Rush
Grace Under Pressure

THE REVIEW

'Grace Under Pressure' represents the second stage of the “electronic turn” of Rush, which began in 1982 with the release of 'Signals', in clear discontinuity with the vigorous progressive rock played by the Toronto trio from their debut album (Rush: ’74) to the masterpiece Moving Pictures (’81).

Produced by Peter Henderson (already with Supertramp), replacing veteran Terry Brown, who was no longer in line with the group's musical choices, 'Grace Under Pressure' marks yet another evolutionary step in Rush's sound, with a more decisive use of synthesizers by Lee, at the expense of Lifeson's guitars, destined to provide the rhythmic texture of individual pieces with relative containment of solo spaces, and an increasing use, by Peart, of electronic percussion.

Received tepidly by long-time fans, although rewarded with significant sales especially in Canada and the USA, 'Grace Under Pressure' remains one of Rush's most convincing works of the '80s: a typical feature of the album is the coldness of modern society, the exasperated individualism of its members, no longer mythologized in an epic and antagonistic key as in '2112', but experienced as drama and emptiness, a harbinger of an imminent end of the world. The idea of coldness is confirmed by the album cover and the arrangements of the individual tracks, in which electronics, rather than merely enriching the songs – as was the case in 'Signals', in continuity with the original prog rock – is used to render the concepts of automation, repetitiveness, and alienation of the individual. The album begins with one of the group's classics, Distant Early Warning, where Lifeson's effected guitar creates a swirling rhythm in line with the group's traditional sound, immersed in the ambience created by Lee's keyboards. The subsequent Afterimage, dedicated to a suddenly deceased friend, again highlights guitars and keyboards, which contribute to creating melodies with a nostalgic flavor, also evident in the vocals.

Red Sector A is another milestone for the group, characterized by lyrics that explicitly reference an impending apocalypse and a future of desolation and an effective accompaniment, in which synthesizers are in the foreground. The Enemy Within, part of the suite Fear, created in successive stages in various albums of the group, represents, with excellent results, yet another incursion by Rush into reggae rock à la Police, following in the footsteps of Vital Signs, Digital Man and New World Man contained in 'Moving Picture' and 'Signals'. The Body Electric, with clear references to a sci-fi dimension, stands out for its syncopated rhythm and the work of electronic percussion, as well as Lee's sorrowful vocals. Kid Gloves represents, on a purely musical level, the most cheerful track of the album: it is a rock piece, based on an excellent guitar riff, with a compelling chorus.

The last tracks of the album are more intimate and nocturnal: Red Lenses almost seems like a robotic funk due to the interplay between bass and drums, on which Lee's voice is effectively set, far from the historic high notes but particularly expressive. Between the Wheels is one of the musical peaks of the album, thanks to the interaction of keyboards and guitars, clearly evident in the development of the main theme of the piece, and concludes the album with an additional dose of melancholy.

A non-trivial album for the era in which it was released, slightly inferior to the great masterpieces of Rush from the '70s, although less explosive in terms of technical execution.