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Grace Under Pressure Appreciation Thread

Grace :)

GUP Fangirl
Staff member
For me, my favorite Rush album was, is, and always will be Grace Under Pressure. The raw emotion on this album is unreal and it makes me really wish I was alive to see the Grace Under Pressure Tour that my father saw. Compared to other Rush albums, this is one of the very few that I can listen to in its entirety without any desire to skip a song. Everything is just perfection.

Distant Early Warning (3rd Favorite) - Awesome opener and introduction to GUP's themes. The Sci-Fi/Dystopian themes are properly introduced here.

Afterimage (2nd Favorite) - My 2nd favorite song on the album, the raw emotion is unmatched to any other Rush song (except one). I wish I had listened to this more when I was younger.

Red Sector A (5th Favorite) - Haunting, dark song that fully embraces its source material. The use of synth violins really sets the eerie tone.

The Enemy Within (8th Favorite) - Despite the fact that this is my least favorite on the album, I still love the shit out of it. An excellent addition to the Fear Trilogy.

The Body Electric (6th Favorite) - I've seen many people say that this is one of the weaker songs on the album, but I respectfully disagree. This song does what it sets out to do: talk about a rogue robot breaking out of its static program (as implied with the mostly-static beat at the beginning of the song). I loved this song as a child and I still do.

Kid Gloves (4th Favorite) - One of Rush's most underrated gems. Unlike the rest of the album, the theme is much more light-hearted and "friendly" compared to the dark themes of the first 3 songs. The guitar solo is off the chain and really makes me wonder why they never played this again (only played it for 2/5 of the GUP tour).

Red Lenses (7th favorite) - Supposedly the "worst" song on the album, due to its funky beat, jazz-like composition, and cheesy lyrics. I personally think this is one of the coolest songs on the album. Even if not the greatest in their catalog, you cannot deny it sounds beautiful in a live setting (heck, they played it to some degree for 3 tours in a row). The middle portion of the song is easily the best portion, with its eerie usage of synths and the guitar to drive home the theme of the "Red Scare".

Between the Wheels (Favorite off the Album):
Thoughts - The song that introduced me to this album, and the song that got me more into Rush. This song is unlike anything you would see on Moving Pictures or any of Rush's 70s albums. This song is a masterpiece. Dare I say that this is Rush's best song out of their massive catalogue? What sets this song above Afterimage is the guitar solo and the dissonance of the synthesizers. I will forever hold this song closer to my heart.
 
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Between the Wheels is also my favorite from Grace Under Pressure, as is Afterimage my second favorite. Those two songs are just so unique to me and give me feelings I don't get from any other song. After that I'd probably rank The Enemy Within at third, Red Sector A fourth, Kid Gloves fifth, The Body Electric sixth, Distant Early Warning seventh, and Red Lenses eighth.

Like you, I think GUP is pretty much a flawless album, so Red Lenses being ranked my least favorite does not mean I dislike it because I do really enjoy it instrumentally, especially when Geddy does the little bass solo for live performances on the GUP tour. Distant Early Warning is probably only ranked so low because it falls victim to what I call the Tom Sawyer Effect, great song that is one of the first to grab you, but after a while the "deeper" songs that may not grab at first start grow on you, and just seem to be overall even better songs and more enjoyable.

As a side note, I know general Rush chat hasn't really taken off on this site, but I appreciate the effort, as it may attract more people to join in the discussion. It's easier for me to ramble on endlessly about Rush history and live-related stuff, but I'll make comments on posts like these when when I can.
 
Between the Wheels is also my favorite from Grace Under Pressure, as is Afterimage my second favorite. Those two songs are just so unique to me and give me feelings I don't get from any other song. After that I'd probably rank The Enemy Within at third, Red Sector A fourth, Kid Gloves fifth, The Body Electric sixth, Distant Early Warning seventh, and Red Lenses eighth.

Like you, I think GUP is pretty much a flawless album, so Red Lenses being ranked my least favorite does not mean I dislike it because I do really enjoy it instrumentally, especially when Geddy does the little bass solo for live performances on the GUP tour. Distant Early Warning is probably only ranked so low because it falls victim to what I call the Tom Sawyer Effect, great song that is one of the first to grab you, but after a while the "deeper" songs that may not grab at first start grow on you, and just seem to be overall even better songs and more enjoyable.

As a side note, I know general Rush chat hasn't really taken off on this site, but I appreciate the effort, as it may attract more people to join in the discussion. It's easier for me to ramble on endlessly about Rush history and live-related stuff, but I'll make comments on posts like these when when I can.
I may try to do more of these "appreciation" threads in the future to try and make this forum a little more active. That being said, I feel your ranking is quite close to mine. It's hard to rank what is already a masterpiece. I feel your opinion is a little more on the "objective" side of things, if you can call it that. Red lenses is still the weakest on the album, but I can't help but love it (hence my rating).
 
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I’m a lifelong fan who cut his teeth on Permanent Waves, and “Red Lenses” is my favorite Rush song. p/g spoke to me in ’84, and I’d require years of musical therapy to figure out why. For goodness sake, a hard rock prog band recorded a New Wave album and succeeded!
 
I’m a lifelong fan who cut his teeth on Permanent Waves, and “Red Lenses” is my favorite Rush song. p/g spoke to me in ’84, and I’d require years of musical therapy to figure out why. For goodness sake, a hard rock prog band recorded a New Wave album and succeeded!
I always feel bad for ranking Red Lenses so low on the Album. I just love it so much. It took me a few listens to get it, but I just cannot ignore it now.
 
I thought it would be fun to revisit these threads all this time later, and see how much has changed.

New Ranking (today in August 2023):
Between The Wheels, Afterimage, Red Lenses, Red Sector A, The Body Electric, The Enemy Within, Kid Gloves, Distant Early Warning

Old Ranking (post above from February 2022):
Between The Wheels, Afterimage, The Enemy Within, Red Sector A, Kid Gloves, The Body Electric, Distant Early Warning, Red Lenses

Overall it looks like I've grown a lot more appreciation for Red Lenses and The Body Electric. The instrumentation of Red Lenses is way too cool, and the lyrics don't really detract for me the way they used to. I can't quite pinpoint why I love The Body Electric so much more than I used to, but I think I just find it a really cool sounding song. It just wasn't a favorite for a while, but it has grown on me a ton. Kid Gloves being moved down second to last feels like a crime, but I still think it's amazing, though I'd about tie it with The Enemy Within so I could easily interchange them. DEW being last on the list feels wrong because I actually enjoy it a lot more again compared to the time I wrote my last ranking. Though as powerful as all these songs are, one has to be last. As for my top favorites, I almost want to put Afterimage first, but it's really too hard to dethrone Between The Wheels... both songs are amazing and easily top the album for me.
 
I thought it would be fun to revisit these threads all this time later, and see how much has changed.

New Ranking (today in August 2023):
Between The Wheels, Afterimage, Red Lenses, Red Sector A, The Body Electric, The Enemy Within, Kid Gloves, Distant Early Warning

Old Ranking (post above from February 2022):
Between The Wheels, Afterimage, The Enemy Within, Red Sector A, Kid Gloves, The Body Electric, Distant Early Warning, Red Lenses

Overall it looks like I've grown a lot more appreciation for Red Lenses and The Body Electric. The instrumentation of Red Lenses is way too cool, and the lyrics don't really detract for me the way they used to. I can't quite pinpoint why I love The Body Electric so much more than I used to, but I think I just find it a really cool sounding song. It just wasn't a favorite for a while, but it has grown on me a ton. Kid Gloves being moved down second to last feels like a crime, but I still think it's amazing, though I'd about tie it with The Enemy Within so I could easily interchange them. DEW being last on the list feels wrong because I actually enjoy it a lot more again compared to the time I wrote my last ranking. Though as powerful as all these songs are, one has to be last. As for my top favorites, I almost want to put Afterimage first, but it's really too hard to dethrone Between The Wheels... both songs are amazing and easily top the album for me.
I think your new ranking reflects my thoughts now too. I still hold Between The Wheels and Afterimage in high regards, but songs like Distant Early Warning and Kid Gloves have dropped on my personal list. Lyrically, Red Lenses is very weak, but the instrumental is incredible, and that cannot be understated. The Enemy Within I still do not care for much, and The Body Electric is probably lower than it used to be. Red Sector A still holds a very high place on the album for me though.
 
My favorites as of 08/30/2023...
1. Between the Wheels
2. Red Sector A
3. Afterimage
4. Red Lenses
5. The Body Electric
6. Distant Early Warning
7. The Enemy within
8. Kid Gloves
 
In the 80s/90s I was into a lot early death metal and goth rock (Siouxsie, etc.) so I feel like there's this darkness in P/G that's always appealed to me. I'd count myself as enjoying everything Rush has done, but P/G has an atmosphere unlike all of their other albums. I can't pick a favorite song, I just don't quite know how to start that list. 'Afterimage'? It's definitely up there. Same with 'Between the Wheels'. I'm a huge fan of 'The Enemy Within'; it's a total ripper to me. I could ramble about this album for hours.

Anyway, my first post. This is a nice place. You guys have all put a lot of effort into the board and it shows.
 
GUP is one of those albums that I grew to appreciate more as time went on - not that I didn't like it when it was first released. Here's my attempt to rank the songs:
1. Distant Early Warning
2. Between the Wheels
3. Red Sector A
4. Afterimage
5. Red Lenses
6. The Body Electric
7. Kid Gloves
8. The Enemy Within
 
Ranking these tracks is a “Sophie’s Choice” for me, however:

  1. Red Lenses
  2. Between the Wheels
  3. Afterimage
  4. Red Sector A
  5. Kid Gloves
  6. Distant Early Warning
  7. The Body Electric
  8. The Enemy Within
 
By-Tor X-1 wrote this, and I'd like to associate myself with it: "I think GUP is pretty much a flawless album.... Distant Early Warning is probably only ranked so low because it falls victim to what I call the Tom Sawyer Effect, great song that is one of the first to grab you, but after a while the "deeper" songs that may not grab at first start grow on you, and just seem to be overall even better songs and more enjoyable."

To me, GUP is a strange album in the through-line of Rush albums. Many Rush albums are kind of like pairs (Fly By Night/Caress, AFTK/Hemispheres, PeW/Moving Pictures, PoW/HYF), but GUP really stands out on its own, like a lonely island in the Rush Archipelago. I recall hearing that it was intended to be more guitar-edgy in reaction to the synth dominance of Signals, but then there are two songs that have no bass on them! It definitely feels like a tense album, from the song construction, the lyrics, and the sound. Alex's guitar playing has really evolved into the peak of his 1980s (Police, ska, reggae) style, that began perhaps in The Spirit of Radio to Vital Signs to much of Signals. His playing on most of these numbers stands out as separate from his work on other albums. His syncopated rhythms (Enemy Within, Red Lenses, Distant Early Warning), unusual fingered chords (Red Sector A, The Body Electric), and unconventional leads (Kid Gloves, Afterimage, Red Sector A) are prevalent in the album's songs. And Alex's playing on Between the Wheels is some of the most savage and evil note and sound selection in guitar history -- how can such a clearly nice, sweet, generous, gregarious person conceive of such a raw, imposing, fearsome, and ruthless presentation of music? Thought GUP, Geddy seems to have a melancholy in his vocals that is hard to escape. The cover artwork is mind-blowing and a standout in the catalog. That, along with the Hugh touches of the P/G expression and the egg in the vice are integral to the experience of the album (for me).

Although I think GUP is essential (and feel the same about perhaps every Rush album), it doesn't rise to the top tier for me, I guess because it makes me uneasy in some way. It doesn't call up a strong urge to sing along or play air guitar or drums. It's almost like I have to suffer a little to listen to it, but I would never argue for it to be replaced or "improved". For example, it's hard to listen to Red Sector A. The underlying subject matter is hard to think about. There's no bass. It has electronic drums. Geddy's voice is in a narrow, morose range. And to me, it was always a bit strange for it to be a live number, and they played it on a lot of tours! It's hard to cheer and give high fives with your buddy in the face of that. But it's an essential part of the Rush songscape. I feel similarly about Afterimage. Distant Early Warning too is hard (and overplayed in my life), although it does have that great bass line!

I take the album, and think of it, as a whole piece of work, but if asked to rank songs, it's as follows:

1. Between the Wheels
2. Kid Gloves
3. Red Lenses
4. The Body Electric
5. The Enemy Within
6. Red Sector A
7. Afterimage
8. Distant Early Warning

For the record - I rarely listen to just one of those songs on its own (exceptions Between the Wheels, Kid Gloves, and Red Lenses). Rather, if I'm in the mood, I just listen to the whole album through.

Cheers!
 
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GUP really stands out on its own
It doesn’t sound at all like Signals, it doesn’t sound at all like PoW. It is almost a perfect musical instance within their headspace that lasted for just 12-18 months. It has sharp edges and it’s gritty and icy and metallic and digital as fuck. As a band you gotta think you’ve got some big balls to take the bass out of the hands of one of rock’s leading players on two tracks, then have the nerve to put them one after another on the album! How many fans not completely turned away by Signals ‘struggled’ through the synth bass on “Afterimage,” then chucked their new LP out the window a minute into “Red Sector A”? Not to mention Neil going full Simmons on two tracks, one of which resulted in the best song on the album, track #7.

I thought I bought a Rush album, not AFOS! 😄
 
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