This album is an earful. "Closer to the Heart", Rush's "Stairway to Heaven", resides on this album, and is one of the shortest songs on the album. This piece has continued to be a live favorite since its release. "Madrigal" is another short, reflective piece with some mellow guitar work from Alex Lifeson and almost tender lyrics from percussionist Neil Peart.

The bulk of the album, though, is contained in two marathons. "Xanadu" is the jewel on this album. It is an 11 minute monster based on the poem "Kubla Khan" and instrumentally is astounding. The moment Peart and Geddy Lee kick in with Lifeson while the guitarist is doing a 7/4 time E major lick and the wind effects are increasing is high drama. The songs goes through several mood changes, slowing down in spots to allow Lifeson some electric 12 string serenity. Lee is very subdued on this piece vocally, but his bass playing is phenomenal. "Cygnus X-1" is a 10 minute epic which surpasses "Xanadu" in terms of instrumental insanity. The band shifts flawlessly through the time changes (like 6/4, 7/4, and later 11/8 and 12/8) with ease. It is important to note that this piece is the first part of a two part epic which continues on their next release, "Hemispheres". Peart is especially out of control on "Cygnus", but if you are not a fan of Lee's vocal style, this piece will drive you nuts because Lee has somehow added an octave to his range on this song.

That leaves two other pieces. The title track opens the album with Lifeson on classical guitar before the band kicks in. However, it seems the band was trying *too* hard to be progressive here during the breakdown prior to the guitar solo. The rhythm seems a little too forced here, like they threw in this odd time signature for the sake of doing it. "Cinderella Man" is the remaining song, and it fares better than the title track. It is more Zeppelin-esque in the way Lifeson integrates electric and acoustic timbres. It is a pleasing, melodic song which is easy listening compared to most of the album.

Overall, "Farewell" is an album which may be more appealing to musicians than the casual rock fan. The casual fan will enjoy "Closer to the Heart", while have a difficult time following the sprawling "Xanadu". This is a wonderful album, but it may be best to purchase "2112" prior to this album to hear and understand the development Rush was undergoing. However, if you are a musician, the arrangements and complexity of the playing will give you something to shoot for in your own playing.


A taste of the past and the future   October 8, 2002
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

The studio follow-up to "2112" in 1977 saw Rush developing a cleaner, less-heavy sound with still plenty of punch. The also began to explore different musical elements, including classical guitar and jazz fusion, along with tricky time signatures and unexpected changes.
1. A Farewell to Kings: A socially-conscious piece that could have been written about a pre-Renaissance period or current one. I love the classical guitar intro, building with keyboards and bells and then the great power chords that bring us fully into the song. Excellent lyrics by N. Peart, with "castles in the distance" and foreshadowing "Closer to the Heart". Plus, there's the terrific fusion jam with excellent ensemble playing by Lee, Lifeson and Peart. 4 stars.
2. Xanada: Yes, Peart lifted many of the lyrics from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Kublai Khan" but this is still a great epic, full of atmospherics, building dynamics and nice scale techniques. Excellent lyrical imagery of the pleasure dome! 4 stars.
3. Closer to the Heart: Simple yet powerful socially/politically conscious lyrics and a nice keyboard/guitar melody. Good vocal performance by G. Lee. 5 stars.
4. Cinderella Man: A much better lyrical effort by Lee than "Tears" with another great ensemble jam. 3 stars.
5. Madrigal: Probably one of their shortest stand along songs, this relationship piece has nice poetic imagery and an underrated bassline. 3 stars.
6. Cygnus X-1: Another goofy "spoken word" intro like "The Necromancer" brings this one down a notch. It was cool when I was a teenager but brings a smirk now. Still, this piece has all kinds of cool time signature changes. For another literary reference, we have a spaceship named 'Rocinante' after Don Quixote's horse, so there's a little wink from Mr. Peart there. The music works with the lyrics, however, and the listener does feel like they're plunging into a black hole. The "to be continued..." must have been a first in the progressive rock era and hints at a connection to the next offering from Rush.
3 stars.


The Night My Sorry Life Changed Forever   November 18, 2004
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

It's 1:00 am on some late-70's weekend, I'm 13 years old, Saturday Night Live has just ended, and it's time for Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (or Rawwk Kawwn-saht as he pronounced it.) I'm a real-life character out of the movie "Dazed and Confused" with musical tastes beginning and ending with Kiss. My best bud Kevin and I stayed up to watch SNL 'cuz in those days you didn't dare show your face at school on Monday morning if you weren't up on all the "new" skits.

Ol' Don introduces some Canadian band called "Rush." "Hey," I think to myself, "I live 5 minutes from the Canadian border. Maybe these guys are cool and when I get older I'll go see them."

Rush comes onstage and plays 3 songs from their new album, "A Farewell to Kings," with the title track followed by "Closer to the Heart" and "Xanadu." And my little 13-year-old world changed forever. It wasn't the effects of ditchweed on my feeble little mind either. This music showed me possibilities that I didn't even know existed, but instantly knew I'd wanted all along. The fact that only three guys could produce such a vast array of sounds blew my mind. The fact that rock music could be entertaining and artistic at the same time shaped my musical view to this day.

The next morning I threw away my Kiss records and went off to the mall to buy this album and then-new "Going for the One" by Yes, who I had also heard described as "progressive." They were the first two "adult" albums I ever bought. I began expanding my electric guitar skills (goodbye Tony Iommi riffs!) and learned to finger-pick acoustic guitar like Lifeson and Howe. I taught myself organ and piano. I discovered Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd, King Crimson and many, many more.

With all that personal attachment to this record, I can even overlook the absolute clinker that is "Cinderella Man."(Geez,Even typing that title makes me shudder.) But that's nothing folks, you get the stunningly great title track (one of my all-time favorite prog songs) plus the amazing epics "Cygnus X-1" and "Xanadu." And, classic-rock overkill aside, "Closer to the Heart" is one of the best prog singles ever with a truly great guitar solo. For prog fans, it rarely gets better than this.

The greatest export from our Northern neighbors since Molson Canadian-the best beer ever, baby!!!


NERDIEST BAND EVER   December 18, 2005
 6 out of 9 found this review helpful

You have to hand it to Rush: they weren't gonna use the recent success of "2112" to go more mainstream.

"Xanadu"? "Cygnus X-1"?? What were these dudes handing around when they came up with "Cygnus X-1"?

Altogether, we have maybe the ballsiest salute to unabashed, D&D-inspired Nerdhood ever conceived, rehearsed to unlikely precision, and jammed to the +4 magic-sword hilt. Well, that's at least until you go back to their earlier albums and uncover even *nerdier* material -- "The Necromancer"? "Rivendell"? "By-tor & the Snowdog"?? (By-tor? Don't ask...) Anyway it's a good thing most of it friggin' rocks, man, or I'd be too busy laughing hysterically.

If you're not old enough to have outgrown Neil Peart's jejune poetry, you'll probably award this five stars and play it repeatedly, as I may or may not have done at that age. How about four stars for fearlessly different song-writing, good melodies/riffs and tight musicianship. Painfully nerdy, yes; but "A Farewell to Kings" at least stood out in a sea of popular mediocrity and selloutry. Yeah, well, so did the Village People, huh.

So shoulder your lute, light one up and enjoy. (Watch out for that black hole, though.) Let's call this Rush's best album -- it's short, it's trippy, it's musically interesting, it's not ridiculously grandiose like "2112" or "Hemispheres", and it's not a totally synthed-out, preachified wankfest like most of their later stuff.


Rush turns a corner on Kings   April 28, 2006
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

The term "Xanadu" is defined as "a place of great beauty, luxury, and contentment."

That's the kind of place I've found on A Farewell To Kings.

Ok, that's a bit thick on the melodrama, but Rush has definitely turned a distinctive and definite corner on this record...one started a tad more subtly on 2112.

For one, this is the first quality production on a Rush record. You can actually discern the instruments and for the first time Geddy is present up front..and this would mark how the band would sound on vinyl for a few years to come. A real treat to the ears. (His playing, too, is starting to become more noticeably varied and stylish as well). Musical personalities are really coming in to form here. Alex is playing less rock riffs and experimenting more with the guitar as an instrument of tone and vibe...beit it volume swellings, hammer-ons, or more melodic single-note picking

The title track is a nice treat, starting with the very Renaissance-esque acoustic treatment by Alex. Midway through we get a nice jazzy break with Neil working the snare and Geddy carrying the tune to Alex's tasty guitar fills.

Xanadu, however, is to me where the literal line in the sand occurs and the band goes someplace it's not treaded before. They walk "towards the light" and never look back. A friend of mine described the opening to 2112 being that thing that raises the hair on his arms and says "this is Rush." To me this happens with the opening to this wonderful epic. The soft but eerie keys, Lifeson's wistful single note swells, and Neil's haunting chimes and tolling bells....seguing into Alex's goosebump-raising guitar intro that carries us into that massive power chord.

Wow.

This is Rush to me in a big way.

And this is what a monster opus should do. It's a cohesive musical narrative, natural, never gets boring and all the parts gel together...change tempos and keys at all the right time, etc. Seriously one of the great Rush epics.

Closer To The Heart I'm sure raises the groan of bored Rush fanatics, but despite perhaps the oversaturation on the radio, it's simply one of the best songs they've ever crafted....with one of the best sounding 12-string intros in the history of rock. Seriously, this is without a doubt a top 10 Rush tune of all time....wonderfully crafted, skillfully and emotionally sung by Lee. There's nothing to not love here.

Cinderella Man is another keeper, with an intro riff that reminds me of Iron Maiden for some reason. But quickly we're into acoustic chords and the vocals. I like the lyrics and sentiment here quite well. The song also has a bit of Kansas and Styx in it too...in terms of melody.

Madrigal is often ignored or put down from the things I've read, and while it's nothing earth-shattering -- so I'll not pretend otherwise -- it's a nice wistful tune....featuring some tamed singing from Lee. The vocal melody here is rangy and beautiful....and way underappreciated. (Hidden gem # 3 along this journey...yeah, another ballad kids). It might be forgotten because at a meager 2:38 it's shorter than some Rush intros.

Cygnus X-1 takes me back to that weird place with Rush I'm always sort of hesitant about....but it works here fairly well. Granted it's my least favorite overall track, but for a heady, bizarre space-themed something-or-other it's pretty compelling. The intro is quite effective....with Ged's thumping bass slowly swelling in and taking over the song. I'd by lying if I said I wasn't thumping the steering wheel all six times I listened to this album today. Ultimately I think the song kind of dissolves and ends a bit shriekily and disappointingly with this pretty sad fade out.....but overall it's a keeper.

This is clearly and easily the best Rush effort at this point in their career. It's diverse....it's melodic....it's weird but with a purpose. The songs have a cohesive feel. Most (tho' not all) the problems I had with the previous releases are well on their way to being ironed out on A Farewell To Kings and the changes are both noticeable and appreciated.