Rush lead vocalist Geddy Lee talked about an iconic Rush album, which can be defined as a milestone album for the band, and shared his feelings and ideas about the production process of the record during his recent interview with Louder Sound.
As you probably know, Rush released their sixth studio album entitled ‘Hemispheres’ on October 29, 1978. The album received very positive reviews from music critics and fans with its remarkable sounds and meaningful lyrics. It hit the charts and sold millions all around the world.
In addition, ‘Hemispheres’ is considered one of the most influential and inspiring progressive rock albums, including the side-long ‘Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres’ and the nine-minute instrumental ‘La Villa Strangiato.’ Geddy Lee drew attention to their ambition and progressive rock fans’ appreciation for the album but noted that it was also the end of an era for Rush.
Geddy Lee stated that producing side long songs became predictable, so the band members realized they should change their style and not use the same themes or tell long stories through lyrics. Lee highlighted the ‘Hemispheres’ tracks ‘Circumstances’ and ‘The Trees’ by describing them as the signs of change in Rush’s artistic direction.
Lee said in his interview that:
“It didn’t feel like a transitional record. It felt like the end of an era for me. I felt that the side-long songs thing was getting predictable for me as a writer, and I wanted to bust out of that. In a sense, it felt like saying goodbye to that period. I had ideas of where I wanted us to go. Songs like ‘The Trees’ and ‘Circumstances’ pointed in that direction. I wanted to tell stories, but I didn’t want to be weighed down by themes that had to keep repeating over a twenty-five-minute period.
I wanted to be able to accomplish many more musical ideas over twenty-five minutes. I don’t know if I can ever possess the necessary objectivity to be able to see and hear what people see and hear in ‘Hemispheres.’ However, I like to think that it’s the ambitiousness in the effort we put in. There’s something truly prog about that record, and I think fans of that genre really appreciate that.“
You can listen to the songs below.
