Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres

The side-long title suite resolves the cliffhanger from A Farewell to Kings. The astronaut from the Rocinante emerges from the black hole to find himself witness to a cosmic battle between Apollo (representing reason) and Dionysus (representing emotion). The gods' conflict tears humanity apart until Cygnus intervenes, arguing that a balance of heart and mind is what humans need to live well. It's a meditation on the left-brain/right-brain dichotomy — hence the album's title.

Peart began outlining the story just three weeks before the band left for Rockfield, and the process was agonizing — he described "hours of tearing my hair out" and arrived at the studio with the lyrics only half complete. Initially Lee had a different concept in mind for the centerpiece, but the group felt compelled to continue the Cygnus story. The six parts — Prelude, Apollo, Dionysus, Armageddon, Cygnus, and The Sphere — flow through wildly contrasting musical moods.

The piece represents the absolute peak of Rush's progressive ambition — the most complex, demanding music they ever attempted. It was also the last side-long epic they would ever write. As Lee later said, the experience was so exhausting it forced them to fundamentally rethink their approach: "It was in a sense a different version of 2112. The notes were different, the story was different, but structurally we started feeling that we were repeating ourselves."