RUSH: SECTOR TWO
Released: November 21st, 2011
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LINER NOTES
BOX SET CREDITS
Supervised by Jeff Fura
5.1 Surround Sound Mixed by Richard Chycki at Mixland, Ontario
5.1 Surround and Stereo Mastering by Andy VanDette at Masterdisk, NY
Head Archivist: Francois Lamoureux at FogoLabs Corp.
DVD Production Facility: Craigman Digital
Menu Design: Craig Anderson
Authoring: Craig Anderson and David Dieckmann
Art Direction: Michele Hone, Vartan
Design: Mike Diehl
Photo Research: Jo Almeida
Photos: Bruce Cole, Fin Costello, Richard Fegley, Gerard Gentil, David Street
Slipcase portrait: Deborah Samuel
Production Manager: Michele Horie
Product Manager: Rob Jacobs
Publicity: Sujata Murthy
Management: Ray Danniels at SRO Management, Inc., Toronto
Special thanks: Pegi Cecconi, Andy Curran, Anna LeCoche, Meghan Symsyk, Herb Agner, Hilary Remnant, Heather Kanipe, Elliot Kendall, Andrew Labarrere, Beatriz Pace, everyone at SRO/Anthem, Strobosonic, UMD and UMe.
© 2011 Anthem Entertainment / The Island Def Jam Music Group.
"A FAREWELL TO KINGS" Liner Notes
Neil Peart - Drums, orchestra bells, tubular bells, temple blocks, cowbells, wind chimes, bell tree, triangle, vibra-slap
Geddy Lee - Bass guitar, twelve string guitar, Mini Moog, bass pedal synthesizer, vocals
Alex Lifeson - Six and twelve string electric guitar, six and twelve string acoustic guitar, classical guitar, bass pedal synthesizer
Produced by Rush and Terry Brown
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Wales, June 1977
Engineered by Pat Moran and Terry Brown (Broon)
Mixed at Advision Studios, London
Engineered by Terry Brown, Assisted by Declan
(not Norman!) O'Doherty and Ken Thomas
Art direction and graphics by Hugh Syme
Cover photography by Yosh Inouye
Sleeve photography by Roger Stowell
Liner photographs by Fin Costello
Design assistance by Bob King
Mastered at JAMF, Toronto by George Graves
(Remastered by Bob Ludwig and Brian Lee at
Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine)
Management by Ray Danniels, SRO Management, Inc., Toronto
Executive Production--Moon Records
Roadmaster and lighting director--Howard (Herns) Ungerleider
Concert sound engineer and effects consultant--Major Ian Grandy
Stage right technician--Liam (Elfbjörn) Birt
Stage left technician--Skip (Slider) Gildersleeve
Centre stage technician--Larry (The Saint) Allen
Stage Manager--Mike (Lurch) Hirsh
Chauffeur extraordinaire--(Ms.) Jorge Hoadley
Hello and thank you to National Sound and Crew, See Factor
Lighting and Crew (U.K. too!), Electrosound U.K. and Crew,
Graham The Coach Driver, Alans Moore and Kearsley, all at
Rockfield and Pat (Duffo) Moran, (Farewell to Kingsley),
Max Websters' Dancing and Crew, The Cult and Crew, Fabrissio,
The Percussion Centre, Tony (Old School Thai) Kelly,
Continental Tom Berry, and all our friends in the U.K.
(and everywhere!) we remember Brooklyn.
A special thank you to Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt.
Our thanks also go out to the good people of Gibson Guitars,
Rickenbacker Guitars, and Slingerland Drums for their personal
help and consideration.
Dedicated to Nancy, Charlene, and Jacqueline
© 1977 Mercury Records © 1977 Anthem Entertainment
"HEMISPHERES" Liner Notes
Alex Lifeson - Six and twelve string electric and acoustic guitars, classical guitar, Roland guitar synthesizer, Taurus pedals
Neil Peart - Drums, orchestra bells, bell-tree, tympani, gong, cowbells, temple blocks, wind chimes, crotales
Geddy Lee - Bass guitar, Mini-Moog, Oberheim polyphonic, Taurus pedals, vocals
Produced by Rush and Terry Brown
Arrangements by Rush and Terry Brown
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Wales, during June and July 1978
Engineered by Pat Moran
Vocals recorded at Advision Studios, London
Engineered by Declan O'Doherty
Mixed at Trident Studios, Soho, London, August 1978
Engineered by Terry Brown with invaluable assistance from John Brand
Tape Operators (Trident): Simon Hilliard, Mike Donegoni, and Reno Ruocco
Mastered at Trident by Ray Staff
(Remastered by Bob Ludwig and Brian Lee at
Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland Maine)
Graphics by Hugh Syme
Art Directions by Hugh Syme and Bob King
Cover photography by Yosh Inouye
Inner sleeve and poster photography by Fin Costello
This album was processed through the Duffoscope!
Management by Ray Danniels, SRO Management Inc., Toronto
Executive Production: Moon Records
Roadmaster and Lighting Director: Howard (Herns) Ungerleider
Concert Sound Engineer and Crew Co-ordinator: Major Ian Grandy
Stage Manager: Michael (Lurch) Hirsh
Stage Right technician: Liam (Leaf) Birt
Stage Left technician: Skip (Slider) Gildersleeve
Centre Stage technician: Larry (Shrav) Allen
Guitar and synthesizer maintenance: Tony (Jack Secret) Geranios
Concert sound by National Sound and Electrosound (U.K.)
Concert Lighting by See Factor
Concert visuals produced by Rush and Nick Prince
Projectionist: Harry (keep the change) Dilman
Those daring drivers!: Bruce (The Pin) Aldrich (Howdy howdy!), Jwerg (Ah think Ah see the problem!) Hoadley, Mike (Say Guy!) Morrison, and Tom (Zig-Zag) Whittaker
The Wonderful Persons List: Austen Fagen, Abe Schon, The UFO'S, the Max Websters, the Pat Travers Band, the Monks, Bert the driver, Fin Costello, Ruke Bernstein, Joe Bombase, Young Ward, Jerry Mickelson, Arny Granat, Bubble and Squeak, all at SRO and all at Rockfield, Advision, and Trident
© 1978 Mercury Records © 1978 Anthem Entertainment
"PERMANENT WAVES" Liner Notes
Alex Lifeson - Six and twelve string electric and acoustic guitars, Taurus pedals
Neil Peart - Drums, tympani, timbales, orchestra bells, tubular bells, wind chimes, bell tree, triangle, crotales
Geddy Lee - Bass guitars, Oberheim polyphonic, OB-1, Mini Moog, and Taurus pedal synthsizers, vocals
Produced by Rush and Terry Brown
Arrangements by Rush and Terry Brown
Recorded at Le Studio, Morin-Heights, Quebec, during September and October 1979
Engineerd by Paul Northfield
With general assistance from Robbie Whelan
Mixed at Trident Studios, Soho, London, in November 1979
Engineerd by Terry Brown
Assisted by Adam Moseley, Craig Milliner, and Geddy Lee, with cameo appearances by Steve S. Hort
Mastered by Bob Ludwig and Brain Lee at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine
Special featured guest: Hugh Syme, piano on "Different Strings"
Inspiration and vocal coaching by Daisy the Dog
Steel drums by Erwig Chuapchuaduah
Art Direction and graphics by Hugh Syme
Cover concept by Hugh Syme and Neil Peart
Photography by Fin Costello, Flip Schulke and Deborah Samuel
Cover girl couturière: Ou la la
Colour collaboration: Peter George
Pilot of Juliet Foxtrot Kilo: Mike Deere
Management: Ray Danniels, SRO Management, Inc., Toronto
Executive Production: Moon Records
Road manager, lighting director, and assistant to Mr. Shreve: Howard (Herns) Ungerleider
Stage manager: Michael (Lurch) Hirsh
Concert sound engineer: Ian (the Weez) Grandy
Stage right technician: Liam (Punjabi) Birt
Stage left technician: Skip (Slider) Gildersleeve
Centre stage technician: Larry (Shrav) Allen
Guitar and synthesizer maintenance: Tony (Jack Secret) Geranios
Electrical technician: Ted (Theo) McDonald
Stage Monitor mixer: Gred (Gordie) Connolly
Projectionist: Harry (Tex) Dilman
Personal Shreve: Sam (Shreve) Charters
Concert sound by National Sound and Electrosound (U.K.)
Concert lighting by See Factor International
Concert rigging by Bill Collins
All of the above was transported by the skilled hands of: Tom (Whitney) Whittaker, Pat (No. 9) Lines, Arthur (Mac) MacLear, Gene Guido, and Tim Lewis
Honourable mentions: Moe Kniffman, Nick Kotos, George (Ike) Guido, Bob (Puppy) Cross, John LeBlanc, Bill Churchman, Dave (Shreve 1) Donne, Fuzzy Frazer, Dave Burman, Helmut, Nick Prince, Graham (Wild Man) Hewitt, Sgt. Rock & Easy Co., Second City Television, Lakewoods Farm, The Sound Kitchen, Lefty, D.K.D., Steve Herns, Le Studio: Andre, Yael, Pam, Kim, Carole, and Roger, Andre & La Barratte, the Wines & Crew, FM & Crew, Wireless & Crew, The Maxoids, Marvin Gleicher, Brian Robertson, Jimmy Bain, Michael Schenker, the Projectors, Peter Mensch, the P.M., Bob (the Grove) Snelgrove, the inmates of the Great Fog, Gerry Griffin, Lee Scherer, and their families and friends at NASA, Henry Spencer and baby, Le Mont St. Michael, the Montcalm, vin-du-hairface, volleyball, Space Invaders (10p), euchre, Malibu Grand Prix, hockey--Steve Shutt and Larry Robinson, thanks for the sticks!, M*A*S*H, The Jack Secret Show, Rickey, Lucy, and Ethel, (Where's Fred?), Neal and Larry at the Percussion Centre, all at Oak Manor, and all at Trident. Ho-Hoo!
We express our appreciation to the fine people and instruments of Gibson, Moog, Tama drums, Rickenbacker, and Sunn amplification
© 1980 Mercury Records © 1980 Anthem Entertainment
"MOVING PICTURES" Liner Notes
Geddy Lee - Bass guitars, Oberheim polyphonic; OB-X; Mini-Moog; and Taurus pedal Synthesizers, vocals
Alex Lifeson - Six and twelve string electric and acoustic guitars, Taurus Pedals
Neil Peart - Drums kit, timbales, gong bass drums, orchestra bells, glockenspiel, wind chimes, bell tree, crotales, cowbells, plywood
Produced by Rush and Terry Brown
Arrangements by Rush and Terry Brown
Recorded and mixed at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, during October and November, of 1980
Engineered by Paul Northfield
Assisted by Robbie Whelan, and our computerized companions: Albert, Huey, Dewey, and Louie
Digital mastering engineered by Peter Jensen
Hugh Syme is the featured guest performer once again, playing synthesizers on 'Witch Hunt'
Art direction, graphics and cover concept by Hugh Syme
Photography by Deborah Samuel
Mastered at by Bob Ludwig and Brian Lee at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine
Management by Ray Danniels, SRO Management, Inc., Toronto
Executive Production: Moon Records
Road Manager and Lighting Director: Howard Ungerleider
Concert Sound Engineer: Ian Grandy
Stage Manager: Michael Hirsh
Stage Right Technician, and Crew Chief: Liam Birt
Stage Left Technician: Skip Gildersleeve
Centre Stage Technician: Larry Allen
Guitar and synthesizer Maintenance: Tony Geranios
Stage Monitor Mixer: Greg Connolly
Projectionist: Lee Tenner
Personal Shreve and Factotum: Kevin Flewitt
Concert Sound by National Sound
All-Stars: Tom Linthicum, Fuzzy Frazer, Dave Berman
Concert Lighting by See Factor International
Easy Co.: Nick Kotos, George Guido, Bob Kniffen, Bob Cross
Concert Rigging: the daring Bill Collins
Transportation expertly guided by Tom Whittaker, Billy Barlow, Kim Varney, Arthur MacLear, Pat Lines, Bill Fuquay, Mike and Linda Burnham
Fabulous Persons: at Le Studio: André, Yaël, Pam, Paul, Robbie, Roger, Harry, Claude & Gisele, André et Le Bouffe en Broche, Ted (Theo) McDonald, Irv Zuckerman & Associates (The Beords), Brain (Vings) Laski, George Vis, Ted Veneman, Max Lobstors, Saga & crew, 38 Special & crew (27-24), Drexel, Gerry, Griffin & Family, Terri at the Hawkins farm, Asteroids, volleyball (the Retardos & the Frantics 21-8!), the Greenie (you must be drinking!), Bill Ward, Loveman, Lovewoman & The Lovemachine, Scar & The Ignorant Wildfire Game, Top Secret, the Montreal Canadiens, Steven Shutt, Screvato, Robin & Phase One, Bill Elson, Cliff Burnstein, Jim Sotet, Sherry Levy, and the Oak Manorians.
Special British Supplement: Wild Horses; Jimmy & Sophie, Brian & Dee, Clive, Dirk (no relation), Mr. & Mrs. Robinson, Fin Costello, Bill Churchman, Alan Philips, Barry Murfet, Tex Yodell, Lofty & Stage Crew, Steve Tuck, Robbie Gilchrist
Dept. of Above-And-Beyond: Ray, Rhonda, L.B., Dear Olde Broon (a great mind thinks alike), Happy Birthday Ms. Broon (wrong again, eh, Hovis!)
Featuring Daisy as 'Ski Bane'
Our continuing appreciation to the people and products of Tama, Avedis Zildjian, and Rickenbacker
Coolidge Dog Painting from the Archives of Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul, Minnesota
Correspondance: P.O. Box 640, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L3T 4A5
Red Barchetta inspired by "A Nice Morning Drive" by Richard S. Foster
© 1981 Mercury Records © 1981 Anthem Entertainment
"EXIT...STAGE LEFT (LIVE)" Liner Notes
Geddy Lee - Bass guitar, vocals, synthesizers, bass pedal synthesizer, and occasional rhythm guitar
Alex Lifeson - Electric and acoustic guitars, bass pedal synthesizer
Neil Peart - Drums and percussion
Produced by Terry Brown
A Passage To Bangkok, Closer To The Heart, Beneath, Between & Behind, and Jacob's Ladder recorded in the U.K. by Mobile One
Engineered by Andy Rose, Tech-man Barry Ainsworth
Set-up by Tim and James
The Spirit Of Radio, Red Barchetta, YYZ, Broon's Bane, The Trees, Xanadu, Freewill, Tom Sawyer and La Villa Strangiato recorded in Canada by Le Mobile
Engineered by Broon, Tech-man Guy Charbonneau
Set-up by Cliff
And by the Record Plant Mobile
Engineered by Broon, Tech-man Jack Crymes
Set-up by Mark and Hutch
Mixed at Le Studio, Morin Heights Quebec
Engineered by Paul Northfield
Mastered by Bob Ludwig and Brian Lee at
Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine
Art Direction, graphics, and cover concept by Hugh Syme
Photography by Deborah Samuel
Special guest, Ian Melhuish as the Puppet King
Management by Ray Danniels,
SRO Productions, Inc., Toronto
Executive Production by Moon Records
Road Manager and Lighting Director: Howard Ungerleider
Concert Sound Engineer: Jon (Mushy) Erickson
Stage Manager: Michael Hirsh
Stage Right Technician and Crew Chief: Liam (Calculator-Head) Birt
Stage Left Technician: Skip Gildersleeve
Centre Stage Technician: Larry (The Green Shrav) Allen
Guitar and Synthesizer Maintenance: Tony (Jack Public) Geranios
Stage Monitor Mixer: Greg Connolly
Security Chief: Ian Grandy
Projectionist: Lee Tenner
Personal Shreve: Kevin (Barney Rubble) Flewitt
Concert Sound By: National Sound--Tom Linthicum, Dave Berman, and Fuzzy Frazer
Concert Lighting by See Factor International--Nick Kotos, Mike Weiss, Mark Cherry, John Quinton, Steve Tuck, Robbie Gilchrist, et cetera
Bus and Truck-Faces-Tom Whittaker, Pat Lynes, Mac MacLear, Billy Barlow, Richard Owens, Steve Connelly, and Al Posner
U.K. transportation by Edwin Shirley Trucking, Len Wright Travel, and "The Red Flash" - Bill Churchman
Concert Rigging by Bill Collins-Southfire Rigging
People of the Wonderful Thing: The cast and crew of Le Studio, especially André for making the new all-colour Jack Secret Show a reality, Raru Ponce de Leon, Dr. Carl Zbourg, Major Seventh, Lou, Suzanne, Ronnie, Bjorn Erlichmann the Stunned Man, Punjabi, Dirk the Cameraman, and Daisy O'Williams and the Dogmatics, The Fabulous Projecting Men, featuring a Chorus of Fools, Nick the cat, Explosion Magazine, the lovely Rushka, Joe E. Ross-ooh ooh!, the people of Fooland, the Expos, the Great White North, and the members and crew of "FM" for their important comedic and musical support--Öfshnatzen d'Rötz!!
Max Webster R.I.P.
This album is dedicated to the world-renowned they--(Slider's uncles, Eddie and Glen).
Alex's performance in Broon's Bane is dedicated to Elliot.
A special tribute to the Glaswegian Chorus for the backround vocals on Closer To The Heart. Nice one, folks!
Our personal thank you to the Griffin family for their wonderfulness, and to the people of NASA for their spectacular launch of the Columbia which we were privileged and thrilled to witness.
We also should include a (loose) translation for the new lyrics to the Danforth and Pape section of La Villa Strangiato
"Patty-cake, patty cake,
Mother's going to buy you shoes,
Father's going to buy you socks,
Baby's going to have red cheeks."
Enough said.
Well, just a few more words! In seven years of touring we have made many friends in many different places. Some have worked for us, some have cheered for us, and some have just been nice to us.
For reasons beyond our comprehension, we have become increasingly more popular, and hence stretched ever more thinly among ever more people.
If sometimes we can't give the time they deserve to our friends and loved ones, we hope that they will understand and forgive us.
After all, we didn't change, everybody else did!
© 1981 Mercury Records © 1981 Anthem Entertainment
ARTICLES
Sectors Box Set (Review) - Classic Rock Presents: PROG Magazine, December 2011 Sectors Box Set (Review) - Sound and Vision Magazine, February 2012
TRACK LISTING
Disc 1 - A FAREWELL TO KINGS
1. A Farewell to Kings (5:51) 2. Xanadu (11:08)
3. Closer To The Heart (2:53)
4. Cinderella Man (4:21)
5. Madrigal (2:35)
6. Cygnus X-1: Book I: The Voyage (10:25)
Disc 2 - Hemispheres
1. Cygnus X-1 Book Two: Hemispheres (18:05) 2. Circumstances (3:41)
3. The Trees (4:46)
4. La Villa Strangiato An Exercise in Self-Indulgence (9:35)
Disc 3 - PERMANENT WAVES
1. The Spirit of Radio (4:57)
2. Freewill (5:23)
3. Jacob's Ladder (7:28)
4. Entre Nous (4:37)
5. Different Strings (3:49)
6. Natural Science (9:16)
Disc 4 - MOVING PICTURES
1. Tom Sawyer (4:33)
2. Red Barchetta (6:06)
3. YYZ (4:24)
4. Limelight (4:19)
5. The Camera Eye (10:56)
6. Witch Hunt (Part III of Fear) (4:43)
7. Vital Signs (4:43)
Disc 5 - EXIT...STAGE LEFT (LIVE)
1. The Spirit of Radio (5:12)
2. Red Barchetta (6:48)
3. YYZ (7:44)
4. A Passage To Bangkok (3:47)
5. Closer To The Heart (3:09)
6. Beneath, Between and Behind (2:34)
7. Jacob's Ladder (8:47)
8. Broon's Bane (1:37)
9. The Trees (5:50)
10. Xanadu (12:10)
11. Freewill (5:33)
12. Tom Sawyer (5:01)
13. La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise in Self-Indulgence) (9:38)
A Farewell to Kings
Music: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart / Lyrics: Neil PeartWhen they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance
Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of Truth
Ancient nobles showering
Their bitterness on youth
Can't we find
The minds that made us strong
Can't we learn
To feel what's right and wrong
Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
Can't we raise our eyes
And make a start
Can't we find the minds
To lead us closer to the Heart
Xanadu
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
"To seek the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honey dew
And drink the milk of Paradise..."
I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book. I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost --- Xanadu
Xanadu --- To stand within The Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste anew the fruits of life
The last immortal man
To find the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
Oh, I will dine on honey dew
And drink the milk of Paradise
A thousand years have come and gone
But time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end
Weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost --- Xanadu
Xanadu --- Held within The Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste my bitter triumph
As a mad immortal man
Nevermore shall I return
Escape these caves of ice
For I have dined on honey dew
And drunk the milk of Paradise
Closer to the Heart
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart and Peter Talbot
And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones to start
To mould a new reality
Closer to the Heart
The Blacksmith and the Artist
Reflect it in their art
Forge their creativity
Closer to the Heart
Philosophers and Ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the Heart
You can be the Captain
I will draw the Chart
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the Heart
Cinderella Man
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Geddy Lee
A modest man from Mandrake
Travelled rich to the city
He had a need to discover
A use for his newly-found wealth
Because he was human
Because he had goodness
Because he was moral
They called him insane
Delusions of grandeur
Visions of splendour
A manic depressive
He walks in the rain
Eyes wide open
Heart undefended
Innocence untarnished
Cinderella Man
Doing what you can
They can't understand
What it means
Cinderella Man
Hang on to your plans
Try as they might
They cannot steal your dreams
In the betrayal of his love he awakened
To face a world of cold reality
And a look in the eyes of the hungry
Awakened him to what he could do
He held up his riches
To challenge the hungry
Purposeful motion
For one so insane
They tried to fight him
Just couldn't beat him
This manic depressive
Who walks in the rain
Madrigal
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartWhen the dragons grow too mighty
To slay with pen or sword
I grow weary of the battle
And the storm I walk toward
When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop awhile with you
When life becomes so barren
And as cold as winter skies
There's a beacon in the darkness
In a distant pair of eyes
In vain to search for order
In vain to search for truth
But these things can still be given
Your love has shown me proof
Cygnus X-1: Book One: The Voyage
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartPrologue
In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole
Of Cygnus X-1
Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night...
1
Invisible
To telescopic eye
Infinity
The star that would not die
All who dare
To cross her course
Are swallowed by
A fearsome force
Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized --- at the core
Or through the Astral Door ---
To soar...
2
I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the Milky Way
On my ship, the 'Rocinante'
Wheeling through the galaxies,
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery
The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the Black Hole ---
Gains control...
3
Spinning, whirling,
Still descending
Like a spiral sea,
Unending
Sound and fury
Drowns my heart
Every nerve
Is torn apart....
Cygnus X-1 Book Two: Hemispheres
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartI. Prelude
When our weary world was young
The struggle of the ancients first began
The gods of Love and Reason
Sought alone to rule the fate of Man
They battled through the ages
But still neither force would yield
The people were divided,
Every soul a battlefield...
II. Apollo Bringer of Wisdom
'I bring truth and understanding,
I bring wit and wisdom fair,
Precious gifts beyond compare.
We can build a world of wonder,
I can make you all aware'
'I will find you food and shelter,
Show you fire to keep you warm
Through the endless winter storm.
You can live in grace and comfort
In the world that you transform'
The people were delighted
Coming forth to claim their prize
They ran to build their cities
And converse among the wise
But one day the streets fell silent
Yet they knew not what was wrong
The urge to build these fine things
Seemed not to be so strong
The wise men were consulted
And the Bridge of Death was crossed
In quest of Dionysus
To find out what they had lost...
III. Dionysus Bringer of Love
'I bring love to give you solace
In the darkness of the night
In the Heart's eternal light
You need only trust your feelings
Only Love can steer you right'
'I bring laughter, I bring Music,
I bring joy and I bring Tears
I will soothe your primal fears
Throw off those chains of Reason
And your prison disappears'
The cities were abandoned
And the forests echoed song
They danced and lived as brothers
They knew Love could not be wrong
Food and wine they had aplenty
And they slept beneath the stars
The people were contented
And the Gods watched from afar
But the winter fell upon them
And it caught them unprepared
Bringing wolves and cold starvation
And the hearts of men despaired...
IV. Armageddon The Battle of Heart and Mind
The Universe divided
As the Heart and Mind collided
With the people left unguided
For so many troubled years
In a cloud of doubts and fears
Their world was torn asunder into hollow hemispheres
Some fought themselves, some fought each other
Most just followed one another
Lost and aimless like their brothers
For their hearts were so unclear
And the truth could not appear
Their spirits were divided into blinded hemispheres
Some who did not fight
Brought tales of old to light
My Rocinante sailed by night
On her final flight
To the heart of Cygnus' fearsome force
We set our course.
Spiralled through that timeless space
To this immortal place
V. Cygnus Bringer of Balance
I have memory and awareness
But I have no shape or form
As a disembodied spirit
I am dead and yet unborn
I have passed into Olympus
As was told in tales of old
To the City of Immortals
Marble white and purest gold
I see the Gods in battle rage on high
Thunderbolts across the sky
I cannot move, I cannot hide
I feel a silent scream begin inside
Then all at once the chaos ceased
A stillness fell, a sudden peace
The Warriors felt my silent cry
And stayed their struggle, mystified
Apollo was astonished
Dionysus thought me mad
But they heard my story further
And they wondered, and were sad
Looking down from Olympus
On a world of doubt and fear
Its surface splintered into
Sorry hemispheres.
They sat a while in silence
Then they turned at last to me
'We will call you Cygnus
The God of Balance you shall be'
VI. The Sphere A Kind of Dream
We can walk our road together
If our goals are all the same
We can run alone and free
If we pursue a different aim
Let the truth of Love be lighted
Let the love of truth shine clear
Sensibility
Armed with sense and liberty
With the Heart and Mind united
In a single perfect sphere
Circumstances
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartA boy alone, and so far from home
Endless rooftops from my window
I felt the gloom of empty rooms
On rainy afternoons.
Sometimes in confusion
I felt so lost and disillusioned
Innocence gave me confidence
To go up against reality
All the same
We take our chances,
Laughed at by Time,
Tricked by circumstances
Plus ça change,
Plus c'est la même chose,
The more that things change
The more they stay the same
Now I've gained some understanding
Of the only world that we see
Things that I once dreamed of
Have become reality
These walls that still surround me
Still contain the same old me
Just one more who's searching for
The world that ought to be
The Trees
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartThere is unrest in the Forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the Maples want more sunlight
And the Oaks ignore their pleas.
The trouble with the Maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the Oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the Oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the Maples
Can't be happy in their shade?
There is trouble in the Forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the Maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the Oaks, just shake their heads
So the Maples formed a Union
And demanded equal rights
'The Oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more Oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet,
Axe,
And saw...
La Villa Strangiato
(An Exercise in Self-Indulgence)
Music: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil PeartInstrumental
I. Buenas Noches, Mein Froinds!
II. To sleep, perchance to dream...
III. Strangiato Theme
IV. A Lerxst in Wonderland
V. Monsters!
VI. Danforth and Pape
VII. The Waltz of the Shreves
VIII. Never turn your back on a Monster!
IX. Monsters! (Reprise)
X. Strangiato Theme (Reprise)
XI. A Farewell to Things
THE SPIRIT OF RADIO
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartBegin the day
With a friendly voice
A companion, unobtrusive
Plays the song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood
Off on your way
Hit the open road
There is magic at your fingers
For the Spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact
In your happy solitude.
Invisible airwaves
Crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle
With the energy
Emotional feedback
On a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price -
Almost free...
All this machinery
Making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question
Of your honesty
One likes to believe
In the freedom of music
But glittering prizes
And endless compromises
Shatter the illusion
Of integrity
"For the words of the profits,
Are written on the studio wall,
Concert hall -
Echoes with the sounds...
Of salesmen."
FREEWILL
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartThere are those who think that life
Has nothing left to chance
With a host of holy horrors
To direct our aimless dance
A planet of playthings
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
"The stars aren't aligned -
Or the gods are malign"
Blame is better to give than receive
You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide
You still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose free will.
There are those who think that
They were dealt a losing hand
The cards were stacked against them
They weren't born in Lotus-Land.
All pre-ordained
A prisoner in chains
A victim of venomous fate
Kicked in the face
You can't pray for a place
In Heaven's unearthly estate
Each of us
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt
That's far too fleet...
JACOB'S LADDER
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartThe clouds prepare for battle
In the dark and brooding silence
Bruised and sullen stormclouds
Have the light of day obscured
Looming low and ominous
In twilight premature
Thunderheads are rumbling
In a distant overture
All at once,
The clouds are parted
Light streams down
In bright unbroken beams
Follow men's eyes
As they look to the skies
The shifting shafts of shining
Weave the fabric of their dreams...
ENTRE NOUS
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartWe are secrets to each other
Each one's life a novel
No-one else has read
Even joined in bonds of love
We're linked to one another
By such slender threads
We are planets to each other
Drifting in our orbits
To a brief eclipse
Each of us a world apart
Alone and yet together
Like two passing ships
Just between us
I think it's time for us to recognize
The differences we sometimes fear to show
Just between us
I think it's time for us to realize
The spaces in between
Leave room for you and I to grow
We are strangers to each other
Full of sliding panels
An illusion show
Acting well-rehearsed routines
Or playing from the heart?
It's hard for one to know
We are islands to each other
Building hopeful bridges
On a troubled sea
Some are burned or swept away
Some we would not choose
But we're not always free
DIFFERENT STRINGS
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Geddy LeeWho's come to slay the dragon -
Come to watch him fall?
Making arrows out of pointed words
Giant killers at the call
Too much fuss and bother
Too much contradiction
And confusion
Peel away the mystery
Here's a clue to some real motivation
All there really is
The two of us
And we both know why we've come along
Nothing to explain
It's a part of us
To be found within a song
What happened to our innocence -
Did it go out of style?
Along with our naiveté -
No longer a child
Different eyes see different things
Different hearts
Beat on different strings
But there are times
For you and me
When all such things agree
NATURAL SCIENCE
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil PeartI. TIDE POOLS
When the ebbing tide retreats
Along the rocky shoreline
It leaves a trail of tidal pools
In a short-lived galaxy
Each microcosmic planet
A complete society
A simple kind mirror
To reflect upon our own
All the busy little creatures
Chasing out their destinies
Living in their pools
They soon forget about the sea...
Wheels within wheels
In a spiral array
A pattern so grand
And complex
Time after time
We lose sight of the way
Our causes can't see
Their effects
II. HYPERSPACE
A quantum leap forward
In time and in space
The universe learned to expand
The mess and the magic
Triumphant and tragic
A mechanized world, out of hand
Computerized clinic
For superior cynics
Who dance to a synthetic band
In their own image
Their world is fashioned -
No wonder they don't understand
Wheels within wheels
In a spiral array
A pattern so grand
And complex
Time after time
We lose sight of the way
Our causes can't see
Their effects
III. PERMANENT WAVES
Science, like Nature
Must also be tamed
With a view towards its preservation
Given the same
State of integrity
It will surely serve us well
Art as expression -
Not as market campaigns
Will still capture our imaginations
Given the same
State of integrity
It will surely help us along
The most endangered species -
The honest man
Will still survive annihilation
Forming a world -
State of integrity
Sensitive, open and strong.
Wave after wave
Will flow with the tide
And bury the world as it does
Tide after tide
Will flow and recede
Leaving life to go on
As it was...
Tom Sawyer
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart and Pye Dubois
A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride
Though his mind is not for rent
Don't put him down as arrogant
His reserve, a quiet defense
Riding out the day's events -
The river
What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
-Catch the mist - Catch the myth
-Catch the mystery - Catch the drift
The world is the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his skies are wide
Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the space he invades
He gets by on you
No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government.
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren't permanent -
But change is
What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
-Catch the witness - Catch the wit
-Catch the spirit - Catch the spit
The world is the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his eyes are wide
Exit the warrior
Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the energy you trade
He gets right on to
The friction of the day
Red Barchetta
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
My uncle has a country place, that no-one knows about
He says it used to be a farm, before the Motor Law
Sundays I elude the 'Eyes', and hop the Turbine Freight
To far outside the Wire, where my white-haired uncle waits
Jump to the ground
As the Turbo slows to cross the borderline
Run like the wind
As excitement shivers up and down my spine
Down in his barn
My uncle preserved for me an old machine -
For fifty-odd years
To keep it as new has been his dearest dream
I strip away the old debris, that hides a shining car
A brilliant red Barchetta, from a better, vanished time
Fire up the willing engine, responding with a roar!
Tires spitting gravel, I commit my weekly crime...
Wind in my hair -
Shifting and drifting -
Mechanical music
Adrenalin surge -
Well-weathered leather
Hot metal and oil
The scented country air
Sunlight on chrome
The blur of the landscape
Every nerve aware
Suddenly ahead of me, across the mountainside
A gleaming alloy air-car shoots towards me, two lanes wide
I spin around with shrieking tires, to run the deadly race
Go screaming through the valley as another joins the chase
Drive like the wind
Straining the limits of machine and man
Laughing out loud
With fear and hope, I've got a desperate plan
At the one-lane bridge
I leave the giants stranded
At the riverside
Race back to the farm
To dream with my uncle
At the fireside...
YYZ
Music: Geddy Lee and Neil PeartInstrumental
Limelight
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Living on a lighted stage
Approaches the unreal
For those who think and feel
In touch with some reality
Beyond the gilded cage
Cast in this unlikely role,
Ill-equipped to act
With insufficient tact
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact
Living in the Limelight
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme
Living in a fisheye lens
Caught in the camera eye
I have no heart to lie
I can't pretend a stranger
Is a long-awaited friend
All the world's indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each another's audience
Outside the gilded cage
The Camera Eye
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
I
Grim-faced and forbidding
Their faces closed tight
An angular mass of New Yorkers
Pacing in rhythm
Race the oncoming night
They chase through the streets of Manhattan
Head-first humanity
Pause at a light
Then flow through the streets of the city
They seem oblivious
To a soft spring rain
Like an English rain
So light, yet endless
From a leaden sky
The buildings are lost
In their limitless rise
My feet catch the pulse
And the purposeful stride
I feel the sense of possibilities
I feel the wrench of hard realities
The focus is sharp in the city
II
Wide-angle watcher
On life's ancient tales
Steeped in the history of London
Green and grey washes
In a wispy white veil
Mist in the streets of Westminster
Wistful and weathered
The pride still prevails
Alive in the streets of the city
Are they oblivious
To this quality?
A quality of light
Unique to every city's streets.
Pavements may teem
With intense energy
But the city is calm
In this violent sea
Witch Hunt
(Part III of Fear)
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
The night is black
Without a moon
The air is thick and still
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torchlit hill
Features distorted in the flickering light
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right
Confident their ways are best
The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat, and burn, and kill
They say there are strangers, who threaten us
In our immigrants and infidels
They say there is strangeness, too dangerous
In our theatres and bookstore shelves
That those who know what's best for us -
Must rise and save us from ourselves
Quick to judge,
Quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear
Walk hand in hand
Vital Signs
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Unstable condition:
A symptom of life,
In mental,
And environmental change
Atmospheric disturbance -
The feverish flux,
Of human interface
And interchange
The impulse is pure -
Sometimes our circuits get shorted,
By external interference
Signals get crossed -
And the balance distorted
By internal incoherence
A tired mind become a shape-shifter
Everybody need a mood lifter
Everybody need reverse polarity
Everybody got mixed feelings
About the function and the form.
Everybody got to deviate
From the norm
An ounce of perception -
A pound of obscure
Process information
At half speed
Pause:
Rewind - replay -
Warm memory chip
Random-sample -
Hold the one you need
Leave out the fiction
The fact is;
This friction
Will only be worn by persistence
Leave out conditions
Courageous convictions
Will drag the dream into existence
A tired mind become a shape-shifter
Everybody need a soft filter
Everybody need reverse polarity
Everybody got mixed feelings
About the function and the form
Everybody got to elevate
From the norm...
