It's Rush, it's live, therefore it's great.

Amazing live album that every rocker in school had to have.

Love this album. I love the raw, energetic feeling Rush has on this album.

This is one of the few Rush albums I never did own. I need to grab me a copy of it sounds like.

I'm not a real big 'live album' kinda guy, but I do like to own the essentials.

Toho and live albums don't mix 95% of the time.

There are rare exceptions but unfortunately this ain't one of 'em. Since I owned all the albums represented on this live album, I could never justify spending the money just to hear a crowd go "Yaaaaaaayyyyy!!!!"

Mid-70's live albums...man, those were the days. I had this on cassette way back when and my sis had this on 8-track. It wasnt until 1990 that I finally heard the Track "What Youre Doing" on cd, thanks to "Chronicles", Same with "Passage To Bangkok" from ESL.
What a live album! I agree with Detuned about "In The End" being one great song, rarely played ever again and never before played this great, definitely one of the highlights on this album. "Bytor and the Snow Dog" is also spectacular, especially since it would be the last time it was ever heard live in it's entirety ever again. I love Bytor no matter how they play it but it just aint the same butchered in half and this 12 minute version kicks butt, 3 and a half minutes longer than the original.
This album comes out of the gate on fire and doesnt really let up until the very end. Rush did a great job choosing songs for this, looking back maybe replacing "In The Mood" for possibly "Before And After" and I wish they wouldve done more from Caress Of Steel but at the time it was kind of a flop so I can see why they didnt. Two other tracks I wouldve included "Passage " and "Between, Behind" eventually made it to their next live album so looking back they did an A+ job choosing songs for this.
End of and era.......

........and another great era begins.

A FAREWELL TO KINGS (September 1977)

A Farewell To Kings marks the beginning of the second phase of Rush, as they lean more towards the progressive rock camp and leave the straight up hard rock/metal tunes behind. For many bands, this would prove to be a major stylistic shift...but for Rush, it just sounds like a logical progression from a band that were maturing by leaps and bounds on every release.

The flow of the record is similar to other Rush albums of the period, a couple epic tracks interspersed with shorter songs. The difference here is that Rush scored their first minor league radio success with "Closer To The Heart", a tune that would remain a concert staple on most of their tours.

The real heart and soul of this album lies in the track Xanadu. Inspired by the epic poem Kubla Khan, Xanadu is the most mature extended Rush composition to date and one of their most memorable. The introduction is a wonderful blend of atmospheric sounds (bells, guitar volume swells, synth effects), before kicking into high gear. The tune then barrels along through a myriad of time changes and shifts in mood, it's really an "experience" in the best sense of the word. This song also contains some of Lifeson's most impressive guitar work to date, he was always an accomplished shredder, but this tune shows him as a master of tone and touch as well.

The other short songs on the album include the title track (which features a lovely classical guitar intro), the aforementioned Closer To The Heart and yet another over-baked ballad in Madrigal. It also contains one of the most underrated songs in Rush' early career....Cinderella Man.

Cinderella Man really doesn't sound like Rush, it's very different than their normal style...but it works beautifully. The lyrics (by Lee) are based on the Frank Capra film Mr. Deeds Goes To Town. A wonderful acoustic driven song, this is a tune that I would love to see them revisit one of these days.

The second epic is the album closing Cygnus X-1. Here Rush enters full-on sci-fi mode, telling the story of a trip through a black hole. Musically, this song is a punisher...the opening bass line is VERY memorable and sets up a nice groove before all hell breaks loose. This is actually one of the heaviest tunes they recorded during this era and features a balls out performance by Lee. This song would provide the story seed for the following album Hemispheres.

Farewell has always seemed like an underrated album to me, partially because of following in the footsteps of 2112. However, it's a great album that rewards repeated listening.

Another great release from Rush. Xanadu and Cygnus X-1 are classic prog masterpieces! Closer To The Heart gets old after a while. Overall, a great follow up to 2112.

I pretty much agree 100% with your review of this one.

Such a great album. I think I still prefer "2112", "Fly By Night" and "Caress of Steel" over it, but this album was just fantastic!

I agree also about this album being underrated (same with Grace Under Pressure). Seems like you never hear this one talked about much.

A Farewell to Kings is my favorite Rush album. Not sure why. Nostalgia perhaps. This was a transition album as they still had the heaviness of their early years, but they were becoming more progressive and melodic at the same time. Xanadu and Cygnus X-1 are oustanding progressive rock songs. Closer to the Heart has become a bit overplayed over the years, but since I don't listen to the radio much, that doesn't really bother me. I still think it's a great song.

Also love the album cover art.

Had a hard time getting into this one and now I don't own it. Your review inspires me to check it out again. I do love Closer To The Heart but i'm a sucker for their singles.

Another great album and as ULT stated a transitional album. The band is in the process of moving toward a more progressive rock sound and has very little in common to the band that record the debut a few albums earlier.

Not much I can add that has not been said already, but this album allowed headbangers to embrace their inner geek.

This was where Rush started to lose me. I'm really picky about my prog and most of this album just didn't cut it for me. I got my hopes back up when Hemispheres came out and then again with Moving Pictures but after that Rush does nothing for me.

Much of the time when I'm asked to name my favorite Rush album this is the one I usually choose. It's certainly not perfect but I love all the tracks here. This record has some of my favorite performances by these guys. Xanadu and Cygnus X-1 have some of the best guitar, bass and drum work of the 70s.

Love this album. "Closer to the Heart" and the title track are some of my favorite Rush tunes.

And the king seems awfully happy for being dead.

Love this album, Xanadu and Cygnus X-1 are two of my favorites ever. This album is the beginning of Geddy really stepping it up a notch on the bass and Neil using numerous items of percussion to create, emphasize,and enhance different moods. Madrigal isnt really that bad, and Closer To The Heart, while being overplayed and extremely simplistic, is still a classic as far as radio staples go.
Ive heard many Rush fans call this album a bit dated. I dont know what they are talking about. It doesnt get much more classic than this. Rush right smack in the middle of their prime.

Me like.......another interesting lp cover

This is one of my favorite Rush albums. It's got a lot of heavy guitar parts mixed in with not-so-overly self-indulgent epics. This one has been getting a lot of listens out of me in the past couple of months.

"There is unrest in the forest, there is trouble with the Trees..."

HEMISPHERES (released Oct 1978)

Rush closes out the 1970's with this release, sort of a sister album to 2112 in spirit. Like that record, side one is an extended song suite with side two containing individual tracks. Another iconic Hugh Syme album cover adds to the proceedings.

The only problem, is that at least in my opinion, the title track just doesn't completely gel on this one. 2112 was such a watershed album and side one on that record was so successful and influential, it might not have been the greatest idea to revisit this particular well.

Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible, but it just never seems to coalesce into a complete idea. There are some fantastic sections to the song and some great riffs here and there, but all in all it's not enough ideas to merit an 18 minute song. A couple standout segments are the opening instrumental, Lifeson's masterful solo and the closing acoustic segment "Sphere", which I've always loved.

Side two on the other hand....is KILLER!

Circumstances kicks things off. A relatively straight-ahead rocker, this song sounds like it could have been written a couple albums back. Regardless, it's the only real "single length" song on here and one of the final "rave up" tunes Rush would record.

The Trees is probably one of the most discussed songs in the entire Rush discography. Rush hit upon an instant classic here. No matter what you think the lyrics are really about, the music completely sells it. The moment the finger-picked acoustic guitar begins you're hooked. The great thing about this tune is that it's extremely complicated structurally, but you never get the feeling they are showing off, it all works to tell the story. I've always considered this to be a sister track to Xanadu in that regard.

Now the best tune on the album...

La Villa Strangiato is a tour de force performance for Lifeson and is one of the best instrumental rock songs of all time. I can't even fathom how many times I've jammed this tune over the years, anytime I get in the mood to hear Rush this is one of the first songs I end up spinning. The guitar solo in this song is a masterpiece and one that I've studied for years...anytime I hear someone complain about Lifeson, I play this tune to shut them up. This song still appears in live sets to this day...there is a very humorous version of it on Rush in Rio.

As a whole, Hemispheres is a little lower down my list of favorite Rush albums, but it's still essential for The Trees & La Villa Strangiato. The album was another huge success and was their 4th gold album in a row.

I saw this album as a sister companion to 'A Farewell to Kings' then '2112', and I like the album but not the first Rush I reach for.

This is an album that only rewards a listener after repeated listens and even now many many years after first purchasing the album, I still hear something new.

Not much I can add that detuned as not already said, but I will say even if the only song on this album was La Villa Stangiato, that only alone woulld make this album worth owning.

A good recovery imo. Not their more popular songs other then The Trees but some worth offerings.

Ok, what is that thing the dudes are standing on? Looks like a blow up pancreas or something?

Excellent album!
When compared to the title suite on 2112, the suite here may not be "structured" as well but I've always liked it. The rest of the album is definitely awesome and I don't think I've ever gotten tired of any of those tunes.

Every time I hear The Trees I always think of "that one guy" who always seems to sit near me at a Rush concert, usually at an amphitheater when they play this song, taking a hit while staring up at the stars saying, "the trees man, the f****n trees man.

Anther good album from Rush, this one has the least 'radio hits' which show what kind of fan base Rush had in the US at the time, as the album quickly went Gold and eventually going Platinum. This would be last of the super-progressive, art rock albums from Rush and the last of the side-long epic suites.