PRESTO

Though an album that has some very strong offerings, and some complete essentials, this is more one for the fans. This album definately has more of a pop taste to it as the 90s approachs, and where the late 80s and early 90s Rush had more experimental material happening this album is kind of lost, attempting rock, post-prog and pop music in a sort of mish-mash that Rush doesn't normally come out with. However, if you're a big fan of the Hold Your Fire/Roll The Bones era of Rush, don't pass this one up!

Some songs on this album are very friendly to the listener's ears, with SUPERCONDUCTOR and SHOW DON'T TELL being very often heard my local radio, each song is good, very catchy, but that's not what Rush and prog fans love about the band. There aren't really any low points to be had, but what makes me give this album the rating it's getting is the lack of high points. Most songs are fairly average, and where each one does have it's charm, you have to really appreciate the angle that each one is being told from. The few high points on the album include the solumn THE PASS, a song about teenage suicide, CHAINLIGHTNING, a pop-flavored prog track that is actually quite good a few times around, and the increadble diamond in the rough AVAILIBLE LIGHT. This is a track highlighted with increadable vocals and instrumention, which really is where the whole album should have been going, what an album that would have been!

In the end it's an enjoyable album that ultimately gets a 2.5 star rating for having less longevity than most of Rush's albums, and, really, being more of a fan only thing. Rush fans will find a lot to like on this album (I did), but prog fans looking to get into Rush had better avoid this one. Good, but fans/collectors would find it more enjoyable than others.

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