Hemispheres (1978 album)

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Hemispheres is the sixth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1978 (see 1978 in music). The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales.

Related Topics:
Canadian - Rush - 1978 - 1978 in music - Wales

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This album continues Rush's trend of using the fantasy and science fiction lyrics written by Neil Peart. Similar to their 1976 release, 2112, Hemispheres contains a single, epic song broken into chapters as the first half of the album (Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres) while the second half contains two more conventionally-executed tracks ("Circumstances", "The Trees"), then is rounded out by an outstanding instrumental performance ("La Villa Strangiato").

Related Topics:
Fantasy - Science fiction - Neil Peart - 1976 - 2112

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Though science fiction is not present so much on this album, it does contain fantasy elements, notably those that relate to Greek mythology. Hemispheres is interesting in that it is partly a continuation of the last song on Rush's previous album, A Farewell to Kings (Cygnus X-1, Book I: The Voyage), in that the theme of Cygnus is revisited both lyrically and musically. However, the lyrical concepts used to continue the story on this album have shifted from that of science fiction to Greek mythology, which is represented in this case by the Apollo/Dionysus dichotomy. This mythology is a vehicle to explore yet another concept, one of pop psychology: more specifically, the differences between "left brain" and "right brain" thinking, hence the title of "Hemispheres".

Related Topics:
Greek mythology - A Farewell to Kings - Apollo - Dionysus - Pop psychology

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The track "Circumstances" appears to be an autobiographical account on Peart's part, with references to the time he spent living in England before moving back to Canada and joining Rush.

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"The Trees" is one of Rush's more popular songs. A fable told through fantasy lyrics, a forest suffers from the competition of tall oak trees and shorter maple trees for sunlight. In the end, no one wins as the "trees are all kept equal by hatchet, axe and saw." The song's meaning is often debated. Peart has been quoted as saying that the lyrics for this song were inspired by a cartoon, and that the song has no deep meaning; however it appears to be an allegory on socialism and trade-unionism. Peart has been known to draw inspiration from Ayn Rand, who was a proponent of free market philosophy (see Objectivist philosophy), arguing that using regulation to try to "level the playing field" in business competition will only harm everyone by holding back the most successful producers.

Related Topics:
Forest - Oak - Maple - Socialism - Trade-unionism - Ayn Rand - Free market - Objectivist philosophy

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"La Villa Strangiato" is a masterful instrumental, exhibiting the sheer musicianship of the band as a whole as well as each member individually. One particularly humorous riff in the song may pick at the listener's memory, though its origin may prove elusive for many people. It is in fact very similar to a song recorded by The Raymond Scott Quintette in 1936, entitled "Powerhouse". This song has been used extensively in various cartoons since the 1940s, no doubt where guitarist Alex Lifeson picked it up from.

Related Topics:
Raymond Scott - Alex Lifeson

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Hemispheres contains good examples of Rush's conformance to progressive rock standards include the use of epic, multi-movement song structures, complex rhythms and time signatures, and flexible guitar solos, like those found in "La Villa Strangiato".

Related Topics:
Progressive rock - Time signature

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