•
Rating:
In every field of science and art, technique is the result of application, perseverance, and willpower. Many musicians (often in metal, but also elsewhere) prefer to showcase their knowledge among their skills. There is often the impression that these embellishments are thrown in your face, almost as if to retaliate on the ears of their listeners for the efforts endured over many years of work. The Rush, on the other hand, were (and are) a progressive band with remarkable abilities, dedicated to the constant pursuit of beauty. And considering those who today claim to be the artistic offspring of Neil Peart and company (who said Portnoy?), the aforementioned seems almost an ironic statement. This “Hemispheres,” along with a handful of other albums also reviewed, best explains the importance of this band, never truly celebrated as they deserved. And why Geddy Lee, bass and voice with very particular tones, represents a shining example of talent well expressed in the forms of one's personality. And because the aforementioned Peart, within the band, never limited himself to just playing the simple role of a virtuoso drummer, arranging and writing even more than the others. Like their authors, the tracks on this album also belong to a higher rank.
I will take the liberty of starting from the end, mentioning one of the few (yet splendid) episodes where our heroes allow themselves some moments of self-indulgence: “La Villa Strangiato,” an authentic seal on the band's career. It feels like leaning your ear on the hypothetical soundtrack of an entire existence. Ten short minutes where, with refined harmony, the entire possible range of sensations of those listening is touched: all the passion of the opening crescendo leads to the utopias of the subsequent airy melodic break. A grand and arrogant solo urges us on, up to the jazz explosion of the finale. This rock opera opens with another suite, “Cignus X,” which revives the glories of “2112” (1974), continuing the path begun in the song from the previous “A Farewell To Kings” (1977). Despite the length of the piece (eighteen minutes and some), the flights of fancy that the band offers us, moving from one register to another without ever overdoing it, do not allow us even a moment of boredom. Finally, I mention “Circumstances.” Especially in the choruses of the song, Geddy Lee offers remarkable vocalizations. The ability of Rush is all encapsulated in the notes of these "Hemispheres."
A sound, theirs, accessible to all, yet based on peculiarities. They fascinate us while managing to reconcile the demands of the “more musically prepared” audience. Why then, often, were they underestimated by the educated...
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres: I. Prelude / II. Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom / III. Dionysus: Bringer of Love / IV. Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind / V. Cygnus: Bringer of Balance / VI. The Sphere: A Kind of Dream (18:08)
02 Circumstances (03:44)
A boy alone and so far from home
Endless rooftops from my window
I felt the gloom of empty rooms
On rainy afternoons.
Sometimes in confusion
I felt so lost and disillusioned
Innocence gave confidence
To go up against reality.
All the same
We take our chances
Laughed at by time
Tricked by circumstances
Plus ca change
Plus c'est la meme chose
The more that things change
The more they stay the same.
Now I've gained some understanding
Of the only world that we see
Things that I once dreamed of
Have become reality.
These walls that still surround me
Still contain the same old me
Just one more who's searching for
The world that ought to be.
All the same
We take our chances
Laughed at by time
Tricked by circumstances
Plus ca change
Plus c'est la meme chose
The more that things change
The more they stay the same.
03 The Trees (04:45)
There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas.
The trouble with the maples,
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade.
There is trouble in the forest,
And the creatures all have fled,
As the maples scream, "Oppression"
And the oaks just shake their heads
So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights.
They say, "The oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.
04 La Villa Strangiato (09:34)
[Instrumental]
* I: "Buenos Nochas, Mein Froinds!" - (0:00)
* II: "To sleep, perchance to dream..." - (0:27)
* III: "Strangiato theme" - (2:00)
* IV: "A Lerxst in Wonderland" - (3:16)
* V: "Monsters!" - (5:49)
* VI: "The Ghost of the Aragon" - (6:10)
* VII: "Danforth and Pape" - (6:45)
* VIII: "The Waltz of the Shreves" - (7:26)
* IX: "Never turn your back on a Monster!" - (7:52)
* X: "Monsters! (Reprise)" - (8:03)
* XI: "Strangiato theme (Reprise)" - (8:17)
* XII: "A Farewell to Things" - (9:20)
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By splinter
It is an authentic masterpiece signed Rush!
18 minutes to truly listen with all your heart and all the conviction of what Rush are.
