46yrs ago on this day in music... A Farewell to Kings fifth studio album by Rush released September 1, 1977 After touring their previous album 2112 (1976), which saw the group reach a new critical and commercial peak, they started work on a follow-up. They decided to record at Rockfield Studios in Wales, the first time Rush recorded an album outside of Toronto. The band expanded their sound with each member playing new instruments that they had not previously used, and recorded a mix of concise and long songs. A Farewell to Kings reached No. 11 in Canada and helped the group to continue to expand its audience internationally, reaching inside the top-40 in the UK and the US for the first time. @⋆♬♩⋆☮⋆♪·♫⋆ 𝐝ڶ๓ⓐᵐค➀➂⋆⚸♫·♪❥♩·♬⋆ ☝️"Closer to the Heart"☝️ was released as the album's first single, which reache No. 36 in the UK. Rush toured in support of the album from August 1977 to June 1978. The tour saw the band headline major venues across Canada and play in the UK.In June 1977 Rush ended their sixteen-month tour in support of their previous album, 2112 (1976). They decided not to take a break and started on a follow-up straight away. Later that month, they retreated to Rockfield Studios in Rockfield, Monmouthshire in Wales to record. This marked the first time that Rush recorded an album outside of Toronto and Neil Peart recalled the decision to pick a studio suitable enough as "extremely difficult". After longtime Rush producer Terry Brown did some research, he became excited about working in Rockfield and the group chose it. Peart later wrote that the seclusion and the "mellow" atmosphere at the studio created a productive environment for the group to work in, which gave them the opportunity to record outdoors The album was recorded in three weeks followed by two weeks of mixing at Advision Studios in London. The group decided to write material that featured instruments they could play naturally as well as new ones, thus allowing them to play multiple instruments when performing on stage. As a result, A Farewell to Kings features Peart playing orchestra bells, tubular bells, chimes, and other percussion; Geddy Lee playing double neck bass (a Rickenbacker 4080) and Minimoog; and Alex Lifeson on new guitars and for the first time, a Moog Taurus bass pedal synthesizer (used by both Lee and Lifeson). Prior to recording, Rush completed a short tour in 1977 which saw the group perform "Xanadu" prior to recording. Apart from early ideas for "Closer to the Heart", the majority of the album was developed in the studio. Rush toured in support of the album from August 1977 to June 1978. Early into the tour, Rush headlined a sold-out gig at the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto in August 1977 that was attended by over 22,000 people. In late 1977, tickets for a 16-date leg across the UK from February 1978 were announced which quickly sold out. Did you attend any concerts from this tour? #rushband #albumrelease #billboard200 #liverockmusic #musicvideos #memories #popculture #ifonlyfor59seconds - @mama.rocks.13