{"product_id":"rush-a-farewell-to-kings-mobile-fidelity-numbered-edition","title":"Rush - A Farewell To Kings (Mobile Fidelity Numbered Edition)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRush\u003c\/strong\u003e amplified its sonic and narrative vocabulary on \u003cem\u003eA Farewell to Kings\u003c\/em\u003e. Originally released in 1977, the band's fifth studio album expanded its sound with bass-pedal synthesizers, exploratory arrangements and standout production, marking a major creative leap.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStrictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMobile Fidelity Sound Lab's\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eUltraDisc One-Step\u003c\/strong\u003e 180g 45RPM 2LP box set presents \u003cem\u003eA Farewell to Kings\u003c\/em\u003e in definitive audiophile sound. \u003cstrong\u003eMastering Chain 1\/4\" \/ 15 IPS Dolby A analogue tape to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA multi-part epic that travels to outer space, a tune inspired by \u003cstrong\u003eSamuel Taylor Coleridge\u003c\/strong\u003e, a permanent radio favourite, and a band embracing art without limitations, \u003cem\u003eA Farewell to Kings\u003c\/em\u003e finds Rush exploring thrilling new directions. Making good use of rare downtime and favourable studio circumstances, the Canadian trio advanced its incorporation of electronic instrumentation while expanding its songwriting, musicianship and sonic palette.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMastered at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's California studio from tape boxes labelled both \"master\" and \"safety copy\", pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a deluxe slipcase with foil-stamped jackets for each LP, this premium edition highlights every aspect of the platinum-certified 1977 album. It also showcases \u003cstrong\u003eHugh Syme\u003c\/strong\u003e's striking cover art, depicting a dystopian landscape complete with a demolition site, industrial smokestack, hideous clown king and Toronto's Harbourcastle Hilton.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBenefiting from exceptional groove definition, an ultra-low noise floor and dead-quiet surfaces, the 45RPM pressing captures the music with remarkable presence, detail and dynamic range. The wider grooves improve tracking and preserve high-frequency information, ideal for an album renowned for its intricate arrangements and meticulous production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded at Rockfield Studios in the Welsh countryside, \u003cem\u003eA Farewell to Kings\u003c\/em\u003e is filled with environmental details that enhance its immersive atmosphere. The knocking heard at the beginning of \u003cem\u003eXanadu\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded outdoors in the studio courtyard, while \u003cstrong\u003eAlex Lifeson\u003c\/strong\u003e's acoustic guitar introduction to the title track was captured as he walked outside. Even the chirping birds became part of the album's sonic landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the album, colours, textures and tones shape the music's atmosphere and sense of freedom. The band embraced new instrumentation, unusual time signatures and increasingly complex arrangements. Lifeson's use of bass pedals allowed him to layer additional guitar parts on \u003cem\u003eXanadu\u003c\/em\u003e, while \u003cstrong\u003eGeddy Lee\u003c\/strong\u003e incorporated the Minimoog, expanding Rush's sonic possibilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album also showcases \u003cstrong\u003eNeil Peart\u003c\/strong\u003e's ever-growing percussion arsenal, including orchestral bells, tubular bells, temple blocks, wind chimes, a bell tree and glockenspiel. Lee added 12-string guitars and his now-signature double-neck instruments, while Lifeson incorporated acoustic and electric 12-strings, classical guitar and his own bass-pedal synthesizer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the breathing room created by the release of the live album \u003cem\u003eAll the World's a Stage\u003c\/em\u003e, Rush travelled outside Toronto to record at Rockfield for the first time before completing the mixes at Advision Studios in London. Remarkably, the album was recorded in just three weeks and mixed in two more, resulting in one of the defining progressive rock albums of the era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEngineer \u003cstrong\u003ePat Moran\u003c\/strong\u003e recalled watching Rush record the ambitious \u003cem\u003eXanadu\u003c\/em\u003e in a single take. Loosely inspired by Coleridge's \u003cem\u003eKubla Khan\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCitizen Kane\u003c\/em\u003e, the epic remains one of the band's defining achievements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe enduring \u003cem\u003eCloser to the Heart\u003c\/em\u003e, co-written with \u003cstrong\u003ePeter Talbot\u003c\/strong\u003e, became Rush's first UK Top 40 hit and one of the band's most beloved live songs. Elsewhere, \u003cem\u003eCinderella Man\u003c\/em\u003e, inspired by the 1936 film \u003cem\u003eMr. Deeds Goes to Town\u003c\/em\u003e, contrasts personal integrity with societal corruption.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album closes with the four-part sci-fi epic \u003cem\u003eCygnus X-1\u003c\/em\u003e, a story of exploration and sacrifice that would continue on Rush's next studio album, \u003cem\u003eHemispheres\u003c\/em\u003e. It remains one of the band's most ambitious and influential compositions, signalling a creative journey that was only just beginning.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mobile Fidelity","offers":[{"title":"Numbered UltraDisc One Step 180g 2LP 45RPM","offer_id":58541469794649,"sku":"SDZ-48589","price":171.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Numbered Hybrid SACD","offer_id":58541503414617,"sku":"SDZ-48590","price":45.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/rushfarewellone__70461.1781882477.jpg?v=1783599126","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/rush-a-farewell-to-kings-mobile-fidelity-numbered-edition","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}