Rush are streaming a video preview of the December 1 release of an expanded 40th anniversary reissue of their 1977 album, “A Farewell To Kings.”
The band’s fifth record delivered classic tracks like “Closer To The Heart”, “Cinderella Man” and “Xanadu” while peaking at No. 33 on the US Billboard 200.
The 40th Anniversary package will be available in four configurations: the Super Deluxe Edition, three-CD Deluxe Edition, four-LP Deluxe Edition, and the Deluxe Digital Edition.
The 3CD/1Blu-ray Audio CD/4LP Super Deluxe Edition (full track listing below) presents the 2015 remastered edition of the album for the first time on CD, a complete Rush concert recorded at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in February 1978, four newly-recorded cover versions of songs from the original album by Dream Theater, Big Wreck, The Trews and Alain Johannes, and an instrumental studio outtake of the spacey sound effects the band has creatively titled “Cygnus X-2 Eh”.
The Super Deluxe Edition's audio content on its CDs is duplicated on its vinyl discs. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray Audio disc contains a brand new 5.1 surround mix of the album by four-time Grammy nominated surround sound producer Steven Wilson, along with three original 1977 promo videos from a newly found 2-inch quad video master significantly improving the video quality for “Closer To The Heart”. The package also includes a new 40th anniversary cover treatment by longtime Rush creative director Hugh Syme, and an extensive 12,000-word liner notes by Grammy-winning rock historian Rob Bowman.
The Super Deluxe set also adds some goodies for fans, including a unique King's Ring, with custom velvet pouch and neck chain; two lithographs with original artwork by Syme; a special 12-inch turntable mat featuring distinctive artwork by Syme; and a reproduction of Rush's original 1978 A Farewell To Kings tour program.
The 3CD Deluxe Edition mirrors the three discs from the Super Deluxe set – the remastered 2015 album plus the London concert and song extras.
The audiophile 180-gram 4LP Deluxe Edition delivers the same audio content as the 3-CD package alongside double-gatefold packaging, a 32-page vinyl-size booklet, the special 12-inch turntable mat, along with Syme's artwork and Bowman's liner notes.
The Deluxe Digital Edition presents the original album as disc 1, the complete Hammersmith concert unedited as disc 2, and the four covers songs plus the “Cygnus X-2 Eh” outtake as Disc 3.
Ahead of the 40th anniversary packages, Rush will release a 7" vinyl single of "Closer To The Heart" for Record Store Day's annual Black Friday event on November 24, complete with new artwork by Syme.
See also:
Rush to release A Farewell To Kings 40th anniversary editions
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