Grace Under Pressure was the first
Rush album since 1975's
Fly by Night to not be produced by
Terry Brown, who was replaced by
Peter Henderson (
Supertramp,
Paul McCartney). The change resulted in a slightly more accessible sound than its predecessor,
Signals, and marked the beginning of a period where many
Rush fans feel that synths and electronics were used too prominently -- in effect pushing guitarist
Alex Lifeson into the background. The songwriting and lyrics were still strong however, as evidenced by the video/single "Distant Early Warning" (a tale about nuclear war) and the often-overlooked highlight "Kid Gloves," one of the album's few songs to feature
Lifeson upfront. Other standouts include a tribute to a friend of the band who had recently passed away, "Afterimage," the disturbing "Red Sector A" (which details a concentration camp), and one of
Rush's first funk-based songs, "The Enemy Within." Whereas most other rock bands formed in the 1970s put out unfocused and uninspired work in the 1980s (which sounds very dated),
Rush's
Grace Under Pressure remains an exception. ~ Greg Prato