Rush bassist and lead vocalist Geddy Lee gave an interview to Classic Rock in which he confessed that he didn’t think their album ‘Hemispheres’ would become that successful.
Back in 1974, Rush released their self-titled debut album. Following that, they continued to rise to prominence with the follow-ups ‘Fly By Night,’ ‘2112,’ ‘A Farewell To Kings,’ and Hemispheres.’ After the release of these albums, Rush achieved remarkable commercial success in the 1970s.
One of these albums, ‘Hemispheres’ was released in October 1978 as the band’s sixth studio album. Rush recorded this album after the tour supporting their ‘A Farewell To Kings,’ during which they achieved popularity in the U.K. After its release, the album received critical acclaim and was certified platinum by RIAA after selling one million copies.
In the interview with Classic Rock, Geddy Lee revealed his thoughts on ‘Hemispheres.’ He said that he is surprised so many fans think it’s the ultimate Rush album. Moreover, Lee said he initially thought people would think the album was weird.
Following that, the bassist said he believed that some of the album’s songs were quite long, so it would be hard to sell to the radio. He then recalled a quote from T.S. Eliot, which stated that what is more important is trying. After sharing the quote, Lee said they felt just like that after making the ‘Hemispheres’ album.
Geddy Lee told Classic Rock about the album ‘Hemispheres’ that:
“What surprises me to this day is that I have so many fans come up to me and say that they think that it’s the ultimate Rush album. I had absolutely no idea how people would take it. I just thought people would think it was way too weird. We had no idea. I knew it would be a tough sell to the radio because these pieces were so long. But you can’t worry about that stuff when you’re doing it.
I saw this interview with the actor Robert Redford the other day, and he quoted T. S. Eliot, and Eliot said that it’s all about the trying, and what happens after that is none of our business. I’d say that sums up how we felt after making ‘Hemispheres.'”
You can have check out ‘Hemispheres’ through Spotify below.
