Hold the Phone.... Hold Your Fire

Jivin' at the jazz club

Canada's homegrown heroes Rush released their twelfth album Hold Your Fire back in 1987. I was there. Though the album didn't quite live up to the standard set by even the previous two discs Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows, HYF did have a certain charm. A very jangly guitar dominated the mix while keyboards took a backseat - more tastefully complementing rather than engaging in a power struggle with guitar. And a pop sensibility reigned in both arrangement and execution. 

The songs of Hold Your Fire are short by Rush standards, so they feel punchy and to the point.... no lengthy epics of dragons and spaceships here. In fact, lyricist (and drummer) Neil Peart's focus had by now shifted more firmly into the real world, examining the ills of the world and its past on GUP, commenting on the global situation on Power Windows, and now putting personal relationships under the microscope on Hold Your Fire. Unfortunately, the sound mix of the album assigned a bright, almost tinny cast to the whole affair, where the bass lacked the gutsiness of previous recordings. 

While I wasn't bowled over by the material on this album, I did find a lot to like. For instance, songs like Force Ten, Time Stand Still, Prime Mover, Lock and Key, and High Water were catchy rockers... well, Time Stand Still leaned dangerously into Top 10 Pop territory, but it was still enjoyable. Other songs had their weaknesses, but even Second Nature and Tai Shan were captivating in their lighter approach. More mainstream than progressive, this collection of songs veered in a direction that thankfully would be righted shortly after.... where the band would return to a warmer, more organic feel on Presto.

This 1988 concert exists as a blur in my memory... it was a busy time of my life, having just settled in a new city in a new job with a new girlfriend. Life was bustling along, and I recall it was a task to shoehorn this Montreal Rush show into my schedule. But I do remember the fine glow one wears for days after attending a Rush concert. 

My concert program and ticket, plus a stub from a Toronto

show that I never even attended... where'd that come from?