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Two years after
Power Windows, the longest wait
for any RUSH album so far, Hold Your Fire was
released with the same producing team as the last album. Force Ten
starts off this extremely underappreciated album and is one of the most
memorable songs from this time period. Force Ten is just a great
song, and lacking the extremely prominent synthesizers seen in the last
three albums. This is the beginning of a transitional period for the trio
as this album and the next have their own distinct sound.
Time Stands Still
follows in this more traditional 80’s rock RUSH style. Even though
RUSH utilizes synths in this song, they are used to strengthen the
song, not as its main instrument or sound. Also, for a change, Time
Stands Still makes use of a female voice during the title line of the
chorus. It’s a great change, and an incredible song. Open Secrets
follows and feels more like a throw back to
Moving Pictures days in structure
and format. RUSH seemingly is surviving the 1980’s pretty well.
This album seems well, but it’s about time for a punch.
But RUSH takes it down a notch instead
with Second Nature, featuring the classic 80’s electric piano. It
doesn’t take a genius to listen to this song and tell it screams of the
decade. An interesting tune, but this album is becoming too mellow for me.
Prime Mover brings home the realization that this 80’s RUSH
just doesn’t have the punch. Accepting that fact and letting it go, you
can begin to appreciate RUSH’s song craft during this era. These
are pretty decent songs, just not the best. Lock and Key is another
decent song, and then…
Mission
delivers the much needed RUSH power in this album. This is by far
the best track, and the reason for the album title. Hold Your Fire
comes form the opening line of the song. This song provides the
groove, emotionally resonant lyrics, and composition that impacts the
listener and leaves a lasting impression. We are also treated to a
traditional RUSH jam in the middle of the song, which has been
missing in other songs. This is the best song on the album, but Turn
the Page continues the vibe with much more energy than the rest of the
record. Another hit.
Surprisingly, Tai Shan is a favorite as
well. This slow eastern tune is a delight to listen to. Completely
different from other songs on this record, Tai Shan is always
completely forgotten or shunned by RUSH fans. In the second verse,
Alex shows off his knowledge of oriental scales and echoes the same piece
in the outro; it makes the song. I can understand why die hard fans may
dislike it, but that doesn’t mean the song is bad.
High Water
rounds out the record and is decent, but really quite forgettable.
Hold Your Fire is not extremely memorable as a whole, but
individual songs have a life of their own. Those songs are sometimes
forgotten among the rest. Thankfully, RUSH still plays some of
these tunes live, so they haven’t forgotten them entirely. It should also
be noted, that this is the first album to not have a song go over the six
minute mark, and it contains the most songs to date on an album, a
whopping ten. Remember this is a transitional album as well, with its
sequel on the way. |
