VAPOR TRAILS

It took me the longest time to get into this album, perhaps longer than any other Rush album, with perhaps the sole exception of Grace Under Pressure - which never grew on me. Musically, it's not very inspiring, not too many solos, it has the feel of a 'rush'ed job in the studio. There are a handful of worthy tracks here that I like...it's just I wouldn't miss them if I never heard them again. It's quite a grungy sound which I don't go for. But the really weak aspect of this record is the quality of the audio. Something went terribly wrong in the mixing process and it sounds noisy, even when played at low volume. This is the main reason I seldom play it...the fear of upsetting the neighbors if I put it on the hi fi. If I listen to it through headphones, I really fear I will go deaf. Two stars, I'm afraid. And that's generous.