But sometimes less is more, and the title track – which of course details the failed struggle of a lone man to bring the joys of music back to a dystopian world – remains an awesome piece of work. The five songs on the flip-side (as was) are all around the three- or four-minute mark.
The main concept suite, which occupied side one of the original vinyl record, lasts a shade over 20 minutes. Listening to 2112 today, one is struck by both its brilliance and its brevity. News of 2112’s excellence spread by word of mouth more than anything else, and when the band toured the UK for the first time in ’77 – at the height of punk, no less – an army of pale-faced rock fans emerged from the shadows to greet them like conquering heroes.
Despite this hostile environment, Rush stuck their heads above the sun-scorched parapet.
