Rush

A Farewell To Kings Rush MoFi UltraDisc One Step edition

Strictly limited numbered UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45 RPM 2LP box set of the band's fifth studio album, A Farewell to Kings (1977), in ultimate sound quality. 5000 numbered copies.

Rush explores new and exciting musical territories on A Farewell to Kings – an album featuring an epic journey into space, a track inspired by a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a timeless radio hit, and a band that truly embraces artistic freedom without limitations. With ample time in the studio and ideal working conditions, the Canadian trio expands the use of electronic instruments and develops its musical expression on an album that has become famous for its adventurousness, its outstanding musical craftsmanship, its strong compositions, and its excellent sound.

Mastered at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab in California from tapes stored in boxes labeled both "master" and "safety copy", pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing and limited to just 5,000 numbered copies, MoFi's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45 RPM 2LP box presents Rush's platinum-selling 1977 album in the best conceivable sound quality. The box is delivered in an exclusive slipcase with foil-stamped covers for each LP, highlighting all aspects of the band's fifth studio album – not least Hugh Syme's distinctive cover art with the gloomy landscape, the demolition area, the industrial chimney, the grotesque clown king, and the Harbourcastle Hilton in downtown Toronto.

With impressive groove definition, extremely low background noise, and almost silent vinyl surfaces, this collector's edition reproduces the music with a present and solid sound. The wider grooves on the 45 RPM edition also provide better tracking and a more precise reproduction of the highest frequencies. This is particularly valuable on A Farewell to Kings, which is known for its detailed production and creative recording process at Rockfield Studios in the Welsh countryside.

Several of the album's most characteristic sounds were recorded outdoors. The banging at the beginning of "Xanadu", for example, originates from the studio's courtyard, where the sound of the gravel paths and the echo from the buildings became part of the recording. The clear guitar sound at the start of the title track was also recorded while Alex Lifeson walked around outside, and birdsong is heard on both tracks as a natural result of the band's experimental approach.

The album is filled with small details that enhance both mood and arrangements. Rush has since talked about how colors, textures, and sonic nuances played a crucial role in songwriting and created the feeling of freedom and curiosity that propelled the band forward. The result was more advanced time signatures, new instruments, and complex musical passages. Rockfield's special surroundings allowed for experiments – from bass pedals that enabled Lifeson to add extra guitar layers on "Xanadu", to Geddy Lee's use of the Minimoog synthesizer.

On this release, the album can be experienced with a clarity that brings out every detail. Neil Peart expands his drum kit with orchestral bells, tubular bells, temple blocks, wind chimes, bell tree, and glockenspiel, among other things. Geddy Lee supplements his arsenal with a 12-string guitar and the double-necked instruments that later became his trademark, while Alex Lifeson uses both acoustic and electric 12-string guitars, classical guitar, and his own bass-pedal synthesizer.

All these instruments support an album that effortlessly moves between short and long compositions, quiet and powerful passages, as well as acoustic and electric soundscapes. After the release of the live album All the World's a Stage, Rush got a much-needed break from the constant touring and recording cycle. The band used the time to develop their technical skills, learn new instruments, and traveled away from Toronto to record for the first time. A Farewell to Kings was recorded in just three weeks at Rockfield Studios and mixed in another two weeks at Advision Studios in London.

In just over a month, Rush created an album that marked the trio's development into a band with few equals. Sound engineer Pat Moran was already convinced during the recordings, where he witnessed the band recording "Xanadu" in a single complete take. The epic composition is loosely inspired by Coleridge's Kubla Khan and the film Citizen Kane and contains some of the most impressive interplay between band members in Rush's entire catalog.

"Closer to the Heart", the only track the band had completed before arriving at Rockfield, became the album's biggest hit. The song reached the Top 40 in the UK and became a regular feature at Rush's concerts for decades. The melodic anthem, co-written with Peter Talbot, stands out by conveying hope and solutions on an album where many of the lyrics otherwise revolve around societal challenges. A related theme is found in "Cinderella Man", inspired by the 1936 film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, where a moral individual is pitted against a corrupt society.

As a taste of the future, A Farewell to Kings concludes with a story that only finds its conclusion on the successor, Hemispheres. The four-part science fiction suite "Cygnus X-1" follows a curious protagonist on a journey into a black hole, where the ultimate price must be paid. It is a dramatic and ambitious work that shows Rush heading towards even greater musical horizons – a journey that had only just begun.