RUSH: Cygnus X-1 Book 1 AND Book 2 REACTION & ANALYSIS | The Daily Doug (Episode 381)

I'm a sad old man in his mid-60s and that bit at the end always brings tears to my eyes.. it's so beautiful.

Alex is the man. That he so deftly plays this in concert just goes to show he is all about the structure of the song. He doesn’t want to be a “rock god.” He was wants to make the best music possible with his mates, and does.

Book II is my all time favorite Rush song! Those are 20 glorious minutes that never seem as long as it is.

In my opinion the best Rush song, on their best album, made at their best moment. Everything is fine, the voice, the instruments and the composition. There is no time I listen to The Sphere and not shed a tear. After this disc they leave the conceptual works. I love Rush, one of the best bands in history, without a doubt.

"We will call you Cygnus, the God of Balance you shall be!" gives me chills every time I hear it!

Alex's guitar work on this album is just simply outstanding. The chord progressions, open string chords and arpeggios are just inspiring!

Only Rush could come up with a song/story/epic that starts in the future and ends in Ancient Greece and yet somehow comes together perfectly.🔥🤘🏻🎧

I'd love to hear Doug breakdown "Natural Science" and "Jacob's Ladder".

In concert, back in '78, when Rush did Hemispheres live, when the song gets to the part where our traveler is reintroduced, they played 'Cygnus X-1' (Book I) in it's entirety, then resumed with the rest of Hemispheres. It was a solid 30 minutes of music. Sorry, you missed the 70's. I graduated high school in '77. Oh, what good times we had then!

My favorite Rush album! Thanks Doug, your first experience with this Song helped me relive my fist experience with it, and the emotion and thought provoking experience that came with the discovery!

Hey, Doug, there's a reason why Geddy Lee's bass playing sounds similar to Chris Squire, at times. He was inspired to take up the bass and play when he heard Chris play the bass on Yes's first album. He is such a fan of Yes that he and Alex Lifeson inducted Yes into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Geddy played the late Chris's bass part on "Roundabout" for the performance section of the ceremony. You should react to that live performance, it's terrific!

I can't wait to listen to it again. Words spoken by millions of RUSH fans.... me included!

Small production note that you might have missed: When Geddy is first singing about how the heart and mind were divided into hollow hemispheres they pan his voice slowly from the center to the left and right simulating the division of left and right hemispheres 29:09. Then at the end he talks about the two hemispheres uniting and the two stereo voices merge back into one straight up the middle 37:10 . :)

For me Hemispheres is Rush's platinum crowned diamond. The flow is just delightful. I'm a bass player and have always enjoyed jamming this.

Like many, I'm also in my 60's growing up with Rush. Living in upstate New York,in the 70's and 80's Rush had concerts here yearly,lost count of how many I attended. A live performance was as crisp and tight as listening to an album. The best is watching Doug go from first hearing Rush to now seeing him be a strong fan. It's so enjoyable to watch someone discover and love Rush as we do.

"Trying to figure out the meter..." Said every amateur drummer ever while listening to Rush.

Hemispheres album has always been my favorite Rush album. This side was awesome, then you turn to Circumstances, The Trees, La Villa. Always beautiful in my estimation.

Guitarists will have to correct me, but I believe the chord that Alex uses at the intro into Book 2 is now called the "Alex Lifeson chord." He comes back to it again on their 2007 album "Snakes and Arrows", as well. :) Yes, the last section of Book 2 makes me cry, every time. Not only is it profound and timeless, but the lyrics are put to a beautiful melody. It's incredibly mature for these guys who were in their 20s, at the time they wrote this. It's oddly reminiscent, to me of "Soon" by Yes. Not melodically, but in its hope and "vibe." Thx for doing these compositions.

Doesn’t matter how many times I listen to it, the intro to Cygnus X-1 Book 1 gives me goosebumps from head to toe… gosh it’s brilliant and haunting. Not to mention, the virtuosity of the playing damn. The ending also gives me goosebumps with that lyric “every nerve is pulled apart.” That said, Book I and Book II together as a complete story is one of my all time favorite moments in Rush discography. Book II is so incredibly good!!

I know this is coincidence but thanks for posting this today. Rush was my dad's favorite band and this made me tear up, it being the anniversary of his passing.