Disc one features a new remaster from the original 1984 analogue stereo tapes, which gives the album some hefty low end. Disc two gives the us the chance to hear what the album would have sounded like had long-time co-producer, Terry Brown, who had worked with Rush on every album, barring the debut. Mr Brown was not only in the producer’s chair for the band, but would also appear as an additional musician, arranger and backing vocalist, but did not work on Grace, with his place being taken by Peter Henderson, who had worked with the likes of King Crimson, Paul McCartney and Jeff Beck. Terry’s version of Grace Under Pressure is a lush love song to what might
have been, including supplementary musical pieces and punishing driving energy. That Terry also produced for Dream Theater and Voivod might give you some idea the man is no stranger to heavy music.
Discs three and four (and five for the vinyl collectors) contain the hometown show at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, on 21 September 1984 as part of the Grace Under Pressure world tour. Originally released in full on VHS, and in an edited version on 2006’s Rush Replay x3 DVD boxed set, the audio was originally issued in 2009, again in truncated form, on the Grave Under Pressure Tour album.
These discs represent the first time the complete twenty song performance has been made available after having been newly remixed from the original masters. The whole of the Grace Under Pressure album can be found here, with the exception of Distant Early Warning; other Rush classics The Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer, and Red Barchetta vie with more proggy parts of the band’s past: The Temples of Syrinx, Fly By Night’s closing tune, In the Mood, taking a similar position here, as well as YYZ and the obligatory Neil Peart drum solo.
This Super Deluxe reissue is available in a couple of media options: a four CD version and a five vinyl edition, both are accompanied by a Blu-Ray which features an array content, including the video of the Toronto show, various audio mixes of the album, including Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 of the 1984 recording, and PCM Stereo version of that and the 2025 album mix; and the promotional videos for Grace Under Pressure’s four single releases, offered in TrueHD 5.1 and 48khz 24-bit PCM Stereo, some of the audio options being available for the first time.
Away from the discs, the package comes with a hardcover book, featuring sleeve notes by Geddy Lee and new illustrations for each song by cover artist, Hugh Symes, an illuminated LED display, replicas of the Grace Under Pressure tour book, a poster and replica ticket from the Toronto show, a back-stage pass, band photos and a six-page press release.
The review version I got was just the audio parts, but knowing the care and attention Rush put into their packages, the bits that I didn’t see are sure to be of the highest quality. The price tag appears to reflect that, but to a collector, this represents exceptional value for money.
Coming out a little after the R50 Something shows went on sale, with Rush-fever starting to build over the next twelve months, I can’t imagine a better time to be reacquainting yourself with that unassuming Toronto three-piece.
