40th Anniversary Rush Celebrations Continue With Deluxe ‘Hemispheres’

The 40th anniversary celebrations of the revered catalogue of Canadian titans Rush continues with the release by the UMe/Anthem/ole label group of new, multi-format editions of their classic 1978 album Hemispheres.

The configurations for the new release include a Super Deluxe Edition, 3LP and 2CD Deluxe Editions and a Deluxe Digital Edition. The Super Deluxe version boasts two CDs, an exclusive Blu-ray Audio disc and three high-quality 180 gram black vinyl LPs. This set encompasses the Abbey Road Studios remaster of Hemispheres from 2015, appearing on CD for the first time, accompanied by previously unreleased, newly restored bonus content in the form of Rush’s performance at Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands in June 1979.

Since the recording engineer omitted to capture the opening minutes of the band’s performance of ‘2112,’ an exceptional version of the song performed during the Hemispheres tour in Tucson, Arizona in November 1978 appears in its place. The third bonus disc consists of the original album newly mixed from the multitrack masters in 5.1 surround sound on a Blu-ray Audio disc; four bonus videos are also included, three shot in 1978 as promotional videos and one of ‘La Villa Strangiato,’ originally shot at Pinkpop, with newly restored stereo audio.

The original ‘Hemispheres’ cover

The Super Deluxe Edition of Hemispheres —40th Anniversary will also have such exclusive items as a 40-page hardcover book with unreleased photos and new artwork by the original album designer, Hugh Syme; an 11,000+-word essay by Rob Bowman; The Words & The Pictures, a replica of the band’s rare 1979 UK tour programme; a 24×24-inch wall poster of the newly created Syme art; a Pinkpop Festival replica ticket; a Pinkpop Festival replica cloth VIP sticky pass; and a replica 1978 Rush Hemispheres iron-on patch.

The two-CD Deluxe Edition digipak includes the newly remastered Hemispheres  album; the Pinkpop Festival performance and that of ‘2112’ from the Tucson show; a 28-page booklet with unreleased photos and new artwork by Syme; and an edited, 5,700-word version of Bowman’s essay.

The audiophile black vinyl 180-gram  three-LP Deluxe Edition  features the same audio content as the two-CD edition, housed in a slipcase with double-gatefold packaging, along with a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos and Syme’s new artwork plus the 5,700-word version of Bowman’s liner notes. Gatefold 1 features the original album with Syme’s 40th anniversary artwork, and gatefold 2 has the Pinkpop Festival and Tucson bonus content. A 5×5-inch digital download card sticker of Syme’s new 40th anniversary art is also included. The  Deluxe Digital Edition  is the digital equivalent of the  two-CD Deluxe Edition.

The album, Rush’s sixth studio release, was first released in October 1978 as the follow-up to 1977’s much-admired A Farewell To Kings. Hemispheres opened with ‘Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres,’ which took up all of side 1 on the original release as the continuation of the track that ended A Farewell To Kings, ‘Cygnus X-1.’ Side 2 featured the commentary on English culture of ‘Circumstances,’ the socially aware FM radio hit ‘The Trees’ and the instrumental tour de force ‘La Villa Strangiato.’

“Hemispheres was one of our most challenging and demanding records to make,” says Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson. “From its inception in a Wales farmhouse where it was written over a four-week span to the very difficult mixing sessions in two London recording studios, it stands as a key transitional album in Rush’s long recording history.”

The Hemispheres — 40th Anniversary Editions is out now. Scroll down for the full tracklistings, and buy it here.

SUPER DELUXE EDITION

CD – DISC 1

Original Album – Produced by Rush and Terry Brown

1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres

2. Circumstances

3. The Trees

4. La Villa Strangiato

CD – DISC 2

Live at Pinkpop Festival – June 4, 1979

1. A Passage To Bangkok*

2. Xanadu*

3. The Trees*

4. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres – The Sphere A Kind Of Dream*

5. Closer To The Heart*

6. La Villa Strangiato*

7. In The Mood*

8. Drum Solo*

9. Something For Nothing*

Live in Arizona – November 20, 1978

10. 2112*

BLU-RAY AUDIO – DISC 3

96kHz 24-bit 5.1 Surround Mix

96kHz 24-bit Original Stereo Analog 2015 Remaster

1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres*

2. Circumstances*

3. The Trees*

4. La Villa Strangiato*

Bonus Promo Videos

48kHz 24-bit Stereo Only

1. Circumstances (1978 Promo Video)*

2. The Trees (1978 Promo Video)*

3. La Villa Strangiato (1978 Promo Video)*

4. La Villa Strangiato (Live at Pinkpop Festival: June 4, 1979)*

3-LP VINYL

LP 1 – SIDE A

Original Album – Produced by Rush and Terry Brown

1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres

LP 1 – SIDE B

1. Circumstances

2. The Trees

3. La Villa Strangiato

LP 2 – SIDE C

Live at Pinkpop Festival – June 4, 1979

1. A Passage To Bangkok*

2. Xanadu*

LP 2 – SIDE D

1. The Trees*

2. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres – The Sphere A Kind Of Dream*

3. Closer To The Heart*

4. La Villa Strangiato*

LP 3 – SIDE E

1. In The Mood*

2. Drum Solo*

3. Something For Nothing*

LP 3 – SIDE F

Live in Arizona – November 20, 1978

1. 2112*

2CD DELUXE EDITION / DELUXE DIGITAL EDITION

DISC 1

Original Album – Produced by Rush and Terry Brown

1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres

2. Circumstances

3. The Trees

4. La Villa Strangiato

DISC 2

Live at Pinkpop Festival – June 4, 1979

1. A Passage To Bangkok*

2. Xanadu*

3. The Trees*

4. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres – The Sphere A Kind Of Dream*

5. Closer To The Heart*

6. La Villa Strangiato*

7. In The Mood*

8. Drum Solo*

9. Something For Nothing*

Live in Arizona – November 20, 1978

1. 2112*

*Previously unreleased

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Format: UK English