The History of Rush v. Discography Thread: Epilogue

[TAC]

There's a number of tracks the I like on Vapor Trails.

But I would rank Subdivisions as my all time favorite song by any band!

Wow! That's quite a statement.


Regarding Grace Under Pressure, as much as I rail against 80's Rush, Side A is a TAC guilty pleasure. I have an awesome 80's Rush mix..er..playlist.

  We had cabin fever by the end. You get to a dangerous state, you want to finish the record and you want to get out of there.   Geddy  (Rush Hour)

Well that would explain the absolute shiite that is Red Lenses and Kid Gloves. Also not a fan of The Body Electric.

Spent the last day listening to the awesome San Diego 5-28-84 boot.

[jingle.boy]

There's a number of tracks the I like on Vapor Trails.

I always like VT, but the production killed it for me.  Last year's remaster salvaged it.  It's now a great album.

[TAC]

There's a number of tracks the I like on Vapor Trails.

I always like VT, but the production killed it for me.  Last year's remaster salvaged it.  It's now a great album.

Yeah. Don't have the remaster. It took a while for it toclick, but when it did, it's really not that bad.

[jingle.boy]

There's a number of tracks the I like on Vapor Trails.

I always like VT, but the production killed it for me.  Last year's remaster salvaged it.  It's now a great album.

Yeah. Don't have the remaster. It took a while for it toclick, but when it did, it's really not that bad.

You should get the remaster.  It's worth it (imo).

[Mosh]

The remaster is good but I really don't think it made the album that much better. That album has more issues than just the production.

[King Postwhore]

The 2 remasters (OLV & Earthshine) on the Retrospective III are better than the album remaster.

[KevShmev]

Dissatisfied with the overall experience surrounding the making of Grace Under Pressure, Rush looked to change producers again, this time going for Peter Collins, who had major pop sensibilities, as well as being a big fan of synthesizers, so his fingerprints were all over Power Windows, the band's 11th studio album.  While the keys on the two previous albums were more lush and like another layer on the musical pile, the keys on this record are in your face, and in a good way. You have loud outbursts of synths that almost act as a bridge from verse to chorus, chorus back to verse, etc.  It's a very effect technique when done well, like it is here, and, well, very 80s.

I cannot imagine what fans at the time thought when this album was released, since it was quite a departure from their usual hard rock sound.  It still rocks, but in more of a synthesized 80s way, if that makes sense.  The playing from all three is still off the charts great, but the keyboards dominated like they never had before on a Rush record, which, like I alluded to, had to be quite shocking for existing fans at the time.  However, as someone who got into them in 1991, several songs from this were key in me getting into the band.  I had just started getting into the band when a friend one night showed several of us the A Show of Hands VHS, which kicked off with "The Big Money" and "Marathon," both of which I thought were totally awesome the first time I heard them; I couldn't believe the power and energy of both songs, and the melodies in both were infectious as hell.  Power Windows ended up being one of the first Rush albums I purchased on CD (I believe it was 3rd behind Moving Pictures and 2112).

My instant favorites were the songs featured on the ASOH VHS - "The Big Money," "Marathon," "Manhatton Project" and "Territories" - and "Mystic Rhythms" was an instant favorite as well.  The other three I liked, but none of them were major grabbers for a while, but over time, I really grew to love "Middletown Dreams" a ton, and "Grand Designs" finally got me good a few years ago, too.  "Emotion Detector" is the least best of the bunch, but my opinion on it has always been about the same: good song, but just not nearly as great as everything else on this record. 

For my money, this is easily the best Rush album of the synth era, arguably a top 3 Rush record, the best post-1981 Rush record and quite possibly the best collection of lyrics Neil Peart has ever penned.  Oh, and it has their coolest album cover ever.  This record just freaking rules.

[jjrock88]

This one took awhile to click, but its outstanding.  I agree, the best of the synth era

[Polarbear]

Power Windows is worth getting for Mystic Rhythms alone!

IMO Grace Under Pressure hits higher, and while Power Windows doesn't hit as high it has no weak songs while GUP has one: Red Lenses

Both are killer albums.

[TAC]

Easily the most overrated Rush album!

I liked Territories and Manhatten Projest. Like Marathon too, but it took seeing it live to jive. Big Money has to be one of the most boring Rush songs going.

Mystic Rhythms has aged really well.

My first time seing Rush was on this tour. We had great seats, about 8 rows back in front of Geddy. It was one of the first few shows of the tour, and they were not quite in sync. Geddy looked pissed off all night.
Evertime he introduced a song, he says" ..and we'd like to play another new song", and I was like "OH NO not another one!"!!

[nicmos]

I'm just going to cut and past from my top 50 albums thread, where this was #4:

"In my opinion, front to back this is the most consistently great Rush album. Once you get past the very 80s sounding (but good 80s, not bad 80s) synth arrangements, what you have is a set of 8 great, majestic sounding songs. Neil's lyrics are absolutely great and that's a large part of it too. You feel the songs mean so much more when you can get behind what Geddy's singing about. Speaking of Geddy, this is definitely one of his best vocal performances. Alex's solos are clearly the focus of his work on this album, and it shows. I love the interplay between the guitar and the backing synths in many of the solos. Most of the songs have a positive emotional sound to them as well, contrasting with the previous album, and I would say not duplicated until maybe Vapor Trails if that. The songs are all allowed to breathe, allowing the feel of each one to envelop you. Just think of the progression of the instrumental passage in Marathon, perfectly conveying the meaning of the song through music. When listening to the album, I sink in gently and it's just bliss. Favorites: Marathon, Territories, Middletown Dreams. Least favorite: Grand Designs (but it's still great) "

I'll add, from that opening chord in The Big Money, it's got this expansive sound (a lot of sustain in the guitar I guess) that pervades the whole album, it's like it lives on its own planet.

It's not that I'm a fan of the synth era more than other Rush.  Like most others it seems I agree that their biggest concentration of artistic highs was in the late 70s through MP.  And I got really excited when they gradually started bringing the guitars back to the fore, with Presto and onwards.  But you can't deny this is great music, expertly composed and arranged.  I wonder how much of the credit goes to Peter Collins?  he also produced some of their other later albums, but they don't have the same magic that this one has.

So yeah, if I could only take one Rush album to a desert island, this would be it.  I agree with Kev too that the album cover is great.

[The Letter M]

Power Windows is easily my favorite album of the Synth-Era of Rush (see my user name). Every song on here is great, if not truly f'ing epic. It also shows how much the band themselves really love the album when they played 7 out of 8 songs live during it's tour, and eventually bringing all of those songs back to the live stage in the last 12 years. The only exception has been "Emotion Detector", once again in the studio-only spot of 2nd-to-last-song.

The stand-outs for me are "Manhattan Project" and "Marathon", while "Territories" and "Mystic Rhythms" are pretty high up there as well. Of the four Synth-Era albums, this was the first one that really clicked with me when I became a fan, and I still love playing it all the way through. I'm glad the band brought back more POW songs on the last tour. It was a real treat hearing these songs!

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

This is also my favorite of the synth era.  Much better than the last offering.  Full of good stuff.

[TAC]

Best synth era album is an oxymoron!

[hefdaddy42]

Best synth era album is an oxymoron!

Winger, anyone?

[TAC]

Best synth era album is an oxymoron!

Winger, anyone?

Well compared to that, Synth Era Rush is outstanding!! Shit So is A Flock Of Seagulls.

[Lucien]

Favorite album by Rush. Favorite song on there is a tie between Middletown Dreams and, surprisingly, Emotion Detector.

[Lowdz]

Best synth era album is an oxymoron!

Winger, anyone?

Yes please! 

Great album. Loved it from the 1st listen. Whilst I love the first half of p/g every track here is a winner. Yes there is a load of synths but there's plenty of guitar too and everything sounds lush and big.
Great lyrics again from the master, more real world stories. I really like the lyrics in Middletown Dreams. The song was one that didn't hit with me straight away but its a favourite now.

[Jaq]

Marathon.

Favorite Rush song.

/post.

[mikemangioy]

Great album, I really loved it. There were some of the best songs since MP. Marathon, Big Money and Territories is the holy trinity. But the rest of the album is also great, definetly my favorite from the synth era. So far, at least. And also, amazing use of synthesizers here. They were kind of cheesy in the previous albums but they sound great in this one 

[jammindude]

This album came out at a time when I was suffering a bit of "Rush burn out"...  I had discovered Rush around the ESL period in late '81, became a full blown "fanboi" after Signals came out, and was worse than a religious zealot by the time GUP had come out.   Between the ages of 12 and 14, Rush...was...GOD.    I was literally made fun of at my Junior High because I couldn't have a conversation without talking about Rush.   ("Taking a piss?  You know what feels even better than taking a piss?  Listening to RUSH!")   

By the fall of '85, I was kinda done.   I had heard The Big Money on the radio, and I wasn't impressed...and so I didn't buy the album on release day.  That was in October.   By December, my best friend had bought the cassette from someone who didn't like it for $4, and he didn't like it either, so he was willing to sell it to me to get his money back.   I decided that half price for a twice listened cassette to complete my collection wouldn't be such a tragedy.

The Big Money grew on me, and now I love it...but it's still one of my least favorites from the album.   But the rest of the album **FLOORED ME**.    This album renewed (and possibly even increased...if that was possible) my Rush fan-dom. 

This is about as perfect as Rush gets.   #3 on my all time list (behind Hemispheres and Permanent Waves) and without a doubt, it is Neil Peart's #1 all time lyrical achievement.     

Territories in particular REALLY resonated with me.   Those lyrics are life-changing poetry, and if they weren't profound enough already, they became even moreso after the events of 9/11.    I adopted my signature on that day, and it's been my #1 all time favorite lyrical line ever since....and probably my #2 all time favorite Rush song.   (though, as time goes on, I often wonder if Hemispheres hasn't found its usurper.  The song is just that amazing).

There's just nothing here that isn't "all killer, no filler".   It's impossible to talk about any one of these songs without feeling like you're leaving the rest out.   Funny that it took them nearly 30 years to get another album that was this *densely* good from front to back.   

1. Territories
2. Manhattan Project
3. Marathon
4. Middletown Dreams
5. Grand Designs
6. Mystic Rhythms
7. The Big Money
8. Emotion Detector

#1 is not even close to having competition.   2-6 have changed order several times throughout the years.   The Big Money is still great, but it's the only somewhat lyrically boring song on the album.   The tune is really good, but the tagline gets just a tad repetitive.    I used to love Emotion Detector a lot when the album was new, and I used to put it above Big Money...but it really hasn't aged well.    (but I still like it)

I  this album so much!!!

[Mister Gold]

I recently listened to Power Windows for the first time in awhile and I was amazed that I'd forgotten how incredibly terrific this album is. Right up there with GUP, AFtK and Permanent Waves for me.

[Mosh]

Good album, not better than P/G (that's my favorite synth era, and definitely a top 5). Some really powerful moments on this album though, particularly the middle section of Marathon. Very nice production too.

[Zydar]

Way too much synths for my tastes, but it has some great songs despite the dated sound. Including Marathon which is a Top 3 Rush song for me.

[Mladen]

Another opportunity to quote my top 50 thread, where I placed this album at #49.

This is in my opinion Rush’s strongest album of the synth era, featuring some of their most melodic songs. The choruses are memorable and fun, but the songs are still detailed, progressive and a challenge to listen to. Lifeson’s guitar solos stick out in particular on this album, being that the listener isn’t constantly bombarded by guitar riffs due to the keyboards having a more central role. The keyboards give the band an extra layer of emotion and power, which became much more apparent to the fans years after the album was released. It’s a very unique album that proudly stands among the band’s best records.

Favorite songs: Marathon, Mystic rhythms, Middletown dreams

[King Postwhore]

My #1 album of all time.  It never sounds stale to me.  Uplifting, emotional and powerful. I am listening to it at work right now!

[jingle.boy]

I'll echo the sentiments of 'best synth-era album'.  It really is solid top to bottom.  I think I'd rank them very similarly to the Dude, with TBM and ED at the bottom.  Mystic Rhythms grew on me quite a bit, and Marathon is of course epic.  I knew most of these initially from ASOH, and then finally when I got the synth-era albums in the mid 00's, I kicked myself for not having this one sooner.

Sorry to go back, but still playing catchup with the 'Fun Facts':

Moving Pictures:
- the cover is meant to depict the front of Queen's Park... the Ontario Provincial Legislature building
- everyone better know this, but just for the sake of any newbies, YYZ is the three letter call for Toronto's Pearson International Airport, and the opening sequence is YYZ in morse code
- this too is likely common knowledge ... Red Barchetta was based on the story "A Nice Morning Drive", first published by Richard Foster - Road and Track November, 1973 (great read by the way)
- The Camera Eye refers to the U.S.A. Trilogy by author John Dos Passos... The 42nd Parallel (1930); 1919, (1932); and The Big Money (1936).
- Writing and recording took place at an old farm owned by Ronnie Hawkins, just north of Peterborough in mid-Ontario; mixing was done at Le Studio again
- opening acts for Rush in 80 and 81 included Saxon, Riot, Ian Hunter, FM, and of course, Max Webster

Signals:
- Ben Mink played violin on Losing It, and would later contribute to Geddy's solo album
- the samples in Countdown are actually from NASA, as the band had a friend who worked there at the time (Tempus?? ); this also included the video footage they displayed while touring
- opening acts for Rush on this tour would include Krokus, Golden Earing and Nazareth among others

[?]

Power Windows is worth getting for Mystic Rhythms alone!

This. Mystic Rhythms is a top 5 Rush song and PoW is a top 5 Rush album IMO - easily the highlight of the synth era.

[TAC]

  Funny that it took them nearly 30 years to get another album that was this *densely* good from front to back.   

Dense is a good way of describing this album. It just feels far more complete than the others in the synth era, and as you say, as complete an album as they have up until Clockwork Angels.

I'm not really a fan of this album, but listening to it this week, it was clear that the band was all in on this. It has a certain strength and a personality to it, and I think that's what seperates it.

[Lowdz]

Power Windows is worth getting for Mystic Rhythms alone!

This. Mystic Rhythms is a top 5 Rush song and PoW is a top 5 Rush album IMO - easily the highlight of the synth era.

Mystic Rhythms is sooo good 

[nicmos]

Mystic Rhythms is sooo good 

does it capture your thoughts and carry them away? 

[Phoenix87x]

Power Windows is worth getting for Mystic Rhythms alone!

This. Mystic Rhythms is a top 5 Rush song and PoW is a top 5 Rush album IMO - easily the highlight of the synth era.

Mystic Rhythms is sooo good 

Mystic Rhythms 

[Orbert]

I finished a spin of Power Windows, first time in a while, and it's a bit better than I remembered.  For one thing, Neil is absolutely on fire.  He's a beast.  The mix is great; he's not way out front or anything, but man, he is present, an equal third of the band.  I find the production pretty much perfect.  You can hear all the parts, everything's mixed well, and it sounds great.

The keyboard work is also a bit better than I remembered.  As I said earlier, Geddy's not exactly a virtuoso, but he's such a great musician that it's come gonna through in his playing.  As fledgling keyboard player in the 80's myself, I used to look in the credits for things like "keyboard programming by..." so I could scoff, knowing that they weren't a "real" keyboard player.  Because a real keyboard player programs his own synths.  I think I've mellowed just a little bit.  I still scoff when appropriate (of course!) but what matters most is the music, the final product.  And that has always been the case, I just didn't see that for a while.

Alex's guitar work is great, but he was into this Andy Summers type thing with a big emphasis on texture and tone and fuzz, and the screaming solos were kinda tabled for a while since they wouldn't really have fit this kind of music.  So the guitar work doesn't really stand out unless you're specifically listening for it.  As always, it serves the music well.  I think Alex could have pushed the guitars a bit more, but instead he chose to let Geddy have his fun for a while.  And that's fine.  But if asked, he has to be honest and say that he wasn't completely thrilled by it, so that maybe seems a little unfair.  Or maybe Geddy really did push harder during these sessions and Alex backed off, wanting to keep the peace.  I don't know.

Overall, a great album, lots of good stuff here, just not really my thing.

[King Postwhore]

That was the sound of the time Bob.  I love his emotional solos on this album.  Geddy is a beast on this album and I love his sound on it.  During this tour, I loved seeing Marathon live.  The whole album is so uplifting even though some of the songs themes are dark.

Speaking of themes, this is a thematic album.  I love the loose concept of power and we shall never forget this is where Alex became HRH.

[Orbert]

Home Run Hitter?