Hold Your Fire is the twelfth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 8, 1987 by Mercury Records in the United States. Its total length is 50:21. The band's lineup included vocalist, bassist, and synthesizers player Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart.
Rush's previous release Power Windows had a cold feeling to it and lacked the sound that made me fall in love with Rush. Hold Your Fire has a very similar sound to Power Windows, but is much more pleasant to listen to and has improved production. Hold Your Fire is synth heavy again, but I actually enjoy the synths a lot more on this release.
Hold Your Fire was another popular release, as it reached #13 on the Billboard 200 chart, #10 on the UK albums chart, and #9 on the Canadian albums chart. It has since gone Gold in the U.S, Platinum in Canada, as well as Silver in the U.K. It was the first Rush album since their 1975 album Caress of Steel not to receive Platinum status in the U.S., making it their least popular release in years. The strengths of the album are the lyrical themes, the use of synths, and the amount of great tracks on the album. The weaknesses of Hold Your Fire include several boring tracks, the lack of guitar at times, and the inconsistencies throughout. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1. "Force Ten" 4:31 (5/5)
"Force Ten" is an epic opening to get this album started off. It begins with some great drumming from Neil, awesome bass playing from Geddy, and quick guitar riffs from Lifeson. I love Geddy's voice, he is really in his prime vocally. The synths are used well to add terrific effects to the track, rather than distract from it's other elements. I love all the musical elements coming together at full speed during the song. It gives it so much personality and energy. I love the instrumental interlude, it is amazing. "Force Ten" is an excellent opener and is better than anything from Rush's last album.
2. "Time Stand Still" 5:09 (5/5)
"Time Stand Still" is a beautiful song that is one of the best lyrical moments Rush has ever had as a band. I love Lifeson's guitar work during the track, it's simple and fits the track well. Geddy's bass work is terrific and Neil's drumming is also very good. Geddy's vocal delivery is terrific and Rush's addition of a female vocalist adds terrific effect for the track. The synths are perfectly used throughout the track. The song is the perfect length and remains one of the most beautiful songs in Rush's catalog.
3. "Open Secrets" 5:38 (4.5/5)
"Open Secrets" has a terrific opening with cool bass playing, awesome synths, and a terrific guitar riff from Lifeson. I love the bass playing that is at the forefront during this song. I really love Geddy's vocal delivery, it's full of passion and really adds to the song. The lyrics to the song are terrific and insightful as usual. The drumming is excellent like it always is. The chorus is both catchy and impressive lyrically. Lifeson's guitar solo is excellent and "Open Secrets" is definitely one of the highlights for him on an album where he is underused.
4. "Second Nature" 4:36 (1.5/5)
"Second Nature" is a boring track from beginning to end honestly. Geddy's singing is good during this track. Not much happens during the track though, as the track doesn't flow well. The bass playing is nice, but there are simply too many moments I find myself bored with track. Despite being one of the shorter tracks from the album, "Second Nature" drags and due to the fact it does not flow well, it's one of the weakest tracks on the album.
5. "Prime Mover" 5:19 (3/5)
"Prime Mover" begins with a nice guitar riff and very good bass playing from Geddy. I like the synths right away. I actually really like the opening of this song. Lifeson's guitar riffs are actually pretty heavy especially for this period of Rush's catalog. Geddy's vocal delivery is very good and his bass playing is full of energy. I like the chorus, it's catchy and has energy that some of the other tracks lack. Neil's drumming is again very good. "Prime Mover" doesn't flow very well at times, but it is a decent track.
6. "Lock and Key" 5:09 (5/5)
"Lock and Key" begins with a very emotional opening. Geddy's bass playing is at the forefront of the track again. Neil's drumming is very good and Lifeson again stays in the background until the buildup to choruses. I love Geddy's vocals on this track, they are his best from the album. The chorus is excellent and is full of emotion. I love the lyrics to the track as well. The synths give the song extra effect and add to an already great track. Lifeson's solo is awesome and is probably his best from the entire album. "Lock and Key" is the best song from the album and utilizes Lifeson's guitar perfectly.
7. "Mission" 5:16 (4/5)
"Mission" begins with another emotional opening that focuses on Geddy's voice. Soon, the song picks up tempo with Geddy's fast bass playing and Neil's quick calculated drumming. The chorus is full of emotion and is excellent lyrically. The synths add character and emotion to an already emotional track. Neil's drumming at times is also very powerful. Lifeson performs another very good guitar solo that may be short, but is very good. Lifeson's outro solo is also outstanding and a fitting ending to a great song. "Mission" doesn't blow you away upon first listen, but after more listens its power is recognized and noted.
8. "Turn the Page" 4:55 (4.5/5)
"Turn the Page" begins with very good bass playing from Geddy Lee. Then is soon joined by lIfeson's guitar and Neil's drums. Geddy's vocals are very fitting to the track and his bass playing is at the forefront of the song. The chorus is so catchy and engaging for the listener due to it's easy to sing lyrics and synth effects. I love the fun approach Rush took to this song and it is a nice change in pace compared to the rest of the album. Lifeson's guitar solo is amazing and really might be his best from the entire album. "Turn the Page" is one of the better tracks from the album and Rush should have ended the album with this song.
9. "Tai Shan" 4:17 (1/5)
"Tai Shan" takes the prize from "Rivendell" for being the worst song in Rush's discography. It begins with Asian sounding instrumentation. It's a song with no climax and no tempo changing and bores the listener to no end. Geddy's bass playing is good, but honestly this song is just terrible. It is the worst song on the entire album. It's cheesy and boring musically.
10. "High Water" 5:33 (3/5)
"High Water" actually has a really awesome opening with booming drums and cool synth effects. I love Lifeson's guitar effects during this part of the song. The into alone makes this song better than "Tai Shan." The synths on this track are actually very pleasant. Geddy's singing is very good. The song suffers a little from dragging moments that occur throughout. Lifeson does have some really nice heavier guitar riffs unlike other tracks. I love Geddy's bass playing during the track as well. The guitar solo is very good from Lifeson and adds great effect to the track. Overall, High Water lasts too long and suffers from it's dragging nature, but is still fairly impressive musically.
My Verdict:
Rush's Hold Your Fire continues Rush's dive into their more synth pop sound, but is executed more strongly on this release in comparison to Power Windows. This album is not near as consistent as many of Rush's previous releases and is plagued with some really poor tracks, but that does not change the fact that the album has some really strong moments. Hold Your Fire is far more enjoyable than Power Windows and is a better release in most ways.
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