Rush Cygnus tracks clash

[pg1067]

Out of curiosity, I decided to check the Power Windows website to see if there were any articles or notes regarding the creation of the Cygnus Books, and here's bits that I found:

. . .

So, there ya go. Neil had the idea to put "To be continued" after the purposely-subtitled "Book I - The Voyage", knowing he'd get to a sequel SOME DAY, but it looked like he wasn't going to do it on their next album, but it all happened anyway. The Cygnus Books were DEFINITELY NOT CONCEIVED AS ONE PIECE FROM THE GET-GO. From the man himself...

That all sounds about right.  "The Voyage" was labeled "Book I" (and I forgot about the "to be continued" on the lyrics sheet, which I probably haven't looked at in 30 years), so it's not unreasonable to think they planned from the outset to do a "Book II," but there's no evidence that the entirety of the story was conceived prior to the recording of Hemispheres.

For the record, I never claimed that the band *wrote* it as one single piece of music. I said that they fit together as a single piece of music. So much so that I made a mixtape with the two blended together all the way back in 1983. It was my favorite tape.

Aside from what's in the current thread, in this thread -- https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=51973.35 -- you wrote "that Cygnus X-1 and Hemisphere is a single piece of music."  I suppose "piece of music" is a broader term than "song," but one factor in considering whether the two Books are a single song or "single piece of music" is what the artist's intent was.  And, given how short Hemispheres is, putting the two Books back to back on a cassette was pretty common.

[Stadler]

Are the parts of "The Fear Trilogy" one piece of music? 

[pg1067]

Are the parts of "The Fear Trilogy" one piece of music?

No more than the five songs that make up DT's 12SS are "one piece of music" or the Godfather or Star Wars movies are "one piece of cinema."

Also, "Fear" has four songs, not three.

[Stadler]

Fair enough; I really wasn't fishing for a particular answer, just throwing it out there.  (And I figured since they call it the "Trilogy" I would too).

[Setlist Scotty]

Also, "Fear" has four songs, not three.

That never stopped Douglas Adams' from referring to his Hitchhiker's Guide book series as a trilogy despite the fact that it has 5 books written by him - in fact the fifth book was released with the legend "The fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy". The Fear trilogy is the same way!   

[The Letter M]

Conceptually speaking, the initially-three-part Fear series was conceived before the release of "Witch Hunt", unlike the two Books of "Cygnus X-1".

"Parts one and two do exist, in my notebook. Part one was called 'The Enemy Within'; how fear affects your life and restricts what you do. And part two was called 'The Weapon'; how fear is used against you. How other people keep you in your place, or keep you out of theirplace." - Neil Peart, Sounds, March 14, 1981, confirming the original "Fear" trilogy was already completely written at the time of the release of "Witch Hunt" in 1981

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/movingpictures.html

"The idea for the Fear trilogy was suggested by an older man telling that he didn't think life was ruled by love, or reason, or money, or the pursuit of happiness -- but by fear. This smart-but cynical guy's position was that most people's actions are motivated by fear of being hungry, fear of being hurt, fear of being alone, fear of being robbed, etc,. and that people don't make choices based on hope that something good will happen, but in fear that something bad will happen. I reacted to this the way all of us tend to react to generalities: 'Well, I'm not like that!' But then I started thinking about it more, watching the way people around me behaved, and I soon realised that there was something to this viewpoint, So I sketched out the three 'theaters of fear,' as I saw them: how fear works inside us ('The Enemy Within'), how fear is used against us ('The Weapon'), and how fear feeds the mob mentality ('Witch Hunt'). As it happened, the last theme was easiest to deal with, so it was written first, and consequently appeared first on record, and the other two followed in reverse order for the same reason." - Neil Peart, Rush Backstage Club Newsletter, January 1994

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/graceunderpressure.html

The Fear series definitely has more clout as a cohesive concept than the Cygnus books. The 12-Step Suite was also conceived in the same way, as MP knew he would go ahead and finish it across future albums, and unlike Fear or Cygnus, there are plenty of musical and lyrical connections across the many movements and songs.

But I digress...

-Marc.

[pg1067]

(And I figured since they call it the "Trilogy" I would too).

In all fairness, it was a trilogy -- for nearly 20 years -- until it wasn't and was originally conceived as a trilogy.  I don't know any of the back story behind "Freeze," but I assume Neil just wrote a song and noticed it fit with the "Fear" concept and thus labeled it as Part 4.

[New World Rushman]

i just want to know where "The Gangster of Boats" trilogy falls in all this?
 

[pg1067]

i just want to know where "The Gangster of Boats" trilogy falls in all this?
 

Rumor has it that the Canadian Navy had Rush do this and embed some sort of secret code in the mix.