"Power Windows" is the eleventh studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on October 15, 1985, by Mercury Records in the United States. Its total length is 44:44. The band's lineup included vocalist, bassist, and synthesizers player Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart.
Rush's previous release "Grace Under Pressure" was produced by the band with help from new producer Peter Henderson. He gave them a brand new fresh inventive sound unlike anything from Rush before. Peter Collins produced "Power Windows" for Rush and gives the album a cold and dark sound, unlike anything Rush had before. Upon first listen the album is somewhat unpleasant, but demands more listens due to its uneasy feeling it gives the listener. 'Power Windows" is definitely more synth-heavy than previous releases, but does lend itself to some pretty impressive guitar driven moments from Lifeson.
"Power Windows" was another popular release as it reached #10 on the Billboard 200 chart, #9 on the UK Albums chart, and #2 on the Canadian Albums chart. It has since gone Platinum in the U.S and Canada, as well as Silver in the U.K. The strengths of the album are the dark lyrical themes, the radio-friendly sound, and the progressive moments laid throughout. The weaknesses of "Power Windows" include several boring and lengthy tracks, the overuse of synthesizers, and a somewhat weak second side to the album. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1. "The Big Money" 5:36 (4.5/5)
"The Big Money" begins with an iconic synth line and Lifeson's guitar. Then it soon moves into epic Geddy Lee bass playing and crazy synths. Geddy then sings a perfect vocal delivery. This is definitely one of the catchiest songs in Rush's entire catalog. I love Geddy's bass playing as he constantly jams throughout the entirety of the track. Lyrically the song is catchy, but is also very insightful into how money runs the world. Neil's drumming is also very good. Lifeson's solo is fantastic, it shows emotion and terrific effects on his guitar to make a great sound. "The Big Money" makes a big statement right away.
2. "Grand Designs" 5:07 (4/5)
"Grand Designs" opens with a really cool synth effect, and then Lifeson, Peart, and Geddy all come in and begin playing. I love Geddy's vocals and bass playing during this track. Lifeson's riffs are very catchy and fit the song extremely well. The chorus is very catchy and easy to sing along to. Neil's drumming is crisp and very good as he always is. The use of synthesizer is really what drives this track home. This really is a Geddy Lee track, his synth playing, bass playing, and voice are at the forefront of this track. Lifeson gives another great guitar solo that is full of emotion and sounds great. "Grand Designs" is a very good track.
3. "Manhattan Project" 5:09 (4/5)
"Manhattan Project" has a good share of synth effects. It is a mostly quiet track that focuses more on the lyrical content of the verses as Geddy's singing is the main focus. I like Lifeson's guitar playing, he has crisp and clean riffs. Geddy's bass is again very prominent and sounds great. Neil's drumming is very good as usual. The chorus is catchy yet again and I think it's probably my favorite part of the song. The instrumental interlude is phenomenal as it involves strings and all the other instruments to make an epic sound. "Manhattan Project" is one of the best tracks this album has to offer.
4. "Marathon" 6:11 (3/5)
"Marathon" begins slowly with a guitar buildup that involves synths, bass, and drumming. I love Geddy's bass playing, it's full of personality and energy. Geddy's vocal delivery sounds good again. The chorus is where the song loses me. I don't like it, it's cliche and really cheesy. i simply can't get into it. The whole point of "Marathon" is to give a person motivation to do something great and not to quit. This track does not have that effect on me. Lifeson's guitar solo is very good though. Geddy puts on a bass clinic through this track's entirety. "Marathon" is a decent track, but it drags too often.
5. "Territories" 6:20 (4/5)
"Territories" begins with a really great drum beat and soon begins one of my favorite Lifeson guitar riffs. The synthesizers are used perfectly. I love Geddy's bass playing, it's perfect. Neil's drumming and lyricism are both on display during this track's entirety. I love the overall great head nodding nature of the song. "Territories" is definitely one of the bands most progressive moments on the entire album. Geddy's vocal delivery is perfect on this song and shows passion about the subject of gaining territories for selfish reasons. "Territories" is great lyrically and musically. It is one of the album's strongest points.
6. "Middletown Dreams" 5:19 (3/5)
"Middletown Dreams" begins with a quick hitting synth line with Neils drums and Geddy's bass playing keeping pace. Once the chorus comes in, the listener realizes what a drag this song will be. Rush has a major moment of cheesy 80's throughout the entirety of this song. Honestly there's some really cool synth moments during parts of the song. Lifeson actually gives a terrific guitar solo. "Middletown Dreams" is not bad, it just drags a bit and isn't my favorite lyrically.
7. "Emotion Detector" 5:11 (3/5)
"Emotion Detector" begins with some really Asian sounding synths. Despite it's creative start, I'm afraid it repeats the same mistake as the previous track. The cool synth effects during this song can't hide the lack of energy this song has. Lyrically it may be very good, but honestly I really don't like the chorus, and at this point I really don't want to listen to another dreary song. Geddy's bass work is outstanding again. Lifeson gives the listener another terrific guitar solo. Despite this, "Emotion Detector" similarly falls short of really exciting to the listener and is just not a track one must revisit.
8. "Mystic Rhythms" 5:54 (4/5)
"Mystic Rhythms" begins with pounding drums that spark immediate interest. I love the synth effects and Geddy's bass playing at the forefront of this track. "Mystic Rhythms" has an epic feel to it for sure. I love the chorus, it is so powerful and is probably the effect Rush wanted with many other lyrically powerful choruses that simply failed on many levels. Geddy's bass playing is very good on this track and Lifeson is also very good at playing quick riffs. Neil's drumming is perfect. I love the instrumental breakdown on the track as it fits the song perfectly. It took me many listens to understand the greatness of this powerful song, but it is worth many more listens to get the full effect.
My Verdict:
Rush definitely made strides to use more synthesizers on this release and also change their sound completely. "Power Windows" has both a mainstream and a progressive sound that uses an abundance of synths, but unlike on "Grace Under Pressure" the synths do not have the same effect on me, as I find them to neither detract or add to the album. "Power Windows" is an album full of highs and lows. It is the least appealing Rush album yet upon first listen due to its cold nature and somewhat underwhelming production. Overall, it took me many listens to fully appreciate this album. "Power Windows" is an extremely hard Rush album to judge, but overall it isn't a bad release.
