A FAREWELL TO KINGS (40TH ANNIVERSARY)

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!!!

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