| A Farewell to Kings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
) A Farewell to Kings cover | |||||
| Studio album by Rush | |||||
| Released | September 1977 | ||||
| Recorded | June 1977 at Rockfield Studios in South Wales, UK | ||||
| Genre | Progressive rock | ||||
| Length | 37:13 | ||||
| Label | Anthem Records (Canada) Mercury Records | ||||
| Producer | Rush and Terry Brown | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Rush chronology | |||||
| |||||
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Rush (A Farewell to Kings)
A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by the Canadian band Rush, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music). The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and mixed at Advision Studios in London.
A Farewell to Kings would become Rush's first US Gold selling album going Gold in almost two months of its release and eventually Platinum.
Geddy Lee played his bass lines on acoustic while writing them and came up with guitar lines also. The birds heard on "A Farewell to Kings" & "Xanadu" were recorded outside near Rockfield Studios.
A Farewell to Kings
The name of the album itself is clearly derivative of Ernest Hemingway's classic novel A Farewell to Arms. It often deals lyrically with the theme of departure, and through departure, a sort of ascension to a state of better being; this can be said to echo the evolution of society from the days of medieval feudalism and autocratic monarchy, hence "a farewell to kings".Xanadu
The lyrics for the epic "Xanadu" were inspired by the 56-line poem Kubla Khan, written about 1797 by British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Lee, Lifeson, and Peart all worked overtime in this track, each utilizing a number of instruments to affect the performance. "Xanadu" also marks a rare occurrence of Geddy Lee on rhythm guitar (live). Other tracks with Lee on guitar include "A Passage to Bangkok" and "Resist" (live).Closer to the Heart
"Closer to the Heart" is one of Rush's most popular songs, seeing a fair bit of radio airplay during a time when the band was in the middle of its 'epic song' days. After a couple of near-misses earlier in the decade with "Fly By Night" and "Bastille Day", "Closer to the Heart" finally landed them their first hit single in the United Kingdom, reaching #36 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1978. The acoustic guitar intro was written by Geddy Lee. Peter Talbot, a friend of the band (who is also mentioned in the credits for All the World's a Stage) wrote the first four lines and Neil Peart wrote the remainder of the lyrics. The song has been part of the set list on nearly every tour since 1977. The band dropped "Closer To The Heart" for the bulk of their recent tours in support of Vapor Trails and their because, according to Peart, "we got sick of it."Cygnus X-1
The final track is another epic about a fictional space voyage to "Cygnus X-1". Inspiration for the story within the song was found in the observation of an X-ray source in the constellation Cygnus. Considered to be one of the most likely black hole candidates in the universe, Cygnus X-1 was discovered in the early 1970s by Canadian scientist Tom Bolton, using the facilities of the David Dunlap Observatory at the University of Toronto. The theme of the track would be continued in "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres", the lead and title track of Rush's next album, Hemispheres.Other Tracks
The lyrics of "Cinderella Man" are based on the Frank Capra film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town."Madrigal" is perhaps one of the band's softest songs of this time period. It is also one of Rush's shortest songs at 2:35. The only other Rush songs that are shorter are "Need Some Love" (2:19), "Malignant Narcissism" (2:17), and "Hope" (2:02).
Track listing
Side 1- "A Farewell to Kings" (Peart) – 5:51
- "Xanadu" (Peart) – 11:08
- "Closer to the Heart" (Peart/Talbot) – 2:53
- "Cinderella Man" (Lee) – 4:21
- "Madrigal" (Peart) – 2:35
- "Cygnus X-1" (Peart) – 10:25
- * "Prologue" – 0:00
- * "1" – 5:02
- * "2" – 5:45
- * "3" – 7:17
Credits for song lyrics are noted above. All music is by Lee/Lifeson, except where noted.
Personnel
- Geddy Lee - bass guitar, twelve string guitar, Mini-Moog and bass pedal synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson - electric, acoustic and classical guitars, bass pedal synthesizer
- Neil Peart - drums, cowbells, orchestra bells, wind chimes, triangle, bell tree, vibra-slap, tubular bells, temple blocks
- Terry Brown - engineer
- Pat Moran - engineer
- Hugh Syme - art direction and graphics
- Yosh Inouye - cover photography
- Roger Stowell - sleeve photograph
- Fin Costello - liner photographs
- George Graves - mastering on original album
- Bob Ludwig - remastering
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Billboard's Pop Albums | 33 |
Singles
| Cover | Information |
|---|---|
) | "Closer to the Heart"
|
"Cinderella Man"
|
Remaster Details
A remaster was issued in 1997.- The tray has a picture of star with man painting with THE RUSH REMASTERS printed in all caps just to the left. All remasters from Rush through to Permanent Waves are like this. This is just like the cover art of Retrospective I.
- The remaster has all of the original vinyl packaging including the back cover(all black with puppet strings) and inner sleeve photos of the band on stage and star with man logo reinstated(which were missing on the original CD issue).
| Rush |
|---|
|
Geddy Lee • Alex Lifeson • Neil Peart
John Rutsey • Jeff Jones
Albums: Rush • Fly by Night • Caress of Steel • 2112 • A Farewell to Kings • Hemispheres • Permanent Waves • Moving Pictures • Signals • Grace Under Pressure • Power Windows • Hold Your Fire • Presto • Roll the Bones • Counterparts • Test for Echo • Vapor Trails • Snakes & Arrows
EPs: Feedback
Live Albums: All the World's a Stage • Exit...Stage Left • A Show of Hands • Different Stages • Rush in Rio
Live Concert Video Releases: Exit...Stage Left (video) • Grace Under Pressure Tour (video) • A Show of Hands (video) • Rush in Rio (video) • • Rush Replay X 3
Music Compilations: Archives • Chronicles • Retrospective I • Retrospective II • • Gold
Music Video Compilations: Through the Camera Eye • Chronicles (video)
Related articles
• Rush discography • History of Rush • Rush instrumentals
Victor • My Favourite Headache • A Work in Progress • Anatomy of a Drum Solo • "Fear" series • Cygnus X-1 duology • Hugh Syme |
A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist.
It usually does not contain live recordings or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make up a majority of the album and are often called "bonus tracks".
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It usually does not contain live recordings or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make up a majority of the album and are often called "bonus tracks".
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Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Rush was formed in the summer of 1968, in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Alex Lifeson, Jeff Jones, and
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Motto
Cymru am byth (Welsh)
"Wales forever"
Anthem
"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"
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Cymru am byth (Welsh)
"Wales forever"
Anthem
"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"
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A music genre is a term that describes the process of dividing popular music into categories. Some treat the terms genre and style as the same, and state that genre should be defined as pieces of music that share a certain style or "basic musical language.
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Progressive rock, sometimes shortened to "prog" or "prog rock", is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s, principally from psychedelic rock, blues rock, folk rock, hard rock, classical music, and jazz fusion, but also from a wide-ranging
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In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. In everyday usage, a record label is also a company that manages such brands and trademarks; coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution,
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Anthem Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario. The company was formed in the May 1977 by Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson with initial recording artists Rush, Max Webster, Liverpool and A Foot in Cold Water.
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Mercury Records is a record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. In the US, its name and logo were now only used on back catalogue, country releases, and re-issues until recently.
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In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering
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Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Rush was formed in the summer of 1968, in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Alex Lifeson, Jeff Jones, and
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Terry Brown may refer to:
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- Terry Brown (record producer), record producer known most notably for his work with the rock bands Rush, Cutting Crew, Blue Rodeo, and Klaatu
- Terry Brown (football chairman), former chairman of West Ham United football club
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The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. AMG was founded in 1991 by popular-culture archivist Michael Erlewine and mathematician Vladimir Bogdanov, Ph.D., as a guide for consumers. Its first reference book was published the next year.
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Type Music magazine
Format
Owner Jann Wenner
Publisher Wenner Publishing
Editor Jann Wenner
Will Dana
Founded 1967
Language English
Headquarters New York City, NY
Circulation 1.2 to 1.
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Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Rush was formed in the summer of 1968, in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Alex Lifeson, Jeff Jones, and
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All the World's a Stage is a double live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 1976 (see 1976 in music).
The album was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto on June 11th, 12th and 13th during their 2112 tour.
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The album was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto on June 11th, 12th and 13th during their 2112 tour.
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Hemispheres
(1978) Permanent Waves
(1980)
Hemispheres is the sixth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1978. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales.
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(1978) Permanent Waves
(1980)
Hemispheres is the sixth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1978. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales.
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album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on
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This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
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Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
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Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Rush was formed in the summer of 1968, in the neighbourhood of Willowdale in Toronto, Ontario, by Alex Lifeson, Jeff Jones, and
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-1977- 1978 . 1979 . 1980 1981 . 1982 . 1983 . 1984 . 1985 . 1986 .
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Motto
Cymru am byth (Welsh)
"Wales forever"
Anthem
"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"
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Cymru am byth (Welsh)
"Wales forever"
Anthem
"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"
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London
Canary Wharf is the centre of London's modern office towers
London shown within England
Coordinates:
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
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Canary Wharf is the centre of London's modern office towers
London shown within England
Coordinates:
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
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Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Born: July 21 1899
Oak Park, Illinois
Died: July 2 1961 (aged 63)
Ketchum, Idaho
Occupation: Writer and journalist
Genres: Lost Generation
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Ernest Hemingway
Born: July 21 1899
Oak Park, Illinois
Died: July 2 1961 (aged 63)
Ketchum, Idaho
Occupation: Writer and journalist
Genres: Lost Generation
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A Farewell to Arms
First edition cover
Author Ernest Hemingway
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) War
Semi-autobiographical novel
Publisher Scribner's Magazine
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First edition cover
Author Ernest Hemingway
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) War
Semi-autobiographical novel
Publisher Scribner's Magazine
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Middle Ages form the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern Times.
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Feudalism refers to a general set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility of Europe during the Middle Ages, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs.
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autocracy is a form of government in which the political power is held by a single self appointed ruler, usually a dictator. The term autocrat is derived from the Greek word autokratôr (lit. "self-ruler", or to: "rule by one's self").
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This article is written like a personal reflection or and may require .
Please [ improve this article] by rewriting this article in an . (, talk)
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List of forms of government
- Anarchism
- Aristocracy
- Authoritarianism
- Autocracy
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Lyrics
- For other uses, see Lyrical.
Lyrics are the words to a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit.
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Released August 18 1977
Recorded 1977, Rockfield Studios
Genre Progressive Rock
Length 11:08
Label Mercury Records
Writer(s) Peart
Composer(s) Lee & Lifeson
Producer(s) Rush & Terry Brown
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Recorded 1977, Rockfield Studios
Genre Progressive Rock
Length 11:08
Label Mercury Records
Writer(s) Peart
Composer(s) Lee & Lifeson
Producer(s) Rush & Terry Brown
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