GRACE UNDER PRESSURE

The first of my top three reviews is for an album by a band that are very special to me. Special, that is, in a different sense than the two bands who rank above them, because they paved the way for those bands' very existence. Canada's Rush, in the mid- 1970s, invented progressive metal. They fused the sounds of early metal bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple with the sound of British progressive rock in the vein of Genesis and King Crimson, effectively creating my favorite genre. My favorite album of this band is one that came out ten years into their career, Grace Under Pressure. Rush fans and n00bs alike have accused me of having poor taste in Rush, maybe because Grace could be thought of as the sequel to its precursor, Signals, because both albums tend to be dominated by keyboards, but further listens should reveal that this is an entirely different kind of animal, perhaps the most bestial metal experience Rush released from 1984 to the present, save for Vapor Trails.

Since this is also a thread about your three favorite bands, this demands a bit of background. I got into Rush when I was a wee lad of ten or eleven, listening to classic rock radio and hearing songs like "Tom Sawyer" and "Fly by Night". It took until two years later, when I finally got into metal, to buy my first record of them, Moving Pictures. It was an album that demanded your full attention, and that intrigued me. I was a prog nut before I even realized what prog was, and I was interested by the weird time signatures and experimental use of instruments. Rush meant much to me in my formative years, and they remain high on my favorite band list.

And so commences the review of the album, song by song.

1. Distant Early Warning- The album kicks off on a fresh and positive note, and the guitars and synthesizers are more or less evenly distributed in the production. That delicate balance is struck time and time again on the album, which is one of the reasons it is my favorite from Rush. Lyrically, Neil is at the height of his game, weaving a tale that can be taken as metaphoric for the Cold War tension of the time (Leonard Roberto, author of A Simple Kind Mirror, argues that Grace is a concept album about the East-West conflict). Geddy Lee's voice is truly great on this song and the album in general. This is a vocal from a short-lived era (roughly 1984-1991) during which he no longer utilized his shriek, nor had his voice begun to wither away. On an album full of gems, it's hard to say which one is my favorite, but this one just may take the prize.

2. Afterimage- This is a highly personal song. A friend of Geddy and of the band died in an accident during the sessions for the album, and he was immortalized in lyrics that read as a eulogy. Geddy recalls talking and drinking in the misty dawn, and skiing fast through the woods with this stranger to the fanbase but beloved friend to the band. Alex Lifeson, guitar god, steals the show on this, with his tasteful fills during the verses and equally tasteful take on an atmospheric interlude. The song is all in all a classic, and was probably my favorite one on the album on my first listen to the album.

3. Red Sector A- Wow. If you want to shed a tear listening to Rush, go for this song. It isn't a ballad, but it evokes twice the emotion of any power ballad you could name. Geddy's parents were both Holocaust survivors, and this song is a brutal description of the horrors which occurred during those years. The imagery is powerful, referring to "ragged lines of ragged gray" and depicting "skeletons, they shuffle away". As a personal crusader of teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and acquaintance of one of the Mengele survivors, this song truly touches the core of my soul. Musically, dreary minor chords dominate, and there is heavy synth use. The instrumental sections do just what music should, it conveys the message of the lyrics just as powerfully as the lyrics themselves. This song is another classic.

4. The Enemy Within- This is Part One, therefore the last song (Rush can count backwards because they have more money than you), of the "Fear Trilogy". The listener, after listening to a song about bereavement and a song about the Holocaust, needs this song. It picks up with a happy rhythm, and has a generally enjoyable vibe to it. The album's title probably comes from this song (that and Rush's high opinion of themselves ), featuring the line "I'm not giving in to security under pressure." The Fear Trilogy ends on a high note and the song is a wonderful way to end side one of the vinyl of the year, 1984.

5. The Body Electric- Kudos to Walt Whitman for writing "I Sing the Body Electric" and inspiring Neil Peart to write another technology-based song (the other great one has a twenty-one and a twelve somewhere in it). This is the story of an escaped humanoid trying to reprogram himself in the "hot desert sun". If you're curious, Geddy sounds very good in binary code. S.O.S.

6. Kid Gloves- Ignore the very stupid title and get to the actual lyrics (well, except the part that rephrases the very stupid title). You'll realize that Peart is sort of penning a sequel to "Subdivisions". The guitar is the showcased instrument (Except for the drums. I only haven't mentioned those because every single Rush song showcases the drums. Neil can't help it.). Alex plays an aggressive staccato riff and segues right into the powerful vocals that Geddy belts out over sustained chords and truly metal riffage. Rush were such forerunners. You can sense the Dream Theater itching to get out in songs like these.

7. Red Lenses- If there's a song that could possibly be linked to the Red Scare/Cold War/Communist theory that Mr. Roberto came up with, it is this song. Opening directly with Geddy singing, "I see red", this song seems to be a jaundiced look at the fear that was spreading the western hemisphere, and had been since the '50s. Perhaps he is wagging an accusing finger, perhaps he was joining in the fear. It's quite hard to tell. But children, beware, there may be Soviets hiding under your bed, according to this song. The song is, again, awfully metal, disproving the uneducated horses who try to accuse Rush of abusing keyboards on this album. This is the album's weak link, to be certain, but that doesn't keep it from being an incredible song.

8. Between the Wheels- Sure, it's keyboard-dominated, but this dreary showcase of skills is a perfect closer for a perfect album. If you want to see it in it's most incredible version yet, buy the R30 DVD. Geddy's vocals aren't as good, but Alex sounds great on it. The nihilistic theme reemerges, saying that the way mankind is headed, we could see "Another war, another wasteland, another lost generation." The song clocks in just under six minutes, and is fittingly epic for its length (the longest on the album, though it seems quite short). The soloing is downright insane during the instrumental section. Geddy's vocals on the chorus sound great too, especially the last time around. I can hardly explain just how good this song is. You may find yourself listening to it several times in a row without cease. Buy the album.

Do I have to tell you? 100%.