Hemispheres

Review of DMM LP VersionStill sounds amazing so many decades later ... especially on this high quality vinyl.While this was not the first album by Rush I owned back in the day, it was their first perfect record. By cutting out the filler songs, Rush essentially succeeded in crafting the first of three flawless releases in a row. Side A contains the epic sequel to the "Cygnus X-1" and marks the conclusion of the mythology/fantasy based songs by Peart. The sounds and ideas of the previous release resonate fresh and heavy in "Cygnus X-1 Book II" - the march-like rhythms timeless. What was especially masterful and gutsy was the transfer of a musical theme and the continuation of a song from one album to another. No one else had ever really done that so successfully as Rush did between Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres. Furthermore, Hemispheres was an apt title for this paradoxical record as Side B would change directions completely and deliver two concise, witty and melodic songs followed then by the most self-indulgent song in the history of the band with "La Villa Strangianto." Not only was Side B a drastic departure from what had gone before, it perfectly forecasted what was to come with the next two releases. It is just fantastic to have this back in such a high quality vinyl.The double gate-fold layout with lyrics printed on the inside of the cover and the pull out 3-panel iconic poster (which adorned the wall of my childhood bedroom for years) from the original LP release really ramps up the nostalgic value.

It is difficult to define Rush - they are a rock band with a very sophisticated sound. This is not “heavy metal” and the lyrics are always amazing (thank you drummer Neil Peart!). Rush have created some 20++ albums over the years but for me the high point was the 5 albums series of 2112 (pronounced twenty-one twelve), A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. Everything before then was still good.....but ascending, and since then also good but descending. Those 5 albums were Rush at their unbelievably greatest. Hemispheres was the third of the five. It’s hard to describe the genre - as I said before - it IS rock music, but rock with wondrous storylines, intricate build ups, atmospheric presence and soaring guitar breaks. Rush never really did singles - no singles on this album....the first track is 18 minutes long.....a story of the battle of the God of the Heart and the God of the Mind......the struggle of human practicality (food, warmth, shelter) over human passion and emotion (love, art, song, poetry, dance)..... two distinct Hemispheres.....that eventually learn to live together, in a “single, perfect, sphere”.........terrific stuff.....you won’t be disappointed in this purchase.

I'm not going to comment on the music, I think anyone buying the vinyl already knows it's a great album, and one of Rush's best. I did want to comment on the new 2015 vinyl release.Generally speaking, the sound is very good, with lots of dynamic range (especially when compared to the "Rush Remasters" CD). I don't have the original vinyl, but I used to. I think this album sounds as good, but perhaps slightly different. Specifically, Geddy's bass sounds a bit better defined than I remember. His voice also pierces my head more than it used to, but I suspect that's due to aging ears, and not a flaw with this album's sound. :-)There is a (mildly) annoying short silent gap on side 1, between I. Prelude and II. Apollo. Mercury must have been in a rush (no pun intended) to get this thing out. Count on the music industry to be this sloppy and careless. I don't find it that annoying (and certainly not a deal breaker). But they should have caught the error, and fixed it.The packaging is good, and looks just like the original. It even includes the poster, and they did a nice job. The spine can "pinch" the record sleeve, which is only mildly annoying. Gluing the spine "closed" must be a lost art from the "real" days of vinyl.Finally, the .m4a download sounds good, except for software skips (at least in La Villa Strangiato, I didn't bother listening to the other .m4a tracks). More sloppiness.In conclusion, this is a good alternative to trying to track down a clean original release.

Great album, and my favorite Rush album of all time, which for me is like picking my favorite child. The vinyl edition sounds good, though I no longer have my original to compare it to. But the download offered from the UMG site is not so good. In fact, it sucks. I did a better job ripping it from my CD. And to top it all off, there is a skip at the 2 minutes mark on La Villa Strangiato. Yes, a skip. On a digital file. A SKIP. Very sloppy and very disappointing that they did such a horrible job on this. Shameful, in fact. So, 5 stars for the album in terms of song quality etc. etc. But TWO STARS for this re-issue, because a skip in a downloaded digital file makes me want to scream like Cygnus / Geddy Lee does in Part V. Cygnus - Bringer of Balance (okay, a little poetic license here, as Cygnus issued forth a "silent scream," but you get the idea).

I'll start off by saying I am a huge RUSH fan and plan to see them soon in SLC. I am also collecting all of the other new vinyl releases and have nearly everything they released since I started collecting in the early 80's.Hemispheres is a phenomenal album! One if not the best RUSH release.But, I was really disappointed to clearly hear an audible break between song 1 and 2 on side A vinyl. The incredible effort RUSH went through to make this side of the album sound like one song completely wiped away in a mastering error.I also think it's inferior to my my Sterling Gilbert Kong version. There is sibilance with the new version.Re-enforces my belief that the Sterling mastering engineers of old really had it spot on.....................lost art?

I love the album always have but this one showed up warped it works but not happy with the imperfection

There isn't much to say other than it's a tremendous album from one of the great bands of all time on 180g vinyl.

hola,muy buen servicio. muy eficiente. me gusto mucho el disco pero sobre todo el servicio es muy bueno.muchas gracias.

Da die alten original-Pressungen mittlerweile rar geworden sind, habe ich mich auf diese Ausgabe gefreut. Nach der Beschreibung (DMM-Verfahren von den original-Analog-Tapes und einer Bearbeitung durch die Abbey-Road Studios) hatte ich große Hoffnung, dass auch das Vinyl selbst sauber gepresst ist. Leider war mein Exemplar nicht sauber zentriert, hatte einen Höhenschlag und war obendrein auch nicht plan. Klar, völlig platt und ohne jede noch so kleine Welle gibt es kein Vinyl! Dass es aber auch anders geht, zeigt die neue Pink Flyod DSOTM Live 1974! Die ist VORBILDLICH sauber gepresst. Also wieder mal zurück. Der Händler und der Kunde müssen die schlechte Vinyl-Qualität wieder mal ausbaden.

Whisper quiet 200g vinyl for this 2015 reissue.Beefy bottom end and shimmering highs make this an absolutely stunning release.Artwork on the gatefold is faithfully reproduced, and includes the original poster.Even the digital download card has a full colour graphic of the album cover on itRecord housed in a mofi anti-static rice sleeve.Hats off to this wonderful reissue of one of The prime Rush classics. Go Canada!And RIP to the professor.

I got my album of Rush Hemispheres and not only it was bran new...as stated but the vinyl is thicker so the sound quality is much better than when it's printed on an ordinary vinyl and it came with the same amazing high quality poster just like when it was first release October 29, 1978. Took only 3 days to get it and I couldn't be happier because the sound quality is way higher than on CD! Excellent service! Highly recommended!!!

I'm not an average vinyl collector.I purchase strictly for the art. Most of my collection is unopened.So I cannot give review on the sound. But as a visual art form - stunning.