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A Farewell To Kings vs Hemispheres


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  1. 1. Which one is the best album?



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What's wrong with A Farewell To Hemispheres? :)

 

Yeah, A Farewell To Hemispheres and long reign A Farewell To Kings!

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What's wrong with A Farewell To Hemispheres? :)

 

Yeah, A Farewell To Hemispheres and long reign A Farewell To Kings!

 

Obviously not what was meant. :LOL:

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What's wrong with A Farewell To Hemispheres? :)

 

Yeah, A Farewell To Hemispheres and long reign A Farewell To Kings!

 

Obviously not what was meant. :LOL:

 

Okay, maybe not a farewell, but at least a stern talking to.

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What's wrong with A Farewell To Hemispheres? :)

 

Yeah, A Farewell To Hemispheres and long reign A Farewell To Kings!

 

Obviously not what was meant. :LOL:

 

But that's exactly why I didn't want to call it that. 'Tis true!

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Kings. Three excellent songs on it (title track, Xanadu, Closer to the Heart) compared to one on Hemispheres (Circumstances).

 

You've heard La Villa, yes? Very cool when Kirk Hammett speaks about how awesome and massively influential that song is and how inspirational Alex' solo early in the song is , how it slowly builds and fills empty spaces. I recall feeling the exact same away about La Villa when it came out. They all raved about La Villa on the documentary...oh yeah, they dug out Trent Reznor for the over synth era. Hey I like NIN also...

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What's wrong with A Farewell To Hemispheres? :)

 

Yeah, A Farewell To Hemispheres and long reign A Farewell To Kings!

 

Obviously not what was meant. :LOL:

 

But that's exactly why I didn't want to call it that. 'Tis true!

 

The Hemi Kings?

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So I constructed the running order as follows:

 

Circumstances

The Trees

Xanadu

Cygnus X-1, Book I

Book II: Hemispheres

La Villa Strangiato

 

I was tempted to put the title track from A Farewell to Kings on it, too, but I decided against it. But what's here is 58 minutes of blisteringly awesome interplay.

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What's wrong with A Farewell To Hemispheres? :)

 

Yeah, A Farewell To Hemispheres and long reign A Farewell To Kings!

 

Obviously not what was meant. :LOL:

 

But that's exactly why I didn't want to call it that. 'Tis true!

 

The Hemi Kings?

 

I do kind of like that.

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So I constructed the running order as follows:

 

Circumstances

The Trees

Xanadu

Cygnus X-1, Book I

Book II: Hemispheres

La Villa Strangiato

 

 

I was tempted to put the title track from A Farewell to Kings on it, too, but I decided against it. But what's here is 58 minutes of blisteringly awesome interplay.

 

I would be tempted to put one of the songs that has a cool intro at the beginning. Kind of a lead in to the album. Maybe Xanadu first and La Villa last.

Edited by EagleMoon
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Zamispheres

That would make a good user name.

It takes a quality poster to pull it off though. A mediocre poster couldn't make it work and would have to crawl back to his old name.

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Zamispheres

That would make a good user name.

It takes a quality poster to pull it off though. A mediocre poster couldn't make it work and would have to crawl back to his old name.

I'm not sure I agree. Let's make a poll...
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So I constructed the running order as follows:

 

Circumstances

The Trees

Xanadu

Cygnus X-1, Book I

Book II: Hemispheres

La Villa Strangiato

 

I was tempted to put the title track from A Farewell to Kings on it, too, but I decided against it. But what's here is 58 minutes of blisteringly awesome interplay.

 

...you left off Closer To The Heart AND A Farewell To Kings? Blasphemy!

 

(Looks cool though, but Xanadu would make a better opener)

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So I constructed the running order as follows:

 

Circumstances

The Trees

Xanadu

Cygnus X-1, Book I

Book II: Hemispheres

La Villa Strangiato

 

 

I was tempted to put the title track from A Farewell to Kings on it, too, but I decided against it. But what's here is 58 minutes of blisteringly awesome interplay.

 

I would be tempted to put one of the songs that has a cool intro at the beginning. Kind of a lead in to the album. Maybe Xanadu first and La Villa last.

 

I wanted to put The Trees and Xanadu together in sequence like that, just as they used to play them live together circa '81. The studio versions work well consecutively, too.

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So I constructed the running order as follows:

 

Circumstances

The Trees

Xanadu

Cygnus X-1, Book I

Book II: Hemispheres

La Villa Strangiato

 

I was tempted to put the title track from A Farewell to Kings on it, too, but I decided against it. But what's here is 58 minutes of blisteringly awesome interplay.

 

...you left off Closer To The Heart AND A Farewell To Kings? Blasphemy!

 

(Looks cool though, but Xanadu would make a better opener)

 

You guys are all free to make your own if you want. :)

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A FAREWELL TO KINGS

 

A Farewell to Kings: 6.7

Xanadu: 10.0

Closer to the Heart: 10.0

Cinderella Man: 6.7

Madrigal: 5.0

Cygnus X-1, Book I: The Voyage: 10.0

• Overall: 8.1 •

 

HEMISPHERES

 

Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres: 2.0

Circumstances: 9.0

The Trees: 10.0

La Villa Strangiato: 10.0

• Overall: 7.8 •

 

AFTK it is, then. Tough decision, though.

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As the official unofficial ambassador of the majesty that is A Farewell To Kings (see my sig), I think it's pretty obvious which album I believe to be the greatest of the two.

 

I actually had mixed feelings about Hemispheres the first few times I listened to it; it just seemed too too precise and clean and perfect (not in the sense one might normally use the term) to me, and I had to let it grow on me over time. Of course I do recognize its consistent brilliance, but let's just say "The Trees" has always been my favorite on the album as an indicator of the kind of seventies Rush sound I find to be the most awesome. In my opinion, "The Trees" has more AFTK sound in it than the rest of the record as it's not quite so serious and isn't quite so pristine and perfect as the rest of the album (well at least Hems and La Villa, Circumstances is cool but it's a little like side two of 2112). All in all Hemispheres is like a solid brick of super serious seventies Rush, whereas A Farewell To Kings is a musical journey with a greater variety of sound.

 

A Farewell to Kings is my absolute favorite Rush album of all time ever and shall never be dethroned (pun intended) from this position. I mean, the title track alone is Rush's most underrated opener, not to mention a heck of a powerhouse rocker with such a pretty, folky mix of acoustic guitar and mellotron to open the opener (making the electric guitar breakthrough all the more exciting and surprising, even more than that of Xanadu). And speaking of Xanadu, A Farewell To Kings is the album which contains Rush's best about ten minute epic (though actually not my personal favorite) which doubles as one of Neil's most awesome studio drum performances ever. Words cannot describe the majesty of Xanadu, which I'm sure you're all already aware of, so I'll skip ahead. Closer To The Heart is incredibly poetic, not to mention quite catchy and the song which sparked my initial curiosity for this "little" band called Rush (*Closer To The Heart plays as my dad's ringtone a few years back* "Hey, Dad, is that a girl singing?" "No, son, that's Geddy Lee." "Who's Geddy Lee?" and thus it begins...). Altogether short, sweet, simple (for Rush), and wonderful. Then comes Cinderella Man, possibly Geddy's best lyrics ever plus one of the best riffs they barely used to open it. As well as these two great factors, the music is highly underrated and sweet during the choruses. Moving on to Madrigal, yes it's not epic, it's not hard rocking, it's not really one of Rush's masterworks or anything to that extent, but this may be the best example of genius song placement in the entirety of Rush's catalogue. The song itself is kind of silly and short, but the mellotron is pretty and the lyrics, while also a little silly, are actually very nice as well. But the best part of Madrigal is the fact that it serves as the mystical quiet before the cosmic storm of Cygnus X-1, my absolute favorite Rush song of all time. The first part of the Cygnus duo is easily the superior part, journeying from the depths of space, down to earth, back into space, and into the heart of a black hole, seemingly never to return. It's got everything, some of Neil's best drumming and other percussion (he tears his kit up at the end in a way he wouldn't do again until Headlong Flight), one of Ged's best ever basslines (and the way it fades in, like he's walking slowly closer, so cool), awesome guitar soloing and riffage from Mr. Lifeson (speaks for itself), not to mention Ged's highest ever sung note right at the end in probably the most intense moment in their entire discography. I love this song to death, and the cliffhanger at the end is just so sci-fi in the most classic way. This album takes one on a musical journey with peaks of intensity and moments of more carefree fun. Nothing compares

 

Are Rush ambassadorships paid by the word?

 

You actually got me caught in your train of thought. But for me, Cygnus X-1 is not nearly as strong as most material on Hemispheres, so I can't vote for AFTK.

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As the official unofficial ambassador of the majesty that is A Farewell To Kings (see my sig), I think it's pretty obvious which album I believe to be the greatest of the two.

 

I actually had mixed feelings about Hemispheres the first few times I listened to it; it just seemed too too precise and clean and perfect (not in the sense one might normally use the term) to me, and I had to let it grow on me over time. Of course I do recognize its consistent brilliance, but let's just say "The Trees" has always been my favorite on the album as an indicator of the kind of seventies Rush sound I find to be the most awesome. In my opinion, "The Trees" has more AFTK sound in it than the rest of the record as it's not quite so serious and isn't quite so pristine and perfect as the rest of the album (well at least Hems and La Villa, Circumstances is cool but it's a little like side two of 2112). All in all Hemispheres is like a solid brick of super serious seventies Rush, whereas A Farewell To Kings is a musical journey with a greater variety of sound.

 

A Farewell to Kings is my absolute favorite Rush album of all time ever and shall never be dethroned (pun intended) from this position. I mean, the title track alone is Rush's most underrated opener, not to mention a heck of a powerhouse rocker with such a pretty, folky mix of acoustic guitar and mellotron to open the opener (making the electric guitar breakthrough all the more exciting and surprising, even more than that of Xanadu). And speaking of Xanadu, A Farewell To Kings is the album which contains Rush's best about ten minute epic (though actually not my personal favorite) which doubles as one of Neil's most awesome studio drum performances ever. Words cannot describe the majesty of Xanadu, which I'm sure you're all already aware of, so I'll skip ahead. Closer To The Heart is incredibly poetic, not to mention quite catchy and the song which sparked my initial curiosity for this "little" band called Rush (*Closer To The Heart plays as my dad's ringtone a few years back* "Hey, Dad, is that a girl singing?" "No, son, that's Geddy Lee." "Who's Geddy Lee?" and thus it begins...). Altogether short, sweet, simple (for Rush), and wonderful. Then comes Cinderella Man, possibly Geddy's best lyrics ever plus one of the best riffs they barely used to open it. As well as these two great factors, the music is highly underrated and sweet during the choruses. Moving on to Madrigal, yes it's not epic, it's not hard rocking, it's not really one of Rush's masterworks or anything to that extent, but this may be the best example of genius song placement in the entirety of Rush's catalogue. The song itself is kind of silly and short, but the mellotron is pretty and the lyrics, while also a little silly, are actually very nice as well. But the best part of Madrigal is the fact that it serves as the mystical quiet before the cosmic storm of Cygnus X-1, my absolute favorite Rush song of all time. The first part of the Cygnus duo is easily the superior part, journeying from the depths of space, down to earth, back into space, and into the heart of a black hole, seemingly never to return. It's got everything, some of Neil's best drumming and other percussion (he tears his kit up at the end in a way he wouldn't do again until Headlong Flight), one of Ged's best ever basslines (and the way it fades in, like he's walking slowly closer, so cool), awesome guitar soloing and riffage from Mr. Lifeson (speaks for itself), not to mention Ged's highest ever sung note right at the end in probably the most intense moment in their entire discography. I love this song to death, and the cliffhanger at the end is just so sci-fi in the most classic way. This album takes one on a musical journey with peaks of intensity and moments of more carefree fun. Nothing compares

 

Are Rush ambassadorships paid by the word?

 

You actually got me caught in your train of thought. But for me, Cygnus X-1 is not nearly as strong as most material on Hemispheres, so I can't vote for AFTK.

 

lol, trust me, I could write a lot more if I were getting paid. :P

 

I will defend Cygnus the former till the end, but I respect your opinion.

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This is tough as both of those are in my top 10.

However, Hemispheres takes the cake.

 

AFtK is a really strong record, but I was never huge on Cinderella Man or Madrigal.

The title track, Xanadu, and Cygnus X-1 are all top-tier tracks however, and of course the classic Closer to the Heart.

 

But Hemispheres is just a monster. An absolute monolith of an album. You've got the insanely memorable and complex title track, catchy The Trees, and probably their best instrumental La Villa.

For mid-album tracks, I'd say Circumstances > Cinderella Man.

 

Two excellent albums, but Hemispheres has always been in my top 3.

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As the official unofficial ambassador of the majesty that is A Farewell To Kings (see my sig), I think it's pretty obvious which album I believe to be the greatest of the two.

 

I actually had mixed feelings about Hemispheres the first few times I listened to it; it just seemed too too precise and clean and perfect (not in the sense one might normally use the term) to me, and I had to let it grow on me over time. Of course I do recognize its consistent brilliance, but let's just say "The Trees" has always been my favorite on the album as an indicator of the kind of seventies Rush sound I find to be the most awesome. In my opinion, "The Trees" has more AFTK sound in it than the rest of the record as it's not quite so serious and isn't quite so pristine and perfect as the rest of the album (well at least Hems and La Villa, Circumstances is cool but it's a little like side two of 2112). All in all Hemispheres is like a solid brick of super serious seventies Rush, whereas A Farewell To Kings is a musical journey with a greater variety of sound.

 

A Farewell to Kings is my absolute favorite Rush album of all time ever and shall never be dethroned (pun intended) from this position. I mean, the title track alone is Rush's most underrated opener, not to mention a heck of a powerhouse rocker with such a pretty, folky mix of acoustic guitar and mellotron to open the opener (making the electric guitar breakthrough all the more exciting and surprising, even more than that of Xanadu). And speaking of Xanadu, A Farewell To Kings is the album which contains Rush's best about ten minute epic (though actually not my personal favorite) which doubles as one of Neil's most awesome studio drum performances ever. Words cannot describe the majesty of Xanadu, which I'm sure you're all already aware of, so I'll skip ahead. Closer To The Heart is incredibly poetic, not to mention quite catchy and the song which sparked my initial curiosity for this "little" band called Rush (*Closer To The Heart plays as my dad's ringtone a few years back* "Hey, Dad, is that a girl singing?" "No, son, that's Geddy Lee." "Who's Geddy Lee?" and thus it begins...). Altogether short, sweet, simple (for Rush), and wonderful. Then comes Cinderella Man, possibly Geddy's best lyrics ever plus one of the best riffs they barely used to open it. As well as these two great factors, the music is highly underrated and sweet during the choruses. Moving on to Madrigal, yes it's not epic, it's not hard rocking, it's not really one of Rush's masterworks or anything to that extent, but this may be the best example of genius song placement in the entirety of Rush's catalogue. The song itself is kind of silly and short, but the mellotron is pretty and the lyrics, while also a little silly, are actually very nice as well. But the best part of Madrigal is the fact that it serves as the mystical quiet before the cosmic storm of Cygnus X-1, my absolute favorite Rush song of all time. The first part of the Cygnus duo is easily the superior part, journeying from the depths of space, down to earth, back into space, and into the heart of a black hole, seemingly never to return. It's got everything, some of Neil's best drumming and other percussion (he tears his kit up at the end in a way he wouldn't do again until Headlong Flight), one of Ged's best ever basslines (and the way it fades in, like he's walking slowly closer, so cool), awesome guitar soloing and riffage from Mr. Lifeson (speaks for itself), not to mention Ged's highest ever sung note right at the end in probably the most intense moment in their entire discography. I love this song to death, and the cliffhanger at the end is just so sci-fi in the most classic way. This album takes one on a musical journey with peaks of intensity and moments of more carefree fun. Nothing compares

 

(In my best Cousin Vinny) Everything that guy just said is bullshit.... thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But seriously, I respect your opinion but... too precise, clean and perfect? Book II is aggressive yet poetic and beautiful. The greatest combination of musicianship, lyrics and vocals you'll ever hear. I am a Hemispheres ambassador and can tout the majesty of AFTK. Both albums are absolutely phenomenal. Edge to Hemispheres, though.

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