A Farewell to Kings
I love this entire album. More than any other, it deserves the adjective "fantastic," because of the way it combines outstanding musicianship with a diverse set of fantasy and science fiction themes - but first, it does politics.
The title track opens with classical guitar, then throws in a synth part, and if you didn't know about Rush's penchant for changing dynamics, you might think this was Rivendell Part II. At 1:07 the twist hits, as the distorted electric guitar comes in with the bass and drums in tow. They play tight - not lockstep, but all together on the beat. As Geddy starts to sing, I can hardly decide which part to try to focus on. Alex plays chords in whole and half notes, keeping his mojo in reserve, and Geddy uses the room to go just about beserk. In particular, listen at 2:53 or so, while he's singing about bitterness. Nothing about that line required special punctuation, but Geddy just busts out a little quarter note madness to keep the mundane away.
They takes us to the solo, which uses the common Rush format in which Geddy starts out driving the beat, while Alex slowly works his way up to something. In this case I suppose I ought to say quickly instead. Neil, too, gets to show off here. He doesn't try to prove any particular technical point - I daresay most decent drummers could master any particular bar without overmuch trouble. The cunning creeps in when you realize that he's playing the same basic pattern but embellishing it differently every time. Those moments remind me of the difference between having chops and having true brilliance. Alex also gets more exposure late in the song. Again, after the solo he never tries to show off, but he moves effortless between staccato strumming and all-out wailing.
I love how energized Geddy sounds on this track and this entire album. I can't imagine any other vocalist managing to sing "beating down the multitudes" that way. Neil gives him plenty to chew on, and does a career-making job of using big words in a rock and roll context. Not everyone can just tuck "hypocrites" into the middle of a line and make it all flow. Neil also sets out the fantastic element with lines about ancient nobles and kingly guises. I have to expect that you could fit the basic concept of "guy complains that the people in charge suck" into any time frame and it would fit fine, so I assume Neil specifically wanted to go in this direction. Anyone got any complaints? I didn't think so.
The title track opens with classical guitar, then throws in a synth part, and if you didn't know about Rush's penchant for changing dynamics, you might think this was Rivendell Part II. At 1:07 the twist hits, as the distorted electric guitar comes in with the bass and drums in tow. They play tight - not lockstep, but all together on the beat. As Geddy starts to sing, I can hardly decide which part to try to focus on. Alex plays chords in whole and half notes, keeping his mojo in reserve, and Geddy uses the room to go just about beserk. In particular, listen at 2:53 or so, while he's singing about bitterness. Nothing about that line required special punctuation, but Geddy just busts out a little quarter note madness to keep the mundane away.
They takes us to the solo, which uses the common Rush format in which Geddy starts out driving the beat, while Alex slowly works his way up to something. In this case I suppose I ought to say quickly instead. Neil, too, gets to show off here. He doesn't try to prove any particular technical point - I daresay most decent drummers could master any particular bar without overmuch trouble. The cunning creeps in when you realize that he's playing the same basic pattern but embellishing it differently every time. Those moments remind me of the difference between having chops and having true brilliance. Alex also gets more exposure late in the song. Again, after the solo he never tries to show off, but he moves effortless between staccato strumming and all-out wailing.
I love how energized Geddy sounds on this track and this entire album. I can't imagine any other vocalist managing to sing "beating down the multitudes" that way. Neil gives him plenty to chew on, and does a career-making job of using big words in a rock and roll context. Not everyone can just tuck "hypocrites" into the middle of a line and make it all flow. Neil also sets out the fantastic element with lines about ancient nobles and kingly guises. I have to expect that you could fit the basic concept of "guy complains that the people in charge suck" into any time frame and it would fit fine, so I assume Neil specifically wanted to go in this direction. Anyone got any complaints? I didn't think so.