description Rush - Hemispheres Overview
"Hemispheres" is the sixth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1978 on Mercury Records. The record serves as a direct continuation of the conceptual themes established in their previous album, "A Farewell to Kings." Its first side is entirely occupied by the 18-minute title track suite, exploring themes of logic and emotion through the narrative of "Cygnus X-1 Book II." The second side includes the complex instrumental track "La Villa Strangiato."
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What is the storyline of the "Cygnus X-1 Book II" suite on Rush's Hemispheres?
Taking up the entire first side of the 1978 vinyl record, this 18-minute suite concludes the spacefaring narrative begun in the song "Cygnus X-1" on their previous album, "A Farewell to Kings." It explores the Greek mythological struggle between Apollo (reason) and Dionysus (emotion), which is ultimately resolved by the character of Cygnus.
Is "La Villa Strangiato" on Hemispheres an instrumental track?
Yes, "La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise in Self-Indulgence)" is a highly complex, nine-part instrumental clocking in at over nine minutes. The band recorded it at Rockfield Studios in Wales, famously taking as long to record this one track as it took to record their entire previous album.
Did Rush ever perform the Hemispheres album live in its entirety?
While they toured heavily for the album in 1978 and 1979, they rarely played the entire "Cygnus X-1 Book II" suite live because it was too technically demanding. However, Rush did perform parts of the album during their 2010-2011 Time Machine Tour and the 2015 R40 Tour.
What musical awards or charts did Hemispheres achieve upon release?
Released in 1978 on Mercury Records, the album did not win major music awards but was a commercial success, reaching number 47 on the Billboard 200. It has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA and is widely considered a masterpiece of progressive rock.
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