I came on board with Signals in 1982 from Permanent Wavers to Presto their most creative stage imo. Lifesons solos and his harmonics this period I think are his best.
Life IS a Marathon, AND THAT’S WHY Rush is so cool. They ROCK, intellectually, inspirationally and teach us about life. Murdering every guitar, bass, synthesizer and drum head insight and in reach.🤘🖖✌️🎸🥁🎹🎤🥇🇨🇦🎼
power window is the album that i started listening, because of the cover art, and after listening the synths in the music, title track (it was manhattan project actually), i knew that band would stick with. from what i heard fans dont like the abundant synth in this phase of the band, but i am weak for synths haha and just recently i started really get into the last albums from 90's, and the turn to a more hardcore approach is incredible too
🤗 Shout Out to Jeff for keeping us in Rush Reactions by you guys! 😍 Well played Jeff & brilliant song choices! 🤔 Now if we can just bottle all the released Endorphins....... 😁😋🐰
this era of rush is on the level of bach, beetoven, etc !!!!!! rush will be studied like you guys do 100 years from now world wide .. i wish we would be able to witness !!!! thank you for your journery with rush i enjoy watching generations discover the masters of the universe !!!!!
I fucking love your reactions to the Power Windows songs. I’ve been a Rush fan my whole life since I was 12 (1982). I’ve seen them 100 times live. My favorite era is Permanent Waves through Power Windows and I think PW is one of their best. Great songs and interesting arrangements. They all kill it on this album. Middletown Dreams is one of my favorite Rush songs ever and Big Money was always a concert highlight.
This song is so rich, so well arranged. Just beautiful. I always crank up the sound. Some of Geddy's best vocals. "You can do a lot in a lifetime, if you dont burn out too fast".
The album wasn't well received by fans at the time, too shiny and pop production. But its been reassessed since then because the song writing is so damn strong, and still lots of great instrumentality. It's the NEXT album Hold Your Fire that has consensus as their worst effort. Some of us appreciate it, but a lot of fans call it easy listening Rush lol.
You should check out the live version from A Show of Hands. It goes into a slower tempo in the outro and is even better than the excellent studio version...
Rush fans hang on to the era they were introduced to. Since I am an oldie, Power-Rush of the 70s is my favourite, I loved the Prog years also and I won't lie, they lost me when they went techno and lost the guitar. Power Windows was OK, but the next three were pretty tedious. From Counterparts on they were back to being great aside from the original production of Vapor Trails. But then again I am an oldie & some of the younger crowd love the synth and dislike the Power-Prog days.
Their stuff from Power Windows all the way to Hold Your Fire would sometimes get too synth heavy and mild for my tastes, but they still made some great songs during that era. Marathon is a good example that fits into both categories. I much prefer the live versions, as they lean into the rock a bit more. I didn't really like RUSH again until the Presto album. It might be their worst sounding album but it was the first one in a decade that was listenable from start to finish for me.
I think the dislike for “later” albums like this one is overstated. Most contemporary Rush fans love and appreciate ALL of their musical phases. Back in the day though, fans were used to their earlier sound, and when they evolved they left some people behind. I would venture to say that even most of those came around and eventually at least appreciated their more synthy stuff.
Rush's sound changed with every single album. Some fans couldn't handle the changes. The changes came rapid fire too. In 1980 they released Permanent Waves, in 1981 Moving Pictures in 1983 Signals, in 1984 Grace Under Pressure and in 1985 Power Windows. So you went from Tom Sawyer & Limelight to Marathon and Emotion Detector in about 4 years. That's a pretty major change in sound. Oh, and they keep evolving. And getting better. And better. I will agree with whoever said that it took some time to come around to some of the albums. But it is all so so so so good.
No true Rush fan 'Hates' any album. I admit that their earlier albums are my go to albums but then u put on albums like PW and hear songs like Marathon and you think ' why don't I listen to this album more ? ' They were ( are) peerless
I've commented elsewhere the irony of so-called "progressive rock" fans wanting a band to stay stuck in a specific sound and being unwilling to move on...
My fav album is Power Windows for sure. Some people can't get past the 80s sound, but the songwriting is among their best IMO. And I find the retrofuturistic sound of the production on this record to be quite fun.
The instrumental brown in this song has some peak Neil Peart drumming, but it’s almost impossible to not focus on Alex’s solo during this part. Sometimes I’ll run that part a couple times so I can just focus the insane drumming. Great song that translated very well to the live set, too.
Yep, people who say they don’t like this era “coz keyboards” have NO idea, no clue whatsoever. This is the most creative, most lush, most subtly powerful and most artistic era of their entire career.
I only have 3 albums ahead of Power Windows in my rankings. It was an incredible achievement. I still get inspiration from it. There's so much truth in it. This song is glorious.
Why do some Rush fans hate this album easy. I've been a Rush fan since I was 14 ,57 now Rush changed their sound on every album. So a different Rush was hard to take for some ,all good . A couple of albums took me a while to get. That is part of what makes them so fuckin amazing.
The thing about the shift from hard rock/metal progressive music to this more synth heavy stuff was too much for some people. Power Windows didn’t have the edge that Grace Under Pressure did, so ALL the metalheads just bailed. I think most of us just love the complexity that they still have, watch them play this stuff LIVE! Ged is running around like a chicken without a head… gotta play keyboards, gotta play foot pedals, gotta dance around with the bass… unreal! 😂
In my case it was more about needing some time to adjust to their direction in the 80's. It wasn't `classic Rush!" 😣 However, it grew on me pretty quick.😊
I have had the pleasure of meeting Geddy and Alex backstage as well as meeting Geddy at his book signing in Chicago been a lifelong fan since i was introduced to Fly by Night been lucky enough to have seen them 47 times from All the Worlds a Stage to R40 do i have my personal favorites of course i do but i can find GEMS in every era of this bands amazing career i remember telling Geddy that i loved how they constantly reinvented their sound and he simply said we didnt change the fans did that statement has resonated with me ever since Great great reaction as usual as i am your lifelong fan as well. Love the shirts another great band
One of my favorite Rush songs from one of my favorite Rush albums. Not sure why other Rush fans don't like it. Maybe it's not hard Rock enough for them or something. And I know many don't like the synth era.
You get so excited about Neil's drumming - you should WATCH the LIVE version that has a DRUM CAM. I think this is one of the most intricate and technically difficult drum parts in any Rush song!
This album doesn't have any sort of "filler" songs on it like some others do. Even albums I absolutely love, I will admit have a couple weak songs they just kind of tossed in there. This is one album you could listen to cover-to-cover back when cassette tapes were a thing, or put in a CD and never skip a single track. I'd consider Power Windows to be as close to a "perfect" album as a band could get.
I never got the hate for this period of Rush. I appreciated every bit of their transition through this phase of their career. For me, the 7 albums from A Farewell to Kings through to Power Windows represented the best collection of albums by any band in history. Only their final album Clockwork Angels was in the same class.
Rush was around for a million years and changed styles so many times. Like, drastic changes. Cant expect everyone to be on board with every single thing they did over 19 studio albums. But i LOVE power windows. The soaring melodies, grand in how they sound, the bass playing, the crisp production. They sound so great on this album. They were firing on all cylinders lyrically, musically and their energy.
Greetings from Southern California where Neil Peart spent his final years before leaving us too soon. I saw the guys perform in support of this great album when they toured this way in '86 among the numerous other Rush concerns I've been to. Did you two make out the real chior that was hired for the album version of this song? Those voices really come through toward the finish and fade. Anyway, Bye for now.
It’s primarily the synths (or, rather, their increasing use and prominence in Rush’s music) that served as the source of discontent for a certain portion of the first generation of fans. I was only 17 when this album came out, so I’m part of the second generation. The tour for this album was only the second I had attended. I still have the button, ticket stub, and tour book from that particular evening in Toronto. To be fair, there is one person whose opinion matters on this topic more than that of any generation of fans. As he explained in numerous interviews, it was basically from the mid-80’s to mid-90’s that Alex Lifeson became increasingly unhappy with - to paraphrase him - having to find a place in the songs for him and his guitar. Some of the fair-weather fans who gave up on Rush during this period probably never did get around to hearing Rush’s last four albums (all produced after the turn of the century), which did provide ample place for Alex and his guitars, with the synths basically returned to more discriminating uses (as they had been used in 1980’s Permanent Waves and 1981’s Moving Pictures).
"Mystic Rhythms" and "Territories" are a must to listen to. You already did my favorite "Grand Design" "Power Windows" is my favorite Rush album. The song writing and production on this album are OUTSTANDING! I've been a Rush fan for 45 years. ❤🔥
I was a teenager when this came out. I bought into the negative responses to this period. It has only been the last couple of years that I have actually listened to this era. I missed out all these years. It was said that Alex was pushed to the background, but try and imagine these songs without him.
5:23 onwards...actually..4:19 onwards...Rush always had the 'Rush' sick trio breaks in their songs regardless of keyboards...'older' original fans may have missed that when the albums came out? Legendary band...gawd I love em'
According to Alex Lifeson, Rush wanted to combine the strongest elements from 1982’s Signals and 1984’s Grace Under Pressure and use them for Power Windows. For him, this was one of the most cohesive and satisfying recordings he and his bandmates ever put together. Power Windows featured elements of musical material Rush never used before, allowing them to break several boundaries as recording artists. This was the album that Rush agreed to not hold any of their creativity back. - ClassicRockHistory Alex: This song deals with power - the power we have within us to push and drive ourselves towards the goals that we aim for. It's not an easy road, in fact it's always an uphill climb, but it depends on how much of our inner power we want to use to get us to the end of the road ... We thought it was going to be a marathon at first, because it's made up of so many parts and each part is so different. But oddly enough, we just went Bang! Bang! Bang! and flew through recordings. All the parts locked together like a big jigsaw puzzle and it was great.
3 of my top 5 Rush albums are from the 80s. No question in my mind it is their best and most consistent decade. Just the fact that Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are from the 80s kind of says it all.
Best Rush era, and this is a top favorite album. Plz do "Middletown Dreams" and "Manhattan Project". These tracks are, if possible, a notch up. Brilliant sound, the synthesizer era is epic! R.I.P. Neil "The Professor" Peart. P.S. Please do a reaction video of the epic drum solo from Neil Peart - live in Frankfurt. Be sure to sit down.
This is a bit of a sleeper track in their grand discography. Anything from the 80s it's going to have a certain amount of synthesizer and perhaps not be as heavy as the stuff from the 70s, but as far as I'm concerned it's all Rush and that in itself means quality. I think you guys have such a good time listening to them it's amazing to watch your reaction, because you can just see the joy not to mention the way the two of you interact with each other during the music is awesome
For some of us old-timers who started out with their first album and then Fly by Night came along and Neil showed up and took us on so many wonderful journeys, as they went away from the harder rock and more progressive songs towards more mainstream it felt like at times that they weren't as creative imaginatively. Not that their music sucked or their songs, it was just us remembering the epics and missing those previous eras. :) PW was always good to me. I've listened to it hundreds of times.
This is one of Rush's most underrated albums. Those who don't like 80's Rush have a serious problem. Perfectly crafted music. From Permanent Waves to Power Windows is the absolute best Rush for me.
Some of the older fans just wanted them to keep doing 70s hard prog-rock. The guys in Rush were in fact really damn good at that, but they felt like they'd already proven themselves there and wanted to try their hand at what they were hearing on a lot of new (at the time) records. For me, Power Windows is their most complete album. Geddy's voice is at his career best, all of the playing is spectacular, all of the songs have great lyrics, and the production sound and mix are fantastic. And Marathon ALWAYS hypes me up. For what it's worth, I've never known Rush songs to have copyright problems, they're much more relaxed about that stuff than several other bands I could name.
As a huge fan of the band, I can't help but love your reactions. This is how I have felt for almost 30 years now. They don't make bad songs. Their "worst songs" would still be the 2nd or 3rd best songs on most albums. Marathon and Middletown Dreams are my favorites from Power Windows. Would love to hear your thoughts on Show Don't Tell off the album Presto
I saw the Presto tour 3 times. I love this middle era. Don't get me wrong Farewell to Kings and 2112 are still my favorites, but damn this stuff is amazing.
Disliked Power windows when it first came out .Alex took a back seat to synths,now it's one of my favorite albums by Rush ,and Akex's guitars are very subtle ,and very cool.
This album sucks. I’ve only listened to it 672 times since I got it. 😉😂. This album has some of the best solos from Alex and the overall space within the mix is so good as you can hear every single instrument. One of my favorite parts of the album is listening to all the guitar work Alex does to fill out the sound. It’s inventive, sounds great and shows how talented he is.
This album was so welcomed after my disappointment with the change of direction of Grace Under Pressure back in the day. While I really appreciate GUP today, I was not a fan of it when it came out. Big Money rocks!
Aw yes, the cheesy 80's Not my favourite time period for music and Power Windows is near the bottom for me but there are a few songs on this album I do enjoy. Territories, Big Money and Mystic Rhythms stand out. I find with Rush even if it is not your favourite album you find gems that speak to you. That is their magic. I have a Rush song suggestion Secret Touch from the Snakes and Arrows tour.
Here’s the thing. If Rush never developed their styles over the years, and just stuck to those first 5-6 albums, they wouldn’t have lasted as long as they did! Those last couple of decades they won over a larger fan base as well.
I always focused on Neil because I’m a drummer but holy crap, Geddy is killing it on the bass. I knew it but took it for granted when I was younger….now I’ve been really noticing how epic he is in this era! Power Windows tour was my first Rush concert in Phoenix! Unforgettable!!!!!❤️🤘
Yes, some fans don't care for 80s Rush but it's my favorite era of the band and I think Alex Lifeson's solos really stand out during this time
I came on board with Signals in 1982 from Permanent Wavers to Presto their most creative stage imo. Lifesons solos and his harmonics this period I think are his best.
The live versions of the songs from this era are just excellent. Slightly less production sheen and a touch more grit.
Slow-mo old hippies hate 80’s Rush
Emotion Detector and Between the Wheels are two of Alex’s best solos in my opinion
@@owencave7077yep!! Throw in grand designs and digital man
Power Windows is a sht hot album. not sure why anyone wouldn`t like it, but there are some real, real classics on there!
Life IS a Marathon, AND THAT’S WHY Rush is so cool. They ROCK, intellectually, inspirationally and teach us about life. Murdering every guitar, bass, synthesizer and drum head insight and in reach.🤘🖖✌️🎸🥁🎹🎤🥇🇨🇦🎼
This defines progressive music as far as I'm concerned, if we're not moving forward what are we doing? STANDING STILL!
Manhattan Project of the same album should be next! Btw... all of these are even better live!
The live version of Manhattan Project from A Show Of Hands is IMO an absolute must-see!
🎤 🎹 🎸 🥁 🎸 🔥 🔥 🔥
power window is the album that i started listening, because of the cover art, and after listening the synths in the music, title track (it was manhattan project actually), i knew that band would stick with. from what i heard fans dont like the abundant synth in this phase of the band, but i am weak for synths haha and just recently i started really get into the last albums from 90's, and the turn to a more hardcore approach is incredible too
Possibly my favorite song they ever did.
Great, great, great song! Try it live! Amazing!
80's RUSH is my favorite. Such an awesome period of exploration for the band sonically
I've been waiting on this one from you guys. Absolute banger!
Listen to the live version from A Show of Hands. Better than the album.
🤗 Shout Out to Jeff for keeping us in Rush Reactions by you guys! 😍 Well played Jeff & brilliant song choices! 🤔 Now if we can just bottle all the released Endorphins....... 😁😋🐰
this era of rush is on the level of bach, beetoven, etc !!!!!! rush will be studied like you guys do 100 years from now world wide .. i wish we would be able to witness !!!! thank you for your journery with rush i enjoy watching generations discover the masters of the universe !!!!!
I fucking love your reactions to the Power Windows songs. I’ve been a Rush fan my whole life since I was 12 (1982). I’ve seen them 100 times live. My favorite era is Permanent Waves through Power Windows and I think PW is one of their best. Great songs and interesting arrangements. They all kill it on this album. Middletown Dreams is one of my favorite Rush songs ever and Big Money was always a concert highlight.
One of the best, Thanks again...Todd from Ohio...
It's like the videos gives meaning to Each song & blows you away
80s rush was awesome. Nay sayers were stuck in a time loop they could not break from. Their loss. Power Windows was a masterpiece.
Love this tune live is one regret 4 times seen them they didn't play it
Power Windows is my favorite album. Big sound, well mixed, great messages, the perfect balance of all things.
I love this album. This is one of my favorite songs and I love the concept behind Manhattan Project.
Dude love your passion for these guys. Reminds me of my younger self.
One of the best songs I've ever heard live.
This song is so rich, so well arranged. Just beautiful. I always crank up the sound. Some of Geddy's best vocals.
"You can do a lot in a lifetime, if you dont burn out too fast".
Why do some fans don’t like this album? I’ve been asking myself that since 1985.😂😂
Special.
The album wasn't well received by fans at the time, too shiny and pop production. But its been reassessed since then because the song writing is so damn strong, and still lots of great instrumentality.
It's the NEXT album Hold Your Fire that has consensus as their worst effort. Some of us appreciate it, but a lot of fans call it easy listening Rush lol.
Rush never made a bad album there the greatest ever ❤
You should check out the live version from A Show of Hands. It goes into a slower tempo in the outro and is even better than the excellent studio version...
PLEASE The Last Baron by Mastodon!
Seriously underrated album.
People that don't like this era of RUSH are not true RUSH fans
🤗 There's a "Rush Era" for EVERYBODY! 🤩 What makes them so cool! 🥰 This song totally kicks butt! 😒 And we all secretly love this Album..... 🤫😋😁🐰
Rush fans hang on to the era they were introduced to. Since I am an oldie, Power-Rush of the 70s is my favourite, I loved the Prog years also and I won't lie, they lost me when they went techno and lost the guitar. Power Windows was OK, but the next three were pretty tedious. From Counterparts on they were back to being great aside from the original production of Vapor Trails. But then again I am an oldie & some of the younger crowd love the synth and dislike the Power-Prog days.
some fans don’t like this because of the sound/production
Their stuff from Power Windows all the way to Hold Your Fire would sometimes get too synth heavy and mild for my tastes, but they still made some great songs during that era. Marathon is a good example that fits into both categories. I much prefer the live versions, as they lean into the rock a bit more. I didn't really like RUSH again until the Presto album. It might be their worst sounding album but it was the first one in a decade that was listenable from start to finish for me.
The Marathon of life. God rest your soul Neil. Brilliant.
35 year Rush fan here. This song gives me hope and drive. Always give your best. Always demand more from yourself. Never give up. Keep moving forward.
Same here, 35 glorious years a fan of the three as of '23! And the love never fades... =)
I think the dislike for “later” albums like this one is overstated. Most contemporary Rush fans love and appreciate ALL of their musical phases. Back in the day though, fans were used to their earlier sound, and when they evolved they left some people behind. I would venture to say that even most of those came around and eventually at least appreciated their more synthy stuff.
Rush's sound changed with every single album. Some fans couldn't handle the changes. The changes came rapid fire too. In 1980 they released Permanent Waves, in 1981 Moving Pictures in 1983 Signals, in 1984 Grace Under Pressure and in 1985 Power Windows. So you went from Tom Sawyer & Limelight to Marathon and Emotion Detector in about 4 years. That's a pretty major change in sound. Oh, and they keep evolving. And getting better. And better.
I will agree with whoever said that it took some time to come around to some of the albums. But it is all so so so so good.
No true Rush fan 'Hates' any album. I admit that their earlier albums are my go to albums but then u put on albums like PW and hear songs like Marathon and you think ' why don't I listen to this album more ? '
They were ( are) peerless
I dislike Caress of Steel and Test For Echo, but I freely admit there's good songs on both@@kph1034
I've commented elsewhere the irony of so-called "progressive rock" fans wanting a band to stay stuck in a specific sound and being unwilling to move on...
Great! One of my favorites! Power Windows is an amazing album
Don’t think you’ve done Mystic Rhythms yet from Power Windows. That’s a classic.
My fav album is Power Windows for sure. Some people can't get past the 80s sound, but the songwriting is among their best IMO. And I find the retrofuturistic sound of the production on this record to be quite fun.
the mid section and Alex`s solo section is just a jam. great stuff
That synth just sends your mind somewhere else
The instrumental brown in this song has some peak Neil Peart drumming, but it’s almost impossible to not focus on Alex’s solo during this part. Sometimes I’ll run that part a couple times so I can just focus the insane drumming. Great song that translated very well to the live set, too.
This is one of their best albums. The production is astounding!
I agree. sounds so clear. I run with this playing. Another album i like is Pesto.
absolutely and marathon live is beyond amazing
thanks to Peter collins....
Power Windows is a fabulous album.
Yes!
There are many great Rush records and there are several masterworks in the catalog. Power Windows is one of their best.
thanks to Peter Collins
This is always on my cardio tracks at the gym.
Yes. I have this for my rowing workout. "The peek is never past"
Yep, people who say they don’t like this era “coz keyboards” have NO idea, no clue whatsoever. This is the most creative, most lush, most subtly powerful and most artistic era of their entire career.
I only have 3 albums ahead of Power Windows in my rankings. It was an incredible achievement. I still get inspiration from it. There's so much truth in it. This song is glorious.
This is killer live. There’s a video of Marathon from the Time Machine tour in 2011 you should watch. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
A Show of Hands is better. I was at the gig it was recorded!
Why do some Rush fans hate this album easy. I've been a Rush fan since I was 14 ,57 now Rush changed their sound on every album. So a different Rush was hard to take for some ,all good . A couple of albums took me a while to get. That is part of what makes them so fuckin amazing.
The thing about the shift from hard rock/metal progressive music to this more synth heavy stuff was too much for some people. Power Windows didn’t have the edge that Grace Under Pressure did, so ALL the metalheads just bailed.
I think most of us just love the complexity that they still have, watch them play this stuff LIVE! Ged is running around like a chicken without a head… gotta play keyboards, gotta play foot pedals, gotta dance around with the bass… unreal! 😂
I suggest the Rush song "Armor and Sword" or the song "Test For Echo" or the song "Wish Them Well" - all 3 songs are RUSH songs
In my case it was more about needing some time to adjust to their direction in the 80's. It wasn't `classic Rush!" 😣 However, it grew on me pretty quick.😊
I have had the pleasure of meeting Geddy and Alex backstage as well as meeting Geddy at his book signing in Chicago been a lifelong fan since i was introduced to Fly by Night been lucky enough to have seen them 47 times from All the Worlds a Stage to R40 do i have my personal favorites of course i do but i can find GEMS in every era of this bands amazing career i remember telling Geddy that i loved how they constantly reinvented their sound and he simply said we didnt change the fans did that statement has resonated with me ever since
Great great reaction as usual as i am your lifelong fan as well. Love the shirts another great band
One of my favorite Rush songs from one of my favorite Rush albums.
Not sure why other Rush fans don't like it. Maybe it's not hard Rock enough for them or something. And I know many don't like the synth era.
You get so excited about Neil's drumming - you should WATCH the LIVE version that has a DRUM CAM.
I think this is one of the most intricate and technically difficult drum parts in any Rush song!
Very kick ass record. Love this highway tune up loud!!😊
I new to the channel, i think you guys are awesome. Love your appreciation for RUSH, keepem coming
This album doesn't have any sort of "filler" songs on it like some others do. Even albums I absolutely love, I will admit have a couple weak songs they just kind of tossed in there. This is one album you could listen to cover-to-cover back when cassette tapes were a thing, or put in a CD and never skip a single track. I'd consider Power Windows to be as close to a "perfect" album as a band could get.
Until Clockwork Angels, of course, because that is the perfect album!
Power Windows has some good stuff, I think Mystic Rhythms and Manhattan Project are solid. And the ones you already listened to. 👍
I never got the hate for this period of Rush. I appreciated every bit of their transition through this phase of their career. For me, the 7 albums from A Farewell to Kings through to Power Windows represented the best collection of albums by any band in history. Only their final album Clockwork Angels was in the same class.
Rush was around for a million years and changed styles so many times. Like, drastic changes. Cant expect everyone to be on board with every single thing they did over 19 studio albums. But i LOVE power windows. The soaring melodies, grand in how they sound, the bass playing, the crisp production. They sound so great on this album. They were firing on all cylinders lyrically, musically and their energy.
Greetings from Southern California where Neil Peart spent his final years before leaving us too soon. I saw the guys perform in support of this great album when they toured this way in '86 among the numerous other Rush concerns I've been to. Did you two make out the real chior that was hired for the album version of this song? Those voices really come through toward the finish and fade. Anyway, Bye for now.
Saw this tour twice..once with a head injury. We bleed, but we go to the show!!
You must see them do this live! It's unbelievable 3 guys play this. Time Machine tour Cleveland 2011.
This is there best era. Musicianship is other worldly.
Watch this song LIVE... It's even better!
It’s primarily the synths (or, rather, their increasing use and prominence in Rush’s music) that served as the source of discontent for a certain portion of the first generation of fans. I was only 17 when this album came out, so I’m part of the second generation. The tour for this album was only the second I had attended. I still have the button, ticket stub, and tour book from that particular evening in Toronto.
To be fair, there is one person whose opinion matters on this topic more than that of any generation of fans. As he explained in numerous interviews, it was basically from the mid-80’s to mid-90’s that Alex Lifeson became increasingly unhappy with - to paraphrase him - having to find a place in the songs for him and his guitar.
Some of the fair-weather fans who gave up on Rush during this period probably never did get around to hearing Rush’s last four albums (all produced after the turn of the century), which did provide ample place for Alex and his guitars, with the synths basically returned to more discriminating uses (as they had been used in 1980’s Permanent Waves and 1981’s Moving Pictures).
"Mystic Rhythms" and "Territories" are a must to listen to. You already did my favorite "Grand Design" "Power Windows" is my favorite Rush album. The song writing and production on this album are OUTSTANDING! I've been a Rush fan for 45 years. ❤🔥
A must watch is this Live from ‘A show of hands’.
This came out my senior year of college and is my third favorite Rush album 🤘🤘🤘
You guys are 100% correct.
Power Windows is My 2nd favorite RUSH album.
My 2nd favorite NEIL drumming album.
Crazy good!
I was a teenager when this came out. I bought into the negative responses to this period. It has only been the last couple of years that I have actually listened to this era. I missed out all these years. It was said that Alex was pushed to the background, but try and imagine these songs without him.
Big Money is the best song on this album.
My fave album I think together with Permanent Waves, Signal and Clockwork Angels
5:23 onwards...actually..4:19 onwards...Rush always had the 'Rush' sick trio breaks in their songs regardless of keyboards...'older' original fans may have missed that when the albums came out? Legendary band...gawd I love em'
According to Alex Lifeson, Rush wanted to combine the strongest elements from 1982’s Signals and 1984’s Grace Under Pressure and use them for Power Windows. For him, this was one of the most cohesive and satisfying recordings he and his bandmates ever put together. Power Windows featured elements of musical material Rush never used before, allowing them to break several boundaries as recording artists. This was the album that Rush agreed to not hold any of their creativity back. - ClassicRockHistory
Alex: This song deals with power - the power we have within us to push and drive ourselves towards the goals that we aim for. It's not an easy road, in fact it's always an uphill climb, but it depends on how much of our inner power we want to use to get us to the end of the road ... We thought it was going to be a marathon at first, because it's made up of so many parts and each part is so different. But oddly enough, we just went Bang! Bang! Bang! and flew through recordings. All the parts locked together like a big jigsaw puzzle and it was great.
3 of my top 5 Rush albums are from the 80s. No question in my mind it is their best and most consistent decade. Just the fact that Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are from the 80s kind of says it all.
I love this album because of the guitar sound. So clear,crisp,and filling. A bit like beer.
Best Rush era, and this is a top favorite album. Plz do "Middletown Dreams" and "Manhattan Project".
These tracks are, if possible, a notch up. Brilliant sound, the synthesizer era is epic! R.I.P. Neil "The Professor" Peart.
P.S. Please do a reaction video of the epic drum solo from Neil Peart - live in Frankfurt. Be sure to sit down.
This is a bit of a sleeper track in their grand discography. Anything from the 80s it's going to have a certain amount of synthesizer and perhaps not be as heavy as the stuff from the 70s, but as far as I'm concerned it's all Rush and that in itself means quality. I think you guys have such a good time listening to them it's amazing to watch your reaction, because you can just see the joy not to mention the way the two of you interact with each other during the music is awesome
For some of us old-timers who started out with their first album and then Fly by Night came along and Neil showed up and took us on so many wonderful journeys, as they went away from the harder rock and more progressive songs towards more mainstream it felt like at times that they weren't as creative imaginatively. Not that their music sucked or their songs, it was just us remembering the epics and missing those previous eras. :)
PW was always good to me. I've listened to it hundreds of times.
Power windows the best Rush album!
This is one of Rush's most underrated albums. Those who don't like 80's Rush have a serious problem. Perfectly crafted music. From Permanent Waves to Power Windows is the absolute best Rush for me.
Some of the older fans just wanted them to keep doing 70s hard prog-rock. The guys in Rush were in fact really damn good at that, but they felt like they'd already proven themselves there and wanted to try their hand at what they were hearing on a lot of new (at the time) records.
For me, Power Windows is their most complete album. Geddy's voice is at his career best, all of the playing is spectacular, all of the songs have great lyrics, and the production sound and mix are fantastic. And Marathon ALWAYS hypes me up.
For what it's worth, I've never known Rush songs to have copyright problems, they're much more relaxed about that stuff than several other bands I could name.
As a huge fan of the band, I can't help but love your reactions. This is how I have felt for almost 30 years now. They don't make bad songs. Their "worst songs" would still be the 2nd or 3rd best songs on most albums. Marathon and Middletown Dreams are my favorites from Power Windows. Would love to hear your thoughts on Show Don't Tell off the album Presto
I saw the Presto tour 3 times. I love this middle era. Don't get me wrong Farewell to Kings and 2112 are still my favorites, but damn this stuff is amazing.
Disliked Power windows when it first came out .Alex took a back seat to synths,now it's one of my favorite albums by Rush ,and Akex's guitars are very subtle ,and very cool.
Maybe my favorite Rush album. You still need to cover Lock and Key from Hold Your Fire.
This album sucks. I’ve only listened to it 672 times since I got it. 😉😂.
This album has some of the best solos from Alex and the overall space within the mix is so good as you can hear every single instrument.
One of my favorite parts of the album is listening to all the guitar work Alex does to fill out the sound. It’s inventive, sounds great and shows how talented he is.
This album was so welcomed after my disappointment with the change of direction of Grace Under Pressure back in the day. While I really appreciate GUP today, I was not a fan of it when it came out. Big Money rocks!
Aw yes, the cheesy 80's Not my favourite time period for music and Power Windows is near the bottom for me but there are a few songs on this album I do enjoy. Territories, Big Money and Mystic Rhythms stand out. I find with Rush even if it is not your favourite album you find gems that speak to you. That is their magic.
I have a Rush song suggestion
Secret Touch from the Snakes and Arrows tour.
One of their greatest songs IMHO. Saw it live on the Presto tour and it was beautiful.
power windows was the album that pulled me into Rush's catalogue, thank fuck. stellar sounding album. marathon is them at their most glorious.
Here’s the thing. If Rush never developed their styles over the years, and just stuck to those first 5-6 albums, they wouldn’t have lasted as long as they did! Those last couple of decades they won over a larger fan base as well.
I always focused on Neil because I’m a drummer but holy crap, Geddy is killing it on the bass. I knew it but took it for granted when I was younger….now I’ve been really noticing how epic he is in this era! Power Windows tour was my first Rush concert in Phoenix! Unforgettable!!!!!❤️🤘
This is such a typical couple reaction. The dude is losing his shit over it and the gal is like "Yeah, it's awesome but dude." ;)
Demasiado. Uno de los mejores solos de guitarra jamás ejecutados.
Must do the live version unedited from A Show Of Hands. Alex is on another level !