I got this CD on December 26, Boxing Day in Canada according to my calendar. Which is only fitting since Rush are a Canadian band and it came in a box in the mail. I got it because I like Rush and wanted more CD's of them, but mostly because I was in love with Xanadu off Different Stages and wanted to own the studio version as well. Actually, come to think of it, every song on AFTK is also on DS except for Madrigal.

What a year for rock 1977 was. (I was -3 at the time. Bummer.) You had this album as well as GFTO by Yes. At the risk of offending all those "Awakened" people out there, I'd have to give the slight edge to AFTK. Well enough trying to compare Yes & Rush. It's generally not a good idea, so here goes with the review.

A Farewell to Kings This is one of those songs that I didn't really like the first time I heard it on Chronicles. But I of course grew to love it. It was my "pop" selection at my senior piano recital. I played the version from the Rush: Complete sheet music book that I got from the library. My teacher wouldn't let me do the repeats, and part of the song wasn't even in the music. But that was ok, it was still a blast to play. It would have been neater if people who heard me had actually heard the song, but oh well.
Basically this song is about what we learned from our anscestors and what our descendants will think of us. But don't worry, it still rocks. One night when I was really tired, I even started writing a parody of it, about my math class.

When they turn the pages of The Easy Way
When our tests were passed long ago
Will they think of us with laughter
All the things we didn't know?

Well it's not much but the main idea here is that I really like "the title track" of this album and it can have a deep psychological effect if listened to often enough and late enough at night.

Xanadu I knew Rush had a song with this title but I'd never actually heard it until DS. But I think it was worth the wait. It's an incredible song. The percussion is great, and even more meaningful now that I know how hard it is to make chimes sound like actual chimes, not like someone hitting the side of a car with a boot. Not to mention, mightiest among percussion instruments, the bells. So the whole instrumental intro is cool. Then we get to the singing. As always, fabulous. I especially like the lyrics on this one; they really tell a story. Plus, I like to use the word "decree" as much as possible so of course it was great to hear it in a song.

I would have to say that getting AFTK has been an eye-opener. Because until I read the actual lyrics, I thought it was "To seek the sacred river out," like you're seeking it out, looking for it, that sort of thing. But apparently it's "the sacred river Alph. Which is fine with me. Another cool thing about this song is according to the back of the CD its running time is 11:05. Translated to month/day, you get November 5, my birthday.

One last thing, a note of warning. There exists another song Xanadu, and unfortunately it is by Olivia Newton-John and thus quite lame. It's actually from a movie of the same name which I haven't seen but someday might if I am suffering a high fever, weak, and unable to stop someone from putting it in my VCR and forcing me to watch it.

Closer to the Heart This was probably my first 'favorite' Rush song. I always wondered why it was so short; probably because they ran out of room on the dang album. Despite its brief length, this song has a nice message of people working together for a common good. Something I am all for. Other short but excellent songs include Led Zep's Immigrant Song and Barenaked Ladies' One Week (hey it's a fine song it just got really overplayed.)

Cinderella Man This song didn't really catch my attention at first, due to the fact that I was really obsessed with Xanadu when I first got the CD. But it turns out to be a song that really sticks with you after just a few listens. It starts out with "A modest man from Mandrake," which is a nice example of alliteration, which was used by many medieval ballads. Woo, go me! The line "this manic-depressive who walks in the rain" was echoing through my mind today as I cycled home from Hy-Vee in a moderate downpour. It was kind of gross because my hairspray was melting into my eyes, forcing me to squint blindly ahead of me for possible objects in my path.
My only other insight on this song is that it deals with someone preserving his or her integrity which I guess is a common theme of Rush songs.

Madrigal When I first wrote this review all I knew of the song was that it had a dragon in it. But now I've listened to it more and I can honestly say it's a good song; not just added onto AFTK to make it long enough or whatever. There is a sound on AOL Instant Messenger that sounds like the intro, which is very nice, btw. A good, peaceful song.

Cygnus X-1 In an earlier version of this review, I expressed a desire to "record that spoken word intro and put it on someone's computer as the hourly chime to scare them." I'm proud to say that I currently have as my Mac's shutdown sound "In the constellation of Cygnus, there exists a dark and mysterious force. The black hole of Cygnus X-1!" It doesn't really scare me per se, but at least I have it saved as a sound and that might come in handy.

Ok, off that. This is a pretty cool song. And the idea of it being continued onto the next album is just terrific. Fortunately for me, I got Hemispheres at the same time as AFTK, so I didn't have to wait a whole year to hear how the thing ended. The first time I heard it, I picked up on the ship being called "Rocinante" and I'm like, this is something, I should know what this is. Then, it hit me. Don Quijote's horse! Something I learned in Español III actually came in handy. I've always been interested in astronomy so I can see myself really getting into this song after a few more listenings.

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