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Let's spark the great debate again!


Entre_Perpetuo
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Yes. I do think Hemispheres is their best album. Alex outdid himself on Hemispheres. I regard Hemispheres as his album. Only my opinion. Not speaking de fide.

I *love Hemispheres*. It's really among their best albums ever and it's unforgettable.

Precise musically and on it's development. Complex to think about, compose, study, play and sing.

 

Very :rush: style.

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I will say, I actually am a big fan of the Hems cover art. Hugh and Neil had the right idea with it, and it's extremely over-well-done style reflects the nature of the music inside. Too bad I don't like the music better.
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Absolutely phenomenal album - not sure if it is their best but damn close to it

All around phenomenal records are aplenty in Rush's catalog with Hemispheres being at the top or close to it

There are issues to be found with each of their masterpieces

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EP, interested if you were to rename topic, Hemispheres NOT Rush's best album, what the response would be.

 

.

Edited by Gabrielgil513
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I hear overcooked.

Funny you of all would say that cause I hear overcooked most of all in Clockwork Angels (and to a lesser degree in S&A and original VT). Geddy's vocals on Hemispheres aren't really more extreme than on COS or 2112. Just more perfect.

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EP, interested if you were to rename topic, Hemispheres NOT Rush's best album, what the response would be.

 

.

I like it.

 

 

But it won't let me. Oh well.

Edited by Entre_Perpetuo
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I hear overcooked.

Funny you of all would say that cause I hear overcooked most of all in Clockwork Angels (and to a lesser degree in S&A and original VT). Geddy's vocals on Hemispheres aren't really more extreme than on COS or 2112. Just more perfect.

 

I'd say Ged's vocals on CA are extremely well done, whereas 2112 and COS and maybe a little undercooked.

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I hear overcooked.

Funny you of all would say that cause I hear overcooked most of all in Clockwork Angels (and to a lesser degree in S&A and original VT). Geddy's vocals on Hemispheres aren't really more extreme than on COS or 2112. Just more perfect.

 

CA's is so overcooked and processed it's burnt to a cinder. Like a marshmallow that you put in the fire and it's gets all black and melts off the stick.

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Things have been pointed out as a bit slow around here in some other threads, so I thought, what's something that might get everyone going again, at least for a bit? Well Rush of course, but more specifically the great debate...is Hemispheres their best album or not?

 

It's been proven in the past that Hems is a record many a fan adores more than all the rest. It's been cited as perfection, a masterpiece, the highlight of their career...I'm still not convinced.

 

Hemispheres is a great record, sure, but better than PeW, MP, Signals, PoW, 2112, CA, CoS, AFTK? Not in my book, no siree. It's kind of lifeless in some ways, missing the thrilling punches of the three records that immediately precede it and the two or three immediately following it. Where's the fire? The passion? I hear three guys playing their limbs off and one dude screaming his vocal chords out, but I don't hear that punch, that drama, that passion that usually drives their work. The material is excellent and the technical execution flawless, but I think it's really very audible how hard of a time they had making Hems and how fed up they were with the whole process by the time they were finished. I think it's also very audible how the production was barely saved at the last minute by some genius mixing job from Terry or something, cuz while the sound in crystal clear, it is extremely produced and not very direct.

 

This is a controversial shred of my opinion. What's yours?

 

Comparing emotion and passion of "today's Tom Sawyer mean mean pride" to the way GED sings the pinnacle of Hemispheres below, cmon, there is no comparison..

 

 

 

Then all at once the Chaos ceased

A stillness fell, a sudden peace

The Warriors felt my silent cry

And stayed their struggle, mystified

 

Apollo was atonished

Dionysus thought me mad

But they heard my story further

And they wondered, and were sad

 

Looking down from Olympus

On a world of doubt and fear

Its surface splintered

Into sorry hemispheres

 

They sat a while in silence

Then they turned at last to me

'We will call you Cygnus,

The god of Balance you shall be'

 

This is it right here...the absolute peak of Rush for me. Best song ever, best album ever.

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Well I think it could have been their best album if they didn't make Cygnus X-1: Book II so long...and cut a few parts out of it.

 

Personally I think Moving Pictures is their BEST album, even though Vapor Trails is my favorite.

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I hear overcooked.

Funny you of all would say that cause I hear overcooked most of all in Clockwork Angels (and to a lesser degree in S&A and original VT). Geddy's vocals on Hemispheres aren't really more extreme than on COS or 2112. Just more perfect.

 

CA's is so overcooked and processed it's burnt to a cinder. Like a marshmallow that you put in the fire and it's gets all black and melts off the stick.

You mean the best kind of marshmallows to eat? Exactly the way I eat them!
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I have always said and will always say that Hemispheres is the best album Rush ever produced. Best progressive rock album period, by any band. I honestly can't find one single fault with it - and I LOVE Geddy's vocals on it.

 

"Some fought themselves, some fought each other, some just followed one another, lost and aimless like their brothers, for their hearts were so unclear"

Edited by Thunder Bay Rush
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I hear overcooked.

Funny you of all would say that cause I hear overcooked most of all in Clockwork Angels (and to a lesser degree in S&A and original VT). Geddy's vocals on Hemispheres aren't really more extreme than on COS or 2112. Just more perfect.

 

CA's is so overcooked and processed it's burnt to a cinder. Like a marshmallow that you put in the fire and it's gets all black and melts off the stick.

You mean the best kind of marshmallows to eat? Exactly the way I eat them!

 

It's all of those polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. ;)

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Threads like this are all the same. Sometimes it's glaringly obvious that a band has only one good song or album, but when there's a body of great work, you're really just comparing taste. Is Moving Pictures better than 2112 or Henispheres or Whatever? Is chocolate better than vanilla or strawberry? I like Hemispheres the most, but is it the best? It didn't sell the best. Does that matter? I can tell you what I like about it, but I don't know if any of that makes it "the best." 1. It sounds like quintessential, classic, heavy Rush in every possible way. 2. The reason that album drove them so nuts is because those songs are so motherf'n hard to play. But they got er done. Really an achievement as far as sheer force of will to pull those songs off before the days of "oh we'll just have the computer make all those mistakes go away." 3. Hell if I know, I just like the purty songs and shtuff.
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Hemispheres is the first Rush album I heard when the bloke I was living with who had a huge varied record collection plonked it on one night and i went out the next day and bought my own.Yes its high on my list but i don't have a fave Rush album because it will be MP this week,Presto the next,PoW next.I think there is some good in every Rush album.A problem with later albums is the amount of lesser tracks,dare I say filler,because of the length of cds(75 minutes)as opposed to about 40 minutes on vinyl.Therefore they would have been totally focused on getting the best stuff on there in 40 minutes.Having said that Circumstances is an ok track but not earthshattering. Don't know if this has been brought up before but did Hemispheres come with a poster?(it says so on the inner cover of my ancient copy)Could anyone post it.
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Hm, seems I was overestimating the ability of the hems "debate" to get people fired up over Rush, whereas the Gush Over Rush thread is genius! That settles that. Positivity wins! Just to keep things clear it's totally cool and good to have your own opinion about music and albums and everything and totally not cool to step on people's toes for their differing opinions. It can be fun to debate and discuss sometimes though, so if this thread ever sees as revival, keep it healthy, fun , and clean! :)
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i don't have a fave Rush album because it will be MP this week,Presto the next,PoW next.

 

I can totally relate! My favorite overall is Vapor Trails but every week to a month I will feel like listening to a particular album and that will be my favorite album for a week.

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