A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 1, 1977, by Mercury Records in the United States. Its total length is 37:13. The band's lineup included vocalist and bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart. Geddy Lee is also credited with using bass pedal synthesizers and a Minimoog (a small synth keyboard instrument).
Rush's previous release had a great progressive feel to the first song on the record but definitely went with a mainstream approach for the second half. This album basically has a progressive style all of the way through and is more focused musically than their last album. It definitely has improved normal length tracks on this album in comparison to their last record 2112.
The album was another popular release for the band as it reached #33 on Billboard 200 chart and #22 on the UK albums chart. It has since gone Platinum in the U.S and Canada, as well as Gold in the U.K. The strengths of this album are the heavy progressive style, the great musicianship, the impressive vocal range of Geddy Lee, and the improvement in Rush's songwriting abilities for normal length songs. There are no glaring weaknesses on A Farewell to Kings. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1. "A Farewell to Kings" 5:51 (5/5)
"A Farewell to Kings" starts off with a great acoustic guitar riff as well as some other chimes and synths. I really enjoy how the song transitions from a light sound like this one to a much heavier guitar riff to begin the song. I love this song lyrically, as it tells about kings that are selfish and were demons dressed as kings. Musically, it's basically just as good. The bass lines from Geddy are fantastic on this track. Neil's drumming is fantastic as usual. Lifeson provides another one of his signature guitar solos, and what we are left with is Rush's best normal length track up to date.
2. "Xanadu" 11:05 (5/5)
"Xanadu" begins with birds chirping, chimes, and some very cool music effects that are soothing to hear. I absolutely love the beginning of this song, it puts you in such a great mood and sets the tone for the rest of the track. Then, Lifeson begins to play one of his most iconic guitar riffs of all time that is catchy and sounds ahead of its time. I love the bass playing from Geddy, it's heavy and provides this song with another great element. The drumming is precise from Neil during this track, and yet again we hear more synthesizers on this track as Rush continues their experimentation with them.
This is one of the best instrumental lead-ups in any Rush song. Geddy's singing on this track is also very good and compliments the instrumentation in the background. I love the chorus, it's very upbeat and full of energy. Geddy begins to show his excellent vocal range just after the chorus and also his bass playing is absolutely fantastic. The song repeats the chorus again, just before it goes to those synthesizers and that calming guitar riff. Lifeson yet again amazes with another awesome guitar solo that absolutely kills. What a song, it is definitely one of my 10 favorite Rush tracks of all time.
3. "Closer to the Heart" 2:54 (5/5)
"Closer to the Heart" begins with another pretty acoustic guitar riff. Geddy's singing is beautiful and his bass playing is very prevalent. I really like the buildup to much louder drumming from Neil Peart and the fantastic guitar solo from Lifeson. Lyrically, the song is so good, it's simple and easy to understand. "Closer to the Heart" is definitely a short and pretty simple track when it comes to Rush, but it doesn't take away from its effectiveness.
4. "Cinderella Man" 4:20 (4/5)
I really love the guitar riff that begins "Cinderella Man." The bass playing is excellent as usual and the drumming is also very good. Geddy's vocals are well delivered. The chorus is one that doesn't wow, but it's definitely catchy. I love Lifeson's acoustic guitar playing throughout this song. The guitar solo is one of those slow build ups with all sorts of funky effects. It's probably one of the best things about this song. Overall, it's a good track.
5. "Madrigal" 2:35 (3/5)
"Madrigal" is a calm soothing track that contains acoustic guitar playing throughout. Lyrically, it is basically a short love ballad. Geddy's voice is very good on this song and his bass playing is very audible. It's a pretty basic track that is well placed on the album. It isn't spectacular, but it gets the job done.
6. "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" 10:25 (4.5/5)
The general story line of this epic which is continued on the next album is that our main character is traveling in his spacecraft to the black hole, Cygnus x-1, because he believes there is something beyond it. When he gets to the black hole, he is then sucked into it and we, as the listener, are left wondering if he survives.
The song begins with some strange sound effects and narration from a distorted voice. It has that science fiction feel to it. Then you hear the ship blast its engines. Next, Geddy plays an awesome bass riff that is beyond catchy, it is one of my favorites he has ever done. Neil begins playing his drum and Lifeson begins to play the same riff Geddy is playing but on guitar. It's definitely one of their finest intros to a song. Lifeson begins to play a much more frantic guitar riff before slowing to a much slower tempo riff. The synths also begin to play.
Then, Geddy begins singing in a frantic tone as the main character begins to realize he is being sucked into the black hole. The next part of the song is much more upbeat as Geddy begins singing about flying across the galaxies to explore Cygnus X-1. Lifeson then plays an absolutely fantastic solo.
Geddy begins to play a quick bass riff, then Alex begins to play an epic guitar riff repeatedly, before going into another frantic sounding tone in the song as the main character begins to feel his molecules being torn apart and becomes atomized. It is an epic ending that never actually explains what happens to our lead character, but we will find out on the next album. It's another killer track off a great album.
My Verdict:
Rush really makes improvements from the last album, as this record is more consistent all the way through in comparison to 2112. It has terrific story telling, excellent instrumentation, and is my favorite album that Geddy has done up until this point. The progressiveness of Rush is taken to another level with this release, as every song really leans towards a more progressive styling unlike the last release that had one progressive epic and the rest of the album was geared toward a more hard rock approach. A Farewell to Kings is their best album yet.
