Rush
Hemispheres (40th Anniversary Edition)
Review by Greg Olma
In 1978, Rush was riding high after two consecutive albums that pushed their presence into the prog spotlight. After a short break that followed a tour of the UK, the band went back to Wales to record this prog masterpiece. I liken this album as Rush’s Close To The Edge (by Yes) due to the 18 minute song that fills side one and a few shorter pieces that make up side two. And just like Yes, this is their apex in prog-ness where they pushed the boundaries of the prog metal genre to the point that they felt the need to shift gears for their next release. A Farewell to Kings promised to continue the story of Cygnus X-1 but to be quite honest, it doesn’t really follow as the first “book” takes on a sci-fi theme whereas the latter has more of a Greek theme about the gods Apollo and Dionysus. I'm not sure how that fits together lyrically but musically, it follows along with brief snippets that harkens back to the first book. Side two is certainly not an afterthought either with the last two tracks featured in their set lists to the very end. If I was presented someone who has never heard Rush before, I’m not sure I would recommend this as their first introduction, as I feel Moving Pictures would be better suited to convert a virgin Rush listener. That being said, anyone who is a Dream Theater die-hard fan, this would definitely be my first choice as it would show all of the prog metal fans out there where it all started.
This 40th anniversary edition is augmented by a live disc that captures the band on the Tour of the Hemispheres. Most of the tracks were culled from a show in the Netherlands at the Pinkpop Festival and the “2112” track was sourced from a show in Germany (although the liner notes incorrectly state it is from Arizona). It is a great addition to this set, but I was a bit disappointed that a full show was not added to this package. Maybe they were trying to fit everything they could on one disc, but the powers that be should know that Rush fans are more than willing to spend the extra dollars to get the complete show, even if it does span over two discs. That is my only complaint to an otherwise great product.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023 Volume 3 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.
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