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Hemispheres

Rush - Hemispheres Audio CD

A fair review of the Rush "Hemispheres" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Rush reviews here, or go back to the Rush tabs.

Band: Rush
Title: Hemispheres
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-05-06
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Hemispheres 2: Circumstances 3: Trees 4: Villa Strangiato

my favorite RUSH and possibly hard rock album
For me this is the best album of an incredibly prolific band which, unlike many other bands of their times has embraced technology in an interesting way by using it with. . care. Having said that, the best albums of Rush date from the late seventies up to, pretty much everything between 1976 and 1981 (I do like Grace Under Pressure a lot, as well). It is really a matter of a personal preference which album you choose as your favorite. Hemispheres is my favorite Rush album but possibly also one of my most favorite albums of the harder sounding rock, next to Dream Theatre's Scenes From The Memory, Institute's Distort Yourself, Saga's Worlds Apart (this gets weaker into it), Sylvan's Posthumous Silence (this is a mixture of hard and not), Def Leppard's Pyromania and maybe Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick, although this one as well is only partially hard as are Porcupine Tree's Fear Of A Blank Planet and The Incident (both great as well).
Coming back Rush, the Hemisphere is a very strong album throughout but Cygnus X-1 Book II is a phenomenal 18 minute long piece of music. It is my favorite part of the story told by Rush and they seem to be true masters of these tales. The story starts as Cygnus X-1 on Farewell To Kings. Another one of my absolute Rush favorites on Hemispheres is The Trees. I like to compile things for my personal use and the compilation of my favorite songs of Rush named (using their words) Life Is Just A Candle And A Dream Must Give It Flame contains the following:

1. Cygnus X-1 Book 2 (6:02) last 6 minutes of this song, the quiet part amplified 10 fold
2. Red Sector A
3. The Fountain Of Lamneth, parts (5:45) acoustic parts joined together
4. Tom Sawyer
5. Rivendell
6. The Camera Eye
7. A Farewell To Kings, part (1:08)
8. Here Again
9. The Trees
10. Xanadu, part (6:13)
11. 2112, part (4:46)
12. edit
13. The Spirit Of Radio
14. Closer To The Heart
15. Subdivisions
16. Tears
If i was to take 1 Rush disc with me for a long time it would be probably this one, but I would miss Hemisphere.

'Let the truth of love be lighted; let the love of truth shine clear; sensibility armed with sense and liberty
With the heart and mind united in a single Perfect Sphere'

Rush are the philosphers of hard rock. Their lyrics brought light to many in the hour of need. Hemisphere is their brightest jewel.
.

Very Good Rush, there is better though
Excellent musicianship, well written songs and best of all it is not your typical commercial product.

How do you feel about prog rock ?
If you don't , then you best stay away . If you like it , then this will be right up your alley . We're talking 18 minute long songs here . We're also talking topics that broach the fantastic , like Greek gods & trees fighting for supremacy in a forest .
Honestly , I grew up listening to this so often that when I hear it now I kind of cringe . Musically it is hard to beat for a Rush album . Lyrically , it has grown a bit long in the tooth . I still am giving it 5 stars in the hope that it'll make someone out there give it a try who hasn't killed several copies of it over the years by playing it over & over again . .

After a Farewell to Kings
This album was made after those albums. "2112" and "A Farewell to Kings" are two of my 50 favorite albums. In fact, the first song "Cygnus X-1 book II: Hemispheres" is a sequel of the closing track for "A Farewell to Kings". The first part was wonderful - one of my favorite Rush songs ever. The second part is a grear one too but not so interesting and unique as the first part. The 18-minute opening song may sound a commercial suicide but in fact they tried it in "2112" whose title track is 20 minutes and 33 seconds - but they failed - the album was a breakthough. It was not Rush who was the first progressive rock band but they defintely were the best. The three shorter songs are about as good as the opening song. "Circumstances" is a rockin' track, very heavy. "The Trees" is a power ballad which is also the best track in this album in my opinion - and the best-remembered song in this album. "La Villa Strangiato" is an instrumental track - quite good. There's lots of great melodies and riffs in that song. It was no wonder that Rush decided to close "Exit. . . Stage Left" with it.
Stars: The Trees, Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres.

Unlike anything I've ever heard before
This album is (without a doubt) the most progressive-sounding Rush offering to date. When I first heard "Hemispheres" as a 13 year old in 1983, it was unlike anything that I've ever heard before, and 25 years later, the album still has that effect, as few songs have resonated that much with me since. The title track's first minute immediately drew me in. I don't know what it is, but it seems like this music is from someplace else, and all of the arrangements are complex, yet very catchy. Lifeson's guitar work is unbelievable on this one, and Lee's bass is nice and heavy, and Peart's percussion is in diverse mode. The lyrics are very intellectual (no surprise here) and it's a continuation of Cygnus X-1 from their previous album, "A Farewell to Kings. " The rest of the album is similar to side 2 of 2112, with shorter, more tangible songs, such as "Circumstances", and "The Trees. " These two songs give a little hint of what was to come on their next album, "Permanent Waves. " The last song, "La Villa Strangiato", is a 9-minute instrumental that's powerful, but moody. Overall, this album is the definitive progressive rock album of the 1970's,to go along with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", Yes' "Close to the Edge", and ELP's "Brain Salad Surgery. " If you're just getting into Rush, a good starting album would be this one, or perhaps 2112 or Moving Pictures. The songs: HEMISPHERES: (10/10) CIRCUMSTANCES: (10/10) THE TREES: (9/10) LA VILLA STRANGIATO: (10/10).

You can see a complete list of all Rush discography, or go back to the Rush tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.