Reviewed By: Nicholas R. Andreas
Artist: Rush
Album: Power Windows
Genre: Progressive Rock
Year of Release: 1985
On Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Windows-Rush/dp/B000001ESX/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1220573196&sr=8-1 What happens when re-invention meets near perfection? The answer lies within Rush’s 1985 release, Power Windows. The album is one of two Rush albums to follow a theme within every song. The front of the album is a boy sitting at a window, the back is the same boy looking out at the viewer with binoculars, and both images fit the theme of observing power.
The opening cut, “The Big Money” quickly leads into the concept of the album and delivers an intriguing new look at Rush of the time. On Moving Pictures synthesizers began playing large roles in a number of songs, and during the next two albums they would take over. On Signals and Grace Under Pressure the synths were thick, heavy, and the force of the music. With “The Big Money”, as with the rest of Power Windows we finally see the balance between synths and guitar, between adding depth and overuse, and we see Rush come into the 80’s musical movement with the same awesome force that it dominated the 70’s with. The producer on the album is Peter Collins, who at the time was known for working with British pop talent. With many acts this would have ended badly, but for Rush he would certainly prove to be the best producer they would ever work with outside of the famous Tim Brown. (Later produced Counterparts) Instead of turning Rush into a cheap pop act he served to smooth out Rush’s sound. The album sounds balanced, keyboards not dominating the album as on the previous record. And although the album is certainly more subdued than Grace Under Pressure, it is every bit of Rush as a fan would have come to expect. It delivers odd time signatures, funky grooves, and odd guitar tones, all to a rockin’ backbone.
“Manhattan Project” follows the famous story of the first atomic weapons and tells a haunting tale of how military forces, or more properly, simple tension around the world drive the innovation of deadlier and deadlier weapons. All this in front of some of the best music Rush produced in the entire decade. Although I rarely pay attention to lyrics at large, I must say that the track “Territories” shows what a genius Neil Peart is, not simply with a pair of sticks, but also with a pen. Through the course of human history few lines can be pondered as much as the following excerpt from “Territories.
We see so many tribes – overrun and undermined
While their invaders dream of lands they’ve left behind
Better people – better food – better beer
Why move around the world if Eden was so near?
Observations of power and motivation like the one above are scattered throughout the album and move it near the very top of Rush’s albums lyrically. “Middletown Dream” maintains for an entire song what many of the other songs on the album do in different sections. The song almost reaches out to your heart, taking hold, forcing you to listen as the atmospheric melodies dance in your head and Alex Lifeson’s scattered guitar bite at you like dozens of needles on your skin. The final song on the album, “Mystic Rhythms” manages to create a similar sensation. A difficult and atmospheric drum beat forms the backbone of the song while synthesizers and guitars weave their way in and out of the song delivering an emotional tour de force that has not been duplicated many times in Rush’s entire career. Not only is it an appropriate closer for Power Windows, in my opinion it was their best closer since Cygnus X-1, and seven studio albums later Rush have never created an equally amazing ending to an album.
My complaints of the album are minor and few. The tracks all run between five minutes, and six minutes and twenty seconds, mainly due to a more traditional verse/structure pattern that many prog fans may not take well at first. Also although “The Big Money” makes a good first impression for new listeners, being very accessible for more seasoned Rush fans the song certainly becomes overly poppy at times, however this track is luckily the only track to suffer from such a shortfall. Power Windows showed that Rush were able to adapt to a new sound in a manner few bands would ever be able to accomplish, and it continued the measure of quality and originality fans had come to expect, even while it took on some of the more obvious sounds of the 80’s.
Nick’s Rating – 9.5/10
Topic: [Music] Rush - Power Windows (Read 3350 times)