Rush - Grace Under Pressure. I will defer to my pals Spencer and TJ for insight on this great band. They will finally and rightfully be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The RNRHOF was farcical without them in it. There a dozen jazz acts that should not be in, if Rush could not be. But they will be in in the spring. But riddle me this? Are they fixated on the colour (French Canadian spelling!) red. The above record has Red Sector A and Red Lenses on it. And "many" hard core Rush fans (I know, redundant). If you are a Rush fan, you are hard core.) would argue that Red Barchetta is one of their best songs. This record is "Grace Under Pressure, their 10th studio album. I would love to know where my Rush fan pals (and experts) would rate this album in the band's monumental canon of thinking man's rock. This means You - Spencer and TJ! In the UK - bands like Roxy Music, Bowie, and Genesis, I have read, are/were referred to as gentleman's rock. The back cover is a band portrait by the photographer Yousuf Karsh. The original vinyl pressing also featured a photo depicting an egg being held in a C-clamp. Also, the cover art was painted by Hugh Syme, a long-time contributor to Rush's music ever since he performed as a guest musician on the song "Tears" from 2112."
GUP overall is an album that has a steely sound. As such that is unique in the Rush canon and a valuable offering. The first 4 songs are best and many songs have as an overall theme the "pressures" external to the individual, including the red scare of that stage of the cold war, though most of the pressures are the kinds unique to any given individual and not to the masses. Of the last 4 songs, "Between the Wheels" is so bad that it may well be their worst song. Once in a while they play it in concert, so I use that time as a bathroom break. But that one bad song does not condemn the whole album!
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I also have bathroom break or beer run songs! Thanks Spencer...
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