HOLD YOUR FIRE

I fell in love with Rush around this period (just before Presto was released) and still remember listening to Prime Mover on the Friday Rock Show on Friday nights; such great times! Although Hold Your Fire is a very synthy album, it features many of Alex Lifeson's most beautiful guitar solos (the clean, processed sound of his playing was just perfect on this album). Not convinced? Listen to his solo at the end of Mission. It still raises the hairs on the back of my neck. Amazing. I find the 'feel' of the album very comforting as the overall theme is about the time and the wont of making your mark). Were Rush still a progressive band? Absolutely! They changed with the times but retained their intelligence, musicianship and forward thinking. Peart's lyrics had reached their most translucent and immediately bypassed me by! Typical. My head was too full of Dio, Metallica and Saxon lyrics, but now, much older, the lyrics to Time Stand Still resonate deep. Not many bands can do this. The only thing that let's this album down is the production (a product of its time) and the plain cover! Not one of Hugh Symes' best!