Rush – A Farewell to Kings (SACD hibrid)

“A Farewell To Kings” is a multi-part epic that transports listeners into space, a work inspired by a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and a perennial favorite on the radio – from a band dedicated to art without boundaries: Rush! The Canadian trio skillfully takes advantage of the studio environment to break new ground, further integrate electronic instruments into their work, and expand their musical vocabulary. “A Farewell To Kings,” Rush’s fifth album, is a milestone! Incredibly, the album was recorded in just three weeks. Sound engineer Pat Moran already knew it when he witnessed Rush nail “Xanadu” perfectly in a single take at Rockfield Studios. The fantasy epic, loosely based on Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan” and “Citizen Kane,” features one of the most famous call-and-response passages in Rush’s entire discography. “Closer To The Heart,” the only song Rush brought to Rockfield in its complete form, made it into the Top 40 in the UK and became a staple of their concerts for decades.

Throughout, “A Farewell To Kings” is brimming with nuances that enrich the atmosphere and the arrangements. Experiments with unusual time signatures and extremely complex passages take center stage – whether it’s the bass pedals that gave Alex Lifeson the freedom to add a second guitar on “Xanadu” or the expansive spaces that invited Geddy Lee to use the Minimoog. Drummer Neil Peart’s contributions are also impressive: his range on “A Farewell To Kings” expands to include orchestral and tubular bells, temple blocks, wind chimes, a glockenspiel, and much more. Not to be outdone in terms of instrumentation, Lee supplements his setup with a 12-string guitar and the now-iconic double-neck models. Lifeson also uses both acoustic and electric 12-string guitars, as well as a classical guitar and his own bass pedal synthesizer. After taking a break from the “album-tour-album-tour” cycle with the release of the live album “All The World’s A Stage”, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart refined their craft with virtuoso intensity. They traveled for the first time to a studio outside their home base of Toronto, enjoyed the idyllic seclusion of the Welsh countryside, and mixed “A Farewell To Kings” in two weeks at Advision in London.

This reissue of “A Farewell to Kings”, lovingly remastered at MoFi’s California studio (the tape reels were in boxes labeled both “Master” and “Safety Copy”), now presents this classic as a numbered special-edition Hybrid SACD, featuring the iconic cover artwork by Hugh Symes. The expansive soundstage and pinpoint detail reproduction, along with the pitch-black background and full dynamic range across the entire frequency spectrum, make this prog-rock masterpiece an audiophile delight!

We recommend the use of „L’Art du Son” CD/DVD conditioner for even more sonic improvement.

Lista pieselor

1. A Farewell To Kings

2. Xanadu

3. Closer To The Heart

4. Cinderella Man

5. Madrigal

6. Cygnus X-1