Imagine a POLL Where It All Began: Rush- Power Windows Poll

Voted 'Manhattan Project' - but dang, seeing them do 'Marathon' live the last few tours was awesome!

― BlackIronPrison, Wednesday, 25 April 2012 14:05 (1 year ago) Permalink

Gosh. I like all of this album a lot. I wil say, as far as Rush albums go, this has among the best "album" tracks: "Grand Designs," "Middletown Dreams," "Emotion Detector" ... this one and "Grace Under Pressure" are the Rush albums I return to the most.

Also, continues Peart's Dos Passos infatuation, for everyone who still think he's all about LOL Rand, who he (like most) grew out of fast.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 25 April 2012 14:07 (1 year ago) Permalink

"Marathon" is the sentimental favorite. "Mystic Rhythms" a great example of the band in understated mode.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 25 April 2012 14:07 (1 year ago) Permalink

This is, for some reason, the only 80s Rush album I don't have and have never listened to. I'm not even sure why.

― til the sound of my voice will haint u (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 25 April 2012 16:12 (1 year ago) Permalink

I love the synths on this.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 26 April 2012 23:23 (1 year ago) Permalink

Voted Grand Designs, but really it could be any of these songs on any given day. This is their most exhuberant album and was my favorite of their's for a long time. It's also probably the last album they did that was great from beginning to end with no weak songs (Counterparts comes close though.

I love how they all go nuts during the guitar solo parts on most of these tracks.

And yeah Marathon was definitely a highlight on the last tour.

― Moodles, Friday, 27 April 2012 00:57 (1 year ago) Permalink

I'd love to read what fans at the time thought.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 27 April 2012 00:58 (1 year ago) Permalink

Every song has has really interesting drum grooves too. I really like Neil's approach on this one.

― Moodles, Friday, 27 April 2012 01:01 (1 year ago) Permalink

As much as I love a ton of these songs, "Territories" lords over this for me.

― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 27 April 2012 01:05 (1 year ago) Permalink

This is, for some reason, the only 80s Rush album I don't have and have never listened to. I'm not even sure why.

― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 27 April 2012 01:06 (1 year ago) Permalink

Insofar as the band can boast intelligent critical commentary this period is STILL sniffed at. Even the band does. In the documentary they're all in a hurry to get past this stage of their development so they can return to -- what, "rocking"?

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 27 April 2012 01:09 (1 year ago) Permalink

Yeah, it's weird that they seem so down on it, but they always play songs from it on their tours so they must not hate it so much.

― Moodles, Friday, 27 April 2012 01:25 (1 year ago) Permalink

In the doc they definitely came off as defensive and apologetic about these records. Lifeson seemed almost bitter about having to fight for space in the arrangements among all the synths: "It's not even a real instrument!"

― Waterloo? Oh, we've sunsetted that. (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 27 April 2012 01:44 (1 year ago) Permalink

Shows how much he knows. Lifeson's solo in "Manhattan Project" versus the symphonic arrangement is the kind of frisson in which he thrives.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 27 April 2012 01:46 (1 year ago) Permalink

Alex's playing on Power Windows is pretty amazing throughout so I don't know what he's complaining about

― Moodles, Friday, 27 April 2012 01:57 (1 year ago) Permalink

I'd love to read what fans at the time thought.

I have no documentary evidence, but about six of my closest friends in high school were Rush freaks, and I remember them liking it. There was no "ew, synth" thing, it was more like, "See, they're not afraid to change." But older fans might have been more resistant. I saw them on this tour, because all of those aforementioned friends were going and I figured what the hell. It was a good show, but not one I remember very clearly. There were lasers.

― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Friday, 27 April 2012 02:33 (1 year ago) Permalink

I was a big fan of Signals and Grace Under Pressure, and was really excited for Power Windows, bought it the day it came out. I loved it for a month, but quickly grew tired of a lot of it. Partly it was just a cultural shift, as I was starting to get into stuff like Husker Du and Naked Raygun. But I still play Signals now more than GUP. Wished I could have seen their show with lazers though ;)

― Fastnbulbous, Friday, 27 April 2012 13:26 (1 year ago) Permalink

Alex's playing on Power Windows is pretty amazing throughout so I don't know what he's complaining about

tbf, he may have been referencing Hold Your Fire, but he didn't specify; his gripe was shown right after a clip for a Power Windows song, though.

― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Friday, 27 April 2012 14:58 (1 year ago) Permalink

It's true, it is all left a bit vague. I personally would have rather seen a part about everyone talking about how awesome everything on Power Windows is and then have Alex brag about his guitar solos.

I think he has at times fallen into the trap of thinking guitar solos are no longer cool, which is a shame because he's done so many memorable ones.

― Moodles, Friday, 27 April 2012 15:02 (1 year ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Sunday, 29 April 2012 00:01 (1 year ago) Permalink

Had to vote for Big Money, if only because it's one of the few songs I ever did a complete mock-up/cover of in my geeky MIDI and guitar teen years...

― Stravinsky joins the Zulu nation (zero of the signified), Sunday, 29 April 2012 01:39 (1 year ago) Permalink

this record is great, its the last of the 'old' rush albums i heard but has made its way to the top of the pile over time

voted mystic rhythms but at least half the others are close

― ciderpress, Sunday, 29 April 2012 03:29 (1 year ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Monday, 30 April 2012 00:01 (1 year ago) Permalink

I somehow missed this. Would have gone with "Grand Designs"

― EZ Snappin, Monday, 30 April 2012 00:04 (1 year ago) Permalink

I'd love to read what fans at the time thought.

Among the fans, it seemed like there was an implicit sigh of relief when "Big Money" led with that big guitar riff... A good friend of mine who has seen Rush on every tour since 1982 said that the Power Windows tour was the best. Wouldn't disagree with that assessment either (but I wasn't nearly as hardcore of a fan).

Always thought that Rush listened to a bunch of Siouxsie records before recording this. Probably not, but "Manhattan Project" (especially that break/bridge in the middle) and "Mystic Rhythms" sure remind me of the Banshees.

Would have voted "Manhattan Project"

― Reality Check Cashing Services (Elvis Telecom), Monday, 30 April 2012 00:13 (1 year ago) Permalink

fabulous turnout!

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 30 April 2012 00:18 (1 year ago) Permalink

Ha, I was going to ask if it's crazy that this reminds me of the Cure. I never listened to the whole album before. It's much better than I expected. I might rank it higher than Signals and Grace Under Pressure (but not above the classic material obv). Some of those breaks are pretty dazzling. I wonder if this might represent a peak of sorts for them in terms of sheer chops, including vocals.

xpost

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Monday, 30 April 2012 00:28 (1 year ago) Permalink

I thought these guys were listening to a lot of new wave in the 80s? Plus, they're from Toronto: that shit often seemed unavoidable when I lived there in 2002-2005 and it was more so in the 80s/90s from what I've heard. I wouldn't be surprised if they were listening to the Cure and Banshees. Although this album might actually predate the Cure albums I'm thinking of so maybe the Cure was listening to Rush? (I always assumed they were listening to Pink Floyd in the Disintegration/Wish period.)

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Monday, 30 April 2012 00:37 (1 year ago) Permalink

ome of those breaks are pretty dazzling. I wonder if this might represent a peak of sorts for them in terms of sheer chop

my thought exactly when I heard how well they integrated the programming.

how does this compare to Grace Under Pressure?

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 30 April 2012 00:42 (1 year ago) Permalink

fabulous turnout!

maybe letting it run longer than four days would've helped

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 30 April 2012 00:57 (1 year ago) Permalink

yep -- date confusion.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 30 April 2012 01:03 (1 year ago) Permalink

For me, Power Windows represents a peak in terms of production and the warmth of Peart's lyrics. I voted "Territories" in part bc I love how it fuses (then) cutting edge technology, Peart's percussion and Edge-style one world guitar heroism (Bono wasn't the only one with a messiah complex in U2) to add texture and detail to the subject of the song. The result is actually a far denser production than it seems -- prog with a decidedly pop veneer. But honestly, you could say similar things about "Mystic Rhythms," "Manhattan Project," "Marathon" or anything else on it, really.

Great album.

― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 30 April 2012 01:06 (1 year ago) Permalink

I still prefer Grace Under Pressure, probably because it's "darker", but this doesn't fall too far behind for me.

― Moodles, Monday, 30 April 2012 01:44 (1 year ago) Permalink

Lifeson's solos in "Territories" and "Emotion Detector" put the lie to the suspicion that the synths "overwhelmed" him.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 30 April 2012 01:46 (1 year ago) Permalink

That, and just about everything else he does over the entire album. It is really a great guitar album overall (and bass and drums and synths...)

― Moodles, Monday, 30 April 2012 01:50 (1 year ago) Permalink

Argh, I can't believe I missed this poll. I would have voted for 'Marathon'.

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Monday, 30 April 2012 23:53 (1 year ago) Permalink