Rush - Presto
Listen to an audio version of this review by Greg
As the 1980s came to a close, so did the heavy “synth” phase of Rush’s music. After completing the 1987 – 1988 tour supporting Hold Your Fire, Rush decided to part ways with their record company, Mercury and form their own record company with manager Ray Daniels titled, Anthem Records. This gave Rush more autonomy and eliminated the need to worry about record company deadlines.
Bassist and lead singer, Geddy Lee discussed going in a new direction as the 1990s approached. Guitarist, Alex Lifeson was more in favor of getting back to the band’s sound from the 1970s, which was more guitar driven. Although very reluctant to ditch a lot of their “synth” sound, Geddy agreed, which I think shows that the love each of the band members had for each other, far superseded their desire to win an argument.
Recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec the summer of 1989, Presto was released Nov 21st 1989.
The band wanted their follow up to Hold Your Fire to be "more of a singer's album”, as songs like Show Don’t Tell follow suit, with a very singalong chorus. Geddy felt that drummer and primary lyric writer, Neil Peart wrote more relatable lyrics that were “heartfelt”. Presto was in many ways the band’s revolt against technology, which you can clearly hear in virtually each track. They were growing tired of working with synthesizers and agreed as a band to take away much of the pianos and organs that came from computers (which is what we all called them back in 1988. Nowadays if you hear someone say the word, “computer” it’s likely your grandfather who’s saying it).
Rush would also take the writing of Presto in another direction compared to Hold Your Fire, Power Windows and Grace Under Pressure, where they wanted to create an overall running lyrical theme for their next body of work.
A quote I read from Neil on this topic really moved me, which I agree with. He said he “used the word ‘response’ to describe the lyrical content of his writing this album as a whole”. He went on to say, “The idea that you don't go through life just looking at things. It doesn't matter if you've been all around the world - you may have seen it, but if you haven't felt it, you haven't been there”, he told The Canadian Press in a 1990 interview.
The Presto title was also an idea that the band had considered using for their 1989 Live Album, A Show of Hands, but when Peart started writing a song called Presto, it was then used as the title of the album.
Right out of the gate – it’s clear Show Don’t Tell is is more of a progressive, “off the regular time signature” track.
This was the first song I heard off the album in ’89. I can remember watching the video on MTV and thinking…”wow do these guys look goofy”! BUT as a lover at the time of Hard Rock and Metal, I was fascinated with their music ability. Just the intro alone would make any musician stand at attention….or if anything, make them go, “wait, how do they do that”?
The song was written in a 7/8 time signature, which essentially is (Clap on the 1): 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4 , then repeat and speed it up.
Watch this quick video on the 7/8 time signature: https://youtu.be/rWqCvGyUNFM
Unlike common time signatures like 4/4, 7/8 has an odd number of beats per measure, creating a unique rhythmic feel.
Without a doubt, the tracks The Pass and Presto are, in my opinion, the album’s strongest. At one show in Mansfield, MA, I can remember hearing Geddy say to the crowd that The Pass was his favorite Rush song in the entire catalog. I thought that held some pretty serious weight at the time. I don’t remember the exact tour or year but I think it was in 2002 or 2003.
Many Rush fans know that starting in the 1980s and continuing until they retired in 2015, that Neil would travel to each (or many of the) road gigs by driving his own motorcycle. After he lost his daughter and common law wife in the same year in 1997, he took off on his bike riding across most of the world. It is on the road where of course Neil could do much of his thinking.
The song, The Pass is a friend of Neil’s who joined him on many of these long motorcycle rides. The friend shared with Neil that as a child, he contemplated suicide, which inspired the lyrics for the song. Neil noted The Pass was the one song in his career he had worked the hardest on, due to the delicate nature of the topic.
War Paint is not a bad track. I must admit it did not originally grab me when I first heard it in 1989, but my guest in this review on the https://www.albumreview.net/podcast, Alon Ferency recommended we discuss it. To Alon’s point, I understand Presto was his first love when we’re speaking in terms of Rush albums. It holds a very special place in Alon’s heart. His memories I’m sure of driving to his first show, going to pick up the album when it was released, the sights and smells of the record store where he bought it, the sights and smells of the actual album itself when he took it out of the packaging. Die hard music fans understand this attraction. It’s not just an interest, it’s an obsession we had NO idea we were going to have.
Scars is not a song I would put on my “I have to play my friend this song who I want to get into Rush”, list. Although I did note that the song has a very complex drum pattern, where Neil used both acoustic and electronic drums. The drum line was inspiration from a tribal rhythm Neil heard while on a motorcycle tour of Africa. He went on to incorporate this pattern into his live drum solos.
The band chose Rupert Hine to produce Presto. They were mature enough (and I wanted to point this out….I can’t recall a band who is/was the least hung up on individual ego than Rush). Nevertheless, they wanted a producer who they could trust and to provide an objective point of view to their ideas. When they met with Rupert, they felt a connection and liked that his personality was to push the band out of their comfort zones. They also liked that he hadn’t just worked with rock bands. His resume was wide across several different genres.
When the album was complete, Rush secured a new record contract and signed with Atlantic Records.
Superconductor is a song that I can remember not falling in love with. But when I dove a little deeper into the track, I found that Neil’s lyrics discuss the superficiality of mainstream music, which many Rush fans…hell many music fans would agree, Rush was not really a part of (Mainstream Music that is). Of course we could argue that topic because today they sit as one of many inductees into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Take that you naysayers…
Hand Over Fist is another track that I have to admit has grown on me. It was originally an instrumental that the band had planned to include on Presto, but Neil kept writing lyrics and sharing them with Alex and Geddy. Peart’s lyrics in this track discover what initially seems like the basic rules of the game Rock, Paper Scissor, but he takes it to a deeper level when he writes,
“How can we ever agree? Like the rest of the world. We grow farther apart. I swear you don’t listen to me. Holding my hand to my heart”.
In closing, I really enjoyed going back through Presto. I have to admit, I admire the album a lot more now after this deep dive. But I realize, the reason this Rush album doesn’t speak to me like some of the others, is because it wasn’t my Rush album. This is Alon’s Rush album. It was his entrance into Rush. And I must respect that. For Roll the Bones was my first new Rush album purchase. Although I had heard songs from the previous 13 albums, it was my first experience as a fan buying a newly released album, if that makes sense?
But what Presto has that I think is unique, is as previously mentioned, its ability to break the chain of 80s Rush albums and reintroduce the guitar as the primary instrument back into the band’s repertoire. This might not sound like a lot, but for many Rush fans who did not like their 80s sound, Presto is proof that Rush was in charge of their albums by this time. Since 1976, they didn’t listen to any record company and did what they wanted, and proceeded to stay relevant while also keeping a devoted fan base, and selling out arenas around the entire world for the next 26 years AFTER Presto’s release. Now that’s power…
