POWER WINDOWS

An album which marked a departure from the phase that had begun with Permanent Waves and ended with Grace Under Pressure, this was Rush in by now full-blown 1980's power pop/rock territory, and, inevitably, it was a phase which divides opinion amongst fans and critics alike.

I think the first thing to say about this album is that it is very good, well performed, with the trio sounded as tight as ever, and, perhaps more importantly, trying out new ways of recording and playing without ever wishing to "sell out", as some of its protractors would tell us.

It features three of the finest tracks the band have ever recorded. The opener, Big Money, as good an example of power rock as you were likely to get in this period of time, Marathon, featuring perhaps Geddy Lee's finest musical contribution to the band (which is saying something), and, the absolute highlight, the album's closer, the intense, sublime, and exotic Mystic Rhythms.

Elsewhere, amongst tracks which strike one as being a little bit too close to mediocrity for comfort, only the brooding, and intensely played, Manhattan Project comes even close to hitting the three aforementioned tracks heights.

In hindsight, this album can, perhaps, be viewed as one of the band's works which marks a transition, and, hence, them seeking to find comfort in that new direction. Certainly, its successor, Hold Your Fire, would find the band sounding and looking far more comfortable and consistent.

As I have said before, this is a good album, but nowhere near consistent enough to mark it out as an excellent piece of work. The highlights, though, do make it a purchase worth having in your collection.

Three stars for this, from a band who have never made a poor album in their entire career, which is perhaps the finest tribute one could possibly pay.