RUSH, Grace Under Pressure, Super Deluxe (UMG Recordings, Inc.)

In their 1978 song “Circumstances,” Rush drummer Neil Peart lyricized, “Plus ça change/Plus c’est la même chose,” which he quickly translated to “The more that things change/The more they stay the same.” In its own way, the album that song came from, Hemispheres, ties into the band’s latest release.

Hemispheres, and every Rush album from 1974 through 1982’s Signals, was produced by Terry Brown. For their 1984 album Grace Under Pressure, the band decided to go on a different direction by putting Peter Henderson in the producer’s chair. There was a definite shift in Rush’s sound. This came mostly via the guitars, which seemed somewhat pushed aside by the heavy synthesizers that dominated Signals, the band’s previous album. Signals itself was seen as a seismic sonic shift from its studio predecessor, the legendary Moving Pictures.

Now Rush has given Grace Under Pressure the Deluxe Edition treatment, including a second remaster of the album, along with a brand new mix. The new mixer? Why, it’s Terry Brown!

The things change, the more they stay the same.

First things first. The Grace … box set contains three ways to enjoy the studio album. In addition to Brown’s remix, the original analog recording was remastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios. There is also a Dolby Atmos/5.1 surround mix by Richard Chycki.^ A Blu-ray disc contains Rush’s complete concert from September 21, 1984, recorded in their hometown of Toronto, Canada at Maple Leaf Gardens.

The video contains more than half an hour of music left off Rush’s original live video from that tour. All this and other assorted doo-dads and souvenirs that normally come with these kind of box sets. It’s just what every Rush fan in general and Grace … fan in particular wants on the media shelf, be it via four CDs or five LPs to go along with that Blu-ray.

It’s a lot to take in, and it’s worth every minute.

The remaster sounds terrific. It’s crisper, and sounds a bit tighter than the original release, which was pretty darn good. The low end has a little more thunder, and songs breathe a bit more as they fade into the ether. While there aren’t any real new details to be found, what was there already has most definitely been given a new lease on life.

Terry Brown’s remix? That’s a completely different animal.

The original album’s mix feels like a battle between Alex Lifeson’s guitars and Geddy Lee’s synthesizers. While Lee’s vocals are allowed to ride over the top of that wall of sound, his bass guitar and Neil Peart’s drums have been pushed back. It doesn’t help that Peart has embraced Simmons electronic drums for portions of his work. They don’t ring out with the same level of clarity as his Tama acoustic kit. In that way, Grace … sounds very much of its time.

Brown has gone in and fixed these issues. The guitars and synths have been moved out wider, making room for Lee’s bass and vocals to have their own space. The vocal’s even have a couple of extra details here and there, particularly on “Kid Gloves,” where Lee sounds like he’s sitting next to you while he sings. Lifeson’s guitars dominate the mix’s top end, while Lee’s synths have found a nice home in the midrange.

Best of all, Peart’s drums finally have a true voice. One of the most dominant and influential drummers in rock history should be allowed to shine. In this mix, he most definitely does. The acoustic drums have a ton more snap and pop to them, while the electronic drums sound cleaner, but more like the drum kit’s augmentation than before. This is the way it should have been in the first place.

In other words, Rush sounds like a true power trio again. A heavily layered power trio, yes. But a power trio all the same. The devil, they say, is in the details. Those details have been located in order to make Grace … sounds even better than it did originally.

Which leads one to wonder, would Grace Under Pressure have sounded this way had Brown been allowed to produce the album in the first place? This is a question to be pondered while enjoying what pours out of the speakers. Regardless, it’s nice to live in a world where Terry Brown was allowed to get his mitts on this album.

The live video is highly enjoyable even as it, too, feels and sounds of its time. The band’s fashion choices speak for themselves, including Lifeson looking like he sat in his barbers chair and said, “A Flock of Seagulls.” The rest is eighties history.

Rush is a heavy band, so it seems a little odd to watch Lifeson play a Fender Stratocaster and Lee a headless Steinberger bass guitar. Neither instrument is known for dominating a musical mix.

To the uninitiated, this was probably no big deal. But Rush gets its best sound across by way of more aggressive instruments like the Gibson Les Paul or Paul Reed Smith guitars and Fender Jazz bass guitars. The gear geeks know and can hear the difference.

Still, the concert is solid and highly enjoyable. Rush is making the most of its home field advantage, playing with even more energy than they were already known for. The people in the audience that night got their money’s worth and then some.

Rush continued its studio exploration of different producers via Peter Collins on their next album, Power Windows. Will Terry Brown get a shot at this record as well? As enjoyable as the original album is, one kind of hopes so.

^ Unfortunately, I don’t have the equipment to discuss the Atmos/5.1 mix. I do, however, possess the high-quality equipment for a detailed listen to the stereo mixes. My apologies.

#cirdecsongs

If you enjoy this or any of my other content, I’d really appreciate it if you gave it a “like.” It does wonders for the algorithm and allows me to put my work in front of more eyes. I really appreciate it.

If you would like to have your music reviewed or have your band photographed while in Chicago, contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com