Dusting ‘Em Off: Rush - Power Windows
Attacking the Canadian band Rush is like attacking ’80s pop music, which is akin to stabbing bodies in a morgue. In 1985, the progressive-metal band’s 11th album, Power Windows, delivered its brazen sound to both Rush connoisseurs and less metal-oriented pop fans. Although the songs’ subject matter coincides with Rush’s usual, and welcomed, social commentary, the album takes the band in a completely new direction. From the song lengths to the delivery, “Power Windows” invites a larger audience to push past complaints of 20-minute epics and singer Geddy Lee’s usual banshee-like wailing to appreciate Rush.
A shining example of familiarity among Rush fans is “Emotion Detector”. The socially-driven track stirs memories of the electronic rhythm game, Simon. This creates a wonderful juxtaposition between distant electronic sounds and intimate lyrics such as, “We must throw ourselves wide open/And start acting like a fool/If we need too much approval/Then the cuts can seem too cruel.” Rush doesn’t need anyone’s approval.
The appeal of brief songs immediately blankets the listener in the opening track, “The Big Money”. The song manages to retain its epic power, despite the relatively short (for Rush) song length, which clocks in at 5:37. As echoed guitars burst and synths resembling video game sound effects play along with the masterful instrumental work of Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart, the music is held together by the commentary on big money in the ‘80s. “Big money pull a million strings /Big money hold the prize /Big money weave a mighty web /Big money draw the flies,” perfectly describes a decade in which image and money were the driving force for many musicians, due in large part to the birth of MTV in 1981.
Lee’s new vocal direction also offers a comforting and encompassing feeling, as he strays from his normal helium-induced screeching and resembles a more trained artist. Like Lee’s voice, the album assents to the popular style of radio, complete with big choruses.
This transformation is showcased in the instant single, “Grand Designs”. It opens with the same anticipation-building synth line so adeptly executed by the Australian band Moving Pictures. Like Moving Pictures’ 1984 single “Never” from the Footloose soundtrack (Kevin Bacon’s warehouse scene), “Grand Designs” is the perfect backbeat to accompany you while you’re punch-dancing out your rage.
Why stop there? Get gritty. Strike a blow to corporate America while Lee sings, “So much style without substance/So much stuff without style/It’s hard to recognize the real thing/It comes along once in a while.” Fret not: This album is the real thing, and this track will have you on the edge of your seat like teenagers watching an illegal game of tractor chicken (via Footloose).
The ‘80s-centric album is the ideal combination of Rush’s best qualities, paired with a pop sensibility.
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re: The Big Money, Peart was a huge fan of the style of novelist John Dos Passos and the song was inspired by Dos Passos’ novel of the same name. Whether Peart was making a statement about 80s commercialism, I don’t know. Everything I recall him saying about it references Dos Passos.
I have been a Rush fan for over thirty years, I first saw them live on the 2112 tour in 1976. Over the years I have watched them grow into a very versatile band. I do have to admit however that the mid eighties was not my favorite era of Rush.They seemed to overindulge in keyboards and synthesizers and put Lifeson’s guitar in the background, they also had a very “thin” polished studio sound. Presto was a return to the power trio of guitar , bass and drums. Since Presto I feel they have really returned to their roots. Test For Echo and Snakes and Arrows are just magnificent pieces of work. Long live Rush and look for them to record a new album sometime in 2010.
Any band that only holds one Guitarist that can pull off rythhm & lead using just his fingers (& feet) with no overdubbing in the studio…Alex is technichly/spontainiousley,a genius of the 6 string, not to mention 2 of the best Bass/ drummers of all time
PS not many people I know like, or understand, Rush, it’s their loss… it makes me even more dedicated. And I love Rush including the vocals, it suits the music and makes their sound even more unique.
Power Windows is truly a GREAT album… I blast that album a lot in my car and it is ALWAYS an exciting experience. RUSH rules. And never bores, unlike a lot of other rock bands.
Growing up with the band constantly illuminating my mind’s back drop,and aspiring to learn from their amazing musicianship; perhaps grow a little intellectually from the diverse themes they bring to the lineup, I may be severely biased (yes, I suppose I am) but I am thankful a friend forwarded me this article. Sometimes I forget what amazing powers these old tunes have in taking me back. Rush is amazing. Rush fans are amazing. I think I’ll pop in Power Windows and reflect for awhile. A to B…. different degrees….
Thanks for posting the review.
TMorts wrote: “Rush after Signals isn’t relevant (nor good)”
Bah. Malignant Narcissism, Driven, Leave That Thing Alone, and Mystic Rhythms stand up to Rush’s best work. That’s off the top of my head… there are many other post-Signals songs that kick ass, and many strong albums.
being a drummer for thirty years, and obviuosly influenced by rush. one thing is for certain, in all of the changes they have gone through, musically and personaly, they have managed to stay together and do what they want to do for thiry five years. how many other bands have contributed to music, shown such an example of brotherhood and musicianship, and touched as many hearts and minds as rush has. and never really recieved the credit they have so heartly earned. the day rush retires, it will be an end of an era.
Doug - Agreed. Anyone who truly knows who Rush is and what they’re all about musically, would never accuse them of following trends (that’s actually laughable).
Yes, they ventured into some new musical territory and grew out of the 20-minute epics. But those merely provide validation of their their musical integrity as innovation and constant learning (and relearning) of the craft adds to the growth of the band - as musicians, songwriters and individuals.
As for the change so many accuse them of and view as a negative… I ask you - are you the same today as you were 10, 15, 20 years ago? I doubt it. And if so, that would suggest a stagnation that borders on sad.
As Doug further states, “… after 35 years of tremendous success, the joke is on everyone BUT Rush.” I’ll take that one step further by saying that whatever humor IS directed at them surely is not lost on them as they have a collective sense of humor that would rival a team of comedians. In short, they too “get it” - though it’s of little or no concern to them. And despite all the flap that surrounds their efforts, they’ll simply continue on - their musical integrity firmly intact (thankfully).
Russ
Throughout their career, Rush has alway been relevant in making Hard/Prog Rock music. Every album they have produced (from “Rush” through their ’80s catalogue), you can hear the direction which the group had been going - complex compositions and tight songwriting. Rush has consistently grown as musicians. With every new album, their music gets better (that’s my personal opinion). They have never looked for any kind of affirmation of their music. That’s what makes Rush stand out from any other musical group.
Couldn’t disagree more about 80s rush. Power Windows is an excellent album, as is hold your fire. Some of Neil’s best lyrics come from these albums. Also, I don’t know which tours you’ve been seeing, since I’ve been to shows on their past 4 tours and have seen them play Mission, Mystic Rhythms, The Big Money, Beneath the Wheels, Distant Early Warning, Red Sector A, The Pass, Dreamline, Bravado, Leave that thing alone, Resist, Driven, etc etc. Which 80s and 90s albums were they skipping? Am I missing some albums from my collection?
What does “[a]ttacking the Canadian band Rush is like attacking ’80s pop music, which is akin to stabbing bodies in a morgue” mean? That is a stumper. Is it congratulatory or is it defamatory?
jvb
Hard to see Rush as a “progressive-metal band.” They were/are a really great band that were influenced by early progressive and metal music, mostly during their formative years.
By 1985 and Power Windows, Rush hadn’t done a 20-minute epic in 7 years (since Hemispheres). And Power Windows was the third studio album, starting with Signals in 1982, that heavily used keyboards and samples.
Power Windows is probably the best of this breed, since their next album, Hold Your Fire, seemed to go overboard. So much so that when the band returned with Presto in 1989, they had stripped the synths out almost completely and started over.
Geddy Lee has often cited Power Windows as being among Rush’s best albums, the best representative of that phase.
I always love to think of Rush as the God-Father of Prog-metal. They were absolutely one of the best shows I have ever seen live.
Geddy’s signing can wear on myself, but the instrumentation makes up for that!
“Rush after Signals isn’t relevant (nor good), but they should not be judged during this time, because they were a 70’s-early 80’s band just trying to keep up with the times (which they should not have tried to do). So please, next time maybe Dust off Permanent Waves.”
Wow … never has anything more ignorant ever been written of what could be one of the most RELEVANT bands of all time. It’s always funny to see how people’s bias and own lack of musical understanding comes to the fore when discussing anything they simply don’t like or haven’t tried to understand.
The fact is, Rush has NEVER tried to “keep up” with the times. To suggest that is to also suggest they have TRIED to write radio friendly songs. It’s simply not the case.
Rush has always been a free-spirited band, deriving success DESPITE the fact they’ve never tried to be anything or anyone else. One could call them one of the most succesful Indie bands of all time Had they simply maintained their sound from the 70s or early 80s their career would have been dead sometime around the mid-80s. Rather, they experimented with instrumetation and composition to bring current musical realities to their songs.
Frankly (and of course, only in my opinion) some of the songs on this album are wonderful. How can you NOT like the orchestral arrangement and the storylike nature of Manhattan Project released at a time when the world was obsessed with the possibility of someone pushing the ‘red button’?
No, Rush is NOT irrelevant and those of us who have ALWAYS known that have been somewhat amused the past year or so watching I Love You, Man, Adventureland and The Colbert Report. They have always been the brunt of jokes but jokes delivered by those who ‘hate’ them or those who don’t ‘get’ them. Either way, after 35 years of tremendous success, the joke is on everyone BUT Rush.
Just sayin’ is all!
Doug
All I was saying is they had a classic prog-rock sound, and they really abandoned it in the 80’s. Also, when I said Rush after Signals wasn’t relevant, I meant their studio albums, which are pretty bad (as compared to their earlier stuff, though in the 2000’s they have been better). I am a huge Rush fan, but I am also honest with myself, and when I listen to anything after Signals, I just laugh. From the rapping on Roll the bones, to Big money, I don’t see how anyone can’t. I have seen Rush 3 times in the past 7 years, and there is a reason they tend to (pretty much) skip the mid 80’s to 90’s catalogue, and I feel they are only being honest with themselves and their fans, by doing so. NEIL PEART=GOD!
I debated whether to use rock or metal, but after Hemispheres I feel the band’s direction became more prog-metal. On a side note, I find it grossly inappropriate for anyone to claim that “Rush after Signals isn’t relevant(nor good).”However, it is even worse for someone to expect withheld judgment because they deem Rush a ’70s and early ’80s band. Last time I checked, Rush successfully surpassed those decades … Snakes and Arrows anyone? Rush forever!
“In 1985, the progressive-metal band’s 11th album, Power Windows, delivered its brazen sound to both Rush connoisseurs and less metal-oriented pop fans.”
Please, Prog-Metal?? More like Prog-Rock. I love Rush, and it’s a shame they are kind of a joke (at times), but you are only making them “funnier” by talking about one of their worst albums. Nobody should ever dust off this record. Rush after Signals isn’t relevant (nor good), but they should not be judged during this time, because they were a 70’s-early 80’s band just trying to keep up with the times (which they should not have tried to do). So please, next time maybe Dust off Permanent Waves.
“Attacking the Canadian band Rush is like attacking 80’s pop music, which is akin to stabbing bodies in a morgue.”
Damn, what a sentence! Awesome article, Becca.
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Damn, what a sentence! Awesome article, Becca.