REACTION! RUSH Grand Designs 1985 POWER WINDOWS Album FIRST TIME HEARING

[@JustinPanariello]

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[@alexgarrido4607]

I used to skip over this song. Now I skip to get to it. Absolutely love this song.

[@jameyw98]

Could be my favorite song on this album. I love the guitar solo, and how Geddy is playing bass and singing over the end of the solo. Also love the lyrics!

[@howardbrown8432]

Mine too if I had to pic. But so many good ones.

[@justineapril7922]

As a longtime fan and old school hippie chick, I'm gonna keep shouting: LYRICS!!! Neil's intelligent lyricism is what separates Rush from any other band..."Life in two dimensions is a mass-production scheme...." The world is rarely black and white, good and bad, conservative and liberal.... "Grand Designs" is another example of how Rush "disguised" their message of humanity. LOVE 'EM!! ✌

[@toddc28]

We get exactly what you’re saying about their sound during this era. They are making a conscious effort to produce more accessible and perhaps unintentionally “pop” sounding songs. And also fully embracing the new technologies of the day. Certainty it’s not for everyone and some old school fans don’t like this era. But as someone who discovered these 80’s songs as they were being released I loved and was captivated by the new sounding Rush. They wouldn’t stay with this sound forever. Just about 4 albums. But I didn’t mind it at all. I love Grand Designs. It would be among my favorites on the album except that there are a couple others that are just fantastic. Grand Designs was played live on the Power Windows tour in 1986 and then brought back just once more in 2012.

[@graciefolden2359]

Well written, I agree.

[@zimmyfan617]

When I first got into Rush, I found the 80s stuff really hard to get into and for a lot of the same reasons you mention. It's definitely an acquired taste but I promise it's worth the effort. I now consider Power Windows one of their greatest albums and one that I've probably played as much as any other in their long discography.

[@howardbrown8432]

Agreed!

[@SaltyFrank1990]

Personnaly the earlier stuff was harder to get into.

[@PROGROCK-tr9hw]

Middletown dreams, Emotion detector and Marathon are great.

[@bobcarn]

"Some world views are spacious, and some are merely spaced"... one of my favorite lines from Neil. I always considered this song to be one of their underrated gems.

[@vj9988]

so many incredible lines are packed into this one. Love the one you said, and also "We break the surface tension with our wild kinetic dreams" God, fucking beautiful!! poetry!! R.I.P. Neil Peart 💙

[@chrisw2546]

Love this song! Check out the live version. Has more grit to it and rocks. Most of the songs on this album were even better live.

[@dennish72]

So much enjoying this

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

As mentioned before, Rush never duplicated their past albums, embracing technology, discovering new musical journeys. With these new sounds, Rush stood out. Some embraced their creativity, and some moved on in disappointment. Rush fans have to also realize, there is only one Working Man, one 2112, one Tom Sawyer, one Subdivisions, one Xanadu, etc.

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

even though Alex isn't like his pre-80's era heavy rhythm guitar on these mid 80's albums, his solo's are now very melodic and tasty. People should take notice Alex was an innovator and exploring more what a guitar could do, more melodic, arpeggios, harmonics, etc rather then a flying flurry of notes as most guitar heroes are known for.

[@ryancraig2795]

Marathon, Middletown Dreams, Territories, and Mystic Rhythms are my favorites from this album.

[@ResilientOne2112]

I like how you explained this era, it makes a lot of sense, my NEED for the PROG RUSH was disappearing and I didn't like or understand it at that time, in hindsight, this happened to every band I loved from the 70s, my Prog heroes like Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes ect...... were dealing with the same situation

[@martydavis547]

Love this song the guitar solo and the drum fill after the guitar solo is crazy. I have always liked everything they have done. Every album was a new journey for me!

[@leddygee1896]

This song and Middletown Dreams are my definite favorites on this LP They definitely dragged me into the 1980s with this one.

[@russellsnodgrass7534]

I tend to prefer the old hard rock Rush, but this period is also awesome, they pushed forward and experimented always looking to grow, this period is also, for me, a shift in Neil's philosophy and writing style focusing a bit more on the human experience...... I like it!

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

As a guitar player that loves 70's Rock, 80's Rush was on a new playing field. These albums made me stop trying to learn and play every new Rush song, and put the guitar down, and just listen.

[@ischmidt]

I appreciate that they didn't AC/DC us and just stop and remake 2112 half a dozen times.

[@robertpinazza4043]

Been a Rush fan since ‘82 and seen them live 24x. My first concert was in this synth era (GUP, ‘84), and I was a little disappointed then live with all of the tech in the sound, expecting a more ESL approach BUT, the level of musicianship they brought to this period of their music, be it in these shortened compositions, or the “fusionesque” approach that amalgamated rock-pop-reggae-punk-metal elements, looking back, is beyond good - they did it perfectly!! Signals, GUP, PW, HYF remain some of their most at accessible albums and still resonate with this old Rush devotee today as they did then. Love your reactions btw, paesan😁… And Geddy’s voice(yes!) combined with his crazy bass lines are a unique accomplishment in the music world- they’ll never be matched again imho. He's absolutely amazing

[@rush2112flyer]

A great album... was perfect in 1985. Still love it syth and all. It was what jammed in that day

[@The_Eric_Burt]

This is my favorite song. Makes me feel happy!

[@lionoftwo]

80's Rush had some of Neil's best lyrics period...also, they wrote as a band so many sick rhythms, melodies, memorable stuff...fire as the kids say nowadays ha.

[@mark-be9mq]

That's a really great reaction. You describe and explain what we, I, are hearing and why. Said what I felt abt this album. The tinny, shinny keys often dominatating the mix; its poppier & still they made it work for the most part.

[@chardo3440]

Rush were never afraid to have a dramatic shift in there sound. Always excited when a new album would come out because you never knew what to expect. Must have been awesome for them to have that freedom .

[@Mike80528]

There was a definite shift in audio engineering as well as music technology itself with the introduction of the MIDI standard...for me the constants were always Neil's drumming and lyrics - they just always shone through for me. It was a lot easier to ingest in that era when living it. It's different looking back...

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

at least, when Rush embraced the technology, they didn't write Radio Gaga.

[@dgolisch]

What you said in this reaction is exactly spot on! Even though you felt like we didn't understand.....we did.

[@neilpratt5937]

Best tune on the album. Seeing it played live was pretty awesome.

[@matthewhoag2609]

You hit the nail on the head with sound technology of the time. The digital and sampling synths changed the soundscape of the 80’s. Rush were ones to embrace the new and see what they could do with it. Alex especially has always been a gearhead. Seeing the evolution is part of the ride.

[@tencentwonders]

Back when you reacted to YYZ, you were curious about the "smack" sound that Peart does during the guitar solo and I said that that was an indication of his interest in "percussion events" that don''t necessarily sound like traditional drums. This album is where that interest really comes into its own.

[@vincetripodi1016]

This song for me is right up there…. Great sounds and bloody lyrics, just awesome

[@debbieplato5107]

I get exactly what you mean as I feel the same way. That was one of the thing with Rush is that they would take something to the very limit and then pull back and go in a totally different direction.

[@aspackblaze3583]

Such a great reaction! All of these songs sound so much better live because it's just more raw that way. All of the "shiny" production is stripped out.

[@edgarpacifico3421]

To fully understand the idea of PW we should figure out what was happening at the time, and I think you illustrated it well. Especially when you mention the transition between analogue to digital. But one thing is true... Rush have never been radio friendly, even in this era. Only a couple songs made it. Enjoying your journey into the rabbit hole 🙂!!!

[@ischmidt]

This. It's worth noting that Rush pulled in a lot of influences from bands that were legit pop hits in this period, but the songs were still fundamentally Rush rather than pop and didn't have any major success. New World Man was their highest-charting single and it made it to like #25. Contrast with Genesis, who went full-on pop.

[@niged]

A great overview Justin. A 70's band adjusting to all the new technology available in the 80's. Three kids in a sweet shop springs to mind!

[@terrywalshii9402]

Other then moving pictures I was cutting my teeth and discovering Rush during this time period. So for me I love this album and the next ones to follow for that matter. While waiting for the future albums to be released I had to go back and listen to all their earlier release’s and listen to them over and over to begin to like those albums. Love them all know.

[@toddmadden9777]

Instant classic... Todd from Ohio....

[@LonelyRocker]

There was definitely a bit of a fork in the road with Rush fans during this era. And you nailed it. Rush (mostly Geddy) got swept up in the new technology and went overboard with it for a few albums. Underneath it all there are some great songs on this record. One more album and they got over the whole keyboard thing. But a band that had the fortune to span decades, this is what happens, In hindsight it's fun to see the evolution ...

[@stevemunro2018]

Wow. I have never heard the transition in Rush's sound explained so well. Recording, effects and production of the traditional analogue instruments had to change to fit in with the "shiny, computery" sounds of the digital "instruments". I think you're going to love the bounce back (Presto album) when they (especially Alex) and producer Rupert Hine say, "ENOUGH". I saw an interview with Geddy, where he said, "why is my bass just hanging there, while I'm playing these triads (or whatever I was playing). THIS (referring his '72 Jazz) is my instrument."

[@JustinPanariello]

thank god... I'm in the middle of uploading my Hold Your Fire reaction videos and I mention it a few times... I miss the Jazz Bass.

[@stevemunro2018]

@@JustinPanariello Lol. I'm afraid the Jazz bass doesn't make an immediate comeback, but it IS coming! At least that puny Steinberger went away for ever.

[@DionysusAlS]

This is probably the most important song they ever did. Learn it, know it, live it.

[@warren_r]

On that measure I'd rate Nobody's Hero, Manhattan Project and Heresy above this song.

[@stevecollette6831]

Just a thought...... I'd love to hear your reactions to the lyrics, maybe in the recap video. I realize that you're listening to the songs/music for the first time, but much of the appreciation of Rush also comes from Neil's lyrics. Keep up the good work.

[@markferrett700]

I remember buying this album the day it was released,rushing home to play it and being surprised by how disappointed I was with it. It took me a good couple of years before I started to appreciate how good it was. I was hooked on Rush from the first time I saw them in London in 1979,so the transition of style and composition took a fair bit of getting used to. Although I still prefer the older harder Rush material I have to agree the digital production on this album and future albums there on showed just how talented the three guys are/were......total masters of their craft and art.

[@jackteppo9633]

Love this song!! A great album

[@davide.pedersen3378]

As a muso myself, I get where you're coming from regarding the keyboards. The band I was playing in in the '80s went through a similar transformation from analog to digital. And some of the sounds we used in our songs I wasn't real hip on. But I'll give you a piece of homework to do. Check out the live version of it from the Clockwork Angels tour. And rather than paying attention so much to the band and the music, watch the audience. As I've said in my past post, I had to listen a couple of times on some of the songs. But there were a lot of songs on this record that I liked the first time I heard them. Territories and Mystic rhythm being just a couple. I look forward to your reaction on those two songs specifically. But I've been enjoying watching your journey through all these albums. Good on you! 😎☮️

[@dsum4563]

Geddy "popping" again at the outtro...Love this tune. Such a great inspiring, uplifting and educational song. Such insight to the trappings of POWER.

[@PalimpsestProd]

You are seriously dedicated to this rabbit-hole.

[@JustinPanariello]

Yes welcome! I said I was gonna do it...i'm doing it. My first Rush reaction was back in Jan this year and it has progressed from there...

[@donnelson6694]

Totally understand your reaction/analysis. Thanks Justin.

[@Critical_Thinker858]

Two things I really like about Grand Designs are Neil's drum fills, particularly toward the end of the song. Some of them are really head scratchingly brilliant and I also love Geddy's bass tone. You really hear the difference between the Steinberger from GuP and the Wal on Power Windows.

[@mpkelley20]

The next group of albums are going to be similar for the length of songs. We really don’t get back into “prog” until Clockwork Angels. Although there are some songs on every album that push the boundaries. While shorter, they still have a lot packed into each song so a few listens and you’ll start to appreciate more. As for shift to digital, agree 100%. Rush actually has struggled quite a bit getting the right mix since switching. Albums like this are bright and sharp and “poppy” and then we had Presto which was a bit thin sounding. They got better with Roll the Bones and Counterparts. Those albums were done well. Then there was Vapor Trails…..if there was a list of things saying what not to do in a mastering and mixing perspective; Rush followed that perfectly. Not sure what version you’ll end up reacting to but if you do the original mix, you’ll hear muddy and static sound throughout. The remix is much more clear with better soundstage. Personally, I wish bands would go back to analog. Lol. There is a band called Soen that release an album a few years ago that was recorded on analog and it’s so great to listen to.

[@ischmidt]

The problem was that just as engineers really dialed in digital and we got great sounding records like Counterparts, Foo Fighters Colour And The Shape, and the Filter self-titled, brick wall mastering/"the loudness war" happened. If we could go back to 1995 standards I'd really be happy. But record companies all refuse to have their song be quieter on the radio than someone's else's.

[@markjensen5517]

Definitely a big difference when you've been a fan of the "old Rush". Took many years for me to like alot of these songs. But a couple of these songs I did like right away. Especially Marathon.

[@jasonwilliams6005]

Rush did the 80s as good or better than anyone. Rush changed and explored every decade. Never stale. Thats what made them always interesting.

[@rush2112flyer]

I can see in your videos on RUSH... Dude u get it !!!

[@christophmozure9413]

Yes poppy is right. Geddy wanted to be more pop driven then. You can almost hear the “joy” in his voice singing those songs.

[@rp9760]

Great breakdown. Lots of favs on this album. Often Grand Designs is my top.

[@ZIG4ZAG20]

If no one has mentioned yet, look at their discography and consider this: from 1974-1998 they developed a pattern of four studio albums and a live album. Within the four studio releases they would combine the best(or at least their most satisfying efforts)of the three previous releases on the fourth release=2112/Moving Pictures/Hold Your Fire/Test for Echo. Vapor Trails 2002, Snakes and Arrows, 2008, and Clockwork Angels 2012 all had the classic Rush elements from the three decades leading up to them, but still offered yet a newer Rush sound, and lyrical content, that was both relevant, refreshing and awe inspiring for the most musically inclined audience.🤘🖖✌️🎸🥁🎹🎤

[@warren_r]

This song is a great example of why Rush not only survived the entire 1980s, but really came out on top, when so many of their contemporaries struggled to stay relevant. They never lost sight of the fact that they're a three-piece rock band: guitar, bass, drums. The instrumental section in the middle of Grand Designs is constructed exactly like songs they were doing several years earlier on Permanent Waves. No gimmicks or tricks, just three guys rocking out like they had been doing since the beginning. Where so many of their contemporaries went wrong is that they left behind the things that brought them success in the first place. Genesis's Invisible Touch (released a few months after Power Windows) is a fine album but there's no hyperkinetic drumming from Phil and no guitar or keyboard solos to speak of. Jethro Tull was a mess at this point. King Crimson couldn't find a way to keep going. Yes's Big Generator is forgettable. Styx broke up. Pink Floyd only managed to put out two albums in the entire decade because of all their internal troubles. "Emerson Lake and Powell".... nothing more needs to be said. Soft Machine didn't make it, Gentle Giant didn't make it, Camel didn't make it, etc. etc.... I could name more bands, but the common story with so many of them is that they couldn't evolve their artistic and musical direction in a way that continued to work. Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason -- one of the few exceptions to the rule -- is an exceptional album to be sure, but even it doesn't have any of the lyrical magic that made all their 1970s albums amongst the most memorable in prog rock history.

[@bookhouseboy280]

My two cents Of all the pioneering prog bands, I find King Crimson to have been the most consistently innovative in the 80s. They were once again successful and without anachronistically falling back on what they did before on their last trio of groundbreaking albums. From 81-84, they achieved what they set out to do without becoming repetitious or worse, King Commercial! While Yes's revamped approach had become formulaic on some of BG, over half of it is as strong as 90125 and didn't dilute their progressive side nowhere near to the extent that Genesis's IT (not that It 😂) did. Since Yes bookended the 80's with the New Wave prog of Drama and ABWH reuniting, I would've probably tied them with Rush after Crimson if they had made one more quality album. ELPowell was very good and as progressive as they could probably get away with in the mid 80s. They had a lot to live up to so the expectations of some were rather unrealistic and one of the reasons they couldn't last in that commercial climate. Tull was indeed a mess. Styx imploded but Kansas kept at it, albeit in a more mainstream mode. AMLoR was really Gilmour's third solo and a fine one at that. As a Floyd album, it more or less makes all the right sounds but lacks Waters' songwriting and conceptual vision. The way I hear it, Power Windows is Rush firing on all cylinders, the culmination of where the band was headed since Signals. Along with MP, I consider it their most accomplished work.

[@craiggregory1773]

Well said on the analog/digital subject.

[@steveburns5441]

Good detailed reaction.

[@bdc1117]

spot on

[@grahamkey8496]

My favourite song on Power Windows. This song is a good example of how every verse in a Rush song has a slightly different arrangement even though the chords may be the same. It applies to every single instrument and keeps the interest going all through the song. Many of what have become Lifeson's trademarks are here, Geddy keeps things bubbling along nicely, Peart is immaculate as always, and guest keyboard player Andy Richards emphasises the happy busy major chords nicely. What's not to like? Yes it's shiny and drenched in effects, but that was the 80s all round. At least they didn't go full 90125-mode like some did!

[@biggie25x]

Yeah. Next few albums are very 80’s but they come back to their roots. I think you nailed it. There are things you can find in the songs that you find interesting. That holds true throughout but I like when they get back to their power trio roots a few albums from now.

[@ILSRWY4]

The biggest thing about the digital age is not so much the "new" sound but the sequencing and MIDI. Digital Sequencers were much more reliable and MIDI allowed multiple sounds tapped from other sources to be played at once and that is why it sounds the way it does. Because a LOT of those sounds ARE still analog sounds that were just stored and then digitized so they could be triggered through MIDI. But its the layering you get with MIDI and the sequencer that makes those sounds sound fuller and richer. A good example of this is the choir you here at the end of Marathon. That is a REAL human choir (analog) that they sampled, then digitized it and through MIDI is triggered to play back through the sequencer. I know, I lived through the musical transition in the late 70's through the late 80s.

[@jacquesjrviens3384]

This album, hold your fire and Presto are some of the few Rush records that you can listen to on a sunny day. Not as dark as their other albums which makes them unique in that sense. Most Rush records are heavy and sombre but not these 3. Lyrically also very interesting. Anyways, I like them a lot regardless of the 80's sounds and production. I was 12 when that album came out and it was better than Flock of seagulls, Duran Duran, the Cars and other stuff that was going own at the time. Rush was a bit more engaging and that's why I started playing drums !!!!!! :P

[@TheCentralScrutinizerAgain]

Love this song! Neil`s percussion is particularly awesome. Geddy on fire and Alex`s Solo i mean , it is in my top Twenty easily. And the outro? I mean.....has to be.

[@ljcalhoun]

No comment on Geddy's groovy bass lines driving the song forward?

[@antoniokofoed7139]

I feel like this was peak neil peart . Especially this song.

[@oldgoldandblack1]

Alex Lifeson in retrospect on some of this era: “Why am I looking for a place with all of these things that aren’t even real instruments?” I still like most of it though, and I like this one a lot.

[@ischmidt]

The mid-80s shift to mixing and mastering for CDs was similar to the late 60s/early 70s switch from tube consoles to solid-state. Some of the records from early in that transition period like Abbey Road definitely sounded different - not bad, just different. This song has some nice bass licks, and Neil's kick drum work is a lot of fun, but the highlight for me is the lyrics. "We break the surface tension with our wild kinetic dreams" is such a good and very Neil line.

[@kennyplay5982]

They were on FIRE then

[@georgespragens7589]

Strangely enough, my first Rush album was the next one (Hold Your Fire). Long story as to why, but at the time I had no idea about anything "Rush" except I had just heard a really cool song of their on the radio and when it was over the DJ said, "That was Rush!" but he didn't give the name of the song. So I started buying albums starting with the newest one to find that song again. I loved Hold Your Fire and Power Windows from the start (even though neither had the song I was looking for) and as I went backwards buying albums I liked each album as much as the first two I had. So, there isn't really an era of Rush I don't like -- I just recognized early on that each album was going to be very different from the other ... and full of cool stuff to hear. (Incidentally -- the song I was looking for but whose name I didn't know turned out to be "The Spirit of Radio". Figured that out when I got a copy of "Exit, Stage Left". And for you young kids who don't understand why I didn't know the song name -- there was a time when radios didn't have screens that told you name/artist/album/etc. If the DJ didn't tell you the name of a new group or song when you heard it (or if you missed him saying it), you had to figure it out somehow. And in this case, this was one of those songs whose name isn't really used in the song itself. Had to buy six records before I figured that out (I bought "Moving Pictures" before "Exit, Stage Left").

[@richierich398]

You’re scaring me with the thumbnails! I’m like he hates it, oh no😂. Great analysis. I think this song describes the band Rush perfectly. They kind of observe what’s going on musically around them at the time, then put their own spin on it. Often times, they were ahead of their time. And for that reason, I believe that’s why so many bands cite Rush as one of their influences. They never had a hit song even though their career spanned 4 decades. I’m sure that if they listened to the record label or the big wigs of the music industry they could’ve easily cranked out more hit songs. I think they created the music that they wanted to create. Even if it sounded more poppy or more commercial , they never fully embraced that.

[@JustinPanariello]

Just wait for my Hold Your Fire thumbnail lol

[@obiwanbenobi4943]

@@JustinPanariello Hahahaha!...

[@youtoo2233]

This album definitely sounds very 1985! For some reason I think of the '85 movie The Breakfast Club when I hear it

[@dmatianmedia]

The "poppy" elements are the boys' way to fly under the radar and make virtuosity palatable to the masses. Pretty much the same way that Steely Dan masks their darkness under a smooth glossy wrapper!

[@Smartie1]

Well said

[@cobbycaputo3332]

On this song, Alex is definitely showing how influenced he was at this moment by The Edge. The whole sound of Rush in this phase was very influenced by New Wave. This is a good song, but man when I listened to this in the Fall of 85, I really missed the old days. Like I said yesterday, at this phase of my life, I just retreated to my 70's Yes, King Crimson, Rush, Genesis, etc. The only really successful shift-to-the-80s proggy band for me was King Crimson, whose trio of albums from 81-84 were so innovative. To my ear, they managed to merge the prog-70s with 80s New Wave the best.

[@ischmidt]

Neil has said Alex was really into The Fixx at the time too, and you can definitely hear it in some of his tones and playing. (Also The Fixx's producer was Rupert Hine, who came in for Presto and Roll The Bones).

[@jcla1234]

I think of this as their David Foster era. The songs are well constructed and performed, but they are just so bright and poppy. If you ignore the sequencers and bright keys and focus on the analog playing, there’s lots of good stuff there.

[@JustinPanariello]

David Foster that's hilarious lol love it

[@putinontheblitz359]

These sequenced synth parts have Yes 90125 written all over them. You can even here the 90125 imfluence in the tone and use of the synth stabs in Big Money. The rebirth and modernization of the Yes sound in 1983 must have been a guide for Rush at that time.

[@elvwood]

I think you have put your finger on why this not my era of Rush, even though there is nothing bad about it. I enjoy these albums, but I'll never seek them out. Good analysis!

[@danalioto3146]

I usually lump this album in to the era prior to this album. Meaning It goes with Moving Pictures, Signals, Grace Under Pressure era. But maybe I am wrong in that. We will see how I feel after listening all the way through with you. This song definately goes with the era after it.

[@JustinPanariello]

As you'll see in my Overview... I get why you would put it in that catagory, after many listens to it... but its tough lol. I thinks it's a different era probably.

[@evanswendy9773]

Yes, they do sound rather poppy! This music belongs on an 80's movie soundtrack!

[@Frankincensedjb123]

I never paid too much attention to the technology. People get too hung up in the minutia, nor do I care about whether the songs sound popish, progressive, whatever. What about the groove? As far as the bass, drums, and guitar, it's Rush at its rockin', funkiest best. For me, this was their last good album. After Power Windows, I think they lost their groove. The songs are not distinguishable. I have a hard time telling one from the other. For me, it was Fly by Night to Power Windows. Those ten albums are chock full of great material, no matter the technology or genre. Rush!

[@danielwolski873]

Analog Kid became Digital Man🙂

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

Actually, started off as a Working Man.

[@michaelzack5581]

The word you're looking for instead of 'poppy' is 'accessible'

[@nicholassmith479]

Not bad. Good start for this album

[@surfeit5910]

Me as a young, dumb, teenager who had picked up a guitar just 1 year earlier, was more into Fly By Night and Working Man kind of songs. Later on me as a guitarist in a Rush cover band, felt like taking the stupid teenaged me into a back alley and slapping him around. Trying to learn the songs off of this album made me want to stop playing guitar because I knew I didn't have the genius Alex did when he wrote those pieces. This and their next 3 albums also bridge that gap between the more mainstream Pop side of me, and the hardcore Prog side of me and tend to be my 4 most played albums in their catalog just because you get a taste of every side of Rush.

[@chriskangeter8993]

Theres a couple songs on here i appreciate, but for the most part, this is when I took leave of Rush for a while. Just wasn't tripping the trigger for me...But I came back on Snakes and Arrows and LOVE Clockwork Angels...But I'm gonna stick around to see if anything I missed.. maybe there's a new appreciation for...?

[@chrisbrooks67]

Rush light.

[@hardenscragg3796]

Production wise they were definitely going for Yes 90125

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

You mentioned Pop and Commercial. Yeah, that's mainstream. This wasn't Duran Duran, U2 or anything else on the radio or early years of MTV. It was Rush. Every new Rush album, it was literally a new Rush sound. Every freaking album. Always. Maybe Rush was trying to get there their own way, and do something no band has done before.

[@geddylee501]

You got it right there, new album new sound every time...they did that a lot over the years and you kinda get used to it!

[@richardcage7328]

I think the word you are looking for is accessible. Don’t think anything they have done is “Pop” but definitely more accessible to the average listener

[@KennethStCyr-dv6cm]

So...ever since Justin said he was going to react to PW, I've been trying to decide which song will be his favorite one. I dont know, he's been hard to predict. So, Ill pick my favorite, Middletown Dreams LOL..wont be but just no way to tell.

[@danlawrence4351]

This is the type of song that made me say “wtf! There goes Rush now too”. Thank God SRV came along at this time

[@DionysusAlS]

So, according to you, Rush was just supposed to keep doing Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures forever and not adapt to the times and not try to attract new listeners. Got it.

[@danlawrence4351]

@@DionysusAlS oh good! I had confidence you’d get it eventually

[@TheOnyxSpy]

Imagine being scared and mad because a band decided to experiment with their sound, even though that was their ENTIRE IDENTITY 🤦🏻

[@danlawrence4351]

Imagine being clueless about what you’re talking about, yet not having the common sense to realize you should remain silent. Rush wasn’t following a unique path, they were moving in the direction of other bands in that era. It didn’t make them more unique, it made them more similar. Did Duran Duran or Flock of Seagulls have a 40 year career? No. Rush eventually came to their senses and left this era in the rear view mirror.

[@williamhill6447]

Rush did a great job trying to remain their own sound, while inhabiting their space within the sounds of the 80s. I agree with your assessment. The songs are cool-- but some of the “shininess” your describing sounds like the background soundtracks to hand of the 80s feel good movies of the period.

[@williamhill6447]

What I will say, having seen Rush live countless times, is that they always delivered live what sometimes seems absent just listening to an album-- Big Money was a huge fan favorite when they performed it live.

[@williamhill6447]

What I will say, having seen Rush live countless times, is that they always delivered live what sometimes seems absent just listening to an album-- Big Money was a huge fan favorite when they performed it live.

[@Shawnee845]

I have to say you're right everybody wanted to incorporate technology. the adverse effect is what you hear. like it or not

[@grazynafrey7545]

'Grand Designs' is more complex musically than 'Big Money', apart from the intro. That's why 'BM' made it on the radio and 'GD' did not. The lyrics didn't help, either. I get what you're saying about the 'Ohh, ohh', but the rest of the song is so full of sound changes that you have to call it prog-like, therefore completely unacceptable to an average ear listening to the wireless.

[@VAFS001]

I am going to get butchered for this comment, but this song goes into my 'Rush Elevator Music' folder. I have quite a few in there.

[@JustinPanariello]

I finished Hold Your Fire and am uploading now... Power Windows is an incredible masterpiece in comparison lol

[@KilgoreTrout1972]

@@JustinPanariello HYF is considered by many, including the band as their worst album. I don't disagree. You're in luck though, their sound changes again with Presto. Are you doing A Show of Hands? It nicely bookends the synth era.

[@mpkelley20]

@@JustinPanariello you better not trash Tai Shan. A masterpiece that I hold up there with Rivendell. Ok…joking aside, it’s better than Rivendell but it’s still a cringe worthy song.

[@lvgelfling72]

@@JustinPanariello Luckily Hold Your Fire was the last straw for Alex. Lol. The end of the synth era. But Time Stand Still will always be in my top 10. Love hearing it live and what the song represents. Agree though. At the bottom of my favorite albums.

[@Maltiris]

@@JustinPanariello lol I can understand sir. Glad you made through it, and I hope it didn't end your run through the albums. Maybe that's why I thought Presto sounded great.

[@mjm5081]

❤ ❤... ❤

[@yes_head]

As a graphic designer I thought the lyrics were about my business, but regardless I don't think they're Neil's best. They feel like something he whipped out quickly. The music is also pretty "meh", IMO (I agree there's a more conscious effort going on to write more "pop-y" music.) "Grand Designs" has some interesting moments, but nothing about it grabs me all that much. And I totally get what you're saying about the production, Justin. I just think it's more glaring listening to it today than it was then. Back in 1985 pretty much *everything* was sounding like this, so Power Windows sounded "normal" in context of what everyone else was doing (even the hair metal bands were getting the slick, digital treatment!)

[@raskolqqq]

Great album. Great performances. Great arrangements. But yes, overly shiny! At times the keyboards feel uncomfortable--with uncomfortably high frequencies. The low end feels lacking across this entire album. Still, it is a top 10 Rush album.

[@michaellynch2497]

Favourite off the album, power reggae without being reggae. There's some amazing playing going on but all those sequencers and triggers kind of take your attention away. Wasn't sure about Alex's guitar tone at this stage, maybe less reverb as the solos are awesome.

[@rushrules81]

No my favorite by any means but still like it more than Mystic Rhythms...lol. Manhatten Project is a great song but it's a lyrical song, music isn't quite as interesting but it sets the mood well...and great live with nuclear bomb going off on the big screen behind them!

[@timdeck]

Thats what I thought it's more poppy. I get the technology changed and remember it's not moving pics or permanent waves preference. Parts are ok but some of it was kinda corny to me. These first 2 are ok but there's some just not likable. If I remember on the last interview with Geddy there's a song on this album he doesn't even like. Now I know there's some this is their favorite and that's great! Just not not mine. Lol As always enjoy your critiques. Keep going man !

[@johncritchlow8156]

From a musical stand point, it's outstanding, just not a go to song for me. The engineering is what I enjoy here.