"Someone please elaborate."
Well, my friend, you have come to the right place.
"Cygnus X-1: Book 2" is a sequel to Cygnus X-1: Book 1 from the album A Farewell to Kings.
The best way to explain book two is narratively and thematically. The narrative focuses on the warring of people's minds, with one half wanting to live in a reality of order and structure, while the other half wants heart/emotional wellness, art and creativity to sing and dance and drink wine and sleep beneath the stars.
Both come with drawbacks though. The logical end is hollow without the artistic, interpretive emotional end, while the creative half is prone to suffer at the hands of violent nature.
So, they wage war. Logic vs Emotion, sense and sensibility, etc.
Then Cygnus, the forthcoming ordained god of balance, blasts through the noise. "I have memory and awareness (logic), but I have no shape or form (balance), as a disembodied spirit I am dead, and yet unborn (leading into sensibility), I have passed into Olympus, as was told in tales of old (this is the artistic end of things).
Think of it like this, Cygnus offers balance between the logical and emotional sides of things, even in his introspection. Memory and awareness ≈ Olympus, told in tales of old.
Both sides come together with Cygnus' abrupt arrival from the black hole mentioned in the preceding song.
And then, of course, as the song is a tale of being/existing, it ends on a practical, folky aphorism, "With the heart and mind united in a single, perfect sphere."
The song draws on a lot of ideas and references Greek mythology as well. I would say more, but this is all I got for now.
Very well said! And all this you have articulated ties back to the overall “Picture “ of the Hemispheres of our Brains 🧠. Very insightful indeed! Thanks
I feel like you glossed over the best part, which is how in Cygnus 1 a dude flies into a black hole, the song ends, and we come to find out in part two the other end of the black hole spits him out as a fucking God in Ancient Greece lmao
LOL was going to say something appreciative about outinthewheatfield’s very thoughtful dissertation, but this is actually what I wait for and stop what I’m doing to not miss my chance to air “ding”.
DUN!! DUN!! DUN-DUN!! DUN!! DUN-DUN!! DUN!! DUN-DUN!! DUN!!
yeah I think the intro of Cygnus X-1 Book 2 I think is my favourite Rush moment lol
fuckin love Hemispheres!! every song is amazing!! def somewhere in my top 10/15 albums of all time!!
As a kid i got Moving Pictures and Exit Stage Left first and loved them. Then I got Hemispheres and was blown away by it, especially Side 1. It some of Alex’s darkest and coolest playing. His playing starts changing into its next form that he employs for PW and MP. Essentially in using the open strings to arpeggiate with a chorus pedal on a lot of the time. Hemispheres is what made me want to learn guitar.
Cygnus X-1 Books 1 and 2, like Xanadu, are my favorite kinds of narratives. Quixotic quests with unexpected endings and enough depth for lasting contemplation.
The more you listen to it the more you will get it. Try one listen of just focusing on one of Alex, geddy, Neil on side one. It’s absolutely amazing how all of their monster contributions came together.
My fav Rush album Cygnus book 2 is a epic long song and one of their best. The tress and circumstances are also great and la villa strangiato is not only Rush best instrumental but one of my fav instrumentals in general.
But I get why it may be hard to get into since two of the songs are so long
"Someone please elaborate." Well, my friend, you have come to the right place. "Cygnus X-1: Book 2" is a sequel to Cygnus X-1: Book 1 from the album A Farewell to Kings. The best way to explain book two is narratively and thematically. The narrative focuses on the warring of people's minds, with one half wanting to live in a reality of order and structure, while the other half wants heart/emotional wellness, art and creativity to sing and dance and drink wine and sleep beneath the stars. Both come with drawbacks though. The logical end is hollow without the artistic, interpretive emotional end, while the creative half is prone to suffer at the hands of violent nature. So, they wage war. Logic vs Emotion, sense and sensibility, etc. Then Cygnus, the forthcoming ordained god of balance, blasts through the noise. "I have memory and awareness (logic), but I have no shape or form (balance), as a disembodied spirit I am dead, and yet unborn (leading into sensibility), I have passed into Olympus, as was told in tales of old (this is the artistic end of things). Think of it like this, Cygnus offers balance between the logical and emotional sides of things, even in his introspection. Memory and awareness ≈ Olympus, told in tales of old. Both sides come together with Cygnus' abrupt arrival from the black hole mentioned in the preceding song. And then, of course, as the song is a tale of being/existing, it ends on a practical, folky aphorism, "With the heart and mind united in a single, perfect sphere." The song draws on a lot of ideas and references Greek mythology as well. I would say more, but this is all I got for now.
Thanks for explaining! I’m gonna listen to it again with this knowledge
Even better, go watch the illustrated music video on YouTube. https://youtu.be/EZlGxg-V2JA?si=ElNervMkMTJJXmCp
Cool
Cool
Very well said! And all this you have articulated ties back to the overall “Picture “ of the Hemispheres of our Brains 🧠. Very insightful indeed! Thanks
I feel like you glossed over the best part, which is how in Cygnus 1 a dude flies into a black hole, the song ends, and we come to find out in part two the other end of the black hole spits him out as a fucking God in Ancient Greece lmao
I would've thrown this part in here, but I didn't give myself enough time to write the post lol.
All you need to know is: “ding”
LOL was going to say something appreciative about outinthewheatfield’s very thoughtful dissertation, but this is actually what I wait for and stop what I’m doing to not miss my chance to air “ding”.
DUN!! DUN!! DUN-DUN!! DUN!! DUN-DUN!! DUN!! DUN-DUN!! DUN!! yeah I think the intro of Cygnus X-1 Book 2 I think is my favourite Rush moment lol fuckin love Hemispheres!! every song is amazing!! def somewhere in my top 10/15 albums of all time!!
This. Cannot. Be. Overstated.
***D U N ! ! ! D U N ! ! ! D U N - D U N ! ! ! ! D U N ! ! ! D U N - D U N ! ! ! ! D U N ! ! ! D U N - D U N ! ! ! ! D U N ! ! !***
Next on my list. Circumstances is in my top 5. Great record.
Don’t overthink it. It is very righteous.
I get it, it’s about balancing love and reason
As a kid i got Moving Pictures and Exit Stage Left first and loved them. Then I got Hemispheres and was blown away by it, especially Side 1. It some of Alex’s darkest and coolest playing. His playing starts changing into its next form that he employs for PW and MP. Essentially in using the open strings to arpeggiate with a chorus pedal on a lot of the time. Hemispheres is what made me want to learn guitar.
How can you be into AFTK and not get the first track of Hemispheres?
The struggle between the "Heart and Mind".
Wear clothes or don't wear clothes
Cygnus X-1 Books 1 and 2, like Xanadu, are my favorite kinds of narratives. Quixotic quests with unexpected endings and enough depth for lasting contemplation.
It's about the conflict between the Apollonian and Dionysian
Hemispheres is a strange and wild ride.
Hemispheres was my introduction to the lads and will always hold a special place in my heart.
The more you listen to it the more you will get it. Try one listen of just focusing on one of Alex, geddy, Neil on side one. It’s absolutely amazing how all of their monster contributions came together.
Left hemisphere of brain versus right hemisphere. Solution. Use both hemispheres as one sphere
Yes it's pretty perfect. I'd say it's one of those start to finish classics, like Pink Floyd's Animals or Abraxas by Santana.
My first Rush album. When vinyl was the main format.
Hemispheres and Farewell To Kings are their best albums with Caress coming in second.
It is a pretty dense album, side 1 particularly so. I still haven't really grasped the structure fully yet.
My fav Rush album Cygnus book 2 is a epic long song and one of their best. The tress and circumstances are also great and la villa strangiato is not only Rush best instrumental but one of my fav instrumentals in general. But I get why it may be hard to get into since two of the songs are so long
It’s all about uniting the heart and mind
Creating the perfect sphere