Before Kev's Top 75 Rush songs project started, I had an idea to do a compilation album of the 7 songs from Power Windows that Rush played during their tours in the last 20 years. I hadn't really put much effort into the idea other than picking out the songs and sorting them into a folder, but after seeing how well the songs from the album did in the Top 75, I really wanted to start the project in earnest, so tonight I had some free time and I finally put together the compilation. With some careful editing and cross-fading of the tracks from three different tours, here's what I came up with:
Power Windows In The 21st Century - 43:19
01. The Big Money (2012) - 6:01
02. Grand Designs (2012) - 5:14
03. Manhattan Project (2012) - 5:13
04. Marathon (2010) - 6:31
05. Territories (2012) - 6:27
06. Middletown Dreams (2012) - 5:11
07. The Percussor (2012) - 3:10
08. Mystic Rhythms (2004) - 5:29
In lieu of "Emotion Detector" never being played, I figured I'd toss in Neil's electronic kit drum solo from the Clockwork Angels Tour as a substitute before closing the album. Also, I think the key that Neil's sounds are in is the same key that "Middletown Dreams" ends in, so it's a really nice segue. I couldn't be bothered to come up with a better/more clever name for this, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd appreciate them!
I guess my love for the music of Power Windows has never really been a secret, but I'm glad I finally took on this project. It was fun to sort it all out and now I have this compilation burned on a CD-r for my listening pleasure. Thankfully, six of the tracks are all sourced from the same tour and live album release, so the sound quality is pretty consistent. I haven't had a chance to listen through the whole thing yet, but I think both "Marathon" and "Mystic Rhythms" sound fairly good next to the other tracks.
-Marc.