A FAREWELL TO KINGS

I first saw Rush open for BOC in the mid 70's and was immediately struck by the power. I was a young guitar/bass player at the time and was quickly addicted to combination of meter and melody. When I saw them again a year later on the AFTK tour it was amazing the difference. They were raw before but now they were polished. Having been a musician for 30 years I can say that very artists can manitain the combination of inspiration and passion that comes from being young. The guys were mid-20's when this album was released. They had the phyiscality and passion that comes from youth yet just enough experience to sound very focused. It all came together on AFTW and Hemisperes to a lesser degree. I was stunned when first heard it. Myself and my cohorts wore out many vinyl copies learning Xanadu and Cygnus. There is simply no weak material on this album. I consider Xanadu as perhaps Rushes finest hour. I had read once that the song was recorded essentially live which explains the fact that the song while in the key of Emajor is actually a little flat from concert pitch. Guys, this is a very difficult song that Rush makes look easy. The nuance of the whole album is amazing. Even more amazing is watching them do it live. Closer to the Heart might be Rush's theme song, it's simply perfect. Madrigal might be considered a little lite for the album but it segues perfectly into Cygnus. Nobody plays a "forbidden third" like Geddy Lee While most bassist's at the time were sticking with a root and a fifth Geddy was playing melodic yet very rythmic bass in a way that was previously unknown. The fills on the theme song are amazing and through out the album. Little can be said for Neil Peart that hasn't already been said, he's in the top 2 or 3 drummers of any genre in all of drumming history. Poor Alex, imagine a band where Alex Lifeson is your weak link??!! Listen to the early performances like some of the bootleg live stuff and you can really hear the Jimmy Page influence. Somewhere between Fly by Night and 2112 ALex found his own voice and it really shines on AFTK. Only Steve Howe could top him at the time. 1977 was a very good year for prog rock and AFTK tops the list