Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Rush “Hemispheres” (1978)

Hemispheres is the culmination of all that Rush had been striving for since Neil Peart ascended to the drum stool back on Fly By Night. The side-long title track is a winding conceptual piece that one-ups 2112 in it's uniformity and metaphorical marriage of paperback fantasy with egghead philosophy. A continuation of A Farewell To Kings' "Cygnus X-1" (on tour Rush would play both pieces together, forming one 30-minute monstrosity), "Hemispheres" tells a convoluted tale of the "battle of heart and mind" that dabbles in Greek mythology and Nietzsche-inspired psychology, set to an ever-unfolding barrage of head-spinning riffs. But it's side two of Hemispheres that ensures it's classic status, with the brief, but hard-hitting and lyrically direct "Circumstances," ably leading things off. "The Trees," an almost Brothers Grimm styled allegorical tale of the pitfalls of collectivism, quickly became a Rush standard, as did the multi-part instrumental "La Villa Strangiato." Subtitled with a wink, "An Exercise in Self-Indulgence," the showcase is a tour-de-force of prog-rock muscle that probably inspired half of the kids who heard it to hone their musical chops, while the other half headed straight for the record store's newly-added punk bin. But in it's own way, Hemispheres is as uncompromising a statement as any, and with it Rush carved a permanent niche as leaders of their own pencil-necked revolution. –Ben

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