Rush

A Farewell To Kings

Even Better Than 2112

Review Score:

(10/10)
After experiencing their first commercial success with their 1976 landmark breakthrough 2112, Rush continued to further push the progressive envelope with 1977's A FAREWELL TO KINGS. In my opinion, this is probably the most progressive album of Rush's career, as well as the album that proved that they would soon be heading in a new direction as the '80s came in.
The album begins with the expertly crafted title track, which starts off as a mellow acoustic piece and quickly erupts into a furiously played rocker. The song squeezes as much complexity as it can in 5 minutes, paving the way for future Rush classics such as "Free Will" and "Tom Sawyer." "Xanadu" is probably my favorite Rush epic of them all, next to "The Camera Eye" from MOVING PICTURES. Clocking in at 11 minutes, the song features the most intense and exciting instrumental build-up I've ever heard and it also features some of Neil Peart's most inventive drumming. "Closer to the Heart" is Rush's most popular song and rightfully so (listen to it). "Cinderella Man," the last song Geddy Lee wrote for the band, is the hidden gem off this album and it has some pretty unpredictable musicianship (a funky rhythm section!). "Madrigal" is the weakest song but it serves as a nice, mellow surprise. "Cygnus X-1" is the most complex and complicated song Rush has ever recorded. Written in three movements and clocking in at 10 minutes, it tells a brief and spooky tale of a spaceman entering a black hole. The first part is dark and forbidding, the second part is fun and exciting, and the third is a relentless onslaught of thunderous drums, menacing guitar riffs, and Geddy Lee's glass-shattering vocals.
A FAREWELL TO KINGS is the best album Rush released in the '70s. Period. The musicianship and the songwriting are tight as always, but it also serves as a blueprint for what Rush would do on their '80s releases by combining progressive epics with shorter, more streamlined songs. One of their best and one of my faves.

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