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A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by the Canadian band Rush, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music). The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and mixed at Advision Studios in London. A Farewell to Kings would become Rush's first US Gold selling album going Gold in almost two months of its release and eventually Platinum. The name of the album itself is clearly derivative of Ernest Hemingway's classic novel A Farewell to Arms. It often deals lyrically with the theme of departure, and through departure, a sort of ascension to a state of better being; this can be said to echo the evolution of society from the days of medieval feudalism and autocratic monarchy, hence "a farewell to kings". The lyrics for the epic "Xanadu" were inspired by the 56-line poem Kubla Khan, written about 1797 by British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Lee, Lifeson and Peart all work overtime in this track, each utilizing a number of instruments to affect the performance. "Xanadu" also marks a rare occurrence of Geddy Lee on rhythm guitar. Other tracks with Lee on guitar include "A Passage to Bangkok" and "Resist" (live). "Closer to the Heart" is one of Rush's most popular songs, seeing a fair bit of radio airplay during a time when the band was in the middle of its 'epic song' days. The song has also been part of the set list on nearly every tour since 1977. The band dropped "Closer To The Heart" for the bulk of their recent tours in support of Vapor Trails and their 30th Anniversary because, according to Peart, "we got sick of it." The lyrics of "Cinderella Man" are based on the Frank Capra film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. "Madrigal" is perhaps one of the band's softest songs of this time period. The final track is another epic about a fictional space voyage to "Cygnus X-1". Inspiration for the story within the song was found in the observation of an X-ray source in the constellation Cygnus. Considered to be one of the most likely black hole candidates in the universe, Cygnus X-1 was discovered in the early 1970s by Canadian scientist Tom Bolton, using the facilities of the David Dunlap Observatory at the University of Toronto. The theme of the track would be continued in "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres", the lead and title track of Rush's next album, Hemispheres.
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