I routinely view Grace Under Pressure as one of, if not, my favorite Rush record. Something about that album just speaks to me and I love it.
It is my favourite Rush album. It took me a long time to 'get' (a term I loathe, tbh) Red Lenses but in the end either Stockholm Syndrome kicked in or I simply got over the electronic(?) drums not suiting it very well and I rather enjoy it now.
Moving Pictures is a close second but P/G has a bleak quality to it that I absolutely adore and that's almost unique (I imagine it's not unique, but I've not come across another album quite like it). It captured the mood of British music of the time and put it through the Rush filter to produce a special album.
p/g is almost unique? Listen to Ghost In The Machine, or Zenyatta Mondatta.
To Lethean, it's not really about the "look" per se - as someone duly noted, I love Kiss, and also Marillion - so it's CLEARLY not about the look. But it's the vibe. If you ask me, it's the only time that Rush REALLY seemed to follow the trends of the time, as opposed to forging their own trail, at least since the first album.