HEMISPHERES

Level 4 all the way on this one. I usually consider this to be my "2nd favorite" Rush album. But honestly, AFTK gets the top spot because it contains my favorite Rush track ever - Xanadu. But I pretty much consider the two albums to be part one and part two of the same vibe. I mean Hemispheres literally picks up where A Farewell to Kings leaves off, continuing the saga of Cygnus X-1. One of the biggest curiosities of this list is how A Farewell to Kings is at #53, while this one is at #23, ranking a full 30 albums higher. [Prog Magazine's 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time] I believe they are cut from the same cloth. But anyway, let's get started.

Track 1 - Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres

This is an 18 minute long, 6-part side-long epic with the following subsections:

I. "Prelude"

II. "Apollo (Bringer of Wisdom)"

III. "Dionysus (Bringer of Love)"

IV. "Armageddon (The Battle of Heart and Mind)"

V. "Cygnus (Bringer of Balance)"

VI. "The Sphere (A Kind of Dream)"

(Above copied from Wikipedia)

The song opens with sounds fading in and landing on as Dream Theater's John Petrucci describes it:

"It's the opening chord from Hemispheres by Rush," Petrucci replies. "It's the F sharp major with the added 4th and the flat 7. That should really be named 'the Alex Lifeson Chord,' because he invented that." (From an interview in Guitar Player Magazine)

Geddy & Neil start a steady rhythm at 20 seconds, before proceeding through several themes. The band establishes a dreamy vibe. Then Alex plays a melody using harmonics. Geddy and Neil join him, then Alex goes to heavy chords. Geddy begins singing at 3 minutes in, in his signature 70s vocal style. There is a false ending at 4:25 then they kick back in at 4:30 for the second verse in a more relaxed vocal range. The rhythm changes again around 5:45 and rocks a bit harder. Alex takes a guitar solo around 6:25. Geddy returns on vocals thereafter in another more relaxed section. There is a nice odd-metered riff about halfway through then Alex plays another solo on the lower strings of the guitar. Geddy goes up into the stratosphere around the 10-minute mark. Geddy's bass has been somewhat subdued on this, at least by his standards. A simple synth part is briefly featured around 11:35. Then there is an ascending riff leading to a quieter section. The volume swells are reminiscent of the middle section of By-Tor & the Snow Dog on Fly by Night. Geddy has a calm vocal part with an effect on his voice. The sound gets as clean as a bell at around 14:45 and Geddy sings a high melody while Alex plays an arpeggiated riff behind. Following that, the three of them lock into a tight groove while Geddy sings another verse. Next up is another Lifeson solo, which is brief and to the point. Geddy's voice seems doubled on the line "We shall call you Cygnus, the god of balance you shall be!" That leads us to a triumphant sounding major key section after a brief redux of the opening chords. At 6:42 we get another false ending, this time to be followed by a quiet acoustic and vocal duet that closes out the song. There are also subtle synth lines adding a bit of color to the song. For an 18-minute epic, Geddy and Neil are somewhat subdued in their playing - at least by Rush standards. I do believe there will be a "self-indulgent" remedy for that later.

Track 2 - Circumstances

Probably the most underrated song on the album. It's a great short burst of prog, but it's overshadowed by its more famous neighbors. Alex starts with a heavy riff supported by Geddy & Neil. I love the riff at 49 seconds. At 2:10, there is a middle instrumental section with synths and glockenspiels supported by arpeggiated guitar. Then there is a bit of heavy riffage, and some great Peart drum fills before returning to the main riff and a final chorus to close things out. I love that a song that is only 3:40 gets a full minute for a proggy instrumental break. It's like an epic in miniature. I think it could be considered a prototype for what they would do on the succeeding albums.

Track 3 - The Trees

Another relatively short one, but an all-time Rush classic. Alex begins with classical guitar then Geddy begins singing. The song is a metaphor for the haves vs. the have-nots. Geddy plays a nice countermelody to Alex's guitar as the opening segment comes to a close at 38 seconds. Then the guys get to business and have a build up into the second verse. I love the triplet feel at around a minute and a half. Then there is an awesome proggy middle section featuring synth and tuned woodblocks. Alex plays arpeggios as Geddy & Neil accent. Then they lock into a groove before Alex takes a solo. They come back together for an instrumental bridge. Geddy starts singing the final verse at just before the 4-minute mark. Then the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, ax & sword.

Track 4 - LaVilla Strangiato

(An Exercise in Self-Indulgence)

Here we go?remember what I said earlier? This is a 9:37 instrumental in 12 sections as follows:

I. "Buenos Nochas, Mein Froinds!"

II. "To Sleep, Perchance to Dream..."

III. "Strangiato Theme"

IV. "A Lerxst in Wonderland"

V. "Monsters!"

VI. "The Ghost of the Aragon"

VII. "Danforth and Pape"

VIII. "The Waltz of the Shreves"

IX. "Never Turn Your Back on a Monster!"

X. "Monsters! (Reprise)"

XI. "Strangiato Theme (Reprise)"

XII. "A Farewell to Things"

Alex says the idea for it comes from nightmares he was having. So, it begins with a classical guitar part, very quietly. He plays a fast run on the nylon strings then clean, dreamy guitar arpeggios begin. Synths and glockenspiel begin embellishing things, before Neil begins playing a steady, quick rhythm underneath, Geddy joins and there is a crescendo as Alex starts playing power chords to lead to the main theme. Geddy & Neil are swinging on the rhythm section as Alex plays melodic lines between the rhythmic power chord sections. Things quiet down while Geddy keeps a subtle yet complex pattern with Taurus bass pedals going along. Then Alex plays one of his finest solos in a slow burn kind of way. At 5:15 he goes into an odd meter staccato pattern with Peart cookin' below the surface. Then the band opens up and they play a tight riff together. At around 6:08 is one of the greatest bass features of only a few seconds you'll ever hear. Geddy packs in several, well-placed notes in only 4 seconds. It's seriously mind blowing. After some descending chords Neil's incredible drumming gets featured with accents from Geddy & Alex. It concludes with a barnburner of a fill at around 6:45. Then Alex gets another solo over a quirky rhythm. Then the band plays some in sync staccato notes before going into a shuffle on the Monsters theme, before returning to the main theme. They close things out with some precision playing and a bass fill from Geddy before a final accented note. If by some freak of nature and you are reading this but never heard it, please know that my description does not do it justice. It must be heard to be appreciated. This is a candidate for the greatest prog instrumental of all time in my opinion.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

A masterpiece. Tied with A farewell to Kings in its greatness. As I said before, I only give its predecessor the edge because Xanadu is my favorite Rush song. They were at the peak of their powers in this period. An easy 5 out of 5.