Rush

A Farewell To Kings

Great music... but way too short

Review Score:

(8/10)
One of my big problems with this album is that for [the money], one would expect a bit more than 35 minutes. Sure, back in the day, LPs couldn't run for 75 minutes like CDs do today, but still, we could squeeze in a little more than 6 songs on this album! Other than that, this is one of the three albums that competes for my vote of Best Rush Album, along with Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. This was the album that started the era of a more experimental, progressive sounding Rush. After dabbling in epic songs from Caress of Steel and 2112, it seems like Rush has now refined their craft into a style that would skyrocket them to fame and onto the shelves of any 70s fan.
The opening and title track is, in my opinion, one of the best songs they have ever written. Lyrically, the words are contemplative but don't wind up getting corny like Peart tended to do in that time. The song itself is complex, but not so overly indulgent as to lose its audience. I still haven't figured out the meter to the jam in that song!
Xanadu shows us how much Rush has come along in writing epic songs. Perhaps their best one, if that moog didn't make me laugh every time I hear it... ah, how synthesizers have evolved over the years! Peart sets out to show us that he actually does of knowledge of classic literature and succeeds. Subsequent epics would go over the top and just wind up sounding like nerdy prog-rock, but this one sits quite nicely with any fan of the time.
Closer to the Heart: Every Rush fan knows this song by heart. Every non-Rush fan has to live with that.
Cinderella Man: Actually a very underrated song. Perhaps because it's not the showcase of talent and structure that the rest of the album shows, but still very much worth the effort.
Cygnus X-1: Yes, this is a real black hole (I remember it mentioned on some documentary). This is also the song which, as I mentioned before, shows Peart turning potentially great lyrics into an episode of Mystery Science Theater. 10 years ago, this song kicked all...; then I started getting intellectual and the lyrics annoyed me. However, what it lacks in lyrical beauty it more than makes up for in incredible musicianship. The ending to this song is simple and creepy, and leads me back to my original complaint: I want more!
This is an album that defined a classic band, and paved the way for many neo-prog bands that I've also come to enjoy. A bit pricy for the shortness of the album, but contains some of the best that Rush has to offer.

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