New Wax Wednesday

As I noted in my preview story that appeared here in this column back on January 21, 2026, Rush’s tenth studio LP on Mercury, April 1984’s Grace Under Pressure, chronicled how the vaunted Canadian trio were able to shift creative gears mid-decade and construct eight technology-driven tracks that confront fear, rue containment, and question conformity. To properly celebrate this important album, UMe/Mercury and Anthem recently released a newly expanded 5LP/1BD Super Deluxe Edition of Grace Under Pressure (a.k.a. GUP40) on March 13, 2026.

To re-confirm the all-important stats of this box set, the GUP40 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. LP2 comprises Terry Brown’s brand-new 2025 stereo mix of the album, as created from the original studio album’s analog multitracks, and — spoiler alert! — it’s an absolute revelation. (More on that in 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, Ontario. It was also newly mixed in 2025 from the original multitrack audio masters by Brown, and has now been retitled Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984. An abbreviated version of this show appeared on a 2009 Anthem/Mercury/UMe CD, but spreading this early/mid-period T.O. gig out over six sides really lets you get a full sense of what comprised that mid-’80s Rush thrust. (More on that in a bit as well.) The BD contains a Dolby Atmos mix done by longtime band engineer/confidante Richard Chycki. (It too is great, but that’s a discussion for another portal altogether.)

The 180g 5LP/1BD GUP40 box set sports an admittedly hefty SRP of $374.99, and it can be ordered from Music Direct here, and/or via the MD link graphic that appears ahead of the tracklisting section below. (The Rush Backstage exclusive version of the GUP40 box that included three bonus lithos of designer Hugh Syme’s new illustrations, in addition to a companion 4CD/1BD edition, are both sold out, as of this posting.)

The bonus materials are all a Rush diehard collector’s dream, and Hugh Syme has once again added extended, expanded value to the album’s illustrative palate in ways only he can. And I freely admit to enjoying the included custom acrylic Grace Under Pressure LED light-up display, which cycles through red, blue, and green hues accordingly after you tap the button on the bottom right side of its perch. It also switches off after a brief run through the color emotions so that the battery doesn’t wear out too quickly. As seen above, my GUP display is perched on top of a custom two-tier cassette shelving unit that features 28 Rush cassettes split evenly across two adjacent rows, just in front of and off to the left of my direct sightline whenever I’m behind my desk in the listening lab.

As I alluded to earlier, Brown’s 2025 mix of the core GUP album, which appears on LP2, Sides 3 and 4, is, well, worth the (albeit steep) price of admission. The original mix on LP1 indeed mirrors its moment in time, in that it appears as cold, calculated, and distant as befitting the Cold War era it represented. That said, and as the band themselves have long since said — for one, bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Geddy Lee expands upon those reasons in both his November 2023 autobiography My Effin’ Life (the paperback version of which you can order directly from Rush Backstage here), as well as in the GUP40 box set’s liner notes — they were ultimately unhappy with that mix for a number of reasons.

As Brown initially told me firsthand about his M.O. for the 2025 GUP core album mix, “I went for a little more detail, different reverbs, and a larger footprint — but all while maintaining the integrity of the original record.” I can directly report that he did indeed do all of that here.

The lead-off track on LP2, Side 3, “Distant Early Warning,” immediately feels more open, and the bass line is better defined. The echo on Ged’s lead vocal during the verses is more noticeable, and Alex Lifeson’s guitar solo has more presence. Track 2, “Afterimage,” expands even wider, opening up its underlying sense of personal sorrow. Neil Peart’s cymbal crashes display extra verve, and Lee’s keyboard flourishes are more complementary to Lifeson’s lead riffs. Lee’s vocalized lines, “Tried to believe / But you know it’s no good,” take on additional weight, and the pulsing synth break has more of that Rush feel to it. When Lee yelps “No!” not once but twice in the back half of the track, it really hits you with more emotion.

The third track, “Red Sector A,” broods with foreboding intent, and Peart’s electronic drum fills are further back in the mix — not necessarily a bad thing. The character of Lee’s synth between the verses also has more presence than it did before. I gotta say, I’d sure love to hear this track on the band’s upcoming “Fiftysomething” tour, that’s for sure. (For the record, I’ll be seeing that tour’s show at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on August 13, 2026, in one of the floor sections adjacent to the soundboard.)

But it’s the final track on Side 3, “The Enemy Within,” that sounds the most like the Rush you remember, and want. It’s the loudest track on Side 3 overall, and Peart’s drums have the most presence than anything else of his on this side. Lee’s bass burble anchors it, with Lifeson’s countering guitar jangles piercing in and out of the proceedings on the right. The connected musical emphasis behind Lee’s “pow-pow-pow-pounding” vocal line shows how the trio know when to lock in at the exact right moments. The three-man jam that ends it all is pure Rush interplay. This renewed “The Enemy Within” is the best mix on this side, hands down.

LP2, Side 4 commences with the Peart’s drums-only intro to “The Body Electric,” which gives you more sense of the room (hello, test for echo). Everything springs from the bed he lays down, with Lee’s bass adding the rudder while Lifeson’s extended riff starts on the right, returns on the left, then skitters to the middle. The low end positively thumps, especially during the instrumental shuffles. Track 2, “Kid Gloves,” has a driving (pun intended) groove that foreshadows that of “Driven,” from September 1996’s already alluded to Test for Echo (and “Kid” also includes the briefest of triangle hits toward the beginning that recall those of “YYZ,” from February 1981’s Moving Pictures). Lifeson’s staccato riffage snarls somewhat politely during the choruses, but they jump far-forward during his expanded solo section.

“Red Lenses” gets my vote for “Best GUP Re-appreciation Track.” Slinky and more muscular, it’s a Peart tour de kit, so to speak — listen for his wide-panned percussion runs, those telltale chimes, and how he just attacks his entire kit with aplomb. The drama he builds during the late-track break, supported by Ged’s bass, is a masterclass. Also zero in on Lee’s spoken lines leading into the fade out, which were less discernable on the original LP. “Between the Wheels” closes the side — and it is 2026-palpable, to say the least. Doom-riff keyboards and dirgelike guitar lines hang over the entire track bed, with off-kilter piano accents peppered throughout. Lifeson once again shows his skill in crafting solos unique to each song, as both of the ones he unleashes during “Wheels” carry a different tone than what he plays during the main verses. “Soaking up the cathode rays,” indeed.

As to the three live LPs, considering I saw the Grace Under Pressure Tour at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago on June 30, 1984 — and for a mere $15, at that! — Brown gets the band’s mid-decade feel just right. Then-new tracks like “The Body Electric” (LP3, Side E, Track 3) and “Red Sector A” (LP4, Side H, Track 2) prove their mettle right alongside other tried-and-true ’80s Rush cuts like “Witch Hunt” (LP3, Side F, Track 3), “Tom Sawyer” (LP5, Side I, Track 4), and “Vital Signs” (LP5, Side J, Track 2). If you want ’70s Rush, or even 40th anniversary Rush, this set does not carry either of those vibes. It instead represents where the band’s heads, hearts, hands, and feet were in 1984.

In my January 21, 2026, post, I shared some of Brown’s answers to my pre-release Qs, and now that GUP40 is officially out there in the world, naturally, a follow-up was in order. So, I emailed Brown to see what kind of reaction he had been getting to his 2025 mixes now that people have actually heard them. “The reaction to the new mixes has been really positive both from colleagues and fans, which is of course the most important,” he emailed back. “They are a pretty discerning bunch.” (Now there’s an understatement!)

“I’m very happy with the general reaction,” Brown continued, “although for some fans, it’s a little controversial.” (No surprise there.) “We mixed the live album before I approached the studio remix, so I became quite intimate with some of the tunes during that period and realized what a great album this was/is,” he noted. “Although I have to confess, it had somewhat passed me by.” (Again, understandable, given it was the first Rush album he had not worked on after helming ten of their releases between 1975-82 — eight of them studio efforts, and two of them live albums.)

Next, I asked Brown to tell me how he felt about his 2025 live mixes on LPs 3-5. “I’m really happy with the mixes on the [1984] Maple Leaf Gardens show,” he wrote. “I don’t think there’s a bad track on there. Overall, it’s a very exciting performance. The boys played really well, and Neil’s solo is very cool.” (Peart’s ever-deft drum solo occurs on LP5, Side J, as part of Track 1, “Red Lenses.”)

As for his appreciation of the box set’s vinyl elements, Brown replied, “There’s nothing like putting on a piece of vinyl and reading all the credits in a font that’s big enough not to wear glasses! I think it sounds good on all formats, but there is a certain nostalgia with vinyl — and with the 180g pressing, it certainly sounds stellar.” (Hear, hear!)

My ratings for the GUP40 box set come in at a cumulative 9.5 for the Music, and 9.5 for the Sound. (If the original 1984 source material had been recorded differently, the Sound rating might have gone up a tick.) For comparison, the 1984 LP, in its original form, rates 8.5 for both Music and Sound, but the added 2025 mixes for both the studio and live material bring the overall box set ratings up. If we gave a design rating, the box set would get a no-contest perfect 11.

Needless to say, I can’t wait to see what Rush and their team choose to do next in this reissue series — which, if they continue on the chronological anniversary trajectory, would point to October 1985’s Power Windows. It’s one of my favorite Rush LPs (Top 5, maybe even Top 3!), so naturally, I wondered if Brown, who didn’t work on the original release, would be up for tackling it. “If I get asked to remix Power Windows, I’m sure you could twist my arm,” he replied. “I’d love to have a crack at it.” I’d love that too!

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Author bio: Mike Mettler is the editor of Analog Planet in addition to being the Sound Chaser columnist and contributing music editor to one of our other sister sites, Stereophile, in addition to being the regular Vinyl Icons column scribe (and occasional Opinion columnist) for Hi-Fi News and author of numerous box set liner notes. Plus, he’s quite partial to vintage 1967 Mustang fastbacks, but that’s yet another story for a different time and place.

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Addendum: Want more Rush-on-vinyl coverage? No pressure, because we’ve got it!

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.

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