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Grace Under Pressure

Rush - Grace Under Pressure Audio CD

A fair review of the Rush "Grace Under Pressure" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Rush reviews here, or go back to the Rush tabs.

Band: Rush
Title: Grace Under Pressure
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-06-03
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Distant Early Warning 2: Afterimage 3: Red Sector A 4: Enemy Within 5: Body Electric 6: Kid Gloves 7: Red Lenses 8: Between the Wheels

A dark, tense masterpiece
" I think they deal with heavy stuff on this album lyrically, tackling the death of a close friend on "Afterimage" and the Holocaust internment camps on "Red Sector A. This is another Rush album I really enjoy, after "Permanent Waves" and "Vapor Trails. " This is a deeply personal album for the band, and yields some very brooding, dense music that leads the listener on a journey into the darker aspects of life. Part 3 of the Fear Trilogy is brought to completion as "The Enemy Within" on this record (until they introduced Part 4 on Vapor Trails) and it is probably my favorite of the 4 songs in the Fear series. Its a great song, very reflective of the rock mantra of rebellion against complacency, and is one of the best songs on the CD. I like "Between the Wheels" as a closer to the album, its a jarring song that they brought out of the woodwork into live performance on their recent tours, and its just a great song about cold war mentality and society in general. There are a couple of weaker songs on here that are somewhat dated, but for the most part this album is awesome. Definitely check it out if you are interested in Rush music.

Very respectable
This album features more guitar by Alex Lifeson, as opposed to SIGNALS. Rush's 1984 release, GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, was very keyboard-driven, and picked up where SIGNALS (1982) left off. Still, I give the two albums similar ratings, though GUP has a fresher sound. The album starts off with Distant Early Warning--a perfect beginning. I remember staying up late to watch the WORLD PREMIERE VIDEO of this song on MTV!!! I was 14 years old, and remember it so vividly. The song is great, as is most of the others. After listening to this album, the die-hard fan knew that more keyboard/synthesizer releases were inevitable as the mid-eighties approached. This album officially showed that Rush was in pure transition at this time. Still, there's a lot to like about GUP. The songs: DISTANT EARLY WARNING: Well-balanced song that rocks---a good starter (9/10) AFTERIMAGE: Lots of synths, nice melody (8/10) RED SECTOR A: A tad overrated, in my opinion, but if I were to pick a song from this album that best exemplifies the sound and concept of this album, this song would be it (7. 5/10) THE ENEMY WITHIN: A nice moving and grooving song that's well-balanced with guitar and keyboards (10/10) THE BODY ELECTRIC: Actually the first song I ever heard from this album, nice changes (8/10) KID GLOVES: This one is very catchy, and I like the drumbeat and guitar solo, an overlooked song (9/10)RED LENSES: I view this song as the one that sets the tone for their next album, POWER WINDOWS (8/10) BETWEEN THE WHEELS: A song with a little attitude, nice changes, and it rocks (10/10) Overall, GUP is an enjoyable album, but not where you want to start your CD collection. Instead, start with PERMANENT WAVES, MOVING PICTURES or 2112.

Yep!
However, I liked it when I heard it for the first time. Some people say that this is one of the most difficult albums that Rush has ever made. "Distant Early Warning" and "Red Sector A" are classic Rush songs. Also the part one of Fear which is "The Enemy Within" is absolutly amazing. The other parts of Fear that had been released before this album are Witch Hunt (part III) {in Moving Pictures} and The Weapon (part II) {in Signals}. The keyboards especially very powerful in these songs. The only song I don't like so much is "Red Lenses" which has it moments but I find it too poppy for me. Well, a great album from Rush.
Stars: Red Sector A, The Enemy Within, Distant Early Warning.

Vastly underrated masterpiece
I think the increased reliance on synthesizers is a bit off-putting to some fans, but it's not overpowering yet (Hold Your Fire is where the synths began to dominate Rush's sound to unfortunate effect, and the band wisely scaled them back on Presto). This is IMHO one of Rush's absolute masterpieces, easily on a par with Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals and Presto. It's a logical extension of some of the sounds that appeared on Signals and works equally well here as it did in that context.

One of my friends calls this Rush's "cyberpunk" album, and his desciption makes sense. These songs seem somewhat unified thematically, displaying a world descending into chaos and high-tech dystopia. The core of this album (to the extent it has one core) is "The Body Electric," where the lyrics describe an android at death's door exhibiting some very human characteristics. Other songs describe the horrors of the holocaust and the threat of looming global disasters (war, be it nuclear or otherwise). "Kid Gloves" is a plea for understanding in typical Rush form, an expression of hope for increased sensitivity in a world where brutality is becoming more and more common. Overall the album has a very "cold war" feel to it, which has just as much relevance in an era where the threat has shifted to global terrorism and ecological disaster. The album is just as relevant today as it was during the 1980s, and (IMHO) exists in a space outside its immediate era (ie, it is truly timeless).

In terms of the musicianship, the band exhibits its strengths in full force. Alex Lifeson is all over this disc, not letting the synths push him out of the way. His playing has morphed from the more straight-ahead rock of the 70s era into something more ambient and textural. Geddy's bass is fast and furious, providing the underpinning for these complex songs. His synths add some modernistic coloration. Neil Peart's drumming is lean, subtle and startlingly precise. The shorter, more slimmed-down song structures work well for the band, forcing them to condense their complex ideas into a more readily accessible language.

Overall one of Rush's most complex and interesting efforts, and a true masterpiece in all possible ways.

Awesome album
It's almost like a concept album in that the subject matter on a lot of the songs have to do with the Cold War/Nuclear Age that was happening at that time, and the fear that was prevalent in the world. Grace Under Pressure is awesome. After many people said that their previous album, Signals, suffered from a lack of guitar by Alex Lifeson (something that is not the case, in my opinion), I think Rush made an effort to try to "correct" this "problem" and gave Lifeson the floor so to speak. The album has lots of synthesizers, but Lifeson's guitar is just as loud and upfront as the synthesizers. It's a good balance, whereas on Signals his guitar is more in the background, but definitely not absent. Whether this was done by the members of Rush to quiet critics of Signals, or if it was done to satisfy Lifeson (if he himself felt he was shortchanged on Signals), the bottom line is that this balance works really well on this album. Some of Lifeson's best guitar playing can be heard on this album, in such songs as Distant Early Warning, Afterimage, Red Sector A, The Enemy Within, and Kid Gloves, to name a few. The overall tone of most of the songs on this album is actually on the darker side. In my view, this was the second album of the new era of Rush that began in 1982 with Signals. This was the era of mellowing out somewhat and getting away from doing epic length songs. If you are new to Rush's music and want a truly great album with some cool songs, get this album. If you like the more mellow Rush that spans from 1982 to the present day and you don't yet have this album, buy it. It might turn out to be your favorite or one of your favorites.

You can see a complete list of all Rush discography, or go back to the Rush tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.