New Wax Wednesday

As the ’80s continued to unfold, Rush found themselves at the crossroads once again. After expanding their production palate with September 1982’s well-received Mercury LP Signals, the Canadian trio was eager to resume pushing the sonic envelope. To help evolve the band’s sound even further, Rush enlisted a new producer, made some key arrangement and songwriting modifications, and came up with their mid-decade statement album, April 1984’s Grace Under Pressure (also on Mercury). By fully embracing the temper of the times while remaining true to the band’s knack for blending progressive roots with radio-welcome song templates, Rush’s tenth studio LP chronicled just how the trio were able to shift gears and construct eight technology-driven tracks that confront fear, rue containment, and question conformity.

In celebration of this milestone album, UMe/Mercury and Anthem have just announced the continuation of their ongoing, comprehensive Rush 40th anniversary album series with the arrival of newly expanded Super Deluxe Editions of the band’s about-face 1984 release on March 13, 2026. (Footnote 1) The most important version of the multiple GUP40 box set configurations for us here at AP is, of course, the 180g 5LP/1BD version, which sports yet another brilliant cover reimaging by longtime Rush designer Hugh Syme, as seen below.

Some stats now about what the vinyl-centric GUP40 box will entail. The LPs have all been cut at Abbey Road Studios and pressed on 180g audiophile black vinyl at GZ Media in the Czech Republic. LP1 features the album’s original 1984 stereo mix newly remastered from the original analog stereo master tapes by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios. Although Grace Under Pressure was the first Rush studio album not produced by Terry Brown after a decade-long healthy working relationship, LP2 now features Brown’s brand-new stereo mix of the album, as created from the original studio album’s analog multitracks. (I’ll share some AP-exclusive comments from Brown about how that all came to pass in just a bit.)

LP3, LP4, and LP5 present the first-ever complete setlist of the show Rush performed on September 21, 1984, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, which was also newly mixed from the original multitrack audio masters and has now been retitled Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984. (Yes, Rush diehards will recall that there was a somewhat comparable 2009 CD release on Anthem/Mercury/UMe that offered 12 songs from this show, but GUP40 represents the first time the full gig appears on official — i.e., not bootlegged — vinyl.)

The new box set will also include new liner notes penned by Geddy Lee, reflecting on his memories of finding a new producer for the album and reminiscing on a recent re-listen of the album proper. Above-noted original album designer Hugh Syme both re-imagined the original album cover along with creating brand-new illustrations for each of the album’s eight songs and other related visual elements in the 52-page hardcover book. Exclusive bonus collectibles in the box include a custom acrylic Grace Under Pressure LED light-up display; a replica of the Grace Under Pressure tour book; a replica Maple Leaf Gardens/Toronto show concert ticket; a Grace Under Pressure Tour total access backstage pass; “Pressure Release” a replica of the 6-page press release; three bandmember live photo lithos; and a poster from the Toronto show. All of these contents are housed in a premium lift-top box.

As of this posting, the best place to pre-order the 180g 5LP/1BD version of GUP40 is at the band’s official site store, Rush Backstage, here, and it sports an admittedly hefty SRP of $374.98. (The Rush Backstage exclusive version of the box that includes three bonus lithos of Syme’s new illustrations is already sold out, sorry to say, but you can still order the standard edition, no problem.) For Rush completists like yours truly and/or the digitally inclined, a companion 4CD/1BD version of the box has an SRP of $299.98, and that one can also be ordered at Rush’s store. Note that, typically, Music Direct also offers the balance of Rush LP box sets for purchase, but the band’s official shop tends to have an exclusive early ordering window before other outlets like MD can make them available.

As briefly mentioned above, Terry Brown confirmed to me exclusively via email how his involvement with the GUP40 project came to pass: He reached out directly to surviving bandmembers guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Geddy Lee. “Over the years, I’ve had fans and colleagues who have asked me to think about remixing Grace Under Pressure, which, of course, was the first album [recording sessions] that I was unable to attend,” Brown wrote. “I suggested it to Alex and Geddy. I basically said, ‘Let me do a couple of tunes. If you love it, we can move forward, and if you don’t, I’m quite happy to forget the whole idea.’ As it turned out, they loved it, so Jeff [Fura] gave me the go-ahead from Universal — and here we are.”

Brown added that his goals for his GUP remix were quite pure. “Given that it was my idea to try these remixes, I had to give the guys something they would be excited about,” the producer admitted, “so I went for a little more detail, different reverbs, and a larger footprint — but all while maintaining the integrity of the original record.”

I also asked Brown what his favorite tracks on the album are. “I always loved ‘Red Sector A’ [Side A, Track 3] for its sound and lyrics — and its vivid story of a prison camp, which of course was very close to Ged’s family history. [(Footnote 2)] In fact, I had done the original remix for the video of that song back in 1984! ‘The Body Electric’ [Side B, Track 1] is another favourite, featuring Neil [Peart]’s insight into the future. It’s a track that beautifully orchestrated by the band.” (I am leaving the Canadian spelling of “favourite” in place in that previous quote, btw, because that’s exactly how Terry wrote it!)

Any final thoughts about GUP40, Terry? “I’m happy with the results,” he concluded, “but I am anxious to hear what the fans think — that’s important to me. Cheers!” The proof, of course, will be found withing the grooves to come, so I can’t “pre-offer” a Sound rating here, though I will give the Music on Grace Under Pressure a solid 8.5 because it delivers on the promise of how deftly Rush was able to bridge their “then/now” sound evolution desires while remaining true to their roots. Truly, GUP is one of the perfect mid-’80s Cold War vibe-chronicling albums if ever there was.

To expand upon that last thought a bit further — from my POV, Grace Under Pressure highlights some key sonic-template modifications that resulted from Rush’s decision to further evolve their sound by enlisting a new producer after a successful decade of working with Brown behind the board. They co-produced GUP with Peter Henderson (best known at the time for producing/engineering Supertramp), while the LP was engineered by Paul Northfield (already a longtime Rush associate) with assistance from Frank Opolko and Robert Di Giola.

GUP also happened to be the fourth in a series of recording sessions Rush ultimately held at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec. I also feel their instinctive recording process at Le Studio had long been DNA-infused during sessions held there for the aforementioned Signals, in addition to February 1981’s Moving Pictures and January 1980’s Permanent Waves, so there is a clear throughline that threads the consistent presentation of the band’s sound.

Going at it song by song now, “Distant Early Warning,” the lead-off track on Side A, announces the clear directional shift with a mighty keyboard swoosh. “Afterimage” is a heartfelt reflection on the unexpected passing of someone close to the band that leads right into the confines of “Red Sector A,” a chilling tale of incarceration, intimidation, and uncertainty. Side A closes out with the inner-reflective “The Enemy Within,” subtitled “Part One of Fear.” (The “Fear” trilogy was presented in reverse order, with Part Three, “Witch Hunt,” debuting on Moving Pictures, and Part Two, “The Weapon,” appearing on Signals.)

Side B commences with the humanoid escape drama that is “The Body Electric,” while “Kid Gloves” acts as stay-tough sequel of sorts to the sound of its Signals antecedent “The Analog Kid,” and the skittery “Red Lenses” captures mile-a-minute thoughts of anxiety, all propelled by a loping low-end riff. The album closes with the widening gyre of “Between the Wheels,” a track that became a latter-day concert favorite during Rush’s final R40 tour.

Will we get to hear “Between the Wheels” and any other GUP cuts on the band’s upcoming Summer 2026 “Fiftysomething” tour? I sure hope so! (Me, I’m seeing that tour’s show at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on August 13, 2026, in one of the floor sections adjacent to the soundboard.)

A few final GUP thoughts from Ged and Al before I go. In those aforementioned new liner notes, Lee observed that, quote, “[. . .] our songwriting had taken us to a different musical place, an expansion of our soundscape with a range of new technologies, not just keyboards and samples, but electronic drums too, while getting to know the new dude behind the console with a very different working style.”

Last year, when Lifeson and I discussed his current band Envy of None’s latest LP here on March 29, 2025, I also asked him about his “other” band, and what they were doing with their sound in the ’80s in particular. “Rush had a long career,” Alex replied. “We had a lot of records, a lot of different music in Rush. You mentioned the ’80s, and [. . .] that’s very different from the ’70s and, again, different from the ’90s, that period. There’s a lot of really interesting stuff that that outfit did over those years.”

And thus, I say viva GUP40, which is just the tip of the iceberg of Rush ’80s (and beyond) reissues that will surely follow. It takes a little more persistence / To get up and go the distance. . .

For our look at the Rush 50 180g 7LP box set, which posted on February 6, 2025, go here.

For our look at the Signals 1CD/1BD/1LP/4 7-inch singles box set, which posted on March 6, 2023, go here.

Footnote 2: For more on Ged’s fascinating, harrowing, and sometimes heartbreaking family history, along with deep dives into his career with (and without) Rush, I strongly recommend you pick up Geddy Lee’s November 2023 autobiography My Effin’ Life, the paperback version of which you can order directly from Rush Backstage here.

RUSH
GRACE UNDER PRESSURE – 40TH ANNIVERSARY SUPER DELUXE EDITION
180g 5LP/1BD (Anthem/Mercury/UMe)

Original Album – Produced by Rush and Peter Henderson
2025 Remaster on LP for the first time

LP 1 / Side A
1. Distant Early Warning
2. Afterimage
3. Red Sector A
4. The Enemy Within

LP 1 / Side B
1. The Body Electric
2. Kid Gloves
3. Red Lenses
4. Between The Wheels

Original Album – 2025 Terry Brown Mix*

LP 2 / Side C
1. Distant Early Warning
2. Afterimage
3. Red Sector A
4. The Enemy Within

LP 2 / Side D
1. The Body Electric
2. Kid Gloves
3. Red Lenses
4. Between The Wheels

Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live In Toronto 1984*
Maple Leaf Gardens – September 21, 1984

LP 3 / Side E
1. The Spirit Of Radio
2. Subdivisions
3. The Body Electric

LP 3 / Side F
1. The Enemy Within
2. The Weapon
3. Witch Hunt

LP 4 / Side G
1. New World Man
2. Between The Wheels
3. Red Barchetta

LP 4 / Side H
1. Distant Early Warning
2. Red Sector A
3. Closer To The Heart

LP 5 / Side I
1. Kid Gloves
2. YYZ
3. 2112: The Temples Of Syrinx
4. Tom Sawyer

LP 5 / Side J
1. Red Lenses / Drum Solo
2. Vital Signs
3. Finding My Way
4. In The Mood

BLU-RAY

Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live In Toronto 1984 – Concert Video*
Maple Leaf Gardens – September 21, 1984
Dolby Atmos / Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / PCM Stereo

1. The Spirit Of Radio
2. Subdivisions
3. The Body Electric
4. The Enemy Within
5. The Weapon
6. Witch Hunt
7. New World Man
8. Between The Wheels
9. Red Barchetta
10. Distant Early Warning
11. Red Sector A
12. Closer To The Heart
13. Kid Gloves
14. YYZ
15. 2112: The Temples Of Syrinx
16. Tom Sawyer
17. Red Lenses / Drum Solo
18. Vital Signs
19. Finding My Way
20. In The Mood

Grace Under Pressure – Original Album Surround & Stereo Mixes

1984 Album Mix – Dolby Atmos* / Dolby TrueHD 5.1* / PCM Stereo
2025 Album Mix – PCM Stereo*

1. Distant Early Warning
2. Afterimage
3. Red Sector A
4. The Enemy Within
5. The Body Electric
6. Kid Gloves
7. Red Lenses
8. Between The Wheels

Bonus Promo Videos

Dolby TrueHD 5.1* / PCM Stereo

1. Distant Early Warning
2. Afterimage
3. The Enemy Within
4. The Body Electric

* denotes previously unreleased mixes