe). :-)

Permanent Waves with the older remasters, I found the intro guitar to "Spirit Of Radio" to distort and crackle. To my ears, that no longer exists on this remaster.

It is worth noting that I don't hear much of a difference in the remastering of the popular radio tracks (maybe I've heard them too many times). The remastering is very noticeable on the more progressive tracks such as "Camera Eye" from Moving Pictures, "Xanadu" from A Farewell To Kings, "Natural Science" from Permanent Waves and especially the whole Hemispheres album. The big highlight though is to hear "Jacob's Ladder" in its newly remastered glory! (from Permanent Waves). The drums are simply nuts.

It's not gated, overly-compressed on any of these CDs. The CDs sound a little louder but not annoyingly so.

I recomend this set even with the flaw on the DVD as the DVD will be replaced as promised by the band. A great stocking stuffer for the RUSH fan.

Normally, I'd give this 5 stars...but the DVD (as it stands) is a bit of a letdown. This rating may change once I hear the DVD-proper with the production corrected. A solid 4 stars for the package and 5 star rating for the CDs.

Review by Nightfly
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars Of the three Sector box sets, though others will no doubt disagree, this is the most essential one, containing the most exciting period in Rush's history. The sound quality has been significantly improved over the previous CD releases with a sharper and punchier sound breathing new life into these excellent albums. Alongside the five albums from A Farewell To Kings to their second live album Exit...Stage Left there's the addition of a 5.1 mix of A Farewell To Kings which I have to be honest, prefer the stereo version. This may however be in part down to the quality of my hi-fi far exceeding my surround system.

I've already reviewed most of these albums for PA already so briefly on the music A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres are the highlights of Rush's exceptional recording career when they were in their most progressive phase, by now honed to perfection with essential longer pieces such as Xanadu, Cyxnus X-1 on AFTK and the side long title track Hemispheres on the latter. They even had a minor hit single on their hands with Closer To The Heart! The instrumental La Villa Strangiato demonstrates perfectly, if proof were needed, what virtuoso musicians they had become as it twist and turns through a series of complex changes.

By Permanent Waves it was clear that a change was in the air. Despite containing longer pieces such as Jacob's Ladder and Natural Science it was a much leaner affair. Nevertheless with tracks of the quality of The Spirit Of Radio and Freewill and the two previously mentioned it remains almost as essential as AFTK and Hemispheres. Moving Pictures can be seen as the companion album to Permanent Waves and regarded by many as the bands finest work. For me despite containing essential tracks such as Tom Sawyer, Limelight, YYZ and Witch Hunt it's the weakest of the four but only because of being in such illustrious company. It also features the dismal Vital Signs which saw the start of the change into the bands next phase with its Police influenced mock reggae.

Finally live album Exit...Stage Left lacks the raw aggression of All The Worlds A Stage but is a fine live document of the second phase of the bands career and loses some of the muddiness I always felt my vinyl copy had. Housed in attractive vinyl replica sleeves there's no better time to get these albums if you don't have them already. If like me you do the improvements in sound quality make it well worth getting them again.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Of all the three Rush "Sector" boxed sets - each containing four studio albums plus a live album summing up the era in question - Sector 2 is probably the most essential one. Sure, Sector 1 might have the almighty 2112, but it's also got a bunch of significantly rougher material from when Rush were still polishing their sound. Sector 3 covers their synth era nicely, but that era got decidedly patchy towards the end.

Sector 2, though? You've got three classic albums (A Farewell To Kings, Permanent Waves, and Moving Pictures), a patchier one (the rump-tastic Hemispheres, though I know some people really love it), and perhaps their all-time best live album in the form of Exit... Stage Left. What's not to love? (There's also a DVD version of Farewell To Kings to sweeten the deal.)

Latest members reviews

5 stars don't but this - wait till it's re-released with the bugs fixed! (SEE BELOW FROM RUSH WEBSITE) and even then - it's mastered WAY too high with reduced dynamic range, compression, clipping, etc from RUSH WEBSITE... We are aware of some slight technical issues surrounding the CD of 'Fly By Ni ... (read more)

Report this review (#581298) | Posted by Matt-T | Saturday, December 3, 2011 | Review Permanlink

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