As always, widely mixed opinions. I don't think Rush has a single album that's universally loved or hated; they're all over the place.
After missing most of the 80's due to going back to college for the third time, sticking with it for six years and actually graduating this time, in 1989 I found myself married, in a new city, with a new job, and with actual spending money for the first time in a while. My first salaried job, in the field of my bachelor's degree (education), and my first paycheck. So of course I went to a record store, and discovered that they weren't record stores anymore; they were now CD stores. Sure, that'll work too.
In the old days, discounted "cutout" albums had a notch clipped along one edge, cutting out a slice of the actual record jacket. I never knew exactly what made an album a "cutout" album; presumably it was due to surplus or some other reason to heavily discount the album. Anyway, I was stunned to find that this practice had carried over into the CD era, because that meant cutting a chunk of plastic out of the jewel case. But there was a cutout bin of CDs in the crummy little music shop in Jackson, Michigan, and cutouts are where the deals are. Presto had only been released that year, but there it was, with a notch in the jewel case but otherwise brand new for $4.99. Why? I never found out. But it was new Rush, and I couldn't wait to get it home to play it. I didn't have a CD player in my old car, but I was teaching junior high at the time so I got home about 4:00 and my wife didn't get home until 5:30. I put in my new Rush CD (my first! -- everything else was vinyl before now) and cranked it up.
"Show Don't Tell" kicked my ass right away. I love the syncopated intro leading into a more laid back verse, then the weird syncopated thing came back under the pre-chorus (now that's a different device) before giving way to a more laid back chorus. What a strange, amazing, great song!
Yeah, the rest of it probably seems pretty uneven to most people. I didn't care. I loved every minute of it. A clear, clean sound, not all buried in a wall of Oberheim synthesizers which sound great but get pretty oppressive after a while. Neil, ripping up the kit as always, Geddy wailing a bit like in the old days, Alex cutting loose and actually being heard loud and clear for the first time in a while... Rush was back!
Those of you who grew up with the 80's stuff, I can see how this might not work for you. But for me, a child of the 70's, this was something of a return to form. Yeah, it's more laid back, but Rush was continuing to mature as a band. No two Rush albums sound alike, and Rush never stays the same. They keep moving, and this was the latest chapter. Stripped-down arrangements; short, catchy songs, tight production. And I dug into it. It's still one of my favorite Rush albums, perhaps largely due to sentimental value. But whatever the reason, I love this album.