HOLD YOUR FIRE

Yes; this is Rush's most highly-produced album. It glistens with a sheen that can only come from a REALLY polished production. But the songs themselves are on display, and not the production. Some of the best 80's-era Rush lyrics are on this album. "It's cold comfort to the ones without it, to know how they struggled, how they suffered without it." Somehow, I don't really need to know what "it" is. You can tell by the emotion that Geddy uses. To cut a long story short, the production is typical of the times, but the songs are great, with more melody and sharper guitar/bass/keyboard harmonies. Not only that, but Aimee Mann on backing vocals? Cool! For that, I give this effort 5 stars.