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RUSH

Heavy Prog • Canada


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Rush biography
Formed in Toronto, Canada in 1968

RUSH are a pioneering line-up of Seventies Progressive rock, who influenced many Prog, hard-rock and heavy metal bands. This Canadian band is composed of bassist, singer and keyboard player Geddy LEE, guitarist Alex LIFESON and renowned drummer Neil PEART. In 1974 John RUTSEY was replaced by Peart who also assumed the role of the band's primary songwriter. Acclaimed for their instrumental virtuosity, their lyrics and longevity, throughout their 40+ year career they've proved to be the masters of their respective instruments while creating challenging yet popular music. They have the record for the third most consecutive gold or platinum albums for a band on the US album chart behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Now, a brief summary of the band's career ...
Through the history of RUSH, they have passed through many distinct phases. Every one of these phases represents a triumph in music, allowing the band to move on. As at the end of all of RUSH's phases, a live LP was released. This tradition began with "All The World's A Stage", recorded live at Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada. Since then, the group has released three additional live albums: the best selling "Exit... Stage Left" (1981), "A Show of Hands" (1989), and the three-disc set "Different Stages" (1998), which encompasses three decades of the group's music.

FIRST PHASE (1974-1976):
In the beginning, they started off as hard rock blues outfit with John-boy before he left and Neil came in, bringing his sci-fi mind into the works. The music seems to be a transition between straight-ahead rock tunes and more complex progressive tracks. "Caress of Steel" is a landmark album in the history of RUSH. Lyrically and musically, "2112" was a masterpiece. This multi-platinum release remains one of RUSH's best-selling albums.

SECOND PHASE (1977-1981):
They moved headlong into progressive rock in the later part of the decade, starting with the album previous and right on to their massive breakthrough, 1981's "Moving Pictures". Synthesizers were now employed by the band, played in the studio and on stage by Geddy. This was the end of transition from long epic pieces to shorter, more concise, and intricate songs. "Permanent Waves" is widely considered to be second only to "Moving Pictures" as RUSH's finest achievement.

THIRD PHASE (198...
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RUSH discography


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RUSH top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.95 | 1234 ratings
Rush
1974
3.38 | 1387 ratings
Fly by Night
1975
3.55 | 1431 ratings
Caress of Steel
1975
4.11 | 2368 ratings
2112
1976
4.34 | 2483 ratings
A Farewell to Kings
1977
4.38 | 2699 ratings
Hemispheres
1978
4.27 | 2301 ratings
Permanent Waves
1980
4.38 | 3139 ratings
Moving Pictures
1981
3.95 | 1500 ratings
Signals
1982
3.69 | 1297 ratings
Grace Under Pressure
1984
3.57 | 1133 ratings
Power Windows
1985
3.27 | 1033 ratings
Hold Your Fire
1987
3.18 | 959 ratings
Presto
1989
3.11 | 972 ratings
Roll the Bones
1991
3.75 | 1032 ratings
Counterparts
1993
2.89 | 939 ratings
Test for Echo
1996
3.43 | 953 ratings
Vapor Trails
2002
3.57 | 1070 ratings
Snakes & Arrows
2007
3.93 | 1211 ratings
Clockwork Angels
2012

RUSH Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.85 | 513 ratings
All the World's a Stage
1976
4.05 | 642 ratings
Exit... Stage Left
1981
3.54 | 460 ratings
A Show Of Hands
1989
4.34 | 421 ratings
Different Stages - Live
1998
3.82 | 386 ratings
Rush - In Rio
2003
4.24 | 235 ratings
R30 - 30th Anniversary World Tour
2005
3.64 | 249 ratings
Snakes & Arrows Live
2008
3.96 | 201 ratings
Grace Under Pressure 1984 Tour
2009
3.56 | 78 ratings
ABC 1974
2011
3.46 | 185 ratings
Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland
2011
3.43 | 79 ratings
Moving Pictures: Live 2011
2011
3.99 | 117 ratings
Clockwork Angels Tour
2013
3.92 | 30 ratings
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri - 14 February 1980
2015
4.13 | 67 ratings
R40 Live
2015

RUSH Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

4.00 | 145 ratings
Exit... Stage Left (VHS)
1981
3.40 | 43 ratings
Through The Camera Eye
1984
4.00 | 118 ratings
Grace Under Pressure Tour (DVD)
1985
3.97 | 130 ratings
A Show of Hands
1989
3.07 | 94 ratings
Chronicles
1990
4.35 | 297 ratings
Rush in Rio
2003
4.40 | 283 ratings
R30 - 30th Anniversary World Tour
2005
4.09 | 147 ratings
Replay x 3
2006
4.12 | 157 ratings
Snakes & Arrows Live
2008
2.82 | 49 ratings
Working Men
2009
4.68 | 301 ratings
Beyond the Lighted Stage
2010
4.21 | 88 ratings
Classic Albums: 2112 - Moving Pictures
2010
3.94 | 114 ratings
Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland
2011
3.95 | 77 ratings
Clockwork Angels Tour
2013
4.75 | 19 ratings
R 40 (DVD Box Set)
2014
4.45 | 64 ratings
R40 Live
2015
4.31 | 29 ratings
Time Stand Still
2016

RUSH Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.44 | 63 ratings
Archives
1978
2.73 | 27 ratings
Through Time
1978
3.00 | 3 ratings
Anthology
1984
3.59 | 119 ratings
Chronicles
1991
3.36 | 83 ratings
Retrospective I (1974-1980)
1997
3.21 | 79 ratings
Retrospective II (1981-1987)
1997
3.23 | 85 ratings
The Spirit Of Radio (Greatest Hits 1974-1987)
2003
3.15 | 60 ratings
Gold
2006
2.95 | 56 ratings
Retrospective III 1989 - 2008
2009
2.82 | 46 ratings
Working Men
2009
1.98 | 33 ratings
Time Stand Still: The Collection
2010
2.33 | 29 ratings
Icon
2010
4.16 | 49 ratings
Sector 1
2011
4.65 | 55 ratings
Sector 2
2011
4.44 | 53 ratings
Sector 3
2011
4.69 | 16 ratings
Moving Pictures 30TH Anniversary Deluxe Edition
2011
3.44 | 9 ratings
Icon 2
2011
4.22 | 41 ratings
The Studio Albums 1989-2007
2013
3.65 | 28 ratings
2112 40th Anniversary edition
2016
4.47 | 29 ratings
A Farewell To Kings (40th Anniversary)
2017
4.67 | 15 ratings
Permanent Waves (40th Anniversary Edition)
2020

RUSH Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

2.02 | 43 ratings
Not Fade Away
1973
2.89 | 34 ratings
Finding My Way
1974
3.08 | 13 ratings
In The Mood
1974
4.44 | 9 ratings
Bastille Day
1975
3.12 | 36 ratings
Fly by Night
1975
3.14 | 36 ratings
The Twilight Zone
1976
3.66 | 43 ratings
2112: Overture/The Temples of Syrinx
1976
3.69 | 44 ratings
Closer to The Heart
1977
2.37 | 24 ratings
Everything Your Listeners Wanted To Hear By Rush... But Were Afraid To Play
1977
3.64 | 20 ratings
The Trees
1978
4.15 | 56 ratings
The Spirit of Radio
1980
2.94 | 50 ratings
Entre Nous
1980
3.98 | 62 ratings
Tom Sawyer
1981
4.29 | 17 ratings
Tom Sawyer / A Passage To Bangkok / Red Barchetta
1981
4.06 | 16 ratings
Vital Signs / Passage To Bangkok / Circumstances / In The Mood
1981
4.26 | 19 ratings
Subdivisions
1982
3.93 | 15 ratings
Countdown
1982
3.21 | 45 ratings
New World Man
1982
3.71 | 14 ratings
The Body Electric
1984
3.61 | 43 ratings
Distant Early Warning
1984
3.89 | 9 ratings
Afterimage
1984
3.17 | 46 ratings
The Big Money
1986
3.75 | 12 ratings
Prime Mover
1987
4.27 | 11 ratings
Closer To The Heart
1989
3.87 | 15 ratings
The Pass
1989
2.86 | 25 ratings
Ghost of a chance
1992
3.55 | 11 ratings
Roll The Bones
1992
1.93 | 24 ratings
The Story Of Kings
1992
3.10 | 30 ratings
Stick It Out
1993
3.35 | 32 ratings
One Little Victory
2002
2.92 | 222 ratings
Feedback
2004
3.50 | 10 ratings
Summertime Blues
2004
3.52 | 46 ratings
Far Cry
2007
4.10 | 140 ratings
Caravan / BU2B
2010
3.77 | 83 ratings
Headlong Flight
2012
4.43 | 14 ratings
The Garden
2013
2.88 | 8 ratings
7 and 7 is
2014
3.91 | 11 ratings
Roll The Bones
2015

RUSH Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Hemispheres by RUSH album cover Studio Album, 1978
4.38 | 2699 ratings

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Hemispheres
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by VianaProghead
Prog Reviewer

5 stars Review Nš 756

"Hemispheres" is the sixth studio album of Rush and that was released in 1978. The album continues the band's explorations of their musical style and sounds and marks the peak of what I consider to be Rush's golden musical age, the years between 1976 and 1981. "Hemispheres" represents the second studio album of the band that belongs to their second musical phase. It comprises also their fifth studio album "A Farewell To Kings" released in 1977, their seventh studio album "Permanent Waves" released in 1980 and their eighth studio album "Moving Pictures" released in 1981.

The album contains examples of Rush's adherence to the progressive rock standards including the use of epic, multi movement song structures, complex rhythms and time signatures and flexible guitar solos. This is easily Rush's finest work. Four songs, which each of them rock in their own special little way and where each individual member is at his instrumental peak. "Hemispheres" is one of those albums that embody everything great about its constituent genre.

The line up on the album is Geddy Lee (lead vocals, bass guitar, Oberheim polyphonic, Mini Moog and Moog Taurus bass pedals), Alex Lifeson (electric and acoustic guitars, classical guitar, guitar synthesizer and Moog Taurus pedals) and Neil Pearl (drums, orchestral bells, bell tree, timpani, gong, cowbells, temple blocks, wind chimes and crotales).

So, "Hemispheres" has four tracks. All lyrics were written by Neil Pearl and all music was written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson except "La Villa Strangiato" which was written by Lee, Lifeson and Pearl. The first track " Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" is divided into six parts, "Prelude", "Apollo (Bringer Of Wisdom)", "Dionysus (Bringer Of Love)", "Armageddon (The Battle Of Heart And Mind)", "Cygnus (Bringer Of Balance)" and "The Sphere (A Kind Of Dream)". It kicks off the continuation of the "Cygnus X-1" story, the part one of which was the ending to their previous studio album "A Farewell To Kings". It combines the structure and themes of a Grecian tragedy with the elements of science fiction. "Hemispheres" continues the journey of the hero from the last album, wherein the science fiction tale describes his ships journey too and the subsequent destruction by a black hole in the Cygnus constellation. Now we pick up the tail, as a fantasy, where the hero arriving formless onto a land locked in an ancient civil war. One fiction is Apollo, representing logic, and while the other is Dionysus, representing love, and one of each forming in the great conflict a hemisphere, representing modern conventions on right and left hemispheres of our brain functions. Musically, the song is also amazing with about eighteen minutes. It's a truly wonderful epic song. It has multiple time signature changes, beautiful guitar solos and Geddy Lee gives one of his greatest vocal performances in his entire musical career. This is a very solid track with its mellowed out progressive rock innovative and magnificent. The second track "Circumstances" is the shortest song on the album and compared with the others three it's merely good, despite still is a great song too. At a first glance it's a straightforward rock song, but some of Lifeson's unusual rhythm guitar plating and some superb bass playing by Lee give to it something extra and really good. The third track "The Trees" is a great track musically and lyrically. The lyrics are about a disagreement between two types of trees in a forest. Contrary to the heavy opening of "Circumstances", "The Trees" starts off very gently with acoustic guitar and Lee singing over a nice bass line. The music starts building up in volume and the final result is a great Rush's song. The fourth and last track "La Villa Strangiato" is an instrumental track, the first by Rush, and represents probably the most complex composition by them. Like "Hemispheres", "La Villa Strangiato" achieves a brilliant balance of complexity and accessibility. The melodies are highly emotive while the endless array of changes in tempo, timbre and rhythm are totally dizzying, really. The final four minutes are especially staggering. "La Villa Strangiato" finishes the album with a flurry of drums and bass. For me, this is the best instrumental of Rush. With this track Rush close this album in a perfect and irresistible way, undoubtedly.

Conclusion: Unfortunately, "Hemispheres" became the last Rush's studio album with lengthy pieces of music. In the 2010 documentary film "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage", the band members commented that the stress of recording "Hemispheres" was a major factor in their decision to start moving away from musical suites with long format in their song writing. The change in philosophy would manifest itself in the band's next studio album, the considerably more accessible "Permanent Waves". Honestly, I deeply regret that their decision. "Hemispheres" is an album that combines perfectly well the best elements of Rush in a perfect blend. I'm talking about the power rock that featured a lot on their previous studio albums and the use of synthesizers that would increase more and more in their later studio albums. On "Hemispheres", the power rock still adventurous and strong and synthesizers add to the album a little extra, while still used sparingly. All these things make of "Hemispheres" as one of the best studio progressive rock albums ever made.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

 A Farewell to Kings by RUSH album cover Studio Album, 1977
4.34 | 2483 ratings

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A Farewell to Kings
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by JamieM

5 stars Rush's greatest album ever. It starts with one of my favorite Rush songs ever, the underrated title track, with the gorgeous classical guitar intro and then it gets into the upbeat hard rock stuff that sounds so amazing. The next song is Xanadu, one of the greatest prog rock songs ever, the beautiful Closer to the Heart comes next with the amazing acoustic intro and amazing guitar solo. Cinderella Man is next and while it's not as great as the songs before it's still a great track. Madrigal is easily the weakest track on the album, but it's short so it's fine. and Cygnus-X1 finishes it off and not only is the song itself unreal, but it is also a perfect setup for the next album. such a great album 5 stars easily
 Hemispheres by RUSH album cover Studio Album, 1978
4.38 | 2699 ratings

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Hemispheres
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by TenYearsAfter

4 stars 40th Anniversary edition featuring a 2-CD box set and a 24 page booklet.

In 1978 I experienced one of the biggest disappointments in my prog life listening to Genesis their new album ATTWT, my beloved band had turned from symphonic rock into progressive pop. But soon another trio became my new musical heroes, Rush from Canada, they had impressed me with their previous efforts 2112 (1976) and A Farewell To Kings (1977) and Rush impressed me again with Hemispheres (1978), wow, what a band! Here is my PA review that was published on June 26, 2005 (slightly re-arranged).

CD-1 features the original 1978 album.

"I was a bit disappointed about this album because at some moments my attention slips away during the long titletrack and the song Circumstances sounds a bit uninspired to me. But The Trees is pivotal 'heavy progressive rock' (from a classical guitar intro to powerful rock guitar riffs) and La Villa strangiato belongs to their finest work, it's perhaps the best example of the 'mid-Rush sound' and their incredible skills and ideas. La Villa Strangiato starts with exciting flamenco guitar and lush Moog sounds, followed by a great build up with twanging electric guitar, drums and bass guitar. The music culminates in a very propulsive rhythm with magnificent interplay between the fiery electric guitar (with repetetive quick and catchy runs) and a powerful and adventurous rhythm-section. Then the music slows down and a howling guitar (with frequent use of a volume pedal) enters as a prelude to a long and splendid build up guitar solo, from sensitve to biting. The support soft keyboards and a slowly heavier, very propulsive rhythm-section lift this part to an 'eargasm'! Soft synthesizer sounds and catchy guitar runs are a forerunner of a mindblowing final part with again sensational interplay between the guitar, bass and drums. The 'Canadian powerhouse' pushes themselves to their limits, what a captivating blend of energy and skills. La Villa Strangiato ends with a short, phaser-drenched bass run. In my opinion this stunning composition is the bridge to their masterpiece Moving pictures. "HAIL TO RUSH THEIR POWER SYMPHONIC ROCK!!"

CD-2 contains a large part of the Pinkpop festival concert, June 4th, 1979 and the entire epic composition 2112, recorded in the USA, Arizona, November 20th, 1978.

I was thrilled to notice that this bonus CD delivers the legendary Rush gig at Pinkpop 1979 (the Hemispheres tour), because I was there, after an almost 4 hour journey from the outskirts of my hometown The Hague to the edge of the city Geleen, and I was blown away! I remember a huge group of Rush fans from Canada who were travelling with the band through Europe, after talking with them I got free beer during the rest of the festival, haha. But seriously, what a performance that afternoon, the band sounds very inspired, and they made a lot of friends with their awesome progressive blend of hardrock and symphonic rock. In comparison with Genesis the crowd and the band embrace both the earlier as the new work, from progressive hardrock like A Passage To Bangkok and In The Mood to prog and roll like Closer To The Heart and The Trees (exciting version). And Heavy Prog like Xanadu (featuring Geddy and Alex on a double-neck) and La Villa Strangiato: volume pedal guitar, Minimoog, Moog Taurus bass pedals, assorted percussion, mindblowing guitar solo, build-up and interplay, Rush at their best! The atmosphere is great on this good sounding live recording, a band that feels the appreciation and a crowd that loves to show their appreciation, chemistry rules!

Due to a failure by the sound engineer on Pinkpop the long composition 2112 was not recorded entirely, that's why CD-2 features a version that was recorded a year earlier in the USA. I remember the excitement when the crowd heard the intro with the spacey Minimoog sounds, then Rush stunned the fans with an excellent rendition, more powerful than on the album, especially the interplay, wow, what a band!

 A Farewell To Kings (40th Anniversary) by RUSH album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2017
4.47 | 29 ratings

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A Farewell To Kings (40th Anniversary)
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by TenYearsAfter

5 stars PROGHEADS ARE A GOLDMINE FOR RECORD COMPANIES, BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY CAN'T STOP BUYING CD - AND VINYL REISSUES!

Well, in my case I love to purchase any interesting reissue/compilation/box set from Rush, like this unreviewed 40th anniversary 3-CD box set (2017, including a very informative 44- page booklet) of the pivotal 1977 album A Farewell To Kings.

CD-1, the original album, mixed by Steve Wilson, using a 'high resolution 96kHz/24-bit audio files in Logic-Pro'.

On November 13th, 2004 I wrote this review (slightly re-arranged) on Prog Archives. "Their first two albums were inspired by the progressive blues rock from Cream and Led Zeppelin but since A Caress Of Steel Rush started to experiment with a more symphonic approach: longer tracks and more changing climates. Unfortunately this LP almost led to the demise of Rush: no sales, no money, and no musical direction. But the Canadian trio regained their self- confidence, the result was the album 2112, legendary progressive hard rock! Inspired by the pivotal symphonic rock from the mid-Genesis line-up (Hackett, Banks, Rutherford and Collins) Rush began to mix more acoustic guitars and synthesizers and the compositions showed more symphonic rock elements like shifting moods, frequent accelerations and lots of dynamics. My love for Rush started with this LP from 1977, I read the critics in the known Dutch music magazine Muziekkrant Oor (the author was Kees Baars, nowadays a friend of Geddy Lee) and I rushed to the music store. At home I was blown away by the music: the dynamic atmosphere on the title track (intro with classical guitar and Minimoog duet, then heavy electric guitar riffs), the super-progressive 'magnum opus' Xanadu (what an exciting changing climates and biting guitar solo), the rock ballad Cinderella Man (inventive break with biting wah-wah drenched guitar solo), the beautiful dreamy Madrigal and the very original composition Cygnus X-1, with that ominous spacey intro, then the slowly 'out of space appearing bass', the splendid drum work and the exciting guitar play, the following awesome interplay sounds like a 'power-sympho' version of Cream. For me AFTK is one of the milestones in rock music, unfortunately I'm not allowed to give it more than five stars!"

Nowadays, almost 5 decades later, AFTK has turned into my favorite Rush album, even superior to Moving Pictures, my Rush second best. It sounds as the perfect bridge between Heavy Progressive and Symphonic Rock (my two beloved prog genres), so creative, adventurous, exciting, varied, and, last but not least, wonderfully embellished with assorted percussion, the distinctive Minimoog synthesizer, the bass pedal synthesizer, 6 - and 12-string acoustic guitars, and classical guitar. And on top of that there is the awesome cover, the final page of the AFTK story is about that iconic cover painting by Hugh Syme, very interesting.

CD-2 and a the first part of CD-3 contain a Rush gig (AFTK tour) on February 20th, 1978, in the legendary rock venue Hammersmith Odeon, London. It sounds well recorded and inspired with many of the best live Rush from the past, and most of their tracks from AFTK, especially Xanadu, Cygnus X-1 and the epic 2112 showcase Rush their huge potential at that time, wow! I was lucky to witness this exciting Rush period in 1979, at the annual Dutch music festival Pinkpop (featured on the Hemispheres 40th anniversary edition), Rush their first concert in The Netherlands.

The second part of CD-3 features five Rush covers.

Xanadu by prog metal legend Dream Theater, a good cover, pretty close to the original, especially John Petrucci on guitar shines.

Closer To The Heart by Big Wreck a Canadian hardrock band, a nice, harder-edged version with typical hardrock vocals and a guitar solo in the realm of metal, I am surprised by the excellent drum work.

Cinderella Man by The Trees, also a hardrock band, they deliver a decent version, with good vocals and a strong guitar solo, with exciting wah-wah.

Madrigal by Alain Johannes (Queens Of The Stone Age), he colours this song with his a bit dark voice, a fine rendition.

Cygnus X-2 by EH is an outtake (around 4 minutes) from electronic experiments during Cygnus X-1, it sounds like the more experimental Tangerine Dream in the Seventies, spacey and hypnotizing.

YOU CANNOT BEG FOR MORE!!!

 A Farewell to Kings by RUSH album cover Studio Album, 1977
4.34 | 2483 ratings

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A Farewell to Kings
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by VianaProghead
Prog Reviewer

5 stars Review Nš 708

This Canadian rock size enjoys worldwide popularity, but strangely, Europe was an exception. The power trio consists of the copywriter and drummer Neil Peart, the singer, bassist and drummer Geddy Lee and the guitar virtuoso Alex Lifeson. The latter two are responsible for the compositions. All musicians of the band are regarded as absolute top performers and appear in many acknowledgments of renowned progressive bands or are called role models to follow.

"A Farewell To Kings" is the fifth studio album of Rush and was released in 1977. This album continues the band's explorations of their music style and sounds. It's the album that represents the final musical and stylistic breakthrough.

"A Farewell To Kings" represents the first studio album of the band that belongs to their second musical phase that ended with their eighth studio album "Moving Pictures" in 1981. The other two albums released by the group between this two studio albums are "Hemispheres" in 1978 and "Permanent Waves" in 1980. In this musical phase, the band moved more into the progressive rock and for the first time synthesizers were now employed by the band. This musical phase marks the end of transition from their long epic pieces of music to shorter, more concise and intricate songs.

The line up on the album is Geddy Lee (lead vocals, bass, twelve string guitar, Mini Moog and bass pedal synthesizers), Alex Lifeson (electric and acoustic six and twelve string guitars, classical guitar and bass pedal synthesizers) and Neil Peart (drums, orchestral bells, wind chimes, bell tree, vibraslap, triangle, tubular bells and temple blocks).

"A Farewell To Kings" has six tracks. All lyrics were written by Neil Pearl and all music was composed by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson except "A Farewell To Kings" and "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" composed by Lee, Lifeson and Pearl, "Closer To The Heart" with lyrics by Lee and Peter Talbot, and "Cinderella Man" with lyrics by Lee. The first track is the title track song "A Farewell To Kings". It's a nice slow paced song with a unique and very beautiful acoustic introduction and a great feeling in the singing. This is the kind of songs that makes a magic trick and confuses all of us with its enjoyable and hypnotic rhythm. This is a very strong opener for the album that shows the growing power and the magnanimous force of Rush's songs. The second track "Xanadu" represents the first great epic on the album. It has an atmospheric introduction and a multiple exchange between bass lines and the guitar, and it's impossible to forget after we heard it. As an electric storm, the strong grows until the grand entrance by the vocals. Lee sings this song magnificently and he simply owns you. The simple sole presence of this song makes of this album a truly masterpiece. The third track "Closer To The Heart" is a short, peace and love song that starts with an acoustic guitar riff that is joined by vocals, drums and bass. This is a nice and enjoyable track to hear. After hearing the serious opening track and the epic second track, this is quite welcome. It's a song with simple lyrics, simple music and simple and short solos. This is an uplifting and very good song. The fourth track "Cinderella Man" is a mid-tempo song with a slower chorus. It's another simple and good song, especially appropriated for those who still feel the powerful effect of the two first tracks. It only picks up a little bit than "Closer To The Heart". Lyrically is a lovely song and it has musicianship enough to make of it a very good track. The fifth track "Madrigal" is the shortest track on the album. This is a simple love song, very slow and almost too simple even for a ballad. This is, in my opinion, the weakest track on the album and represents its Achilles' heel. Fortunately it doesn't last for long and we soon get what we were waiting for. The sixth track "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyager" is the album's second lengthy track. With it Rush managed to perfectly convey what a daring and dramatic quest into space would sound like. Completed with dark unsettling synthesizers this track is akin to "Xanadu" in that it opens quietly and then explodes into its musical splendour. It's dark and brooding, slow and pulsating, and builds into a great spiral of chaos, and then it leaves the listener in a soft and contemplative mood. All over the song there is a real feeling of menace and of mystery. It closes the album in a brilliant and fearless manner.

Conclusion: "A Farewell To Kings" is one of the best Rush's albums. This is also probably one of their most balanced albums with great progressive songs and short but catchy songs. Faster tunes and slower ones are also another point of balance. The flow of this album is just amazing and the warm sound, tons of unconventional musical instruments and brilliant lyrics make of it a classic. "A Farewell To Kings" was the first in a series of must have Rush's albums. The only weak point "Madrigal" doesn't spoil the album and even is excusable for being under two and a half minutes in length. As I wrote above, this was the beginning of the second chapter in Rush's musical career and unequivocally the most successful of all. "A Farewell To Kings" would set the stage for years to come. This is a great entry point for those willing to explore the most acclaimed portion of Rush's musical catalogue and a great album for all progressive lovers.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

 2112 by RUSH album cover Studio Album, 1976
4.11 | 2368 ratings

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2112
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by VianaProghead
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Review Nš 674

"2112" is the fourth studio album of Rush and was released in 1976. The album features an eponymous seven part musical suite telling a dystopian story about a man who discovers an ancient guitar and learns to play his own music in the year of 2112. The "2112" suite fills the entire A side of the album. Besides that suite, the album has more five tracks on the B side. Rush repeated this musical arrangement on their sixth studio album "Hemispheres" released in 1978.

"2112" represents the last studio album of the band that belongs to their first musical phase. That phase started with their eponymous debut studio album "Rush" released in 1974, followed by "Fly By Night" released in 1975 and "Caress Of Steel" also released in 1975. This musical phase is a less progressive phase that is more characterized by the hard rock and the blues tunes and some more complex progressive tracks that "2112" is the greatest testimony of that.

Rush has always been regarded as one of the very most important bands in the progressive rock and metal history. Their intricate song structures and the use of outside influences has become a staple of countless of the band's sound. The complexity of their masterpiece suite, the twenty minute epic track "2112" is undeniably one of the greatest achievements that this legendary power trio have ever put their name on. However, the album to which it lends its title contains no other really worthwhile music. Sure, there are some fine riffs on the last five out songs, but none of them can rival with the colossally layered mastery of harmonies and atmosphere displayed consistently on the title track. Nor do the display the unbelievable musical intensity that Rush could often take on effortlessly. The acoustic parts everywhere, but the first song feel thin and lifeless, but it's all made up for before you even get to those songs, really.

About the individual tracks, "2112" is the lengthiest and the greatest track on the album. So, I must talk more deeply about it than the other five tracks. Lyrically and briefly, "2112" tells the story of a futuristic society run by a priestly intelligentsia that brainwash the masses into believing that they are happy. One day a boy finds a guitar and being expressing himself through music. The boy wants to share his music with others, which infuriates and terrifies the priests. Musically this is really a great piece of music with a magnificent huge sound. It's on a par with some other great progressive pieces of music like Yes's "Close To The Edge", King Crimson's "In The Court Of Crimson King" and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". What distinguishes more "2112" is that the band manages to create such a giant sound with not much than a guitar, a bass, drums and vocals. While there is some doubling of guitar, mostly during solos or when acoustic guitar is added, and a few keyboard passages, the vast majority of "2112" is produced with only three music instruments. So, all of this elements and the story makes of "2112" a true masterpiece in the way that it sounds.

Relatively to the other five songs on the album, while "2112" rightfully gets all our attention, side B is praiseworthy in its own right. While side A perfected their progressive rock elements, side B is the group's more direct hard rock dimension. On side B, Rush move out of a shadow of Led Zeppelin to create a hard rock sound with a very distinctive Rush touch. I'm not saying that the second half of this is completely bad, or even that it doesn't rock face times. There are definitely some riffs driven joints to be found here. These songs tell vivid stories or describe intense emotional experiences and in each case, Rush finds good melodies and hooks to convey these stories and feelings. For instance "A Passage To Bangkok" captures the energy and exoticism of travelling in far of lands while "The Twilight Zone" creates a spooky ambience. Even the ballad "Tears" is quite impressive, with Lee delivering a beautiful vocal performance, while guest musician Hugh Syme provides excellent atmospheric backing melodies with his Mellotron. When I want to hear these songs, I usually choose the respective live versions. But I admit this is a personal preference.

Conclusion: "2112" isn't truly a cohesive effort due to the great differences between both sides of the album. The side B of the album isn't as progressive and as good as the side A is. I think it suffers from the same problem that "Tarkus" of Emerson, Lake & Palmer suffers. However, I sincerely think it has enough quality not to spoil the general musical quality of it. Probably, the main problem with the both sides of the album is that Rush, in my humble opinion, was never a pure progressive rock band and always had a more direct hard rock aspect to their sound, at least, through "Moving Pictures". By the other hand, with "2112", Rush took a real giant leap into their music and began the release of a true amazing set of studio albums that shuttling them definitely to the stardom. With "2112", Rush made exactly the album that they wanted to make, rather than the one the label was being for. Few bands haven't been brave enough to maintain their artistic integrity in that situation. Thus, "2112" became so important that neither progressive metal nor alternative rock bands would be what they are today without it. As a whole, "2112" stands out because of its title track.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

 Exit... Stage Left by RUSH album cover Live, 1981
4.05 | 642 ratings

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Exit... Stage Left
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

4 stars With the successful "Moving Pictures" as their flagship, Rush concludes one of the most progressive and splendid stages of their career, releasing their second live album "Exit... Stage Left", title taken from the character "Snagglepuss" from a Hanna Barbera cartoon series. A band in a state of grace, able to play live complex studio tracks and transmitting the intensity of the adrenaline generated by the direct contact with the audience, surrendered to the staging of the Canadians.

The setlist represents the stellar moment the trio was going through, highlighting specially pieces like the energetic and participative "The Spirit of Radio", or the impressive "Xanadu", where Alex Lifeson induces us with his guitars and pedals to a trip of unique sensations, or the instrumental "La Villa Strangiato", a sample of the band's virtuosity, to which are added some of the most outstanding songs from "Moving Pictures", such as "Red Barchetta", the novel and mega successful "Tom Sawyer", and the huge drum solo of the master Neil Peart in "YYZ".

A more than interesting curiosity is the brief instrumental Broon's Bane, a classical guitar solo by Lifeson that precedes the beginning of "The Trees".

Although the original recording presents a somewhat dirty sound, improved somewhat by subsequent remasterings in 1997 and 2011, "Exit... Stage Left" is one of the best live albums of the genre in the decade of the 80`s.

4/4.5 stars

 Clockwork Angels by RUSH album cover Studio Album, 2012
3.93 | 1211 ratings

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Clockwork Angels
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by gbjones

2 stars My God, this is about as dull, boring, and unimaginative as an album could possibly be. Is this the same group who put out the mighty 2112 and Farewell to Kings?

July 2023 = I just get tired of so many mediocre compositions.....should I burn them and piss on them, or just come here to PA and complain? It really is bad when I know a song sounds identical to one if its predecessors, but I can't figure out WHICH predecessor? Yikes. A 3-star rating is bad, bad because PA is about excellence; thus a 2 or 3 star rating stands out, as it should.

Maybe people upvote Rush because they're Canadian, they like Canadians, or because Rush is simply prog royalty.

Structurally, I'm not even going to get into a song by song break down (I always resist doing that). Also, some of these reviewers must be paid to say good things about certain artists (duh).

 Roll the Bones by RUSH album cover Studio Album, 1991
3.11 | 972 ratings

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Roll the Bones
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

3 stars The synthesizers, which had almost completely disappeared on "Presto" return, and while they are no longer the protagonists, their supporting role is joined by Geddy Lee's flawless vocal performances, Alex Lifeson's riffs, and Neil Peart's percussion, mainly focused on merging with the melodies, so that "Roll the Bones" transmits a sense of more harmony and feels less rudimentary than its predecessor.

Keeping the scheme of short songs, the best is in the first part, with the anxious "Dreamline", the neat "Bravado" very clean and lively, surely the best track on the album, and the striking "Roll the Bones" with its catchy chorus and that more than surprising nod to rap, in a new demonstration of the versatility of Rush to incorporate elements of other musical currents without complexes.

After the stunned "Face Up" and the instrumental "Where's My Thing ..." (the melody could easily be part of "Power Windows" or "Hold You Fire"), the album remains coherent, but the spark seems to lose strength, it is reactivated with the intense "Heresy", and ends up taking the car correctly to a cruising speed without major emotions on the road until the closing with "You Bet Your Life".

Without being the most brilliant of Rush's discography, "Roll the Bones" is a good album, and it's well worth betting a few coins on...

3 stars

 Caress of Steel by RUSH album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.55 | 1431 ratings

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Caress of Steel
Rush Heavy Prog

Review by Hector Enrique
Prog Reviewer

3 stars "Caress of Steel" put Rush against the wall and made the band's continuity questionable, after its meager commercial repercussion and a promotional tour that went unnoticed.

Although the band maintained its influences related to classic rock, as with the warrior "Bastille Day" and its unbeatable riff, or the nostalgic "Lakeside Park", they also begin to sail in progressive waters with two songs that occupy most of "Caress of Steel": the hypnotic and fantastical "The Necromancer", the best achieved composition of the album, standing out clearly Lifeson's guitar solos that go through its three parts, and Geddy Lee's active bass; and "The Fountain of Lamneth", one of the longest songs in the band's discography. And this last song, in spite of its promising acoustic beginning and Neil Peart's fleeting and incisive drum solo, fails to coalesce in all its development as a fluid structure, and perhaps that is the main point that works against not only the song but the album as a whole and its relationship with the record label.

Becoming a cult album over the years, in part perhaps because of the guilty indifference it suffered at its release, and in part perhaps also because of that mysterious character of lost gem and, separating the wheat from the chaff, "Caress of Steel" has above all the merit of having been the fundamental basis for the release of "2112", the band's first international mega-hit. And the end of the discussion with their record company...

3 stars

Thanks to Tony R for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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