Review Summary: After the shocking success of 2112, Rush create a masterpiece that send them in an even more progressive and diverse direction.
2112 was an album whose success would decide whether Rush would continue to churn out new material or make a grand finish to their groundbreaking career. Although their hybrid of English progressive rock’s depth and virtuosity and the hard hitting blues rock of artists from Cream to Black Sabbath was the punching bag of many critics, the colossal spike in records sales 2112 caused silenced their record label. This won Rush a high degree of creative freedom from corporate pressure, which they used to begin a brand new chapter in their career.
The stylistic changes apparent on A Farewell to Kings marked the largest transformation in Rush’s sound at that point since Neil Peart’s debut with the band on Fly by Night. This album was noticeably more diverse and progressive than even the highly ambitious Caress of Steel and 2112, with the amount of time and tempo changes, as well as the number of interconnected sections rising substantially. Neil Peart’s lyrics are one of many elements of Rush’s fifth full length that shine, an example being the opener offering his signature brand of witty social commentary, though more general and less Objectivist than previous examples of this such as “Anthem.” His drum work this time around continues to seamlessly pass through various phases in both epics like “Xanadu” and less lengthy classics such as “Farewell to Kings,” all while keeping colorful, cymbal heavy beats with stamina that is consistently ahead of his contemporaries.
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson’s string work show substantial signs of stylistic growth on the fifth release. Lifeson’s solos have gone from Blackmore and Page-like blues scale displays to more wholesome, progressive solos that take advantage of complete, eight tone scales. His riffs are also a large step up from 2112 in terms of diversity, ranging anywhere from acoustic, mellower riffs to the proto-progressive metal intensity of “Cygnus X-1.” Lee’s basslines have also displayed more qualities of a lead instrument this time around, playing more melodies and fills that commonly harmonize well with the guitar work or even stand alone as their own driving entities.
Similar to “2112,” A Farewell to Kings’ opener contains a well-written introduction before reaching the meat of the song, one whose beautiful nylon stringed, folk-like picking is tastefully seasoned with an exotic keyboard accompaniment. The intro is followed by a sudden, power chord oriented spike in volume before reaching the core of the song. Alex’s riffs remain rather intense on this song, and sound even less like his favorite guitar icons than ever before. This unique character in his playing is also present in the first guitar solo, where he plays over Geddy Lee’s rhythm intensive riffs with a build-up using slower, less-than-conventional melodies before unleashing a flurry of speedy yet pleasantly major sounding notes. The song concludes with a gradual tempo decrease, followed by a few extra nylon stringed notes and a minor chord that signals the transition into "Xanadu."
The album's hit single, "Closer to the Heart," is a stellar showcase of short single construction that reveals Rush's ability to craft a progressive song with little length and tempos that are not often that fast. The song does not climax in intensity until after two verses and a solo, but the mix of bright, major tonality, Neil Peart's recently added tubular bells, and lyrical themes around the value of diverse roles in society make for a ballad with a pleasant atmosphere for many listens to come. "Cinderella Man" is one of the tracks where Geddy's style as a lead bassist shines the most, playing his fair share of colorful fifths and thirds that mesh well with Lifeson's hard hitting rhythm work. He even provides bright and bluesy lead work before the final chorus that takes full advantage of a blues scale. "Madrigal" is a ballad that displays Geddy's clever use of moog devices to greatly enhance the beauty of a ballad, something he would be even more famous for in the 1980s with songs such as "Losing It." The track also serves as a nice intensity bump before one of Rush's heaviest epics.
"Xanadu" is not only one of the defining epics of heavy progressive music, but is the first 10+ minute Rush song to contain the massive stylistic diversity that this portion of their catalog is rich in. It is an opus with various sections that flow well into each other with one of Lifeson's most impactful and complex riffs as a central point. The earlier portion of this track is slow and atmospheric just like "2112," but with the extra twist of heavy use of Peart's recently added exotic pieces of his drum kit. The basslines on this epic, while not Geddy's most complicated, are similarly full of character, taking full advantage of whole modes with his own sense of feeling. The lyrics may not begin to be sung until approximately the halfway point, but the colorful string work and Peart's vigorous, cymbal heavy beats manage to keep a listener guessing without any instrument overtaking the others.
The album's conclusion, "Cygnus X-1," is not only this album's most progressive song, but also the heaviest by a substantial margin. It begins deceptively minimalist before Geddy plays a basic bass riff made trickier to listen to by playing through a variety of time signatures. After this, and a harmonization of this riff with guitar and drums, the first half of this epic gradually ascends in intensity, with plenty of Peart fills across the drum set and even occasional tritones from Lifeson. Like "Xanadu," Geddy's vocals begin to carry the song close to the midpoint, and his vocal performance on this song is an obvious career-high. His extreme comfort in singing femininely high notes with plenty of leaps is apparent throughout. The lyrics he delivers also scarcely use the same rhyme scheme twice, and the insanely powerful Bb5s in the song's climax perfectly match the lyrics around an all-out bodily obliteration in outer space, not to mention the relentless drumming and tense, tritone friendly riffs. The great number of phases, time, and tempo changes this song delivers the listener, as well as the riffs being some of the most intense of 1977, makes for a song that is one of the 1970s' greatest examples of an ancestor of progressive metal. A Farewell to Kings is one of Rush's most career defining, innovative, and diverse records to date, and many harder-edged art and progressive rock acts continue to adore and gain inspiration from it four decades after its release. It is a progressive classic that showed the limitless potential of depth-filled rock, even as other non-obscure prog legends were moving away from their glory days.
