Rush – Grace Under Pressure

Released in April, 1984, the band's 10th studio album reached No. 10 on the Billboard chart and went platinum. Alex Lifeson called it "the most satisfying of all our records."? It was the first album they recorded without long-time producer Terry Brown, eventually producing it themselves. The song's themes were influenced by the growing tensions in the Cold War.

The music itself continued the presence of synthesizers introduced on Signals, as well as incorporating elements of ska and reggae into their sound. Singles included "Distant Early Warning," "The Body Electric," "Red Sector A:" and "Afterimage."

"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." — AllMusic

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