Then All the World's a Stage, Rush's first live recording from '76, truly put the band on the map with its first gold, then not long later, platinum sales status. It didn't hurt that this exciting concert document served as a "greatest hits" of sorts for the millions of listeners who were new to Rush. A sweet introduction to Canada's top rock export.
I must admit I haven't listened much to Rush over the past few years or so, but the other day I felt compelled to drop on Farewell, which I thought just might be my favourite of all Rush albums. Firstly, I was so happy to finally revisit my Rush roots once again. Secondly, the CD (un-remastered, as this was the very first compact disc release of the album... from somewhere back in the 80's) sounded immaculate. Oh, and after being suitably blown away by the disc, I got on the Amazon site and ordered the even more pristine remastered edition - about bloody time!
Since Rush has traditionally closed each chapter of their career with a live recording (every fifth album, and A Farewell to Kings followed a live set, this disc ushered in what I like to call the band's Golden Age. Some might argue that 2112 belongs in that same era, but I'd disagree. 2112 was still the Rush that played Working Man, Fly By Night and Lakeside Park. I feel as though Farewell was the beginning of a new Rush, a group who had grown musically and personally to the extent that they were well on their way to greatness.
Think about what followed A Farewell to Kings, and fell into my Golden Age of Rush: the mind-boggling Hemispheres, the sleek Permanent Waves, and the band's most accessible masterpiece, Moving Pictures.
A Farewell to Kings ups the ante on everything that came before. The most sublime pastoral pieces, the heaviest of metal meltdowns, the most tuneful of radio hits. And a blend of all of those within a single song, in some cases. Rush's ambition and musical prowess paid off in spades; the album became the band's first U.S. gold-seller, certified within just two months of its release date.
Drummer and lyricist Neil Peart wrote songs here that have become Rush staples in concert and on radio: the title track, Xanadu, and Closer to the Heart are among the most beloved. Farewell, the song, begins with a classical guitar intro, shifting into a metallic rock vein - Geddy Lee in fine vocal falsetto form, Alex Lifeson sporting an angular, furious guitar solo. It's challenging stuff, primo progressive rock without a doubt. Xanadu is one of Rush's literary-fueled masterworks, a dreamy assembly of ideas from poet S.T. Coleridge's "Kubla Khan", expressively augmented by intoxicating and muscular rock guitar, drums and bass... not to mention the effective and atmospheric addition of synthesizers. Oh, and then there's that little ditty that got played three million times on the radio, Closer to the Heart. The perfect pop song. Heh. There was a time when everyone, even non-Rush fans, knew the band for that track. Of course, later on came Spirit of Radio, and then Tom Sawyer, as signature songs.
But looking at deeper tracks on A Farewell to Kings, we see some polished gems that are often overlooked. Cinderella Man could very well have been the album's hit single... though its lyrics might have been a bit heady for the great unwashed. The song's mobile gait is fun and exciting, and Lee's singing is relatively restrained... and the chorus is light and melodic enough to have gotten some teen girls singing and dancing along... right? Then there's Madrigal, not a bad song, but one that I nearly always skip over. It's a soft, gentle thing that doesn't do a lot musically.... yes, it's textured and pretty, but it's also a bit of a snooze. Not what I'm normally looking for from Rush.
And lastly, the song that has in recent years become perhaps my favourite song on Farewell, Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage. We get Book 2 on the next album, Hemispheres, just so you know. Anyway, Cygnus X-1 is a spacey heavy metal feast of fantasy. I'm positive that modern math metal bands took notes as they ingested this track. The story of a space traveller being drawn into a terrifying black hole is presented with more precision and aggression than I've heard from Rush before or since. Truly a sci-fi masterpiece that aspiring musicians woodshed tirelessly to hone their chops. Geddy, Neil, and Alex seem to weave this chilling tale effortlessly. Geddy in particular pushes his vocals to astonishing extremes.
So... why do I love this album so much? Why do I consider it the best of all of Rush's albums - all twenty (my gawd, that's an impressive number) studio recordings?
Well, let me begin by saying that five albums is a pretty good track record for most bands, whether in the 1960's or the 2010's. The fact that Rush knocked out an album just about every year from '74 to '93 is quite the accomplishment. And I'd say that just about every one of those albums was high quality, smart, creative music. Even when the boys slipped a little on a release, there were at least a handful of strong tunes on hand. And hey, even a "weak" Rush album is better than most other albums out there. Anyway, after '93, the band took more time off, for various reasons, between records. Kinda sad to hear they've hung up their touring kimonos now. But it's been a long and productive career for them, hasn't it?
As for A Farewell to Kings, this album simply represents the best of the early and sort of the best of what would come later. The instrumental and vocal power and the imaginative themes of early Rush became the solid foundation of Farewell. On top of that foundation we heard the trio experimenting with synthesizers and other exotica, expanding their musical vocabulary and expressing themselves with more sophistication and maybe even more feeling. And Rush's sound hadn't yet become as "catchy" and laden with electronics as some of their subsequent efforts.
Rush has always enjoyed playing with the double entendre and symbolism in both their song lyrics and their album cover art. Lyricist Peart is pretty fly with the wordsmithing, always rhyming and double-timing with written dexterity. The cover art for A Farewell to Kings depicts a puppet medieval king collapsed on his throne, crown knocked to the ground, surrounded by modern-day urban decay. Take from that what you will. It's an intriguing image that stirs up debate about its meaning.
Until Moving Pictures hit the scene in '81, I declared 2112 was my fave Rush album. Then Moving Pictures took top spot. The glossy and poppy Power Windows of '85 has long been a favourite, but it was tough to rank that over MP. For a while there, I thought maybe Permanent Waves could be numero uno... and it is an excellent disc... tuneful, heavy, riffy, and still proggy. But not an album that I reach for very often any more.
A Farewell to Kings has staying power. Forty years after its release, the album still dominates the progressive rock genre. And I'd like to think that in another ten or twenty years, I'll still be rocking out to Xanadu and Cygnus X-1.
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