Power Windows is perfect mesh...

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

...Of eighties pop and rock. Quite simply the perfect playing, recording, engineering and mastering. I believe it is their second Moving Pictures.  Pure magic!

 

Nobody cares but wtf let me indulge: When I was in 9th grade I can remember walking the halls with my yellow Sony sport walkman and for a solid month that cassette did not get removed. Autoreverse over and over. Whenever I play that album like today I'm transported back to my highschool self. The feel, the thoughts, the smells (sounds wierd) and the emotion.

 

I listen to 80's pop and rock a lot and this album really does fit and give a heavier spin on synth era pop rock.

 

Anyone? Your thoughts upon first hearing this album and now?

Edited July 25 by Pressure/Hopenosis
Add for feedback

[treeduck]

I've always liked it, it's been in my RUSH top 10 albums for the last 41 years.

[treeduck]

Meanwhile what about Buckethead playing a bit of pop?

 

 

 

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

7 minutes ago, treeduck said:

Meanwhile what about Buckethead playing a bit of pop?

 

 

 

You're a nut!  Your musical interests are on the level with mine for the most part. Lightly salted cashews? Oh yeah!

[treeduck]

Just now, Pressure/Hopenosis said:

You're a nut!  Your musical interests are on the level with mine for the most part. Lightly salted cashews? Oh yeah!

The rest of that album is great too:

 

 

 

[treeduck]

This one kicks ass too:

 

 

[BastillePark]

6 hours ago, Pressure/Hopenosis said:

...Of eighties pop and rock. Quite simply the perfect playing, recording, engineering and mastering. I believe it is their second Moving Pictures.  Pure magic!

 

Nobody cares but wtf let me indulge: When I was in 9th grade I can remember walking the halls with my yellow Sony sport walkman and for a solid month that cassette did not get removed. Autoreverse over and over. Whenever I play that album like today I'm transported back to my highschool self. The feel, the thoughts, the smells (sounds wierd) and the emotion.

 

I listen to 80's pop and rock a lot and this album really does fit and give a heavier spin on synth era pop rock.

 

Anyone? Your thoughts upon first hearing this album and now?

No idea when I first heard it, but I like it quite a bit. IMO, the 80's were the best decade for music. New Wave, Big Hair Metal, Hip Hop, etc.

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

9 hours ago, BastillePark said:

No idea when I first heard it, but I like it quite a bit. IMO, the 80's were the best decade for music. New Wave, Big Hair Metal, Hip Hop, etc.

You are NOT wrong. I'm happy I lived through all of it!

[chemistry1973]

What grabbed me about when I first heard it was how clearly you could hear every instrument. The drums are

so crisp and well produced. And the way Alex cuts through everything is just impressive. Even his ovation rhythm part for Mystic Rhythms is so frickin cool.
 

My neighborhood pal and I would look up at the stars and talk deep shit and listen to PW front to back.

 

They really could just nail to suburbia experience perfectly. And then tackling those biggest questions that come along with teen angst.

[liquidcrystalcompass]

8 hours ago, chemistry1973 said:

What grabbed me about when I first heard it was how clearly you could hear every instrument. The drums are

so crisp and well produced. And the way Alex cuts through everything is just impressive. Even his ovation rhythm part for Mystic Rhythms is so frickin cool.
 

My neighborhood pal and I would look up at the stars and talk deep shit and listen to PW front to back.

 

They really could just nail to suburbia experience perfectly. And then tackling those biggest questions that come along with teen angst.

Middletown Dreams

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

6 minutes ago, liquidcrystalcompass said:

Middletown Dreams

Framed perfectly!

[PurpleHayes]

GUP and PW were the first Rush albums I ever heard, and prompted me to go out and get Signals, MP, PeW, etc. I basically got into this band bass-ackwards, getting the debut album months later.

 

PW is one of my faves, even if too many songs start with the letter 'M.' Mostly upbeat songs with great productions, with Mystic Rhythms being one of the most unique and beautiful Rush tracks ever.

 

So the first new album that came out after I got addicted to this band was HYF...what a big letdown that was, compared to the previous six albums before that. The production made the guitar sound like it was too distant, songs weren't very punchy like on PW...it's like they wanted to sound like Toto.

[Blue J]

Yeah I used to give it short shrift because I thought some of the synth was over the top- but it really is outstanding. There's a lot of good guitar work, the mix of all the instrumentation is really good, and Geddy was also in top voice and did his purest singing in the mid to late '80s in my opinion, with respect to the combination of both range and clarity.

 

Power Windows delivers the goods.

[Nova Carmina]

Nothing meaningful to add, so: perfect album! 

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

6 hours ago, PurpleHayes said:

GUP and PW were the first Rush albums I ever heard, and prompted me to go out and get Signals, MP, PeW, etc. I basically got into this band bass-ackwards, getting the debut album months later.

 

PW is one of my faves, even if too many songs start with the letter 'M.' Mostly upbeat songs with great productions, with Mystic Rhythms being one of the most unique and beautiful Rush tracks ever.

 

So the first new album that came out after I got addicted to this band was HYF...what a big letdown that was, compared to the previous six albums before that. The production made the guitar sound like it was too distant, songs weren't very punchy like on PW...it's like they wanted to sound like Toto.

HYF was a big letdown for me too. I dont revisit it much except for a few tracks i put in my Rush mix. Hardly ever go end to end with that one. Power Windows? Frequently!

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

2 hours ago, Nova Carmina said:

Nothing meaningful to add, so: perfect album! 

Meaningful enough!

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

5 hours ago, Blue J said:

Yeah I used to give it short shrift because I thought some of the synth was over the top- but it really is outstanding. There's a lot of good guitar work, the mix of all the instrumentation is really good, and Geddy was also in top voice and did his purest singing in the mid to late '80s in my opinion, with respect to the combination of both range and clarity.

 

Power Windows delivers the goods.

With everything going on I was so enamored with how Lifeson cut through.

[Relayer2112]

I still remember sitting in my car in the parking lot at college and waiting for the radio station to play the new Rush song "Big Money".  I remember thinking that it was certainly a change-up from anything on GuP.  That being said, it took me years to warmup to "Power Windows" as an album but, once I did, it became my favorite of the keyboard era.  As mentioned by others, it has the perfect blend of guitar and keyboards and has lots of energy.  It's a shame that they couldn't recapture this with "HYF" which does have some good stuff on it but is pale by comparison.

[Blue J]

7 minutes ago, Relayer2112 said:

I still remember sitting in my car in the parking lot at college and waiting for the radio station to play the new Rush song "Big Money".  I remember thinking that it was certainly a change-up from anything on GuP.  That being said, it took me years to warmup to "Power Windows" as an album but, once I did, it became my favorite of the keyboard era.  As mentioned by others, it has the perfect blend of guitar and keyboards and has lots of energy.  It's a shame that they couldn't recapture this with "HYF" which does have some good stuff on it but is pale by comparison.

 

I'll take friendly exception to that- Hold Your Fire is still by far my favourite of the synth era.

[JCW555VT]

I love Grace Under Pressure and have never had issues with how it sounded but I know people complain that it's a little cold sounding, and Peter Collins really rectified that with Power Windows. Power Windows sounds brighter and warmer to me than Grace Under Pressure. I've said this before but I can't really decide what's my favorite synth-era Rush album between Signals/Grace Under Pressure/Power Windows. I love Hold Your Fire too but it's a tad too glossy sounding to me, which is probably a consequence of Geddy's keyboard obsession being taken to its logical extreme on that album.

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

2 hours ago, JCW555VT said:

I love Grace Under Pressure and have never had issues with how it sounded but I know people complain that it's a little cold sounding, and Peter Collins really rectified that with Power Windows. Power Windows sounds brighter and warmer to me than Grace Under Pressure. I've said this before but I can't really decide what's my favorite synth-era Rush album between Signals/Grace Under Pressure/Power Windows. I love Hold Your Fire too but it's a tad too glossy sounding to me, which is probably a consequence of Geddy's keyboard obsession being taken to its logical extreme on that album.

My favorite album is GUP for its heavier sound. Power Windows nails the eighties sound. I think, if im not mistaken that HYF was the first digital all the way through for Rush and it sounds tame to me.

[PurpleHayes]

25 minutes ago, Pressure/Hopenosis said:

My favorite album is GUP for its heavier sound. Power Windows nails the eighties sound. I think, if im not mistaken that HYF was the first digital all the way through for Rush and it sounds tame to me.

 

Yup, it sounded too clean as a result...more like a studio project than a rock band.

 

They didn't get that mojo back, production wise, until CP. (Then they lost it again in TFE...)

Edited July 28 by PurpleHayes

[XanaD.E.W.]

Hmm, count me in as the rare few that doesn't get the praise of PoW--sure some good moments on it but doesn't move me much as p/g does. I'll take p/g always as my fave synth era album.