Hemispheres all the way for me. There were a couple of reasons.
I was playing a great deal of classical music in junior high and high school, along with being in the orchestra pit of several productions. I loved the similarities in Rush's progressive sound to the movements of classical. It was cool! Hey, I was a band geek at the time.
The other was the cerebral side of the album. I did my senior elective term paper on the Neil Peart and Rush and the literary influences of Rush lyrics. It was a blast. Too bad I left it with some guy I was trying to impress at the time.
Hemispheres was always the perfect embodiment of Rush to me. Still feel it now even in the "mid-life" stage when it has a permanent spot in the CD Changer (along with Farewell to Kings).
Love reading everyone's responses!
Pickle
