RUSH - A FAREWELL TO KINGS @ 45

 

Marking 45 years on the shelves, Rush’s fifth studio album, A Farewell to Kings, was released on September 1st, 1977. After their breakthrough release, 2112, from the previous year, A Farewell to Kings succeeded in expanding their burgeoning audience while introducing one of the groups most seminal and memorable singles.

After touring in support of 2112 for a grueling 16 months, rather than indulge in any vacation time, the trio plowed straight into recording a followup album to keep their hard won momentum rolling. With the first blush of success at their backs, they decided to record in the UK for a change of pace and set off to Rockfield Studios in Rockfield, Monmouthshire in Wales. In addition to the unfamiliar surroundings, the group decided to further challenge themselves with some unfamiliar instrumentation, with each member tackling something new for the sessions. This was where the group began introducing synthesizers to their sound, with Geddy, in particular, finding his palette expanded by the use of a synth bass pedal, which feed up his hands to play a Mini-Moog synth. This configuration was actually something he picked up from Cameron Hawkins of fellow Torontonian prog-rock trio, FM (which also featured Nash the Slash). Cam had this same kind of setup and he helped Geddy acclimate to this new performing technique.

Rush spent three weeks recording in Wales before heading to London to spend two more weeks mixing the album at Advision Studios. The album featured a mix of longer conceptual pieces with more concise, radio friendly tracks, particularly the song, Closer to the Heart, which was chosen as the single. The album did well, cracking the top 40 zones of the charts in Canada, the UK and the US, further advancing the band’s popularity. The single has gone on to become a signature song for the group and one of their most recognizable compositions.

The tour in 1977 to promote the album happened to come through my home town of Thunder Bay, ON, and their show at the Fort William Gardens became my first proper rock & roll concert at the tender age of 14. My older cousin took me to see them and I recall Max Webster were the opening act for the show. This was the era of silk kimonos with big billowing sleeves for Rush’s stage attire, which I thought looked pretty cool at the time, though they’ve been razed for their threads of the time over the years. The big concrete echo chamber of the stadium wasn’t a great place for acoustics, but it sure was LOUD and I marveled at the throngs of jean clad teens smoking weed and rocking out. It was a scene I’d never quite witnessed before and it was a little intimidating! I suppose, for a Canadian teen of the 1970s, you can’t complain about having your first concert be by one of Canada’s most iconic bands touring on the heels of what would become one of their most notable albums.

RUSH - 2112 @ 45

 

April 1st marks the 45th anniversary of the release of Rush’s fourth studio LP, 2112 (Twenty-one Twelve), issued on this day in 1976.

After the release of their previous album, Caress of Steel (1975), Rush were at a breaking point. The album had failed to connect with fans or critics, album sales were low and concert attendance was dropping off. The group were at a loss as they could feel the audience weren’t connecting with their latest music when they played it live. Their instincts were telling them this was the path they were meant to follow, but the commercial failure of their efforts left them shaken and losing confidence. They were also financially on the precipice of collapse and their international record label had their hand on the plug and were ready to pull. It was only through the intervention of their manager, Ray Danniels, that they were able to hang onto their contract. He flew down to the US offices and desperately pitched to the label heads that the band would refocus and deliver something much more commercially accessible and move away from the “progressive” tendencies they’d indulged in for Caress of Steel.

The band, however, had other intentions. They knew they were on the block and the ax was ready to chop, so they figured, fuck it! If they were going to go down, why not go down doing what they believed in. To this end, while touring throughout the latter part of 1975 and early 1976, they set about putting together the material which would go into their next album. They were careful not to let Danniels hear any of it until they’d worked it all out in detail and had what they felt was a solid, fully realized concept. They’d doubled down on the progressive approach and concocted a concept album inspired by the writings of controversial Russian philosopher and fiction author, Ayn Rand.

Drummer Neil Peart had come up with a science fiction story involving a dystopian fascist religious society where rationality had been outlawed along with music in favor of strict theocratic collectivism. Their story would tell the tale of a lone hero who would rediscover the magic of music by finding an abandoned electric guitar among some ancient ruins and bring the power of rock ’n’ roll back to the people. The cover would symbolize this via what would become the bands trademark icon, the nude man assailing against the red star. The symbolism references the red star commonly used in collectivist governments such as China and the USSR while the nude male represents the purity of intent of the individual fighting against the state.

The band spent two weeks recording in Toronto in early 1976. Once the LP was completed, they threw their “hail Marry” pass at the record buying public and hoped for the best. Much to their relief, the album was an immediate hit with both fans and critics, helping to break them commercially, not only in the US, but also the overseas markets in the UK and Europe as they toured there for the first time. On the road, the band were reinvigorated. The audiences came back in bigger numbers than ever before and people “got it” at last. It became proof positive of their belief in the value of staying true to their principals and served to buttress their determination to maintain that approach for the remainder of their very long and very successful career. It remains one of their most artistically lauded and highest selling LPs, only coming in second behind Moving Pictures.