It seems like the Canadian rock trio Rush works in periods,
defined as four studio albums followed by a live set. (I’m
intentionally not discussing the numerous best-of collections out
there.) For each of these periods, there is at least one album
which is astounding;
2112 was that disc for Rush’s first five-album period, and
A Farewell To Kings seemed to be the front-runner for the
time spanning 1977 through 1982. (I’m not declaring it the ultimate
winner, though, until I’ve formally reviewed
Permanent Waves and
Moving Pictures… I can’t believe we haven’t gotten to
those albums in over five years online.)
But for each period, there is also at least one album which
makes the listener wonder just what Rush is doing.
Hemispheres, Rush’s 1978 release (and sixth studio album),
is the questionable release in Rush’s second stage. Admittedly not
a terrible album like I would have declared (and did) when I first
bought this tape well over a decade ago, it’s hardly Geddy Lee and
company’s best work. Then again, they had some tough shoes to fill,
coming off of a one-two punch of
2112 and
A Farewell To Kings.
After dropping the “concept” album idea (but not totally
abandoning the mini-epic songs) on
A Farewell To Kings, Lee and crew once again created a
side-long concept which was meant to be a continuation of “Cygnus
X-1” from their last album. How “Hemispheres” is supposed to tie
into this track I have no idea. But right from the outset, this
attempt at a concept piece is doomed to be, at best, mediocre. Take
a half-hearted concept (which I won’t even pretend to know enough
about to discuss), mix in some uninspired songwriting and
performing, over-do it on the repetitive chord structures trying to
tie things together, and you’ve got the recipe for failure.
Well, not exactly “failure” in the complete sense. The one thing
which saves “Hemispheres” from total annihilation is the
musicianship of Mrssrs. Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Sure, the time
signature on this one might throw some unexpecting listeners for a
loop, but Rush is able to take the material as it is and at least
show some technical precision, even if they can’t make it any more
interesting. (Lee does succeed around the 11-minute mark of
creating some interest as the song ebbs into a more gentle phase.)
Don’t be totally surprised when you discover the song has ended;
falling asleep does play tricks on one’s mind.
The three other pieces which make up
Hemispheres are just as hit-or-miss. As I’ve gotten older,
I’ve come to appreciate “La Villa Strangiato” for what it is –
namely, a
tour de force showcase for the guitar work of Alex Lifeson.
There’s not been much of a question as to how talented he is as a
guitarist, though more often than not he’s seemed to be in the
generic spotlight known as the guitar solo. “La Villa Strangiato”
changes all this, and gives his playing a distinct voice; his
guitar licks sound less like solos than they do key structures to
this song. I can imagine this piece to be more fragile than rice
paper – while the music is playing, Lifeson is the glue which holds
it together, but as the whole band stacattos out on the last chord
(led in by a brief bass line from Lee), the structure comes down
like a balsa wood bridge hit with a sledgehammer.
The remaining two tracks, “Circumstances” and “The Trees,” have
never really been favorites of mine. “Circumstances” tries to latch
onto the popularity of the previous single, “Closer To The Heart”,
but it never catches fire the way Rush had hoped. As for “The
Trees,” I’ve seen it written that this was a modern-day parable
talking about racism. This song could give out the secret formula
to Coca-Cola, and I would
still think this was one of the most insipid songs I’ve ever
heard. One has to think that Lee was thinking in his head as he
recorded his vocal line, “What the
hell am I singing this for?”
Hemispheres is the kind of album one picks up merely to say
they have the entire Rush discography – and while I admit I hadn’t
listened to this album in some time, my opinion of it hasn’t
changed too much from the day I first bought it. Stick to the
best-of sets for “La Villa Strangiato,” and leave the rest of this
pedestrian set out for the vultures.
