POWER WINDOWS

Despite the presence of two strong songs, Power Windows is the low point of 1980s Rush. To many fans of "heavy prog," that's a pretty damning indictment, given how this era of the band is viewed. Here, probably more than anywhere else, Rush seems to be in search of the perfect pop song. That's not a problem per se - - the Beatles were on the same quest - - but Rush succeeds at a low rate in such endeavors. "Marathon" is a successful attempt at a pop song with universal applicability, but it comes at the cost of unsuccessful attempts like "Emotion Detector" and "Middletown Dreams." "Manhattan Project" is an unlikely mix, a catchy art-pop song focused on the grey areas of an enduring historical and political question. "Grand Designs" and especially "Mystic Rhythms" have very similar aspirations, but fall flat to these ears.

The remaining songs, "The Big Money" and "Territories," are a bit harder to place on a one-dimensional successful-to-unsuccessful continuum. Each is a more enjoyable listen than "Grand Designs," "Mystic Rhythms," "Emotion Detector," or "Middletown Dreams." But in both cases, much of the enjoyability is derived from conspicuous elements whose impact is blunted upon repeated listens.

My complaints here deal with both the production and composition of the songs on Power Windows, and in terms of composition, both the lyrics and the music; this isn't a simple case of lyricist Neil Peart falling down on the job. Long before Power Windows, Peart's lyrics were an integral part of the Rush package, and they're of roughly the same quality as those on Signals or Grace Under Pressure. The issue is probably something like this: Peart's lyrics lean a bit toward the figurative and the universal, and as a result, are relatively straightforward. The music created by composers Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee also leans a bit toward the straightforward, and is decidedly upbeat compared to the somewhat moody Grace Under Pressure. As lyrics and music were adjusted to fit each other, these two small deviations may have had a multiplying impact. Interestingly, the band did not give up their "popular" ambitions, for which they were eventually rewarded with songs like "Time Stand Still" and "Mission" on Hold Your Fire.

I'm not aware of a Rush compilation that could render Power Windows redundant by including both "Marathon" and "Manhattan Project." However, both songs are on the live A Show of Hands, and these renditions are just as good as the studio versions.

Rush released seven albums during the 1980s, most of which I consider good, three-star albums. Unfortunately, Power Windows isn't one of these. But neither did Power Windows represent the beginning of the end; this band had a few good albums left.