2112 (album)
| 2112 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Rush | ||||
|
Publication |
February 1976 |
|||
| Label (s) | Mercury Records | |||
|
Format (s) |
LP |
|||
|
Title (number) |
6th |
|||
|
running time |
||||
| occupation |
|
|||
|
Terry Brown and Rush |
||||
|
Studio (s) |
Toronto Sound Studios |
|||
|
||||
2112 is the fourth studio album by the Canadian progressive rock band Rush , released in 1976. On the subsequent tour through Canada, the live album All the World's a Stage was recorded in the same year , which was released in September 1976.
content
The first page of the record only contains the title song 2112 , which is divided into several sections, some of which differ greatly from one another musically, but which belong together in terms of content. The plot is not only reproduced through the lyrics of the song itself; for each section except for the last there is also a corresponding reading text - diary entries of the protagonist. It is about a person who lives in a regime that promises material prosperity and peace, but keeps the residents in spiritual bondage. The life of every person is regulated by the all-ruling "temple", as is art and culture. The song line “Equality our stock in trade” and the reference to a “ red star ” as a symbol of the rulers suggest that a communist regime is being criticized here . This star - along with a person who shrinks back from it - became a permanent Rush logo some time later.
The piece opens with an instrumental part of about five minutes, Overture . At the end there is a quote from Psalm 37 : “And the meek shall inherit the earth” - 'The meek shall own the earth' (Psalm 37, 11). The accompanying text briefly outlines the life that the protagonist leads. During the day he joins a machine, the purpose of which is not discussed. In his free time he consumes the propaganda of the “Solar Federation”.
The second part, The Temples of Syrinx , contains a self-portrayal of the rulers. They call themselves " priests of the Temple of Syrinx ". It is made no secret of the fact that they wield totalitarian power and control every aspect of citizens' lives. The world is called “beautiful” and “happy”, and people are asked to be proud of the “Red Star”.
In the third part, Discovery , the protagonist appears for the first time directly, outside of the diary entries. He finds an old musical instrument , apparently a guitar , in a cave behind a waterfall and enthusiastically teaches himself to play. He is impressed by the feelings that he can express with his music, the guitar "sings like a sad heart and joyfully screams out its pain". He looks forward to presenting his discovery to the priests.
There follows a dialogue between the priests and the protagonist in the fourth section, Presentation . The rulers are not impressed. They are convinced that their world is good as it is, that any experiments would only contribute to the "destruction" of humanity. It turns out that long ago the priests made sure that the guitar was forgotten. The protagonist is stunned and tries to convince the priests, but they lose patience and without further ado destroy the guitar.
Oracle: The Dream describes a subsequent vision of the main character. He sees a world that is permeated by the “pure soul of humanity”. It becomes clear that there the human spirit is given free rein. The protagonist is impressed by what can be created by human hands when they can work in freedom . He becomes aware of a “completely different way of life”, but his own life now seems “meaningless” to him.
The final section, Soliloquy , finally leads to the tragic conclusion of the plot. The protagonist vegetates for several days in the cave in which he found the guitar. He no longer wants to be restricted by the Solar Federation, but also sees no alternative as to how he could otherwise live. Finally he decides to commit suicide - he hopes, perhaps through death, to find the world that appeared to him in the vision.
The "grand finale" - Grand Finale - is again an instrumental piece. At the end one more sentence can be heard: "Attention, to all planets of the Solar Federation - We have taken control".
The text can be interpreted in such a way that, according to the writer, a satisfaction of material needs is not enough for a happy life. In the second part of the play many terms with a religious context are also used, the state is evidently transfigured as sacred. Neil Peart's rejection of the supernatural, which is also the subject of some of his other song texts - most notably the instrumentalization of the supernatural for political purposes - becomes clear here. Often reference was made to Peart's inspiration from Ayn Rand , from whom he adopted the dystopia.
title
-
2112-20 :34
- I: Overture - 4:32
- II: The Temples of Syrinx - 2:13
- III: Discovery - 3:29
- IV: Presentation - 3:42
- V: Oracle: The Dream - 2:00
- VI: Soliloquy - 2:21
- VII: Grand Final - 2:14
- A Passage to Bangkok - 3:34
- The Twilight Zone - 3:17
- Lessons - 3:51
- Tears - 3:31
- Something for Nothing - 3:59
Music genre
In 2112 , the band moved away from their earlier influences, although the hard rock elements are still strong. The album "has [...] much more catchy melodies and structures" than its predecessors, but is "[un] used heavy". Occasionally, synthesizers , keyboards, and samples are used. For Jörg Schumann, the album appears “less like an organic whole than a sequence of music-thematically loosely connected individual parts”. The overture of the title song quotes Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture . Alex Lifeson guitar provides a link between hard rock and heavy metal ago, the theme song is also "you probably first Progmetal suite history" means. A Passage to Bangkok is influenced by the Far East and, according to Thorsten Gürntke, shows “for the first time in their career that they no longer have to orientate themselves towards old greats. This song proves its own greatness. ” Lessons has been assigned to both hard rock and pop rock . In Tears is a band-untypical for, mellotron -geprägte (and especially in the chorus of this dominated) "lyric-symphonic ballad". Something for Nothing is hard rock and Geddy Lee's voice on this song is "particularly metallic ".
reception
2112 became the band's breakthrough and first sales success.
Rush's reference to Ayn Rand "caused [...] irritation among many critics, journalists and listeners (if they weren't already fans)" because "the genesis of rock culture in general is not derived from the spirit of conservatism " and Rand from leftists Theorists are often perceived as conservative or even as fascist . Since "the priests [...] triumph in heavy heavy chords, of all things," it is often assumed that the band identifies with the triumphant priestly caste. However, this interpretation does not coincide with Ayn Rand's novel and the “individualism pushed to the extreme” by her. The individual, not the collective, is her savior. It ties in with the liberal ideas of the 19th century, which promised the greatest good for all out of an unlimited economic and personal freedom based only on self-interest. If you add the connection with an individualistic hero cult, Rand's ideas had to appear reactionary from the perspective of the radical left (and even the moderate 'social market economy') . "
In his review for Babyblauen Seiten, Siggy Zielinski described 2112 as “probably the first musical work that consistently combines the riffy, powerful guitar sound that has been known since the late 1960s with a complex musical form. With its merciless sound that drowns out everything else, Alex Lifeson's guitar has obviously overcome the barrier between hard rock and heavy metal. ”The title song“ can be described as the first prog metal suite in history ”. The album, however, “leaves something to be desired in terms of composition,” and pieces like Lessons and Something for Nothing are ordinary hard rock. Thorsten Gürntke wrote there:
“Only from 'A Passage To Bangkok' does the album show its real highlights. So this track is influenced by the Far East. Here, RUSH are proving for the first time in their career that they no longer have to orientate themselves to old sizes. This song proves its own greatness. […] Although 2112 is certainly not the best RUSH album of the early stages, it demonstrates the maturity of the band. For the first time one was able to distance oneself significantly from one's influences. As a band you show independence and a wealth of ideas. With 'A Passage To Bangkok' and 'Tears' there are two songs that you should definitely know. "
Günter Schote described 2112 in his review for the Babyblauen Seiten as Rush's first classic after "three good, better, even better records"; the album shows the band "already very mature and on the best way to perfection in tone". It is "[un] unbelievable that the next albums not only maintained the level, but increased it." A Passage to Bangkok shows “for a change, that stoner songs don't always have to sound psychedelic or groovy . You can also get into a rocky conversation with your own hands and feet. "
The title song of the Venom album At War with Satan and the foretaste of this, At War with Satan (Preview) on the previous album Black Metal , have a total length of 21 minutes and 12 seconds, which according to their singer and bassist Cronos on Rushs 2112 alludes.
In June 2015, the renowned trade journal Rolling Stone voted the album 22nd of the 50 best progressive rock albums of all time .
Web links
- Reviews of 2112 on the baby blue pages
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Rush: 2112 , accessed October 13, 2012.
- ↑ a b Chris Matthew Sciabarra: Rand, Rush, and Rock . In: The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies , Volume 4, No. 1, Fall 2002, pp. 161–85, accessed October 13, 2012.
- ↑ Thomas Kupfer: Venom . Jesus had to go . In: Rock Hard , No. 304, September 2012, p. 40.
- ↑ Venom Biography , accessed October 13, 2012.
- ^ Dan Epstein: 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time - Rush, '2112' (1976). In: Rolling Stone . Wenner Media, June 17, 2015, accessed on September 25, 2015 .