2112 [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Rush | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 6, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000001ESF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (426 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Classic Rock > Arena Rock
  • #1 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Progressive Metal
  • #4 in Music > Rock > Progressive > Progressive Rock

Track Listings

1. '2112': I: Overture/II: The Temples Of Syrinx/III: Discovery/IV: Presentation/V: Oracle: The Dream/VI. Soliloquy/VII. Grand Finale

2. A Passage To Bangkok

3. The Twilight Zone

4. Lessons

5. Tears

6. Something For Nothing

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Only Rush could have pulled this off, and only in the '70s. 2112--the title suite of the band's 1976 breakthrough album--is a comically pretentious, futuristic rock opera written by a nerdy drummer and sung by a whiny-voiced geek. It also happens to be a great piece of rock & roll that lifts the listener through a variety of moods and textures from genteel acoustic ("Oracle") to thrilling metal ("The Temples of Syrinx"). Perhaps realizing that they had taken conceptualism about as far as it could go, even these guys backed off on the epic hero stuff for later releases. 2112 still stands as one of the great signposts of the prog-rock era. --Michael Ruby

Product Description

Futuristic sci-fi imagery, virtuoso technique, absolutely killer rock riffs it all came together on Rush's 1976 concept album 2112 . The title opus joins A Passage to Bangkok; Something for Nothing; Tears; Lessons , and more!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

809 of 832 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Condescending Review from Amazon not quite accurate. March 24, 2007

By Joe

Format:Audio CD

I'm no die-hard Rush fan, but I know my rock history & Amazon's review(of an Amazon essential recording no less, now in the R&R HoF Definitive 200 albums list [#198])by Michael Ruby doesn't quite do justice to either the band or the album. The band has been around now for more than 35 years, but critics still harp on the same things: poor vocals, pretentious lyrics, & nerdy drummers, failing to take the band's progression into account & trivializing their early works.

Further, if someone only reads the Amazon editorial review, he(or she) would get the impression that after this record, Rush stopped making prog-rock records. I know for a fact that they didn't stop making songs under 10 minutes until 1982's "Signals". It's not as if they suddenly woke up and said, "hey, those rock critics are right, we ARE bombastic & pretentious".

The review also fails to mention that all three members of the band are respected BY THEIR PEERS & have each won awards for their musical skills. In the end, that's the problem with rock critics: they always have their reputations at stake, which is why the professional Amazon reviewer can't come out and say that he likes it without dousing his words in irony & campiness. It's uncool for rock critics worth their salt to actually admit that they like Rush; if it were cool, Rush would be in the R&R hall of Fame. So, dear reader, do me a favor & click YES if you agree the reviewer Michael Ruby hasn't done justice to the band or record in his review.

By the way, the live version of "2112" on "Different Stages" is an excellent example of how 1) Geddy Lee's vocals have mellowed over time & 2) Rush's musicianship has further improved since 1976.

159 of 167 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Listen to my music and hear what it can do . . .' August 13, 2004

By John S. Ryan

Format:Audio CD

This album is the one that brought me to the Rush party. It's still one of the finest rock albums there is.

Before 1976, Rush had released a competent but undistinguished Self-Titled Debut, with bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee (Gary Lee Weinrib), guitarist Alex Lifeson (Alex Zivojinovich, of which 'life-son' is a literal translation), and drummer John Rutsey doing a passable imitation of Led Zeppelin. Following Rutsey's amicable departure, Lee and Lifeson were joined by mad percussionist and thoughtful lyricist Neil Peart, whose influence was evident over the next two LPs (_Fly By Night_ and _Caress of Steel_). But although there was lots of good music on them, the band hadn't quite found its voice yet.

Then came _2112_ -- without which quite a few of us would never have _heard_ of their first three albums. This one got lots of people's attention, including mine; I was introduced to it by a junior-high buddy who was as blown away by it as I was. As of this release, Rush had _arrived_.

The title piece, as you surely know, is a twenty-minute science fiction 'rock opera' inspired largely by Ayn Rand's _Anthem_. Don't let that put you off; you don't have to have a high opinion of Rand's work in order to appreciate _2112_. (I don't think much of her as a philosopher myself, although I've enjoyed some of her non-ATLAS SHRUGGED fiction.) Peart is nobody's follower, and when it comes to Rand he knew which bits to keep and which to reject.

Here (as in his other Rand-inspired material) he seizes on the right stuff: individualism, iconoclasm, reason, intellectual self-reliance, respect for human competence and achievement, and a deep commitment to political and social liberty.... He and the band also have some things Rand didn't: the desire to rock out, and the ability to do it extremely well. (All these of guys were, and are, consummate craftsman who have consistently earned the respect of other musicians of all types. Unfortunately they didn't know, in 1976, what Rand actually thought of rock music.)

The result is an absolutely blistering first track (originally an 'album side') and as clear-sighted a hymn to individual freedom and nonconformity as rock has ever seen. Pretty good work for three guys in their early twenties -- particularly in heavy metal, a genre not ordinarily noted for elevated philosophical discourse.

The rest of it ('side two') is decent enough too. The best of it, arguably, is the TANSTAAFL sermon 'Something for Nothing', but I also enjoy 'A Passage to Bangkok' (devoted, incidentally, to another subject Rand wouldn't have approved) and the lugubrious 'Tears' (lyrics by Geddy Lee). The other two tracks -- 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Lessons' (lyrics on the latter by Lifeson) -- are okay but they aren't Rush's best work.

Now, as much as I love _2112_, I can't say I think it's Rush's best release ever; they followed it up with a string of magnificent albums, pushing further and further into what turned out retroactively to have been 'prog rock', opening our ears and our minds as they went. (And they're not done yet.) I have my opinions about which albums are their best, and other Rush listeners have theirs.

But this one has a special place in history -- both Rush's history and mine. I still play it, and I still enjoy it as much as I did twenty-eight years ago. Thanks, guys -- from me and all the other geeks. Read more ›

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hymn to the Spirit of Man August 31, 1998

By "astyanax"

Format:Audio CD

If you're not interested in 20 minute long songs, hard drving guitar and rhythm sections, sci-fi inspired lyrics, long instrumentals, a high pitched voice singing the lyrics, then 2112 is not for you. This is Rush's fourth album, their breakthrough which legitimately set them to become one of the most lyrically profound and musically astute power trios in the entire world. 2112 (pronounced "twenty one, twelve") is the main song on the album. It tells of a society ruled by the communist priests of the Temples of Syrinx who believe in crushing the human spirit so every one lives according to a lifeless conformity. The hero dares to defy them and leads the revolution through music. How does it end? Listen to the album. Also present are five lesslengthy songs like A Passage to Bangkok, which sounds like a shopping list for drugs, Something for Nothing, a song that defines reality itself, the acoustic show-stopper Tears, the Twilight Zone and Lessons. The lyrics of most songs are done by drummer Neil Peart, who sounds like a college professor. Alex Lifeson contributes hard-rocking guitar lines which soar and frighten. And bassist, vocalist, keyboardist Geddy Lee sounds like a Medieval minstrel. At times you almost start to think that he is the hero of the story. A classic album and a must have for any serious lover of heavy metal and lyrical profundity.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 2112 w/ Uncompressed DTS-HD 5.1 Audio!! ...and Moving Pictures. December 19, 2012

By guitarwarrior

Format:Audio CD

Moving Pictures you ask? Well sort of.

I must admit, that I have no prior/other copy of 2112 on CD so I won't be able to comment on the differences or improvements with this newer version. Actually, I haven't even listened to the included CD, since I bought this CD/BD combo primarily for the HD 5.1 surround experience and I can honestly say it does not disappoint!

I understand that everyone's audio system (and ears for that matter) will yield differing opinions, but I've never been a fan of compressed files, don't much listen to music via earbuds, and still enjoy the "sweet spot" musical listening experience with my Martin Logan speaker set-up in my living room.

From the opening notes, the Blu-ray audio experience is enveloping but in a very "natural" way with Geddy's vocals primarily emanating from the center. While the surrounds are certainly used, they are not independently prominent, so don't expect wacky "circulating" effects or isolated instruments coming from behind you. Only occasionally may you hear ambient sounds, rainfall perhaps. (This is Rush, not Pink Floyd) What you can expect however, is an immersive sonic experience which should completely fill your room with a noticable clarity from each instrument just as it was recorded. Alex's guitars have an uncluttered tone, raw and ballsy at times, light and delicate at others. And of course Neil Peart's drummming is as always an earful of ungodly talent. Very well done.

In addition to the audio treat, you also get a visual one. Moving pictures in the form of a comic-book type of animation that provides the lyrics, but also supplies a bit of story-telling to reveal some of the context in which perhaps the song's ideas were derived.... I found it quite captivating, and a feature/experience I would like to see done by other 5.1 Blu-ray releases.

But as wonderful as the video enhancements are, I often found myself closing my eyes to eliminate the visual element; to just truly listen to the musical genius that is Rush. 2112 is a monumental album. I'm glad it got the treatment it deserved. Read more ›