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Rush - Hemispheres (1978)
Cover Front Album Cover Back
Artist/Composer Rush
Length 36:00
Format Vinyl to CD
Genre Progressive Rock
Label Mercury
Index 392
Collection Status In Collection
Packaging Vinyl Record
Musicians
Drums and Percussion Neil Peart
Acoustic Guitar Alex Lifeson
Bass Guitar Geddy Lee
Guitar-Electric Alex Lifeson
Keyboards-Various Geddy Lee
Vocals Geddy Lee
Credits
Engineer Declan O'Doherty
Engineer Pat Morgan
Producer Alex Lifeson
Producer Geddy Lee
Producer Neil Peart
Producer Terry Brown
Track List
01 Cygnus X-1 Book II 18:04
02 Circumstances 03:40
03 The Trees 04:42
04 La Villa Strangiato 09:34
Personal Details
Album Lookup1 R
Details
Spars DDD
Rare No
Sound Stereo
Notes
While such albums as 1980's Permanent Waves and 1981's Moving Pictures are usually considered Rush's masterpieces (and with good reason), 1978's Hemispheres is just as deserving. Maybe the fact that the album consists of only four compositions (half are lengthy pieces) was a bit too intimidating for some, but the near 20-minute long "Cygnus X-1 Book II - Hemispheres" is arguably the band's finest extended track. While the storyline 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. Neil Peart had become one of rock's most accomplished lyricists by this point, as evidenced by "The Trees," which deals with racism and inequality in a unique way (set in a forest!). And as always, the trio prove to be experts at their instruments, this time on the complex instrumental, "La Villa Strangiato." Geddy Lee's shrieking vocals on the otherwise solid "Circumstances" may border on the irritating, but Hemispheres remains one of Rush's greatest releases.