Hemispheres

Rush’s 1978 album is a fan favorite, for it is arguably the most progressive rock influenced of their entire catalog. The entire album consists of intricate arrangements and thought provoking lyricism by Neil Peart. It was the final album written during their 1977-1978 stay in the United Kingdom, and the difficulty that was associated with the album’s production led Rush to create much less strenuous arrangements, culminating in their 1980 album “Permanent Waves.”

Starting off with “Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres,” a continuation of the closing song off their 1977 album “A Farewell to Kings”, this song screams “progressive rock.” The song is centered around Greek mythology, more specifically the Gods Apollo and Dionysus. On an even larger scale it represents the theoretical differences between the hemispheres of our brain – the left side being more logic-orientated while the right side being affiliated with emotion.

Following the 18 minute epic are two short songs, “Circumstances” and “The Trees.” The former is based upon drummer Neil Peart’s coming of age and his time living in the UK before becoming a part of Rush, while the latter is based upon a clever metaphor for class warfare that Peart allegedly took inspiration from a children’s cartoon.

Finally, the album subsides with the fan favorite “La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise in Self-Indulgence),” a 9 and a half masterpiece that took a notorious amount of time for the band to play – taking longer to produce than their 1975 album “Fly by Night.” Split into 12 parts, this musical work of art is a perfect showcase of Rush’s musical prowess, with each band member playing on all cylinders.