The O' Sullivan Factor Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I can't believe how much I missed on these two, I mean wow! O_O I happened to get "Grand Designs" on my shuffle this morning and then listened to the rest of Power Windows, four times in a row. Then I threw on the "A Show of Hands" dvd and have basically continued listening to PW and HYF all day (and it'll probably continue, as I have "Mission" on right now). It find it really weird how it just suddenly dawned on me that these two are two of the best out of Rush's whole catalogue, different but in no way worse than my other favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roddy Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Power Windows is the most stunningly flawless and symphonically brilliant album ever made. I have listened to it probably 2000 times since I first got it in '85, and I STILL hear different stuff in it. And the sheer amount of different musical styles being utilised (and mastered!) on that record is mindboggling. The production is stunning, the playing untouchable, this is Rush at their peak. And the SONGS!!!! Every one an absolute corker. 8 Rush standards. PoW was Rush striving for, and achieving, utter musical perfection. Oh, and HYF ain't bad either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Rygar Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Although I listen to basically all Rush from 2112 onward set on shuffle, I have had my VERY OLD Power Windows CASSETTE in my 1994 Olds exclusively for years now. I have never taken it out, as it was the only cassette I had left from the old days. I listen to it everyday to and from work, and it has never gotten old yet. I still sing along with the songs like a nutcase! Power Windows, Holf Your Fire, Show of Hands, that's just my favorite set of Rush stuff ever. The Show of Hands VHS is what truly made me a Rush Freak. Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelcaressed Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I love them both now. I really didn't like them when they came out. I wanted something like "Hemispheres" or "Permanent Waves." Instead, I got lots of synthesizers w/ a very 80's emphasis, and two very bad mullets (Geddy's was particularly awful ) I knew the music was very complex and sound melodically; the style they were pursuing just really didn't appeal to me at the time. I put both of them (which I have on vinyl, being the main medium at the time) on the back burner and left them there for years. I got ASOH, and watched the video. I was very dissapppointed at the obvious jazz influence and their break from guitar-centric rock. On a side note, I loved the overture/Priests from the ASOH video, with the crowd participation. I kept getting Rush CD's after that, though I was not impressed by anything I heard through Conterparts. Then Test for Echo came out. It's a much maligned album here. I heard the title track on the radio by chance. I couldn't believe it. It actually harkened back to the old days. It was just heavy enough, the guitar was prominent, and Geddy wasn't holding anything back (either lyrically or basically.) I went out the next day and got the disc. I loved it. Went to see the tour. A whole 2112! Finally, what I had been waiting for. Nothing soft or weak anywhere, very edgy and hard. So, I started delving back through the 80's and 90's material. (I didn't really know a lot of the tunes at the show because I had only casually listened to the stuff since GUP.) I found that the two albums I liked the most since "Siganls" were easily "Power Windows" and "Hold Your Fire." The depth of these two is unmeasurable. They don't have that rock edge I still love. But the work is definitely worth more than the passing mention I used to give it. That's my two cents anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ES-335 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Although I believe that MP is the most stunningLee flawless and symphonicalLee brilliant album, I do love PW and HYF as well. BTW, the remasters are worth the $ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatrax Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Hold Your Fire is, and will likely always remain, my very favorite Rush album... as well as my favorite album, period. Part of the reason is intensely personal- I was going through some very rough junior high school years and that album came out at just the right time to distract me. As I distracted myself and listened, it made me think. As I thought, I worked out my problems. As I worked out my problems, I listened more deeply. As I listened more deeply, I began to see the beauty and wonder in life again... So whenever I hear the album now, it reawakens this sense of wonder. I also am a fan of well-utilized synthesizers, and the compositions are beautiful. The interior artwork (the cityscape) is also my favorite piece ever to appear in a Rush album... heck, any album. If I could find a wall-size poster of it, I would drape my living room in it... Power Windows is also excellent. I like everything Rush has done, in one way or another, for different reasons. But HYF will always hold a special place in my heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbar Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Yeah, they are great albums. Very well-crafted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassUnderPressure Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Power Windows is the absolute masterpiece of music to me. It is extremely well-produced. The lyrics are some of the best ever written. It has very well-crafted synthesizers All members individually peaked on this album in terms of instrumental contribution and also the skills of musicianship! All eight songs are excellent. The running order of the album is perfect. Geddy's vocals has never sounded better before or since. I can't think of a better opener than The Big Money. It is the only Rush album with even song quality throughout the album. The album has no peak, nor a low point. Each song has it's own specific message, yet the album has an underlying theme! It's got a great 80's feel to it. I love Power Windows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptune Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 80's Rush is where it's at, definitely! I'm going to get Power Windows soon, but I'm not sure when I'll have the time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of a Rider Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I was blown away by Power Windows and I couldn't get enough of it when it came out. Marathon became my all time favorite Rush song even to this day. PW was the first album by Rush (or any band for that matter) where I just loved ALL the songs almost equally. I never thought that was possible but then, we're talking about Rush after all. I love HYF too but not as much as PW. Songs like Prime Mover, Mission, and Tai Shan still elicit an emotional response from me twenty years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergy1971 Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Middletown Dreams would top my list of requests for the next tour - uber classic!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyswing Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Yeah, I like both albums, though I would say I prefer PW over HYF. To me, it was a breakthrough in their experimentation with synthesizers and adding other sounds to Neil's bag of tricks. They figured out how to incorporate them fully and maintain the core guitar-bass-drum sound. Hold Your Fire is a further acceleration and manifestation of that combined sound and it's probably the album from that era that's most accessible sonically to a broad audience. So I'm saying I prefer the breakthrough over the continued perfection of the sound. They are both great albums and I enjoy listening to both of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.