Rush News

A Farewell To Kings 40th Anniversary Edition Now Available

Rush has announced the release of the A Farewell To Kings 40th Anniversary Edition in a variety of formats, hitting store shelves December 1st.   Of special note is that all sets include the COMPLETE February 20, 1978 Hammersmith Odeon show (previously released in edited form on Different Stages), newly remastered by Terry Brown from the multi-track live tape.  A Farewell to Kings, Rush's fifth studio album, was originally released in 1977, and played a major role in establishing Rush as an internationally popular and respected band.  A Farewell to Kings also introduced the trio's first successful radio hit "Closer To The Heart," album tracks “A Farewell To Kings,” “Madrigal,” “Cinderella Man,” as well as enduring fan favorites with "Xanadu” and "Cygnus X-1."

The 40th Anniversary edition features the Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015 remastered edition of the album; a complete Rush concert recorded in February 1978 at London's Hammersmith Odeon, newly mixed by longtime Rush engineer and original A Farewell to Kings producer Terry Brown from the multi-track live tapes; four newly-recorded cover versions of songs from the original album by Dream Theater, Big Wreck, The Trews and Alain Johannes; and an instrumental studio outtake of the spacey sound effects from “Cygnus X-1” the band has creatively titled “Cygnus X-2 Eh”.  The set also includes an elaborate new 40th anniversary cover treatment by longtime Rush creative director Hugh Syme, who has also created a new piece of artwork for each of the album's six songs, an extensive 12,000-word liner notes by Grammy®-winning rock historian Rob Bowman.  The vinyl editions include a 32-page vinyl-sized booklet and a special 12-inch turntable mat.

Available options:
  • 3 CD Edition
  • 4 LP Edition
  • Super Deluxe Edition, combines the complete contents of the 3 CD and 4 LP Editions, as well as one Blu-ray Audio disc containing a brand new 5.1 surround mix of the album by four-time Grammy® nominated surround sound producer Steven Wilson, along with three original 1977 promo videos from a newly found 2-inch quad video master significantly improving the video quality for “Closer To The Heart.”  The Super Deluxe Edition includes several exclusive items, including a unique King's Ring, with custom velvet pouch and neck chain; two lithographs with original artwork by Hugh Syme; the 12-inch turntable mat featuring distinctive artwork by Hugh Syme; and a reproduction of Rush's original 1978 A Farewell To Kings tour program.

Related News:

Long-haired microbes named after Canadian band Rush

From today's University of British Columbia Science News:
Three new species of microbe found in the guts of termites have been named after members of the Canadian prog-rock band Rush, owing to the microbes’ long hair and rhythmic wriggling under the microscope.

“A Spanish postdoc, Javier del Campo, asked me to recommend some good Canadian music, and I suggested he listen to Rush,” says Patrick Keeling, a University of British Columbia microbiologist and senior author on the paper describing the new species. “He came back to me and said ‘Those microbes we’re finding have long hair like the guys on the album 2112!’”

The microbes in question are covered with flagella, which are long threads that cells use to move around. Many cells have a few flagella, but these little rockers have more than ten thousand very long flagella, giving them flowing hair that even Farrah Fawcett might envy.

And while Rush may not be famous for their dance moves, the tiny creatures also have rhythm. They bob their heads and sway their bodies in microscopic dances, prompting the researchers to baptize the new Pseudotrichonympha species P. leei, P. lifesoni, and P. pearti after musicians Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.

The prototypical Canadian power trio is known for songs such as “Natural Science,” “Tom Sawyer” and “Closer to the Heart,” and lyrics drawing on themes from science and literature, such as the seminal 1976 album 2112.

The microbe named after drummer and lyricist Peart contains a rotating intracellular structure never seen before. The researchers dubbed this the “rotatosome,” and even though they tested several theories, they still can’t figure out what it does.

“We have looked at a lot of crazy cells in my lab, and none of us has ever seen anything like this,” Keeling says.

While taxonomy can be a dry topic, some biologists inject a bit of fun with species names. Previously, Keeling’s team found another termite microbe which they named Cthulhu, after the terrifying tentacled entity in H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. Pseudotrichonympha leei, lifesoni, and pearti may come from the same place as Cthulhu (a termite’s hindgut), but these dancing, long-haired creatures seem much friendlier."

Fantoons' "Where's Geddy Alex & Neil?"

Check out the latest official Rush book from Fantoons, "Where's Geddy Alex & Neil?", a hardcover 'Where's Waldo-esque' book that is now available for pre-order at a special price for a limited time at http://etsy.me/2mPcnDR
"We've crafted scenarios inspired by ALL Rush albums (studio & live) between the Rush (1st LP) until Hold Your Fire, packed with references and different levels of difficult, for everyone to have fun finding the greatest power trio on earth (whether they are Rush fans or not, everyone can play)

The book is 12.5 x 9.5 inches! 38 pages and 14 Rush worlds: Rush, Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, 2112, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and many more!

People will be able to find Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart in their different 'fashions' through this crazy worlds that we've created for everyone to enjoy.

This book is an official RUSH publication."
- Thanks to David Calcano for the headsup!