Revisiting Every Rush Album In Order: Grace Under Pressure (1984)

[Wil1972]

4. The Enemy Within

 

Part one of "Fear" sounds almost perversely buoyant. It is once again comparable to some of the lesser songs on Signals, but their is a strong sense of confidence and ambition here. Everything I disliked about the previous album is to a point evident here, but this go around the band nail the formula. Reggae beats, ultra catchy chorus, sinister synths, crystalline production, four songs in and I have nothing to say that is negative.

 

The Enemy Within is almost the twin of The Weapon. I just love it. But it is a minor step down from the absolute gold of the previous three songs.

 

Fantastic lyrics again, as always:

 

To you — is it movement or is it action?

It is contact or just reaction?

And you — revolution or just resistance?

Is it living, or just existence?

Yeah, you — it takes a little more persistence

To get up and go the distance…

 

9/10

 

Best track on the record.

[Mithrandir]

DEW 9.5

Afterimage 9

Red Sector A 9.25

Enemy Within 9.75

Body Electric 9

Kid Gloves 9.75

Red Lenses 9

Between the Wheels 9.75

 

75 - total

 

9.375 - average

 

GUP is sort of an oxymoron for me. While ranking albums it is around number 9, but as far as actual enjoyment I get when listening to the album, it's near the bottom of all Rush albums. That is no doubt because none of my favorites on the album are amongst my all time Rush favorites.

[Mithrandir]

I love half of this album, DEW, Afterimage, Enemy and Wheels. RSA is ok. The rest sucks balls.

Kid Gloves is a great tune.. with a killer Alex solo.

[Mithrandir]

 

After the mediocre, but not without merit, Signals, I come now to one of my all time favourite albums: 1984's cold, serious (but not too serious) and surprisingly bleak Grace Under Pressure.

 

Arguably my favourite artwork, favourite songs, favourite lyrics and favourite melodies of the entire synth era.

 

Here we go!

Personally, I rate Signals and p/g about the same. I think they both have strong lineups (certainly not as strong as any of the band's previous offerings). I also agree with one of the previous posters that the band's downhill slide began at about this point in their career.

Just curious why it's a downhill slide after this album? Because they went away from progressive-style rock?

[tks95747]

Distant Early Warning, Red Sector A, The Body Electric and Kid Gloves are standouts. Otherwise, I am not enamored with the album~

[tks95747]

 

After the mediocre, but not without merit, Signals, I come now to one of my all time favourite albums: 1984's cold, serious (but not too serious) and surprisingly bleak Grace Under Pressure.

 

Arguably my favourite artwork, favourite songs, favourite lyrics and favourite melodies of the entire synth era.

 

Here we go!

Personally, I rate Signals and p/g about the same. I think they both have strong lineups (certainly not as strong as any of the band's previous offerings). I also agree with one of the previous posters that the band's downhill slide began at about this point in their career.

Just curious why it's a downhill slide after this album? Because they went away from progressive-style rock?

Being a guitar player, and having fallen hard for Alex's highly aggressive axe work on everything from their debut through PW, I found it difficult to swallow the slow slide towards the minor-league slot Alex was relegated to beginning right around this period in their musical development. In fact, I would argue that this slide began, almost imperceptibly, with MP...

 

Although I was still a big fan of their music between MP and RTB, I wasn't really relating to the music so much until CP was released. Now there was some raunchy guitar work~ Right out front, in-your-face and demanding your attention.. Alex's bright and glassy guitar work that permeated their music in the middle section of their career was good, just not compelling...

[tas7]

DEW 9.5

Afterimage 9

Red Sector A 9.25

Enemy Within 9.75

Body Electric 9

Kid Gloves 9.75

Red Lenses 9

Between the Wheels 9.75

 

75 - total

 

9.375 - average

 

GUP is sort of an oxymoron for me. While ranking albums it is around number 9, but as far as actual enjoyment I get when listening to the album, it's near the bottom of all Rush albums. That is no doubt because none of my favorites on the album are amongst my all time Rush favorites.

Afterimage is by far the best song IMO. On first listen when it came out thought we were in for some Freewill type guitar solo in the middle but it never happened, felt let down. A lot of the songs come across as clunky, sort of angular mashups as though one of them created the verse, the other created the chorus then they were sought of glued together badly. Presto was worse for this as well. I was happier with Power Windows.