While such albums as 1980's Permanent Waves and 1981's Moving Pictures are usually considered Rush's masterpieces (and with good reason), 1978's Hemispheres is just as deserving.
Maybe the fact that the album consists of only four compositions (half are lengthy pieces) was a bit too intimidating for some, but the near 20-minute-long "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" is arguably the band's finest extended track.
While the story line isn't as comprehensible as "2112" was, it's much more consistent musically, twisting and turning through five different sections which contrast heavy rock sections against more sedate pieces.
Neil Peart had become one of rock's most accomplished lyricists by this point, as evidenced by "The Trees," which deals with racism and inequality in a unique way (set in a forest!).
And as always, the trio prove to be experts at their instruments, this time on the complex instrumental "La Villa Strangiato." Geddy Lee's shrieking vocals on the otherwise solid "Circumstances" may border on the irritating, but Hemispheres remains one of Rush's greatest releases.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CircumstancesGeddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart | Rush | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | The TreesGeddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart | Rush | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | La Villa StrangiatoGeddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart | Rush | Play | 09:36 | 22 MB | 62 MB |
| 4 | Cygnus X-1 Book II Hemispheres | Rush | Play | 18:08 | 41 MB | 118 MB |
| 36 mins | 82 MB | |||||
| 36 mins | 235 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Brand | Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant |
| 2 | Terry Brown | Arranger, Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 3 | Fin Costello | Photography |
| 4 | Mike Donegani | Engineer |
| 5 | Yosh Inouye | Photography |
| 6 | Bob King | Art Direction |
| 7 | Brian Lee | Mastering |
| 8 | Geddy Lee | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer, Pedals, Synthesizer, Vocals |
| 9 | Alex Lifeson | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Classical), Guitar (Electric), Pedals, Synthesizer |
| 10 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 11 | Pat Moran | Engineer |
| 12 | Declan O'Dogerty | Engineer |
| 13 | Declan O'Doherty | Engineer |
| 14 | Neil Peart | Bells, Chimes, Composer, Cowbell, Crotale, Drums, Gong, Temple Blocks, Timpani, Wind Chimes |
| 15 | Reno Ruocco | Engineer |
| 16 | Rush | Arranger, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 17 | Ray Staff | Mastering |
| 18 | Hugh Syme | Art Direction, Artwork |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |