Following the grueling touring schedule they maintained while touring on
A Farewell to Kings, the band jumped right back in the studio to record their 6th album, which would become
Hemispheres. By this time, the band was at the height of their prog rock eagerness, shown by the fact that this record would have only four songs, including the title track, which would become their third, and final, sidelong epic, as well as their epic instrumental "La Villa Strangiato."
The funny thing about this album is they wrote much of the material in a key that proved difficult for Geddy Lee to sing in, so the vocals took a bit of time to get right, and ended up being probably the highest of his career when looking at each album collectively; his high vocals are up in the rafters on this one.
But, it was all worth it, as
Hemispheres, despite being only a little over 36 minutes, is a beast of a record. The title track, which encompasses all of Side 1, is pretty great, it being a continuation of the Cygnus X-1 story of sorts, although the focus is exploration is of the different types of the human mind, with Greek mythology and science fiction used to metaphorically tell the story. While the whole song is great, I've always had a personal affinity for the Armageddon section; something about that section is just so on the money.
Side 2 kicks off with two short tunes, the rocker "Circumstances" and the dynamic "The Trees," the latter of which features a lyric that Neil Peart has since called trite on more than one occasion, but I tend to think of it as a metaphorical look at the hierarchy of man. The album closer, the epic instrumental "La Villa Strangiato," is arguably Alex Lifeson's signature song to date, and for good reason, as his playing has never been more raw, more powerful and more precise; it is everything that makes him a great player summed up in less than 10 minutes. Even better, it shows how great his playing is in it when you almost overlook the other two, especially Peart, who puts on a jaw-dropping performance as well. This song is always a treat to see live, and if they played it at every show till the day they retire, I'd be fine with it.
Overall, I'd call this probably my 4th favorite of the Big 5, and probably my 6th favorite Rush album overall.