Cygnus X-1 Books??? What is the complete story??

[robertrobyn]

Im a long time Rush fan (1976) and I was wondering if someone can explain the story of Cygnus X-1 books?? Does anyone know the complete chronological story if possible. I'm man enough to admit that the bell at the beginning scared the crap out of me when I was 10 sitting in the dark listening. But even then I could not stop listening!! Thanks for the help.

[JARG]

Im a long time Rush fan (1976) and I was wondering if someone can explain the story of Cygnus X-1 books?? Does anyone know the complete chronological story if possible. I'm man enough to admit that the bell at the beginning scared the crap out of me when I was 10 sitting in the dark listening. But even then I could not stop listening!! Thanks for the help.

 

Dude flies his spaceship into a black hole and comes out "the other side" at Olympus where two rival gods are trying to win over the populace. The gods are so freaked out by the dude's arrival that they declare him a god as well.

 

or...

 

Dude flies his spaceship into a black hole and in his dying moments imagines the whole Apollo/Dionysus thing.

[robertrobyn]

Thanks. I was looking for a little more like the song names and the history etc on LP's etc.

[mother of all machines]

"What a nice looking black hole, I wonder what is in there" -genesis

 

"So Greeks were actually et hidden in a black hole called Cygnus?"

 

"God of love vs God of mind = war between Greek et"

 

"Come the guy from the Genesis, he invites everybody to chill and they call him Cygnus and he's a new god"- apocalypse

 

I guess that's quite a good sum up.

 

PD: SPINNING, WHIRLING STILL DESCENDING LIKE A SPIRAL SEA UNENDIIIIIIING

Edited August 11, 2015 by mother of all machines

[x1yyz]

PD: SPINNING, WHIRLING STILL DESCENDING LIKE A SPIRAL SEA UNENDIIIIIIING

 

I love that part.

[Segue Myles]

I need to play these songs again...its been too long!!

[toymaker]

Thanks. I was looking for a little more like the song names and the history etc on LP's etc.

 

There's really not much to tell. If you have A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres, you have the whole story.

 

Book one is about a guy who for some reason (either he's batshit or he has some noble purpose in holding his desire for knowledge above his personal safety) is compelled to fly into the black hole. He wants to go "headlong into mystery"; the x-ray signals from the black hole are like a "siren song"; he knows it is a "deadly goal" but also that it is his "destiny." [edit - turns out the word "destiny" isn't in the lyrics]

 

Book two is Peart's or the band's attempt to expand the story - the explorer finds himself in the "city of immortals" and witnesses this epic, senseless battle between gods who are too full of themselves to realize that their gifts, on their own, are not enough to save humankind. So, even though he's clearly a deranged sumbitch who flew into a black hole, the space explorer is able to shed some clarity - by building up a "silent scream" (emotion) to get their attention, and then calling for balance to restore order (reason). So they make him the "god of balance."

 

Apart from that, though, it's some of the best and most interesting music the band ever created.

Edited August 11, 2015 by toymaker

[EagleMoon]

Thanks. I was looking for a little more like the song names and the history etc on LP's etc.

 

There's really not much to tell. If you have A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres, you have the whole story.

 

Book one is about a guy who for some reason (either he's batshit or he has some noble purpose in holding his desire for knowledge above his personal safety) is compelled to fly into the black hole. He wants to go "headlong into mystery"; the x-ray signals from the black hole are like a "siren song"; he knows it is a "deadly goal" but also that it is his "destiny."

 

Book two is Peart's or the band's attempt to expand the story - the explorer finds himself in the "city of immortals" and witnesses this epic, senseless battle between gods who are too full of themselves to realize that their gifts, on their own, are not enough to save humankind. So, even though he's clearly a deranged sumbitch who flew into a black hole, the space explorer is able to shed some clarity - by building up a "silent scream" (emotion) to get their attention, and then calling for balance to restore order (reason). So they make him the "god of balance."

 

Apart from that, though, it's some of the best and most interesting music the band ever created.

 

They probably don't think so too, which would be a shame. I agree with you.

[Bigbobby10]

Thanks. I was looking for a little more like the song names and the history etc on LP's etc.

 

There's really not much to tell. If you have A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres, you have the whole story.

 

Book one is about a guy who for some reason (either he's batshit or he has some noble purpose in holding his desire for knowledge above his personal safety) is compelled to fly into the black hole. He wants to go "headlong into mystery"; the x-ray signals from the black hole are like a "siren song"; he knows it is a "deadly goal" but also that it is his "destiny."

 

Book two is Peart's or the band's attempt to expand the story - the explorer finds himself in the "city of immortals" and witnesses this epic, senseless battle between gods who are too full of themselves to realize that their gifts, on their own, are not enough to save humankind. So, even though he's clearly a deranged sumbitch who flew into a black hole, the space explorer is able to shed some clarity - by building up a "silent scream" (emotion) to get their attention, and then calling for balance to restore order (reason). So they make him the "god of balance."

 

Apart from that, though, it's some of the best and most interesting music the band ever created.

 

It's pretty amazing how a band can play so good together and make a some-what complex story also within 30 minutes.

[goose]

Thanks. I was looking for a little more like the song names and the history etc on LP's etc.

 

There's really not much to tell. If you have A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres, you have the whole story.

 

Book one is about a guy who for some reason (either he's batshit or he has some noble purpose in holding his desire for knowledge above his personal safety) is compelled to fly into the black hole. He wants to go "headlong into mystery"; the x-ray signals from the black hole are like a "siren song"; he knows it is a "deadly goal" but also that it is his "destiny."

 

Book two is Peart's or the band's attempt to expand the story - the explorer finds himself in the "city of immortals" and witnesses this epic, senseless battle between gods who are too full of themselves to realize that their gifts, on their own, are not enough to save humankind. So, even though he's clearly a deranged sumbitch who flew into a black hole, the space explorer is able to shed some clarity - by building up a "silent scream" (emotion) to get their attention, and then calling for balance to restore order (reason). So they make him the "god of balance."

 

Apart from that, though, it's some of the best and most interesting music the band ever created.

Pretty spot on, except that "reason" is not the balanced order, but rather reason tempered with caring and love.

[MeanMeanPride]

PD: SPINNING, WHIRLING STILL DESCENDING LIKE A SPIRAL SEA UNENDIIIIIIING

 

I love that part.

 

At the LA show I could clearly hear people screaming this line through the Periscope feed. It's like they were saying, "Here Ged, we'll help you out." Commitment I haven't seen from any other fanbase.

[Lucas]

I think it also could be noted that at this point ( Hemispheres ), Neil was stylizing his fascination with Ayn Rand, as a decade earlier she wrote an essay entitled "Apollo and Dionysus" comparing unfavorably the achievement of the moon landing to the Woodstock music festival ..

 

I think Neil was at his best with these songs, creating perfect imagery along with the incredible music

[EagleMoon]

PD: SPINNING, WHIRLING STILL DESCENDING LIKE A SPIRAL SEA UNENDIIIIIIING

 

I love that part.

 

At the LA show I could clearly hear people screaming this line through the Periscope feed. It's like they were saying, "Here Ged, we'll help you out." Commitment I haven't seen from any other fanbase.

 

At the Columbus show I remember him kind of mouthing the words but not actually singing them into the mic. Everyone around me was singing it.

[The Analog Cub]

Something along the lines of:

 

Dumbass flies INTO black hole cause he's a dumbass

Ends up in a world full of dumbasses who can't balance themselves

Head Dumbasses #1 and #2 make the Original Dumbass a DumbGodAssOfBalance

Single perfect sphere of dumbasses

 

Did I miss something?

[Lucas]

Just thinking about how great these songs are, and the awesome vibe of the lyrics, I think Neil needs to grow the moustache back, drop the politically correct act and trade the damn ***bike in for a ticket on the train to Bangkok

 

 

.

 

 

..

Edited August 12, 2015 by Lucas

[RUSHHEAD666]

Great thread. "Hemispheres" is the most amazing album ever created on the earth.

 

The album of balance you shall be..........

 

Perfection, like "The Sphere."

[ytserush]

There was no intention for a Part II when Part I was written. I just kind of happened.

[toymaker]

There was no intention for a Part II when Part I was written. I just kind of happened.

 

Me too!!

[JARG]

There was no intention for a Part II when Part I was written. I just kind of happened.

 

Condom broke?

[Tombstone Mountain]

Great thread. "Hemispheres" is the most amazing album ever created on the earth.

Next to Clockwork Angels that is

Fixed

[Disembodied Spirit]

Talk to Tom Cruise and somehow you will become commander of a Spaceship upon death.

 

Oh wait, that's a different religion