Released in
1982, this album,
Rush's 11th, marks the beginning of their third quartet of studio albums, which also includes
Grace Under Pressure,
Power Windows, and
Hold Your Fire. After the popular success of 1981's
Moving Pictures, Rush moved from experimenting with new
synthesizer technology to employing it in earnest, and turned in their writing from long,
progressive-influenced songs to shorter, tighter, more
radio-friendly songs. "New World Man" and "Subdivisions" can still be heard on the more independent-minded playlists on classic rock stations.
"The Weapon" is labeled "Part II of Fear" which is a very loose trilogy of songs including "Witch Hunt" (Part III) from Moving Pictures and "The Enemy Within" (Part I) from Grace Under Pressure. I think they giggled when they came up with the concept of numbering them backwards (Witch Hunt was the first released, on 1981's Moving Pictures, while The Enemy Within was released on Grace Under Pressure in 1984).
The last track on the album, "Countdown" reflects the band's reaction to the launch of the space shuttle Columbia.
Track List: