  | Blog author: Alex Stojanovic "In the constellation of Cygnus. There lurks a mysterious, invisible force. The black hole of Cygnus X-1. Six stars of the northern cross. In mourning for their sister's loss. In a final flash of glory. Nevermore to grace the night." First off, I meant to post this yesterday, but I forgot once again. Too much stuff going on, but anyway, yesterday (September 1st), was the 40th anniversary of Rush's A Farewell To Kings record. 40 years!!!!!!! This record means a lot to me because for one, "Closer To The Heart" was the first song I ever learned how to play on drums (in full). Before, I just played bits of songs, but that song was a turning point for me. This was back in around 2002 or so. I was 10. |
After being stuck on "Closer To The Heart" for a few months, as well as a few other Rush hits on the Chronicles DVD, I listened to the entire record later on, which my dad had on cassette, and discovered songs like "Cygnus X-1 - Book I: The Voyage", "A Farewell To Kings", "Cinderella Man", "Madrigal", and of course "Xanadu".
There were also a few firsts surrounding this record for the band. For example, this was where Rush started to get real experimental with prog. Neil started incorporating wood blocks, timpani, chimes, triangles, glockenspiel, gong and cowbells to his drum kit, and this would also continue into Hemispheres. It was also the first album of two the band recorded in U.K. at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales, and it was the band's first gold-selling record in the States.
The All The World's A Stage / A Farewell To Kings tours saw the band starting to tour in the U.K and Europe after staying on the North American circuit for a few years. Geddy even said in the Beyond The Lighted Stage documentary that for them to be recording and playing in England was a huge thrill because their main influences were all the British bands from the late 60s and early 70s like The Who, Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin. It was also during this time that the band were wearing the famous kimonos on stage.
I remember when me, my dad and my brother went to see Rush on the R40 tour in 2015, and anyone who saw that tour knows that they were pulling out some of the classic epics in the second half. As the opening bass riff to "Cygnus X-1" started, I got excited, but I looked at my dad and he was like a little kid in a candy store because it's been so long since he heard them play that song live. It was an awesome moment.
The title track is one song I wish the band pulled out of the vault and into the setlist during one of the four times I've seen Rush live because it's one of my all-time favourite Rush tracks. It hasn't been played live since 1979. Oh well. If you've never heard the song before, you can listen to it down below.
With all that said, happy 40th anniversary to A Farewell To Kings, not only one of the best prog rock records in existence, but one of the best rock records period. It has stood the test of time and will continue to do so for years to come.
There were also a few firsts surrounding this record for the band. For example, this was where Rush started to get real experimental with prog. Neil started incorporating wood blocks, timpani, chimes, triangles, glockenspiel, gong and cowbells to his drum kit, and this would also continue into Hemispheres. It was also the first album of two the band recorded in U.K. at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales, and it was the band's first gold-selling record in the States.
The All The World's A Stage / A Farewell To Kings tours saw the band starting to tour in the U.K and Europe after staying on the North American circuit for a few years. Geddy even said in the Beyond The Lighted Stage documentary that for them to be recording and playing in England was a huge thrill because their main influences were all the British bands from the late 60s and early 70s like The Who, Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin. It was also during this time that the band were wearing the famous kimonos on stage.
I remember when me, my dad and my brother went to see Rush on the R40 tour in 2015, and anyone who saw that tour knows that they were pulling out some of the classic epics in the second half. As the opening bass riff to "Cygnus X-1" started, I got excited, but I looked at my dad and he was like a little kid in a candy store because it's been so long since he heard them play that song live. It was an awesome moment.
The title track is one song I wish the band pulled out of the vault and into the setlist during one of the four times I've seen Rush live because it's one of my all-time favourite Rush tracks. It hasn't been played live since 1979. Oh well. If you've never heard the song before, you can listen to it down below.
With all that said, happy 40th anniversary to A Farewell To Kings, not only one of the best prog rock records in existence, but one of the best rock records period. It has stood the test of time and will continue to do so for years to come.
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