Grace Under Pressure (Rush album)
Encyclopedia
Grace Under Pressure is the tenth studio album by the Canadian
rock
band Rush
, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music
). A symbol for the album is the letter "p" above a line with the letter "g" below (p/g).
Grace Under Pressure reached #10 on The Billboard 200 and went Platinum in the United States upon its 1984 release. On the back cover is a band portrait by the photographer Yousuf Karsh
. The original vinyl pressing also featured a photo depicting an egg being held in a C-clamp. Also, the cover art was painted by Hugh Syme
, a long-time contributor to Rush's music ever since he performed as a guest musician on the song "Tears" from 2112
.
in Miami, calmly informing him that they wanted to move on. They'd become increasingly unhappy with the sound of the Signals album, and they were also keen to see how they would work with someone other than Brown. Despite their decision to part ways with Brown, Rush decided to include a small tribute to him in the liner notes of Grace Under Pressure, which states, "et toujours notre bon vieil ami — Broon." The quote translates to "and always our good old friend." Following Brown's amicable departure, Rush approached producer Steve Lillywhite
to record the album. However, Lillywhite withdrew at the last minute, much to the chagrin of the band members. Rush eventually produced the album themselves, with assistance from Peter Henderson, who had previously worked with Supertramp
, Frank Zappa
and King Crimson
.
Rush decided to record the album in the band members' native Canada at Le Studio, deciding on the title "Grace Under Pressure" for the album. The various current events found in the Toronto Globe & Mail newspaper inspired many of the lyrics on the album, particularly those of "Distant Early Warning," "Red Lenses" and "Between the Wheels." After a few months, the mixing stage had begun, and Neil Peart discussed the details of the cover art with Hugh Syme. The band spent up to 14 hours per day in the studio, perfecting the album's dystopian sound.
The album's running theme is pressure and how humans act under different kinds of pressure. In songs like "Between the Wheels" and "The Body Electric", Peart's lyrics explore the pressure put on by life as a whole. In "Afterimage", Peart describes the impressions left by a loved one that dies suddenly. One track, "Red Sector A
," is notable for its allusions to The Holocaust
, inspired by Geddy Lee
's memories of his mother's stories about the liberation of Bergen-Belsen
, where she was held prisoner. While the album's opening track "Distant Early Warning" has been interpreted as dealing with the pressure involving the aftermath of nuclear holocaust, Peart demurred in a contemporaneous interview, saying, "It's about a lot of stuff." "The Enemy Within" is part one of the "Fear"
series of songs that started with part three, "Witch Hunt," on Rush's 1981 album Moving Pictures
,through part two,"The Weapon" on 1982's Signals. The video for "The Enemy Within" was the very first video broadcast on Canada's Much Music station in 1984.
Musically, the album marks yet another departure from Rush's previous album. While maintaining the synth-heavy sound of Signals, Rush also began to experiment more extensively with different musical forms. The album is notable for the radical new influences it displayed, such as ska
. This was the first album to be released by Rush to include no program music
.
, Geddy Lee
and Neil Peart
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music
1984 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's...
). A symbol for the album is the letter "p" above a line with the letter "g" below (p/g).
Grace Under Pressure reached #10 on The Billboard 200 and went Platinum in the United States upon its 1984 release. On the back cover is a band portrait by the photographer Yousuf Karsh
Yousuf Karsh
Yousuf Karsh, CC was a Canadian photographer of Armenian heritage, and one of the most famous and accomplished portrait photographers of all time.-Biography:...
. The original vinyl pressing also featured a photo depicting an egg being held in a C-clamp. Also, the cover art was painted by Hugh Syme
Hugh Syme
Hugh Syme is a Canadian Juno Award-winning graphic artist who is best known for his artwork and cover concepts for rock and metal bands. He is also a musician and has appeared in some Rush songs as a keyboard player. Syme is notably responsible for all of Rush's album cover art since 1975's Caress...
, a long-time contributor to Rush's music ever since he performed as a guest musician on the song "Tears" from 2112
2112 (album)
2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976.The album features an eponymous seven-part suite written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, with lyrics written by Neil Peart telling a dystopian story set in the year 2112. The album is sometimes described as a concept album...
.
Background and production
During the tour supporting their previous album, Signals, the members of Rush began by meeting with producer Terry BrownTerry Brown (record producer)
Terry Brown is a record producer involved in a variety of work, but most noted for his involvement with the Canadian rock band Rush and the British/Canadian band Cutting Crew. Brown is currently working with emerging Ottawa roots-rockers Ken Workman & The Union. He is referred to fondly by the band...
in Miami, calmly informing him that they wanted to move on. They'd become increasingly unhappy with the sound of the Signals album, and they were also keen to see how they would work with someone other than Brown. Despite their decision to part ways with Brown, Rush decided to include a small tribute to him in the liner notes of Grace Under Pressure, which states, "et toujours notre bon vieil ami — Broon." The quote translates to "and always our good old friend." Following Brown's amicable departure, Rush approached producer Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
to record the album. However, Lillywhite withdrew at the last minute, much to the chagrin of the band members. Rush eventually produced the album themselves, with assistance from Peter Henderson, who had previously worked with Supertramp
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
.
Rush decided to record the album in the band members' native Canada at Le Studio, deciding on the title "Grace Under Pressure" for the album. The various current events found in the Toronto Globe & Mail newspaper inspired many of the lyrics on the album, particularly those of "Distant Early Warning," "Red Lenses" and "Between the Wheels." After a few months, the mixing stage had begun, and Neil Peart discussed the details of the cover art with Hugh Syme. The band spent up to 14 hours per day in the studio, perfecting the album's dystopian sound.
The album's running theme is pressure and how humans act under different kinds of pressure. In songs like "Between the Wheels" and "The Body Electric", Peart's lyrics explore the pressure put on by life as a whole. In "Afterimage", Peart describes the impressions left by a loved one that dies suddenly. One track, "Red Sector A
Red Sector A
"Red Sector A" is a song by Rush that provides a first-person account of a nameless protagonist living in an unspecified prison camp setting. "Red Sector A" first appeared on the band's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure....
," is notable for its allusions to The Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, inspired by Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
's memories of his mother's stories about the liberation of Bergen-Belsen
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
, where she was held prisoner. While the album's opening track "Distant Early Warning" has been interpreted as dealing with the pressure involving the aftermath of nuclear holocaust, Peart demurred in a contemporaneous interview, saying, "It's about a lot of stuff." "The Enemy Within" is part one of the "Fear"
Fear series
The "Fear Series" is a set of four songs by the band Rush. The series consists of Part I: "The Enemy Within" , Part II: "The Weapon" , Part III: "Witch Hunt" and Part IV: "Freeze"...
series of songs that started with part three, "Witch Hunt," on Rush's 1981 album Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures (album)
- Personnel :* Geddy Lee - Bass guitar; Minimoog; Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer; OB-X, Moog Taurus bass pedals, vocals* Alex Lifeson - Electric and acoustic guitars, Moog Taurus...
,through part two,"The Weapon" on 1982's Signals. The video for "The Enemy Within" was the very first video broadcast on Canada's Much Music station in 1984.
Musically, the album marks yet another departure from Rush's previous album. While maintaining the synth-heavy sound of Signals, Rush also began to experiment more extensively with different musical forms. The album is notable for the radical new influences it displayed, such as ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
. This was the first album to be released by Rush to include no program music
Program music
Program music or programme music is a type of art music that attempts to musically render an extra-musical narrative. The narrative itself might be offered to the audience in the form of program notes, inviting imaginative correlations with the music...
.
Track listing
Music and lyrics by Alex LifesonAlex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
, Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
and Neil Peart
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
.
- "Distant Early WarningDistant Early Warning (song)"Distant Early Warning" is a song by progressive rock band Rush from their 1984 album Grace Under Pressure. It is one of Rush's most well-known songs due to being featured on multiple compilation albums as well as many of their live albums....
" – 4:59 - "AfterimageAfterimage (song)Afterimage is the second track from Rush's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure. The track was dedicated to Robbie Whelan, a friend of the band who worked as an assistant engineer on some of Rush's earlier albums, most notably Moving Pictures and Signals. The track deals with the loss of a friend and...
" – 5:04 - "Red Sector ARed Sector A"Red Sector A" is a song by Rush that provides a first-person account of a nameless protagonist living in an unspecified prison camp setting. "Red Sector A" first appeared on the band's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure....
" – 5:10 - "The Enemy Within (Part I of Fear)" – 4:33
- "The Body Electric" – 5:00
- "Kid Gloves" – 4:18
- "Red Lenses" – 4:42
- "Between the Wheels" – 5:44
Personnel
- Geddy LeeGeddy LeeGary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
- bass guitar (Steinberger L-2), synthesizers (Minimoog, PPG Wave, Oberheim OB-Xa, Roland Jupiter 8), vocals - Alex LifesonAlex LifesonAleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
- guitars (Hentor Sportscasters), synthesizers - Neil PeartNeil PeartNeil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
- drums (Simmons and Tama), percussion
Sales certifications
| Country | Organization | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. | RIAA | Platinum (1,000,000) |
| Canada | RIAA | Platinum (100,000) |
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Billboard 200 | 10 |
Singles
| Information |
|---|
"The Body Electric"
|
| "Distant Early Warning Distant Early Warning (song) "Distant Early Warning" is a song by progressive rock band Rush from their 1984 album Grace Under Pressure. It is one of Rush's most well-known songs due to being featured on multiple compilation albums as well as many of their live albums.... " |
| "Red Sector A Red Sector A "Red Sector A" is a song by Rush that provides a first-person account of a nameless protagonist living in an unspecified prison camp setting. "Red Sector A" first appeared on the band's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure.... " |
| "Afterimage Afterimage (song) Afterimage is the second track from Rush's 1984 album Grace Under Pressure. The track was dedicated to Robbie Whelan, a friend of the band who worked as an assistant engineer on some of Rush's earlier albums, most notably Moving Pictures and Signals. The track deals with the loss of a friend and... " |
Remaster details
A remaster was issued in 1997.- The tray has a picture of three fingerprints, light blue, pink, and lime green (left to right) with "The Rush Remasters" printed in all capital letters just to the left. All remasters from Moving Pictures through A Show of Hands feature this logo, originally found on the cover art of Retrospective IIRetrospective IIRetrospective II: 1981 to 1987 is a compilation album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1997 . The album is essentially a collection of their best songs from the second decade of the band....
. - The back is a plain, off-white panel with the track titles printed as well as the production and copyright information.
- The insert displays the cover art. The color of the cover art has been altered: it is of a richer, brown-gray color base, as opposed to the light blue base of the original LP release. The new cover is featured in nearly all of the album's modern representations. When the case is opened, the inside shows the photo of the band from the back of the LP version of the album. The insert unfolds to show the image of the egg in the C-clamp, which has a thin red border around it and credits the image to Deborah Samuel.
- Also in the insert are the lyrics, similar to those included with the LP. Like the LP, the title and lyrics of "Red Lenses" are printed completely in lowercase.
- Some consider the title in all lower case ("red lenses") to be the proper and accepted writing.