A Farewell to Kings (Rush) | Extended Play Lounge Ep. 70
Added 2024-06-19 01:41:47 +0000 UTCI'm pleased to share my review of A Farewell to Kings from Rush. Even though I've heard some of these tunes in the past, this was my first experience hearing the entire album in one sitting. And, doing so really did enhance my understanding and enjoyment of the entire album. I hope you enjoy!
Comments
Love me some Snakes and Arrows! Really like the textured acoustic guitars along with the heavy electrics! Doug, check it out!!
Steve Hartke
2024-07-01 01:43:39 +0000 UTCgreat stuff. Xanadu and that persistent false relation guitar riff is my ATF Rush moment. and I love how weird Cygnus X-1 gets... maybe my ATF Rush album. quite touched by your reaction to Madrigal. do it. set it. I'd love to hear. would be a big deal.
ax o'lotl
2024-06-27 10:52:35 +0000 UTCXanadu turned me into an instant fan back in 1977, and I think I am far from alone in that!
Mark J Moerman
2024-06-23 02:41:51 +0000 UTCI am not going to lie, this is the first time I have ever heard this album or the song 'Xanadu' (missed the first listen reaction via Daily Doug)...and...THIS SONG ROCKS!!!
Rebecca Walsh
2024-06-23 02:14:33 +0000 UTCMy joke stash is limited...lol
R. Douglas Helvering
2024-06-21 14:44:59 +0000 UTCYou did the lawnmower bass joke for Chris Squire in one of the TFTO songs (The Ancient?). I remember laughing. Geddy's short/choppy part was kind of reminiscent of that.
Jay
2024-06-20 21:23:46 +0000 UTCNot listened to this album for a few years, despite it being in my collection since I think 1977? You forget how great it is! And especially how great a guitarist Alex is - but all three are brilliant, of course. Really enjoying this reaction - one of my favourites yet from Doug - thanks buddy! ps. Always absolutely LOVED Madrigal!
Adrian Goodrich
2024-06-20 21:15:40 +0000 UTCFor I have dined on honeydew, and drunk the milk of paradise. Or, in other words, discovered Doug so many moons ago, and have so enjoyed it all since. And learned so much. Welcome to the pleasuredome!
Adrian Goodrich
2024-06-20 20:57:26 +0000 UTCThis album, and especially Xanadu, likewise holds a special place for me too! For the same reason - it was the first Rush album I ever head, back in the 1970s, and Xanadu was the first Rush song I ever heard. And still perhaps my favourite. Not least because I love Coleridge's poem. And damnation to the "gentleman from Porlock" who interrupted his substance-influenced writing meaning he never finished it!
Adrian Goodrich
2024-06-20 20:51:36 +0000 UTCBest video ever, Doug. Madrigal is something special, isn't it? That's why it's so hard to answer what makes Rush great. It's the breadth of their work from crazy La Villa Strangiato to the beauty of Madrigal or Losing It.
Chris Hibner
2024-06-20 00:46:06 +0000 UTCOops…sometimes i misspeak. Thanks for catching that. And, I do have a PO Box. Check www.rdouglashelvering.com for all the details.
R. Douglas Helvering
2024-06-20 00:45:22 +0000 UTC2012 their previous album @2:47? 2112 or twenty-one Twelve. At 15:56, are you smoking cannabis? Woo hoo! Also, do you have a P.O. Box? I would love to send to you Neil's liquid he imbibes, a bottle of Single Malt Scotch, Macallan. when you review a Rush song the next time.
Tim Fromla
2024-06-19 20:06:17 +0000 UTCFun! Playing with the Taurus pedals underneath the rest is pretty amazing to watch.
Potted Rodent
2024-06-19 17:12:15 +0000 UTCThis was fantastic, thank you sir
Boring Postcards
2024-06-19 15:57:02 +0000 UTCDoug - as always, a great review of a great album. AFTK is one of my favorite Rush albums because their sound made a big jump from 2112: acoustic guitars, synths, and pitched percussion. I really enjoy the blend of acoustics and electrics on this album and in Rush's catalog, I think only Snakes and Arrows (another favorite of mine) comes close. Also - regarding listening to songs again 2-3 years after the initial review, I'm a big proponent! I have noticed that on songs where you have done that, you often pick up things on the second listen that you did not on the first; e.g., Led Zeppelin's "Rain Song," Kansas's "Magnum Opus."
Ross Pollack
2024-06-19 12:56:19 +0000 UTCThere are some great interviews with Neil, mostly from George Stroumboulopolous, where Neil talks about some of his lyrics. They went through the entirety of Moving Pictures together. It's a good watch.
Laura Fancy
2024-06-19 11:20:35 +0000 UTCYou should get Neil's book Ghost Rider. It's one of the most beautifully written and heartbreaking books I've read.
Jukka Alanen
2024-06-19 07:40:25 +0000 UTCI really love this. hearing the album in one listen. I never saw the video for the song, A Farewell to Kings, so that was nice. There is something about the song Cinderella Man that gives me chills. Doug, you might want to check out another Hard Rock Band from around the same time as Rush and were also a Canadian trio, but didn't last as long as a band. That group is Triumph and they had some amazing music and one of their lead singers, Rick Emmett could reach some high notes as Geddy could in the earlier Rush days. Definitely need to check out Triumph. Songs like Lay it on the Line, Never Surrender and Fight the Good Fight are great.
DAVID SCHWARTZ
2024-06-19 05:01:15 +0000 UTCcastles in the distance can be in the past (kingly authoritarians) or castles of utopian dreams in the future (some other kind of authoritarian)
grnmntl
2024-06-19 04:30:03 +0000 UTCGreat choice!!!! Madrigal is special.
Leon Sabarsky
2024-06-19 03:11:17 +0000 UTCBeen a fan of Rush since 1981. Xanadu has been my favorite Rush song for almost that long. The whole album is a classic though. Good to hear Doug's reaction.
peter drysdale
2024-06-19 02:31:14 +0000 UTC
