Power Windows
by Rush

'Grace Under Pressure' moved the band out of the progressive arena and into a much more synth based eighties sound which absolutely worked for Rush. A number of excellent synth based albums followed and I sometimes forget how good this one is. 'Manhattan Project' and 'Mystic Rhythms' are personal favourites along with 'Marathon' for those beautiful very eighties synth cords and amazing guitar solo. Interestingly the 'nuclear' theme carried through most of 'Grace Under Pressure' and is touched on through this album too.

From Fischman TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/14/2016 22:21 | #180162 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Horribly underrated Rush album here. 8 cuts, all great. Big Money and Manhattan Project rightfully got lots of love, but the overlooked Emotion Detector also deserves to be a classic. (Edited)

From anandrajan 09/10/2015 01:26 | #149436 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

This album saved my life. Playing Marathon and Territories over and over brought me out of a depression. The rating is therefore hardly objective. I will say that besides Grand Designs and Emotion Detector, the songs have aged reasonably well (with Rush even playing most of the CD on their Clockwork Angels Tour).

Highlights are:

1. The Big Money (the song really picks up half way through).
2. Manhattan Project: the strings add a nice element.
3. Marathon: Really good solo and the chorus at the end is majestic.
4. Territories: Once you get past the dance beat, the song clicks. Fabulous closing.
5. Middletown Dreams: Great interplay between synth and guitar after the 2:00 mark.
6. Emotion Detector: Outrageous solo but cheesy opening.
7. Mystic Rhythms: Ethereal soundscapes.

This is the most underrated album in Rush's catalog. I almost gave it a 95 (the same as Moving Pictures!), but I settled on 90 because it can get a little too cheesy in some places. It's probably my second favorite Rush album.

This is the album where Rush went BEYOND New Wave into their own realm of Synth-Driven 80s Synth Nerd Rock. It was symphonic/power metal for its time. They sound so unique on this album. It's like...taking classic Rush and mixing it with Duran Duran and giving it the sharpest production imaginable.

I can't say enough about this album; it hits in all the right places. People say the album is "cold", but I consider it quite warm and positive. I feel -happy- when I listen to this album! The synths are a little dated, sure, but they add so much to the songs and give them such color. Alex Lifeson was kind of marginalized during this album; his guitar work isn't really in the forefront. This may have actually helped the album, because in the few moments when he does get a chance to shine (the solos) he delivers some of his best work ever!

The rhythm section is at its peak here; Geddy and Neil deliver some of their best work on this album. The basslines of songs like "Marathon" and "Emotion Detector" are simply incredible. Geddy and Neil were quite possibly the best in the genre on their respective instruments by this point.

Like I said, the synths can get a little -too- cheesy at times, especially on "Grand Designs" and even "Emotion Detector". Also, "Territories" is missing something important, something powerful. Still, most of these songs rank highly in my list of Rush songs, and for good reason: they're packed with world-class melodies, basslines, atmospherics, and guitar solos.

The album's closer, "Mystic Rhythms," is nothing short of a masterpiece. The synths paint an amazing landscape while Neil's electronic percussion is chilling and powerful. Lifeson's guitar bursts and shimmering riffs mingle with the synths brilliantly. An unbelievable album closer.

Pushing much further into synth territory but the bass, drums and guitars are still of such quality. The songwriting is tight and this is still a good Rush album.