Hemispheres | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 24, 1978 [1] | |||
Recorded | June–July 1978 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Progressive rock [2] [3] | |||
Length | 36:08 | |||
Label | Anthem | |||
Producer |
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Rush chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hemispheres | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Hemispheres is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush,released in October 1978 by Anthem Records. After touring to support the band's previous release, A Farewell to Kings ,during which the group gained popularity in the UK,Rush started work on their next album. As with the band's previous studio album,Hemispheres was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire and Trident Studios in London with longtime engineer and arranger,Terry Brown. Rush continued its progressive rock sound with the side-long "Cygnus X-1 Book II:Hemispheres" and the nine-minute instrumental "La Villa Strangiato",which was the band's first instrumental piece.
Hemispheres received acclaim from music critics. It reached number 14 in Canada and the UK,and number 41 in the United States. The album's two shorter tracks,"Circumstances" and "The Trees" were released as singles in early 1979. In 1993,the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million copies. Rush supported Hemispheres with a concert tour from October 1978 to June 1979. The album was re-released in various expanded formats on November 16,2018 as part of the band's ongoing 40th Anniversary editions,including the previously unreleased live set by the band at the Pinkpop Festival from June 1979.
In May 1978,Rush completed a nine-month tour of the United States,Canada,and the UK to support its fifth studio album, A Farewell to Kings (1977). [5] [6] The tour helped the band break through the UK market,following a series of well-received shows and "Closer to the Heart",the lead single from A Farewell to Kings,reaching number 36 on the UK Singles Chart. [7]
Following a short break,the band regrouped to start work on its next album. In a departure from the band's previous album,they entered the songwriting process without any preconceived ideas,which proved to be a struggle;guitarist Alex Lifeson said:"the trouble started from basics." [8] The band had enjoyed the experience of recording A Farewell to Kings in Wales at Rockfield Studios,situated on a farm in Rockfield,Monmouthshire,and agreed to record there for Hemispheres. They initially chose the studio having recorded four albums in Toronto and wanting a change;bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee said the United States did not appeal to them,and since they were influenced by many English bands,recording in the UK became a "natural" option. [7] Before entering the studio,the band spent two weeks in intensive rehearsal,which sparked worries from the band regarding the direction the album was to take. [8] The conditions of the studio,located on a farm,lacked the standard facilities,including a sofa;Lee described it as "really funky". [9] In one incident,a latch that failed to shut the studio doors frustrated Lifeson who,in a fit,took it off,installed a hydraulic door opener,and built a handle on it. [9]
Rush recorded Hemispheres in June and July 1978 at Rockfield Studios with longtime producer Terry Brown,also credited as co-arranger,and engineer Pat Moran. [8] It marked the longest studio time booked for the band. In comparison, 2112 (1976) was recorded in five weeks and A Farewell to Kings was completed in four. [10] After the music was put down,the group settled in Advision Studios in London to record the vocals. [11] The album was then mixed in August at Trident Studios in London by Brown and assistant John Brand. [11] In the three-month period of putting the album together,Rush took just one day off. [12] Costs of the album were calculated to be around $100,000,making it the band's most expensive album at the time. [12] Drummer Neil Peart recalled the band were exhausted by the time of completion and took a six-week vacation to recover, [10] while Lee explained that they "greatly underestimated the level of overachievement that [they] were shooting for". [13]
"Cygnus X-1 Book II:Hemispheres" occupies the album's first side. An 18-minute track and sequel to "Cygnus X-1 Book I:The Voyage" on A Farewell to Kings,the song has six distinct parts. [11] [12] Initially,Lee had a different idea for the album's centerpiece track,but after some music had been written the group felt it right to continue the story. [14] Book I concerns the journey of the Rocinante,a spaceship that enters a black hole in outer space. Peart ended the story without a set conclusion,and only began to write Book II three weeks before the band was set to travel to Rockfield Studios. The process was stressful for Peart,took "hours of tearing my hair out",and was only half complete when they arrived. [10] The sequel,like Book I,uses mythology and symbolism to depict a conflict between the gods Apollo and Dionysus,which is resolved when Cygnus intervenes,claiming a balance of heart and mind are what is needed for humans to live well. [15] Peart introduced the gong and timpani to his percussion set for the first time;he hadn't thought of adding the instrument on previous albums but thought Hemispheres needed it. [14]
"Circumstances" is the first of two shorter tracks on Hemispheres. With the band having accustomed its audience to longer,more elaborate formats,this song is qualified by Lee as an experiment, [13] an attempt to break away from the prog formula that would steer the band into new directions in later albums.
"The Trees" tells the story of a forest of oak and maple trees,the latter causing an upheaval because the oak trees grow too large and take all the sunlight. The maple trees form a union in an effort to have the oaks cut down to a smaller size. [8] Lee explains that the fact that the band was recording in the Welsh countryside set the overall tone for the song:"You're watching English television,walking in the Welsh countryside;there are sheep talking to you in the early morning when you're trying to sleep ... lyrics came first,and we wanted to construct a dynamic little tale as a soundtrack to those lyrics". [13]
"La Villa Strangiato" is a nine-minute instrumental in 12 distinct sections and a subtitle of "An Exercise in Self-Indulgence". According to Lifeson,it is based on the various nightmares he would have,particularly while on tour,which provided the theme to what he described as a "musical re-creation" of them. [8] [16] The track was the sole piece that developed from the two-week rehearsal period the group had prior to entering the studio. [8] Rush encountered great difficulty in recording it,as the band wanted it put down as a single live performance,rather than a more produced and edited piece. Lee said it took them around 40 takes to produce a take they were satisfied with. [9] Peart and Lee pointed out that they spent more time recording "La Villa Strangiato" than they did recording the entire Fly by Night (1975) album. [17] [13] Peart recalled the group spent four days and nights playing it repeatedly,playing while their hands were sore and their minds tired. "We were determined to get the whole thing perfect,but in the end I just couldn't do it,and we ended up putting it together from a few different takes." [18] The segments "Monsters!" and "Monsters! (Reprise)" are adapted from "Powerhouse",a 1937 jazz instrumental by Raymond Scott. [19]
The cover was designed by longtime Rush collaborator,graphic artist Hugh Syme. The front depicts a figure that resembles the one in the painting The Son of Man by surreal artist RenéMagritte who is standing on the left side of a human brain. He is looking in the direction of a nude man in a ballet pose who is standing on the right side. The overall image was Syme's own creation,but it developed from discussions with Peart about the idea of left and right and the Apollonian and Dionysian parts of the brain. The Magritte figure is Syme's longtime friend Bobby King,who was also the nude model for Rush's Starman logo on 2112 that Syme had also designed. The naked male is a dancer from the Toronto Ballet School. The brain was loaned to Syme from the Department of Anatomy at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine for him to photograph and the final design was completed with a composite. The background was a combination of airbrush and paint. Syme started working on the design before he had heard any music on the album. [20]
Prior to the album's release,Hemispheres aired in its entirety on Night at 11,hosted by Rick Ringer on CHUM-FM in Toronto,on October 5,1978. [12] It was released October 24,1978,and reached number 14 on the Canadian Albums Chart [21] and UK Albums Chart, [22] and number 47 on the US Billboard 200. [23] For a short time,Hemispheres was released in Canada on red vinyl with a gatefold sleeve with a poster (catalogue number SANR-1-1015) and as a limited edition picture disc (SRP-1300). The album was awarded a silver certification in the UK. [24] In the US,Hemispheres proved to be a steady seller in the band's catalogue;it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 1993 for selling one million copies,15 years after its release. [25]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [26] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [27] |
Rolling Stone (2018) | [28] |
Sound &Vision | [29] |
In a poll held by Rolling Stone titled "Readers' Poll:Your Favorite Prog Rock Albums of All Time",Hemispheres was ranked at No. 8. [30] Reviewing the album for the magazine,Michael Bloom stated,"Overall,especially in 'La Villa Strangiato',Lifeson,Peart and Lee prove themselves masters of every power-trio convention. In fact,these guys have the chops and drive to break out of the largely artificial bounds of the format,and they constantly threaten to do so but never quite manage." [31]
In the review for AllMusic,Greg Prato favourably compared the album to the band's previous work,"While the story line isn't as comprehensible as 2112 was,it's much more consistent musically,twisting and turning through five different sections which contrast heavy rock sections against more sedate pieces." [26]
PopMatters ranked Hemispheres the 12th best progressive rock album of all time. [32]
Year | Label | Format | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | Anthem | CD [33] | |
1997 | Anthem | CD | Digitally remastered [34] |
2011 | Anthem | CD | Digitally remastered [34] |
2013 | Audio Fidelity | SACD | Digitally remastered [34] |
2015 | Mercury | LP | Digitally remastered,200 g audiophile vinyl. Also available in 24-bit/96 kHz and 24-bit/192 kHz digital formats. [35] [36] |
2018 | Anthem/Mercury | CD,LP | 40th Anniversary Edition with previously unreleased live content. [37] |
All lyrics are written by Neil Peart [11] ; all music is composed by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, except "La Villa Strangiato" written by Lee, Lifeson, and Peart. All tracks arranged by Rush and Terry Brown
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres"
| 18:08 4:29 2:30 2:06 2:56 5:01 1:06 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Circumstances" | 3:42 |
2. | "The Trees" | 4:46 |
3. | "La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise in Self-Indulgence)"
| 9:35 0:27 1:33 1:16 2:33 0:21 0:35 0:41 0:26 0:11 0:14 1:03 0:15 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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1. | "A Passage to Bangkok" | 4:03 | ||
2. | "Xanadu" | 12:32 | ||
3. | "The Trees" | 5:10 | ||
4. | "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres - The Sphere (A Kind of Dream)" | 0:54 | ||
5. | "Closer to the Heart" | Peart, Peter Talbot | 3:16 | |
6. | "La Villa Strangiato" | 11:22 | ||
7. | "In the Mood" | Lee | Lee | 2:37 |
8. | "Drum Solo" | Peart | 7:31 | |
9. | "Something for Nothing" | Lee | 4:21 | |
10. | "2112 (Parts I-IV, VI-VII)" (live) | 19:46 |
Credits are adapted from the album's sleeve notes. [11]
Rush
Production
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
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Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [21] | 14 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [38] | 178 |
UK Albums (OCC) [22] | 14 |
US Billboard 200 [23] | 47 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [39] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [24] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [25] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Rush was a Canadian rock band that primarily comprised Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart. The band formed in Toronto in 1968 with Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey, and bass guitarist/vocalist Jeff Jones, whom Lee immediately replaced. After Lee joined, the band went through several line-up changes before arriving at its classic power trio lineup with the addition of Peart in July 1974, who replaced Rutsey four months after the release of their self-titled debut album; this lineup remained intact for the remainder of the band's career.
2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in March 1976 by Anthem Records.
A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in September 1977 by Anthem Records. After touring their previous album 2112 (1976), which saw the group reach a new critical and commercial peak, they started work on a follow-up. They decided to record at Rockfield Studios in Wales, the first time Rush recorded an album outside of Toronto. The band expanded their sound with each member playing new instruments that they had not previously used, and recorded a mix of concise and long songs.
Fly by Night is the second studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on February 14, 1975, by Mercury Records. It was the first Rush album to showcase elements of progressive rock for which the band has become known. It was also the first to feature lyricist and drummer Neil Peart, who replaced original drummer John Rutsey the previous summer just prior to the band's first North American tour. Peart took over as Rush's primary lyricist, and the abundance of fantastical and philosophical themes in his compositions contrasted greatly with the simpler hard rock of the band's debut album.
Caress of Steel is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 24, 1975, by Mercury Records. It was recorded immediately after the band concluded touring in support of their previous album, Fly By Night, and marked a development in the group's sound, moving from the blues-based hard rock style of their debut towards progressive rock. Songs such as "The Necromancer" furthered Rush's advancement into narrative-driven, fantasy-based compositions, while "The Fountain of Lamneth" was their first prog-rock "epic" to span an entire side of vinyl. Other tracks like "Bastille Day" and "Lakeside Park" became staples of the band's live setlists.
Vapor Trails is the seventeenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released on May 14, 2002, on Anthem Records, and was their first studio release since Test for Echo (1996), the longest gap between two Rush albums. After the Test For Echo tour finished in July 1997, drummer and lyricist Neil Peart suffered the loss of his daughter and then his wife in separate tragedies. As a result, the group entered an extended hiatus during which it was not certain they would continue. They eventually reunited in January 2001 to rehearse material for a new album, recording for which lasted until December. For the first and only time since Caress of Steel (1975), the group did not use any keyboards or synthesizers in their music, incorporating many layers of guitar, bass and drums instead.
All the World's a Stage is a double live album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976. The album was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto on June 11, 12, and 13, 1976, during the band's breakthrough 2112 tour. The title of the album alludes to William Shakespeare's play As You Like It, and would again be referenced by Rush in the 1981 song "Limelight".
Roll the Bones is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released September 3, 1991, on Anthem Records. The band began working on the album after a brief creative hiatus following the tour promoting their previous release, Presto (1989).
Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on February 12, 1981 by Anthem Records. After touring to support their previous album, Permanent Waves (1980), the band started to write and record new material in August 1980 with longtime co-producer Terry Brown. They continued to write songs with a more radio-friendly sound, featuring tighter and shorter song structures compared to their earlier albums.
Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on January 14, 1980, through Anthem Records. After touring to support their previous album, Hemispheres (1978), the band began working on new material for a follow-up in July 1979. This material showed a shift in the group's sound towards more concise arrangements and radio-friendly songs, though their progressive rock blueprint is still evident on "Jacob's Ladder" and the nine-minute closer "Natural Science." Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee also employed a more restrained vocal delivery compared to previous albums. Permanent Waves was recorded at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec with production handled by the group and Terry Brown.
Power Windows is the eleventh studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on October 11, 1985 in Canada by Anthem Records and on October 21, 1985 in the United States. After touring in support of their previous album, Grace Under Pressure (1984), the band took a break and reconvened in early 1985 to begin work on a follow-up. The material continued to display the band's exploration of synthesizer-oriented music, this time with the addition of sampling, electronic drums, a string section, and choir, with power being a running lyrical theme. Power Windows was recorded in Montserrat and England with Peter Collins as co-producer and Andy Richards on additional keyboards.
Hold Your Fire is the twelfth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 8, 1987. It was recorded at The Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, Air Studios in Montserrat and McClear Place in Toronto. Hold Your Fire was the last Rush studio album released outside Canada by PolyGram/Mercury. 'Til Tuesday bassist and vocalist Aimee Mann contributed vocals to "Time Stand Still" and appeared in the Zbigniew Rybczyński-directed video.
Test for Echo is the sixteenth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 10, 1996 on Anthem Records. It was the final Rush album to be co-produced by Peter Collins. The band supported the album with a world tour in 1996 and 1997, after which they went on a five-year hiatus following the deaths of drummer Neil Peart's daughter and wife, and would not record again until 2001.
"Xanadu" is a song by the Canadian progressive rock band Rush from their 1977 album A Farewell to Kings. It is approximately eleven minutes long, beginning with a five-minute-long instrumental section before transitioning to a narrative written by Neil Peart, which in turn was inspired by the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem Kubla Khan.
Gold is a compilation album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on April 25, 2006.
"Freewill" is the second track on the 1980 album Permanent Waves by Canadian progressive rock band Rush. The song's music was composed by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, and its lyrics written by Neil Peart. In a 2016 review of Rush discography for Ultimate Classic Rock, Eduardo Rivadavia described "Freewill" as a "cerebral but remarkably radio-friendly" song. Lee has stated that the final verse of "Freewill" is at the highest part of his vocal range.
Rush Through Time is a compilation album by Rush, released in Europe as a picture disc only in 1979. The compilation contained selections from the band's second, third, fourth, and fifth studio albums. The album was subsequently repackaged as a standard vinyl album with a colour sleeve and updated graphics on the back cover in 1982.
"Witch Hunt" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released on their 1981 album Moving Pictures, and unlike many other Rush songs it was a true studio production, with a variety of percussion instruments and overdubs, and a separate keyboard player. It is the first of four songs in what has been called the band's "Fear" series, the other three being "The Weapon", "The Enemy Within", and "Freeze", although this song is the third part of the series in order, and went on reverse chronological order by the album.
Just two short years after their high-concept, progressive-rock masterpiece Hemispheres, Rush redefined what prog would mean...
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