"Can't we raise our eyes and make a start?" Submitted on: 2009-10-15
Back in the 1970s, rock bands were compelled to put out a new album at least once a year. Not only did this keep the money rolling in, but it also kept them continuously in the public eye. Of course, this led to a lot of half-hearted, lackluster albums with filler material. Rush did better than most bands, but this album and the previous album (2112) both suffered from a major drop-off in quality on "side two". In fact, if the band had waited and put side 1 of 2112 with side 1 of A Farewell to Kings, you'd have an almost perfect Rush album.
This album starts off with the vastly under-rated title track. Why this song has been mostly forgotten by everyone except the die-hards is beyond me. With its lyrical attack on academia and politicians, its jazzy center section, a brilliant vocal from Geddy Lee, and one of Alex Lifeson's most awe-inspiring solos EVER, this is one of the band's greatest moments. Likewise with "Xanadu", the sci-fi epic based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Kubla Khan". It's no accident I've never met a Rush fan who didn't like this song, as this is a true classic and a long-time concert favorite.
"Side two" is a bit more problematic. "Cinderella Man" is a good song. "Madrigal" is a nice change-of-pace, but a little too precious. I know a lot of people like "Cygnus X-1", but I consider it to be one of the band's biggest mistakes ever. It blatently sounds like it was thrown together in a hurry, a last-minute sound-check composition written to fill out the album. This song alone costs A Farewell to Kings two whole stars: so bad, it's BAD. Rush has never been a singles band, but I think they were trying with "Closer to the Heart". I know this is now a concert sing-along favorite (especially the version on Exit Stage Left), but the only thing that saves this song for me is the wonderful guitar-playing of Alex Lifeson. Mr. Zivojinovich (Lifeson's real last name for the uninitiated) is Rush's true MVP. I'm convinced the band's entire reputation today rests mostly on his shoulders.
Today this album is mostly disowned by the band. There's a self-consciousness now about Rush, where it seems they're really insecure about how their fans perceive them. In interviews, there's this attitude of: "We're not rock stars, we're just regular guys, but please respect our privacy. A Farewell to Kings was written back in our Serious days, but now let's have a reggae version of 'Closer to the Heart'". They're very thin-skinned regarding any criticism, and there's no hunger or risk-taking any more. It's just 3 old guys indulging in their hobby while trying to be hip, so of course they pour "Was that really us?" contempt on their earlier recordings. After this album, the band would go on to write and record two of their best albums ever, 1978's Hemispheres and 1980's Permanent Waves. A Farewell to Kings was an important step along the way, but "Cygnus X-1" prevents it from making any claim to greatness. I would have loved to have seen them with UFO on the tour that year.
MINI LP FORMAT!! Superb! Submitted on: 2009-08-09
As with the LED ZEPPELIN / studio album Shm-CDs , these RUSH studio album Shm-CDs / look and sound fantastic!!!
1. You receive perfect studio album reproductions. CD size.
2. ALL of these RUSH / SHM-CDs have fully coloured album covers printed right on the CDs themselves. These are not just the boring silver CDs from the 1997 re-masters.
3. If you liked the 2008 MOFI version of P. WAVES and wanted more RUSH CDs that sounded like those , here you have them.
Clear , clean with 0 harshness. Just a little more volume [but not too much].
You will hear more base , vocals , drums and keyboards.
Songs like CYGNUS X-1 , are just mind blowing.
The highs and lows are stunning.
I will not even talk about , XANADU. WOW!!!
If you have ever heard the SHM-CDs of their 2 RETROSPECTIVE / CDs , the studio albums sound just as good.
These RUSH studio Shm-CDs are the best RUSH that I have ever heard. Like with most SHM-CDs they sound best on stereos with more than 2 speakers!!!
Rocinante... Submitted on: 2009-06-13
This was the first studio album by Rush I ever got, and I recently replaced it on CD. It's still awesome. Rush's music sounds as fresh today as it did back then. The complexity of their compositions and their musicianship are still breathtaking. This album, A Farewell to Kings, is one of their most underrated albums.
There are many great classic Rush tracks here, starting with two of their greatest epics, Xanadu and the blistering Cygnus X-1. Xanadu runs 11 minutes or so, and is never boring. I remember James Hetfield of Metallic saying that songs like Xanadu were a great inspiration for them, and made them want to write longer songs (many of Metallica's songs run between 7-8 minutes). It's still a great song, with great lyrics by Peart and superb musicianship. The song I like the most is the closer is Cygnus X-1. The lyrics are really good, but the music is immensely complex, and the shifting rhythms and beautiful, understated use of synthesizers works amazingly well. Peart's playing is especially good on this song. For those who say Peart is overrated (some actually do) should be forced to listen to Cygnus over and over again. The first third of the song is the best. Closer to the Heart is a great single, one of Rush's best short songs. The title song is also gorgeous, with a wonderful classical guitar introduction by Alex Lifeson. The intro is so delicate, with the glockenspiel (a rarely used percussion instrument that needs to find a home again in rock). Then when the song kicks in, it's quinessential Rush.
Many critics never got Rush. I remember Moving Pictures (another great Rush album) getting one star from Rolling Stone, while giving crap like The Who's It's Hard five stars (it's their worst album, though I've heard Endless Wire is worse). Their fans got them, and are still getting them. Rush rules.
A True Progressive Rock/Metal Masterpiece Submitted on: 2009-05-15
I bought Rush's 1977 release "A Farewell to Kings" just last month, and I've really been listening to it alot since then, it's just simply amazing, I really love it. Rush have really become one of my favorite progressive rock bands lately, they're also one of the best bands in rock period. I own eight Rush albums (including their 1974 self-titled debut, Fly By Night, Moving Pictures, 2112, Permanent Waves, Presto, and Counterparts), and I've become a bigger fan of Rush with each album that I listen to, and "A Farewell to Kings" is definately an acception, no questions asked. This album is just absolutely brilliant from start to finish, and it's also Rush's strongest and best album from the 70's in my opinion. Their breakthrough release from 1976 "2112" is an outstanding album, as well as one of the band's best, but it's this album that takes Rush's sound to a whole new different level of pure progressive musical brilliance, and it also shows the band at their peak as well. This album is also the first to feature the use of synthesizers, which really add to the band's progressive sound.
The production on here is once again handled by Terry Brown, and his producing never fails. Frontman Geddy Lee's trademark high ranged vocals are top notch as always, and his bass playing is just totally unreal and amazing. I know that I've said it before in some of my previous Rush reviews here, but Geddy is definately one of rock's all time best bassists, no questions asked. He also uses Mini-Moog and bass-pedal synthesizers as well, and they really add to the progressiveness of the album here as I mentioned before. Alex Lifeson is an awesome guitarist, and he's also been regarded as one of rock's most underrated guitarists, and I really find that to be a shame, but he's awesome nonetheless. His riffs are just awesome and his solos are even better especially on "Closer to the Heart" and the 11 minute epic "Xanadu", and he also experiments with classical and twelve string guitars as well. Neil Peart's drumming is just outstanding and breathtaking and perfectly timed throughout. His percussioning is also diversified on here as he adds different kinds of percussion including cowbells, orchestra bells, wind chimes, triangle, bell tree, vibra-slap, tubular bells, and temple blocks. His is simply without a doubt one of rock's greatest drummers of all time, and when it comes to writing lyrics, this guy truly takes the cake.
There are only six songs on AFTK, but hey, I'm not going to complain, seeing that they're all awesome, so let's check them out shall we. The opening title track starts off with a nice peaceful acoustic guitar intro until going into a hard rocking barrage that features excellent riffing and soloing, powerful basswork and drumming, and strongly executed vocals, all before ending with an acoustic outro, while track two "Xanadu" is a phenomenal 11 minute sci-fi/fantasy epic that is lyrically based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan". This is my personal favorite song on this album. Words just cannot even describe how much I love this song. It's also one of my favorite Rush songs as well. The first five minutes of this song is instrumental which features some nice atmospheric synths and wind chimes until Alex cuts in with a cool, addicting melodic guitar riff which is later followed by more heavier muscular riffage, sharp basslines, and fantastic drumwork. Geddy's vocals finally come into play around the 5 minute mark with these great opening lyrics: "To seek the sacred river Alph, to walk the caves of ice, to break my fast on honey dew, and drink the milk of paradise..." Neil's drumming is just fantastic throughout, and Alex's riffing is just catchy and mindblowing, and there's a sweet, killer guitar solo from him around 9:32 before going into an addicting epic finale. This song is definately an epic that you must hear to believe. Next up, we have "Closer to the Heart" which is the album's big hit single, as well as a favorite among Rush fans that features a great acoustic intro, along with great vocals from Geddy, and a fantastic guitar solo by Alex to boot.
The next song "Cinderella Man" (which was written by Geddy) is a great, catchy guitar driven rocker that boasts a nice and catchy sing-a-long chorus that has some nice acoustic guitar backing it up, and there's also some killer thumping bass work by Geddy as well. This is another great song I thought. Next up, track five "Madrigal" is a short but dreamy, mellow acoustic piece that leads up to the incredibly unpredictable 10+ minute sci-fi epic "Cygnus X-1" which is written in three movements. It lyrically tells of an astronaut's journey through outer space into the black hole of the constellation known as Cygnus. The song starts off with a cool digitized speech and creepy droning synth effects, and before you know it, you are in for one serious hard rocking thrillride. The band's musicianship is just absolutely jaw-dropping, madly insane, and off the hook throughout this song. The riffs are massively heavy and muscular, the bass just thumps like crazy, the time signatures are outstanding, Neil's drumming is just incredible and it's some of his most complexed and madly insane on here, and of course Geddy really lets loose with some sweet, out of control wails near the end. This is definately without question one of the most insane sounding songs that Rush have ever written, and one of their best songs as well.
Favorite songs: ALL OF THEM OF COURSE!!
Overall, "A Farewell to Kings" is definately one of Rush's best and most important albums in their catalog, and it's also their strongest and best album from the 70's era as I said earlier, and this is coming from a guy who enjoys listening to Amon Amarth, Death, Atheist, Behemoth, Origin, Nile, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, Suffocation, Decapitated, etc. I've always been a fan of classic/progressive rock as well, and Rush are truly one of the best I've ever heard in my life. If you're new to Rush, AFTK would really be a great album to start with along with Moving Pictures (1981), Permanent Waves (1980), and 2112 (1976). If you're already a fan of Rush like I'am, then by all means I highly recommend this classic progressive rock/metal masterpiece. Trust me, it does good justice to a classic album like this. Enjoy!!
One of the Best Rush Albums Ever! Submitted on: 2009-04-12
One of the greatest moments of Rush was the album "2112". After that they made this "A Farewell to Kings". The title track is a great rockin' track. The next track "Xanadu" has it all - the slow moments, the rough moments. It was also quite a popular in live concerts. "Closer to the Heart" is probably one of the most memorable tracks from this album. It is peaceful and very touching. "Cinderella Man" is also a great song although not as great as the three first tracks. "Madrigal" is probably the worst track on this album but it is also a great song. It is only two and half minutes. At first I didn't even notice it but after that I started to like it. "Cygnus X-1" is the goofiest Rush song ever made - but still...an awesome song. It is the first part - the second part can be found in the album "Hemispheres".
Stars: Cygnus X-1, Xanadu, Closer to the Heart
"Can't we raise our eyes and make a start?"
MINI LP FORMAT!! Superb!