Rush Retrospective Part Five: A Farewell to Kings (1977)

Dining on Success

The success of “2112” opened the door for Rush; their gamble proved more successful than anyone could have ever foreseen.  Thus, the band’s record company, going off the unorthodox success of the album, gave the band unlimited freedom that would continue unabated throughout the rest of their career.  With this newfound artistic liberty, the band set out to create a follow-up to their surprising success story, a situation that for many artists can prove to be daunting. How could Rush capitalize on this newfound success and artistic liberties?  The answer was given on September 1st, 1977 with the release of “A Farewell to Kings”. The album proved to be a resounding success, reaching Gold in only two months, Rush proved that they weren’t one trick ponies and could expand their sound to greater heights.

Opening with an acoustic guitar passage before breaking into a heavy riff on the title track, one fact is made with crystal clarity: this is a very British sounding album. This is an album that is drenched in the style of U.K. bands that were active during the late seventies.  This statement is further supported by the knowledge that this album was recorded in Wales, with the mixing being conducted in London whereas the previous records were recorded Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At this time, it was no secret that the band members were influenced by the likes of UK bands such as Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Yes around this period in the late Seventies, these progressive rock bands that were already masters of the format that Rush was trying to capitalize on.  Interestingly enough, around 1977 many of these bands were starting to shy away from their avant-garde tendencies while Rush were diving head first into that direction.

On this album those UK progressive rock influences are more pronounced than ever before.  The implementation of nature sounds such as on the eleven minute epic “Xanadu” takes numerous pages from Yes’ symphonic book. “Cinderella Man” almost sounds like a track you would hear off of a Jethro Tull album, and the opening title track “A Farewell to Kings” one would not be faulted if they drew parallels to the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis.  Though despite the many influences that I can discern and draw connections toward, none of these sound like a band trying to imitate the sound or try to be their contemporaries. More so, they are taking notes from their influences and crafting tracks that are wholly and uniquely their own, a feat that is incredibly difficult for any band to achieve, let alone a band like Rush.

Lyrically the band goes into a much different direction as well, eschewing the science fiction nature of “2112” for a more pastoral, fantastical feeling.  Many times when listening to the album, I find myself imagining walking down a field tending to a herd of sheep in a medieval land. This is a more inviting, warming album, helped immensely by the implementation of numerous bells, synthesizers and acoustic guitars that the band has added to their musical arsenal.  Admittedly, this is where a flaw with the record could arise for some listeners, with the numerous lyrical allusions to kings and the ideals of finding the passion in your heart, or talking about honey dew from the mountains of Xanadu, lyrically it’s a very flowery record, almost bordering on cheesy to a degree. As for myself, since I am a huge fan of the UK style of progressive rock that the band was exploring, these elements do not hinder my enjoyment, and I can look past the melodramatic language and look into what the band is trying to accomplish.

The opening title track is a fantastic exploration of nobility disguising corruption, that behind the kingly guise the leaders only see the people below them with contempt, and furthermore the class that they occupy themselves is corrupt, with no sense of loyalty or trust among each other.  Combine the pessimistic lyrics with catchy hooks, complex time signature changes, and Alex Lifeson’s aggressive riffs and solos, this stands as one of Rush’s best opening tracks. The album then transitions to the eleven minute goliath that is “Xanadu”. Opening with a five minute instrumental, with a combination of nature snippets, Lifeson’s delicate strumming of the guitar and rising synths that then build up to a brilliant crescendo take the listener on a journey, a journey of the desire for immortality but realizing the horrifying consequences behind an appealing desire such as this, even if lyrically the shift to that realization isn’t as smooth or authentic as it could have been. That being said, "Xanadu" is one of Rush’s best songs and the biggest peak on the album.

The second side opens with the fantastic “Closer to Your Heart”, one of the shorter tracks on the album at just under three minutes, the continuing themes of forging the art that you want to create is still as prominent as it was on the previous releases, and has a groove to it that one will never be able to remove from their head.  “Cinderella Man” comes next, and it’s the weakest track on the record, partially because the message is fairly simplistic, the idea of a man whose called insane for his ideas but that he shouldn’t give up on them. It’s not a bad song at all, it has a nice catchy riff and great implementation of acoustic guitar, and an amazing bass line by Lee, but it could have been better from a lyrical standpoint. “Madrigal”, with it’s dueling use of synthesizer and acoustic guitar it is probably the most over the top track off the album, but is still fairly intriguing.  The album concludes with the second epic “Cygnus X-1: Book One: The Voyage” detailing an astronomer entering a blackhole called Cygnus X-1. This is a very menacing, almost evil kind of track, with an opening use of synthesizers and the distorted voice of their manager telling the story of Cygnus X-1. From there, Geddy Lee’s bass lines start creeping up, almost like an animal ready to pounce until it erupts with some of the most aggressive playing that the band has done up to that point. This is made especially clear with the ending of the track, with the band almost sounding like they are spiraling downwards and Geddy’s shrieks are almost horrifying. Definitely a bizarre, but noteworthy ending to the album.

The story of Cygnus X-1 was not concluded, ending on a cliffhanger (how theatrical of them) and luckily it would be with their next release in 1978 that would continue the story.  However, no one was prepared for what the album would unleash next. An album that would push the band to their musical and mental breaking point.