Hold Your Fire is the twelfth studio album by Rush, released in 1987 through Anthem Records in Canada, Vertigo Records in the UK, and Mercury Records internationally. The last of the "synth era" albums, it continues with the production style of Power Windows. It also marked the only time Rush did a duet with another singer; Aimee Mann from 'Til Tuesday is featured in "Time Stand Still". The lyrics deal with the themes of time, experiences, communication, and instinct. note
Fan and critic reception was mixed at the time, saying that there was too much of the keyboards and not enough of the rocking; although reception has improved over time, praising the lyrics and songwriting. The complicated rig setups in the live setting as result of their "synth-era" songs led the band to tone down the keyboards for their next opus, Presto. The Hold Your Fire tour was documented on the 1989 live album/concert film A Show Of Hands.
Tracklist:
- "Force Ten"
- "Time Stand Still"
- "Open Secrets"
- "Second Nature"
- "Prime Mover"
- "Lock And Key"
- "Mission"
- "Turn The Page"
- "Tai Shan"
- "High Water"
Principal Members:
- Geddy Lee - lead vocals, bass, synthesizer
- Alex Lifeson - guitar
- Neil Peart - drums, percussion
Turn The Tropes
- Achievements in Ignorance: The quick timbali triplet fills Neil plays at the beginning of "Time Stand Still" were inspired by a similar fill in a Genesis song. Later, he worked with the same engineer as that Genesis record and was told that the fill he was inspired by was recorded with the tape slowed down.
- Album Title Drop: Hold Your Fire takes its title from the opening lyrics of "Mission".
- Canon Discontinuity: They don't really acknowledge "Tai Shan" very much. Geddy even stated that recording it felt like a mistake because of how personal the subject was to Neil. Geddy and Alex are both on record stating that Tai Shan is their least favorite Rush song.
- Lighter and Softer: One of the more mellow albums in Rush's discography.
- Minimalistic Cover Art: It is a simple red cover with 3 red shiny balls. Originally,
this
◊ was supposed to be the cover. (It was included in the liner notes instead.) - One-Word Title: "Mission".
- Self-Backing Vocalist: On "Force Ten".
- Special Guest: Aimee Mann on "Time Stand Still".
- Time Stands Still: It's "Time Stand Still", as in asking for time to stand still.
- Visual Pun
- Vocal Tag Team: Geddy Lee and Aimee Mann on "Time Stand Still".
