A FAREWELL TO KINGS

AFTK is in my opinion the best Rush albums and one of the greatest rock and prog rock albums of all time. It contains three amazing, epic songs: the fantastic rocking title track with a lovely intro on classical guitar, the epic of them all "Xanadu" and finally the sci-fi classic "Cygnus X-1". There are also three nice songs in between, "Closer to the Heart" being the most recognized and the biggest radio hit, then "Cinderella Man" and the short but beautiful "Madrigal". Geddy Lee's singing may be an aquired taste, but like the Cinderella Man he does what he can and does it well. Alex Lifeson plays delivers one of his best performances on this album and specially on "Xanadu", where he soloes like never before. Neil Peart is as always great behind the drums and as lyricist.

This record would be followed by a more pretentious Hemispheres, which offered a sequel for Cygnus, but there is no doubt that both the original song and the album are better. This one truly deserves five stars. It's a tragedy that Moving Pictures are recognized by many as Rush's greatest album, 'coz its not. A Farewell to Kings is and remains their greatest achievement.