In May 1978, Rush finished touring
A Farewell to Kings, which contributed to their breakthrough in the UK market, following a series of well-received shows and "
Closer to the Heart", the lead single from the album, reaching No. 36 in the UK. Following a dedicated rest period, the band regrouped to produce a follow-up album and returned to
Rockfield Studios in
Monmouthshire,
Wales, to record as they had enjoyed making
A Farewell to Kings at the facility. Bassist and vocalist
Geddy Lee said recording in the United States did not appeal to the group, and since they were influenced by many English bands, recording in the UK was an attractive idea. In a departure from previous albums, the band entered the songwriting process without any preconceived ideas. They rented a farmhouse close to the studio for two weeks of intensive writing and rehearsals, during which the trio had concerns over the direction the new album was to take.
Hemispheres was recorded in June and July 1978, then the longest amount of time Rush had to record an album–in comparison, 1976's
2112 was recorded in five weeks and
A Farewell to Kings in four. Rush were joined by long-time co-producer
Terry Brown, also credited as co-arranger, and engineer Pat Moran. The conditions of the studio lacked the standard facilities, including a sofa. Lee described it as "really funky". In one incident, a latch that failed to shut the studio doors frustrated Lifeson who, in a fit, took it off, installed a hydraulic door opener and built a handle on it. The album was recorded in sections at a time with the three members playing simultaneously. Rush could only put down the music in their allocated slot at Rockfield due to the time required to arrange the tracks, so they booked
Advision Studios in
Fitzrovia, London, to record the vocals. They had enjoyed the experience of mixing
A Farewell to Kings there, and wanted to return as it was where
Yes had recorded their favourite albums. Upon entering Advision, however, Lee had only sung the lyrics in basic form as the songs were being written acoustically, and the group carried on thinking he could sing them confidently. "So we never really checked the keys that the songs were written in. And when I went to sing them, they were in such difficult keys for me to sing, that's why I'm singing so high." The process was frustrating for Lee, who had several blowouts during vocal takes and had to go for walks to calm down. Once recording was complete, mixing was undertaken by Brown and assistant John Brand at Advision. After around two-and-a-half weeks, the pair had encountered problems and were unable to produce a satisfactory mix, which led to the decision to briefly return to Canada as the band had been away from home for several months. They returned to London in August, this time to
Trident Studios in
Soho, where a mix was finalised. The album cost an estimated CAN$100,000 to make, the most expensive Rush album at the time. In the three-month period of putting it together, the band had just one day off and took a six-week vacation once complete to recover. Lee looked back on the album in 2018, and said the band "greatly underestimated the level of overachievement that we were shooting for". ==Songs==