Hemispheres (Rush album)



Hemispheres is the sixth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in October 1978 by Anthem Records. After touring to support the band's previous studio release, A Farewell to Kings, which saw the group gain popularity in the UK, Rush started work on its next album. As with the band's previous studio album, Hemispheres was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and Trident Studios in London with longtime engineer and arranger, Terry Brown. Rush continued its progressive rock sound with the side-long "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" and the nine-minute instrumental "La Villa Strangiato".

Hemispheres received critical acclaim from music critics. It reached number 14 in Canada and the UK, and number 41 in the United States. The album's two shorter tracks, "The Trees" and "Circumstances", were released as singles in 1978 and 1979, respectively. In 1993, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million copies. Rush supported Hemispheres with a concert tour from October 1978 to June 1979. The album was re-released in various expanded formats on November 16, 2018 as part of the band's ongoing 40th Anniversary editions, including the previously unreleased live set by the band at the Pinkpop Festival from June 1979.

Background and recording
In May 1978, Rush completed the band's nine-month tour of the United States, Canada, and the UK to support its fifth studio album, A Farewell to Kings (1977). The tour helped the band break through the UK market, following a series of well-received shows and "Closer to the Heart", the lead single from A Farewell to Kings, reaching number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.



Following a short break, the band regrouped to start work on its next album. In a departure from the band's previous album, they entered the songwriting process without any preconceived ideas, which proved to be a struggle; Lifeson said: "the trouble started from basics." The band had enjoyed the experience of recording A Farewell to Kings in Wales at Rockfield Studios, situated on a farm in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, and agreed to record there for Hemispheres. They initially chose the studio having recorded four albums in Toronto and wanting a change; Lee said the United States did not appeal to them, and since they were influenced by many English bands, recording in the UK became a "natural" option. Before entering the studio, the band spent two weeks in intensive rehearsal, which sparked worries from the band regarding the direction the album was to take. The conditions of the studio, located on a farm, lacked the standard facilities, including a sofa; Lee described it as "really funky". In one incident, a latch that failed to shut the studio doors frustrated Lifeson who, in a fit, took it off, installed a hydraulic door opener, and built a handle on it.

Rush recorded Hemispheres in June and July 1978 at Rockfield Studios with longtime producer Terry Brown, also credited as co-arranger, and engineer Pat Moran. It marked the longest studio time booked for the band. In comparison, 2112 (1976) was recorded in five weeks and A Farewell to Kings was complete in four. After the music was put down, the group settled in Advision Studios in London to record the vocals. The album was then mixed in August at Trident Studios in London by Brown and assistant John Brand. In the three-month period of putting the album together, Rush took just one day off. Costs of the album were calculated to be around $100,000, making it the band's most expensive album at the time. Peart recalled the band were exhausted by the time of completion and took a six-week vacation to recover. , while Lee explained that they "greatly underestimated the level of overachievement that were shooting for".

Side one
"Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" occupies the album's first side. An 18-minute track and sequel to "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" on A Farewell to Kings, the song has six distinct parts. Initially, Lee had a different idea for the album's centerpiece track, but after some music had been written the group felt it right to continue the story. Book I concerns the journey of the Rocinante, a spaceship that enters a black hole in outer space. Peart ended the story without a set conclusion, and only began to write Book II three weeks before the band was set to travel to Rockfield Studios. The process was stressful for Peart, which took "hours of tearing hair out", and was half complete when they arrived. The sequel, like Book I, uses mythology and symbolism to depict a conflict between the gods Apollo and Dionysus, which is resolved when Cygnus intervenes, claiming a balance of heart and mind are what is needed for humans to live well. Peart introduced the gong and timpani to his percussion set for the first time; he hadn't thought of adding the instrument on previous albums but thought "Hemispheres" needed it.

Side two
"Circumstances" is the first of two short tracks on Hemispheres. With the band having accustomed its audience to longer, more elaborate formats, this song is qualified by Lee as an experiment, an attempt to break away from the prog formula that would steer the band into new directions in later albums.

"The Trees" tells the story of a forest of oak and maple trees, the latter causing an upheaval because the oak trees grow too large and take all the sunlight. The maple trees form a union in an effort to have the oaks cut down to a smaller size. Lee explains that the fact that the band was recording in the English countryside set the overall tone for the song: "you're watching English television, walking in the English countryside; there are sheep talking to you in the early morning when you're trying to sleep ... lyrics came first, and we wanted to construct a dynamic little tale as a soundtrack to those lyrics".

"La Villa Strangiato" is a nine-minute instrumental in 12 distinct sections and a subtitle of "An Exercise in Self-Indulgence". According to Lifeson, it is based on the various nightmares he would have, particularly while on tour, which provided the theme to what he described as a "musical re-creation" of them. The track was the sole piece that developed from the two-week rehearsal period the group had prior to entering the studio. Rush encountered great difficulty in recording it, as the band wanted it put down as a single live performance, rather than a more produced and edited piece. Lee said it took them around 40 takes to produce a take they were satisfied with. Peart and Lee pointed out that they spent more time recording "La Villa Strangiato" than they did recording Fly by Night (1975). He recalled the group spent four days and nights playing it repeatedly, playing while their hands were sore and their minds tired. "We were determined to get the whole thing perfect, but in the end I just couldn't do it, and we ended up putting it together from a few different takes." The segments "Monsters!" and "Monsters! (Reprise)" are adapted from "Powerhouse", a 1937 jazz instrumental by Raymond Scott.

Critical reception
In a poll held by Rolling Stone titled "Readers' Poll: Your Favorite Prog Rock Albums of All Time", Hemispheres was ranked at. Reviewing the album for the magazine, Michael Bloom stated, "Overall, especially in 'La Villa Strangiato', Lifeson, Peart and Lee prove themselves masters of every power-trio convention. In fact, these guys have the chops and drive to break out of the largely artificial bounds of the format, and they constantly threaten to do so but never quite manage."

In the review for AllMusic, Greg Prato favourably compared the album to the band's previous work, "While the story line isn't as comprehensible as "2112" was, it's much more consistent musically, twisting and turning through five different sections which contrast heavy rock sections against more sedate pieces."

Commercial performance
Prior to the album's release, Hemispheres aired in its entirety on Night at 11, hosted by Rick Ringer on CHUM-FM in Toronto, on October 5, 1978. It was released on October 28, 1978, and reached number 14 on the Canadian Albums Chart and UK Albums Chart, and number 47 on the US Billboard 200. For a short time, Hemispheres was released in Canada on red vinyl with a gatefold sleeve with a poster (catalogue number SANR-1-1015) and as a limited edition picture disc (SRP-1300). The album was awarded a silver certification in the UK. In the US, Hemispheres proved to be a steady seller in the band's catalogue; it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 1993 for selling one million copies, fifteen years after its release.

Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's sleeve notes.

Rush
 * Alex Lifeson – 6- and 12-string electric and acoustic guitars, classical guitar, Roland guitar synthesizer, Moog Taurus pedals
 * Neil Peart – drums, orchestra bells, bell tree, tympani, gong, cowbells, temple blocks, wind chimes, crotales
 * Geddy Lee – bass guitar, Minimoog synthesizer, Oberheim polyphonic synthesizer, Moog Taurus pedals, vocals

Production
 * Rush – production, arrangement
 * Terry Brown – production, arrangement, mixing at Trident Studios
 * Pat Moran – engineering at Rockfield Studios
 * Declan O'Doherty – engineering at Advision Studios
 * John Brand – mixing assistance at Trident Studios
 * Ray Staff – mastering
 * Simon Hilliard – tape operator at Trident Studios
 * Mike Donegani – tape operator at Trident Studios
 * Reno Ruocco – tape operator at Trident Studios
 * Ray Staff – mastering at Trident Studios
 * Hugh Syme – graphics, art direction
 * Bob King – art direction
 * Yosh Inouye – cover photography
 * Fin Costello – inner sleeve and poster photography
 * Moon Records – executive production