Album Review: Rush - Grace Under Pressure
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Not going to lie – but I loves me some Rush. There are, naturally, some of their studio records I reach for less than other: Caress of Steel, perhaps, and maybe Presto; but generally I’m down with all phases of the band, from their hard rockin’, pre-Neil Peart, debut, through the synth-heavy Eighties output, to the overlooked later gems, such as Test for Echo and Snakes & Arrows. I even like the much-derided Hold Your Fire record, and the 2012 swansong, Clockwork Angels, is a vital as anything the band have done.
By the time of the original release of Grace Under Pressure in 1984, Rush had already established themselves as one of the most inventive and technically proficient bands of the scene. The run of still-classic releases started with 2112 in 1976 and continued, unabated through A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres and Permanent Waves; those progressive elements were not quite as noticeable on Moving Pictures in 1981, but that didn’t stop the band’s eighth album being rightly recognised as one of their crowning achievements.
Eighteen months later and Signals would attract criticism from some quarters for its emphasis on synthesisers in favour of Alex’s guitar; while others praised the bravery of the band for continuing their electronic exploration and not simply making a Moving Pictures, part II. Lauded for its more adult lyrical themes, Signals would ultimately lay the groundwork for album number ten: Grace Under Pressure in 1984.
The subject of this Super Deluxe Reissue set, Grace… found Rush pushing on with the wide use of synthesisers, while also incorporating ska and reggae elements. Guitars, which had taken a backseat on Signals, now came back to the fore and vied for prominence across the album’s eight tracks.
The lyrical maturity continued through this album - which took its title from Earnest Hemmingway’s comment that “courage is grace under pressure” in a letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald – in the poignant Afterimage, the Holocaust imagery of Red Sector A, and the trenchant critique of the Capitalist model that is Between the Wheels.
Those ska and reggae influences can be heard through The Enemy Within, Kid Gloves seems ahead of its time, especially with the knowledge of what would come barely a decade later, and the digital-humanoid protagonist of The Body Electric is represented by sharp, staccato musical phrasing. More traditional Rush flavours can be heard on opener – and lead single - Distant Early Warning, which blends the synths with some hard rocking sounds, and Red Lense’s upbeat vibes. It’s notable that Grace Under Pressure does not sport any acoustic guitar and has no relieving ballad to break up the force of the generally bleak message.
A month after its April 1984 release, Japan, Canada and the UK all got an additional single issued, though each territory got something different: Afterimage in the Far East, Red Sector A in the Frozen North, and we here in good ol’ Blighty had The Body Electric. With all that activity it’s almost Rush’s Thriller.
Disc one features a new remaster from the original 1984 analogue stereo tapes, which gives the album some hefty low end. Disc two gives the us the chance to hear what the album would have sounded like had long-time co-producer, Terry Brown, who had worked with Rush on every album, barring the debut. Mr Brown was not only in the producer’s chair for the band, but would also appear as an additional musician, arranger and backing vocalist, but did not work on Grace, with his place being taken by Peter Henderson, who had worked with the likes of King Crimson, Paul McCartney and Jeff Beck. Terry’s version of Grace Under Pressure is a lush love song to what might
have been, including supplementary musical pieces and punishing driving energy. That Terry also produced for Dream Theater and Voivod might give you some idea the man is no stranger to heavy music.
Discs three and four (and five for the vinyl collectors) contain the hometown show at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, on 21 September 1984 as part of the Grace Under Pressure world tour. Originally released in full on VHS, and in an edited version on 2006’s Rush Replay x3 DVD boxed set, the audio was originally issued in 2009, again in truncated form, on the Grave Under Pressure Tour album.
These discs represent the first time the complete twenty song performance has been made available after having been newly remixed from the original masters. The whole of the Grace Under Pressure album can be found here, with the exception of Distant Early Warning; other Rush classics The Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer, and Red Barchetta vie with more proggy parts of the band’s past: The Temples of Syrinx, Fly By Night’s closing tune, In the Mood, taking a similar position here, as well as YYZ and the obligatory Neil Peart drum solo.
This Super Deluxe reissue is available in a couple of media options: a four CD version and a five vinyl edition, both are accompanied by a Blu-Ray which features an array content, including the video of the Toronto show, various audio mixes of the album, including Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 of the 1984 recording, and PCM Stereo version of that and the 2025 album mix; and the promotional videos for Grace Under Pressure’s four single releases, offered in TrueHD 5.1 and 48khz 24-bit PCM Stereo, some of the audio options being available for the first time.
Away from the discs, the package comes with a hardcover book, featuring sleeve notes by Geddy Lee and new illustrations for each song by cover artist, Hugh Symes, an illuminated LED display, replicas of the Grace Under Pressure tour book, a poster and replica ticket from the Toronto show, a back-stage pass, band photos and a six-page press release.
The review version I got was just the audio parts, but knowing the care and attention Rush put into their packages, the bits that I didn’t see are sure to be of the highest quality. The price tag appears to reflect that, but to a collector, this represents exceptional value for money.
Coming out a little after the R50 Something shows went on sale, with Rush-fever starting to build over the next twelve months, I can’t imagine a better time to be reacquainting yourself with that unassuming Toronto three-piece.
