approach to soloing. Peart powerfully integrates acoustic and electronic percussion sounds, and his lyrics thoughtfully capture the tension of the time. It’ s simply a matter that the question of“ what might have been” hangs over the results. Captain Obvious reporting: Grace Under Pressure is not the stone classic to match 1981’ s Moving Pictures. These eight songs aren’ t Rush’ s most famous, but the collection holds up. It might be fair to say that a couple of the album ' s deeper cuts outshine the serviceable Cold War dread-themed single“ Distant Early Warning” in retrospect, but there ' s not a dud in the bunch. The relentless but sorrowful“ Afterimage” is a eulogy for a fallen member of the band’ s extended family. The song shows the band’ s humanity.“ I feel the way you would,” sings Lee after recounting lyricist Peart’ s memories of shared joy, answered by Lifeson’ s mournful guitar line. The shuffling“ The Body Electric” could serve as the basis for an episode of The Twilight Zone, creating sympathy for a renegade robot struggling for artificial survival. The gripping“ Red Sector A” reflects the experience of Lee’ s own parents and other Jewish people who languished in mortal danger at Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Peart ' s lyrics for the ska-adjacent“ The Enemy Within” examine our tendency to be defeated by our own imaginations. Lifeson’ s solo on the arpeggiated“ Kid Gloves” crackles with life and synthesizes something original from a guitarist who cites strong influences from the pantheon of guitarists, including Page, Beck, and Townshend. The interest in Andy Summers’ work is evident in the funky“ Red Lenses,” which also showcases Peart’ s dazzling percussion. Lifeson is a beast in particular on“ Between the Wheels,” which stands among the finest hidden gems songs in Rush ' s catalog. It ' s possibly less heralded because Lee’ s status among hard rock’ s premiere bassists is sublimated to his keyboard arrangement on the track( there ' s no bass at all on " Red Sector A," by the way). His vocal performance, however, shines, delivering Peart’ s concerned lyrics about the unrelenting pressure of time and the fragility of life. The set features a well-balanced remaster of the original mix, which was sometimes criticized for being brittle and bright. A prior overhaul was made during 1997 ' s The Rush Remasters, and the 2025 remaster is considerably less compressed, less prone to harmonic distortion, and more dynamic than that series. A second set features an anticipated new mix by Brown. The gain structure of the Brown mix is less dynamic than that of the 2025 remaster, but not as brickwalled as the Rush Remasters version. The remix offers one shade of“ what might have been” but earns a mixed reaction. On the con side, Brown ' s mix is oddly static. It ' s more like a live mix than the original, which peppered the stereo spectrum with effects and sonic treatments. Lifeson’ s guitar is planted to the left side and generally sits atop the mix, but not always. There are segments of " Between the Wheels " when the imbalance between obscured guitar and prominent keys is more exaggerated than
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anything on Signals. The overall sound is muted and sometimes even dull, in stark contrast with the original mix. Neil Peart’ s drumming becomes dominant in some songs, and dramatically subdued in others like“ Red Sector A.” I can’ t decide whether the snare drum on“ The Body Electric” sounds more like a plastic bucket or a cardboard box. It ' s distractingly bad. Lee’ s vocals are set deep in cavernous reverb on tracks including“ Afterimage,” with echo effects pushed forward on songs including“ Distant Early Warning.” Lee ' s vocals are drier during " Red Lenses," but dubiously distorted during the final drum break. The vocal treatments on“ Red Sector A” and“ Kid Gloves” are revealing but oddly naked, with harmonies eliminated on the latter. Lee’ s nimble but sturdy bass guitar gets shortchanged on the same song. And Lee ' s colorful keyboard sounds are pushed into the background, or in some cases switched off. On the pro side, with only a few exceptions, you’ ll hear detail in Lifeson’ s playing that has been obscured for more than 40 years. Interesting bandjam fills lost to the fade-out are revealed during the full run of " The Enemy Within." There are additional energetic vocal ad-libs from Lee during“ Afterimage” that some listeners will like. Lee’ s bass is clearer than ever on“ Kid Gloves,” and there’ s a growling presence to his playing on“ Red Lenses” that reveals heretofore unheard subtleties and more prominence in the drums. And Lee ' s damned keyboard sounds are pushed into the background, or in some cases switched off. So, it really depends on your perspective. Ultimately, the presence of an erratic new mix takes nothing from the original. It ' s true that Brown’ s effort often doesn’ t sound like a final mix, and it doesn’ t stand up to his work on the classic Rush albums. Several of the tracks sound like rough mixes that the band might take home after a session to review the day ' s work. That’ s okay. The mix is an interesting extra that merits repeat play for games of " spot the difference " by those who have spent decades with the original. I ' d much rather have it than not. It ' s fun being able to hear new details and more of Rush being Rush. The gem of the set is an expanded version of the band’ s hometown show at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on September 1, 1984, presenting the complete set list with 37 additional minutes of material compared to what was aired on MTV in the mid-80s. Some of these songs are deep cuts, like the ping-ponging“ Kid Gloves,” which the band didn ' t play again after the Grace Under Pressure tour. " The Enemy Within " vanished from set lists after the ' 80s. The song now leads a performance of the Fear trilogy, serving as the centerpiece of the set. Hypnotic Signals groover“ The Weapon” targets those in power who oppress by withholding or manipulating knowledge. The song is introduced on-screen by Joe Flaherty ' s SCTV character, Count Floyd,
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who promises it will " scare the pants right off of your legs, or wherever you wear them." Moody Moving Pictures track“ Witch Hunt” observes humanity’ s base impulses toward mob mentality and the tendency to create enemies of outsiders. The live arrangement augments the song ' s haunting character with spooky sounds and eerie keyboards. Lee juggles his bass guitar, keyboards, and foot controllers while singing the surprisingly dance-floor-friendly paranoia reflected in“ Red Lenses,” another of the deep cuts from Grace Under Pressure, restored for this release. The song brims with Peart’ s colorful acoustic and electronic percussion before transitioning into a master class drum solo. The concert film now includes every track from Grace Under Pressure except " Afterimage." Also added is Signals ' synth-heavy portrait of youthful suburban alienation, " Subdivisions." Lifeson’ s bristling, cinematic performance on the unsettling“ Between the Wheels” is accompanied by Peart’ s intricate drumming and heightened emotion in Lee’ s desperate-sounding vocals. These hometown performances are dialed in but also playful and confident. Lee’ s bass skips and cartwheels during the coda to the newly present sci-fi auto adventure“ Red Barchetta.” The group stretches and explores the shape of the sing-along anthem“ Closer to the Heart,” building toward a euphoric peak.
Other classic songs include signature song“ Tom Sawyer,”“ Temples of Syrinx”
from the band’ s game-changing 2112 suite, genre-blending love letter“ The Spirit of Radio,” Toronto homage“ YYZ”( which should have won the rock instrumental Grammy over the Police’ s turgid“ Behind My Camel”), and the Police-ish reggae-pop of charting single“ New World Man.” The show concludes with blistering caveman rock singles“ Finding My Way” and“ In the Mood” from the band’ s 1974 debut, touching base with a distant earlier decade.
The box set is loaded with extras for fans. One new twist from prior anniversary sets is that the essay on the album is authored by Lee himself, perhaps emboldened by the success of his Big Beautiful Book of Bass, memoir My Effin’ Life, and baseball collection 72 Stories. Lee spares Lillywhite the embarrassment of being called out by name, but spends several pages describing the trials and triumphs of making the album. " Necessity is one mutha of invention, right?" he writes. Not long afterward, he questions the axiom " What doesn ' t kill you m akes you stronger." Ultimately, he expresses due pride in the work and says that the considerable struggle was all worth it.
– Jeff Elbel
8 RATBOYS Singin ' to an Empty Chair( New West) Chicago-based indie-rock veterans Ratboys are back with their sixth full-length album and first for New West. Singer and guitarist Julia Steiner has revealed that creating Singin ' to an Empty Chair was a way to work
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