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Sun, 21 Jan 2024 05:33:55 -0800
Andy from
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An ode to the greatest concept album of all time, 2112 by RUSH
2112 (pronounced "twenty-one twelve") is the fourth studio album by Canadian
rock band Rush, released in March 1976 by Anthem Records. Rush finished touring
for their unsuccessful previous album Caress of Steel in early 1976. The band
was in financial hardship due to the album's disappointing sales, unfavourable
critical reception, and a decline in attendance at its shows. The band's
international label, Mercury Records, considered dropping Rush but granted the
band one more album following negotiations with manager Ray Daniels. Though the
label demanded more commercial material, the band decided to continue developing
its progressive rock sound. 2112 was recorded in January 1976 in Toronto with
producer Terry Brown. Its centerpiece is the 20-minute title track, a futuristic
science-fiction song that takes up the entire first side of the album. There are
five individual tracks on side two.
2112 was released to favourable reviews from music critics and quickly outsold
the band's previous albums. It peaked at No. 5 on the Canadian Albums Chart and
No. 61 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape and was the band's commercial
breakthrough in the country. Rush supported the album with a tour of the United
States, Canada, and for the first time, Europe, from February 1976 to June 1977.
2112 remains the band's second-highest-selling album (behind 1981's Moving
Pictures) with more than 3 million copies sold in the United States. It is
listed in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and ranked second on Rolling
Stone's reader's poll, Your Favorite Prog Rock Albums of All Time. 2112 has been
reissued several times; a 40th Anniversary Edition was released in 2016 with
previously unreleased material, including the album performed by artists
including Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Billy Talent, Steven Wilson, and Alice in
Chains.
"2112" tells a story set in the city of Megadon in 2112, "where individualism
and creativity are outlawed with the population controlled by a cabal of
malevolent Priests who reside in the Temples of Syrinx". A galaxy-wide war
resulted in the planets forcefully joining the Solar Federation (symbolized by
the "Red Star"). By 2112, the world is controlled by the priests who take orders
from giant banks of computers inside the temple. Music is unknown in this world
absent of creativity and individuality, but in "Discovery", a nameless man finds
a beaten guitar inside a cave and rediscovers the lost art of music. In
"Presentation", the man takes the guitar to the priests at the temple, who say,
"Yes, we know, it's nothing new; it's just a waste of time", and then proceed
angrily to destroy it and send him away. Next, in "Oracle: The Dream", the man
dreams of a new planet, established at the same time as the Solar Federation,
where creative people live. He awakens, depressed that music is part of such a
civilization and that he can never be part of it, and kills himself, in
"Soliloquy", originally titled "Soliloquy of the Soul". Another planetary war
begins in "Grand Finale", originally named "Denouement", resulting in the
ambiguous spoken ending: "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation: We have
assumed control". Peart described the ending as a "double surprise ... a real
Hitchcock killer".
For me, 2112 represents a pinnacle of songwriting and musicianship, and is a
work of genius. Neil Peart conceived the story and lyrics, while Alex Lifeson
and Geddy Lee wrote the music. The story of an Elder Race is a common theme in
science fiction. The 2112 suite was turned into a graphic novel-type music
video by RUSH, which is available here and is a whimsical look at how this story
could be visualized: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5jwxrTqoEA
I love 2112 so much that I produced an album by a talented string quartet
interpreting 2112 for electric strings as an instrumental: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9-Xxw04UGU
Any questions?
Sun, 21 Jan 2024 08:16:19 -0800
moisture2
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I'm a Rush fan
Sun, 21 Jan 2024 10:09:01 -0800
zerosugar
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i saw a rush cover band once. good band. from the germination of my parents.
happy somebody as young as you can appreciate rush.
Sun, 21 Jan 2024 10:11:13 -0800
zerosugar
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*generation ha!
Sun, 21 Jan 2024 10:12:47 -0800
zerosugar
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i also find it funny some conservatives try to accuse geddy lee of being a
commie because of working man. he is jewish too. lol.
Sun, 21 Jan 2024 14:50:40 -0800
avalanchediode from private IP
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I’d rather listen to Yes
Sun, 21 Jan 2024 17:05:16 -0800
Blee from
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Yeah zerosugar, they get it from all sides. Some liberals don't like them
because of their Ayn Rand phase.
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