Power Windows

Power Windows

Released: October 29, 1985
Certified Gold by RIAA: December 18, 1985
Certified Platinum by RIAA: January 27, 1986
Highest Billboard Chart Position: 10

Geddy Lee - Bass guitar, synthesizers, bass pedals, vocals
Alex Lifeson - Electric and acoustic guitars
Neil Peart - Drums, percussion and electronic percussion

Produced by Peter Collins and Rush
Engineered by Jimbo "James" Barton
Arrangements by Rush and Peter Collins
Pre-production engineering by Mr. Head

Recorded at The Manor, England, assisted by Steve Chase, at Air Studios, Montserrat, assisted by Matt Butler and at Sarm East, London, assisted by Dave Meegan, Heff Moraes, and Paul Wright

Mixed at Sarm East

Synthesizer programming by Andy Richards and Jim Burgess
Additional keyboards by Andy Richards
Strings arranged and conducted by Anne Dudley, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London
Choir arranged and conducted by Andrew Jackman, recorded at Angel Studios, London

Mastered by Bob Ludwig and Brian Lee at
Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine

Management by Ray Danniels, SRO Management, Inc., Toronto
Executive Production by Moon Records, Val Azzoli and Liam Birt

Art direction, graphics, and cover painting by Hugh Syme
Photography by Dimo Safari

Tour manager and Lighting Director: Howard Ungerleider
President: Liam Birt
Production Manager: Nick Kotos
Concert Sound Engineer: Jon Erickson
Stage Left Technician: Skip Gildersleeve
Centre Stage Technician: Larry Allen
Guitar and Synthesizer Maintenance: Tony Geranios
Stage Right Technician: Jim Johnson
Monitor Engineer: Stve Byron
Concert Projectionist: Lee Tenner
Minister-Without-Portfolio: Kevin Flewitt
Concert Sound by See Factor: Jim Staniforth, Bill Fertig, Jason Macrie, Mike Sinclair
Concert Lighting by See Factor: Ed Hyatt, Jack Funk, Roy Niendorf, Frank Scilingo, J.T. MacDonald, Mike King
Concert Rigging by Southfire Rigging: Billy Collins and Tim Wendt
Laser Images by Craig Sprede(r)man, Glen Tonsor, Phil Valdivia
Busheads and Truckfaces: Tom Whittaker, Pat Lynes, Billy Barlow, Mac and Candy MacLear, Red McBrine, Mike Nervi, Larry Cole and Dennis Cricket.
In memory of Harry Smith

Big Thank You's go around the world: At Elora Sound: Bill, Linda, and Joanne.
At the Manor: Lynne, Mike, Barney, Patsy, (don't bring) Lulu, Jenny, Ian, Paul, Mark, Peter, Frank and Mrs. P., and Willie and Bowzer.
In Montserrat: Matt, Yvonne, Malcolm, Paul, George, Desmond, Franklin, Carlton, Leroy, Doreen, Felena, Razor Willie, Bosun, Veston, Fosforus, Scoozball, the King of Antilles Television, and HRH King Lerxst.
At Sarm East: Jo, Dave, Heff, Paul, and Rockin' Dave.
In Japan: Mr. Udo, Tommy, Yoshi, Nori, Tets, Kaz, and Tomo.
In England: Peter Mensch and Su Wathan, David Mallet, Nikita's, Bill Churchman, Debbie Collins, Simon Honnor, Mr. Big and the Royal Jamaicans, Zino Davidoff, the Launching Pad, Peter, Jenny, and Joe Flemming, Wimblestein, Rockit Cargo and Fireball XL-5.
On the road: Gary Moore band and crew, Red Rider band and crew, Seaship Brokers, Big Al, and the ubiquitous B-Man.
On the mound: Smitty, Gully, Bo, and El Animal.
At home plate: Ray, Val, Pegi, Sheila, and Bob.
Brought to you by the letter "M".

And to the technical assistance of: The Music Shoppe (Thornhill), the Percussion Centre (Fort Wayne), Jim Burgess, Wal Basses, Dean Markley, Tama Drums, Avedis Zildjian cymbals, and - the Omega Concern.

A special tribute to our magnestic poles
The firm support and surprising patience
Of our families

That's a wrap!

© 1985 Mercury Records © 1985 Anthem Entertainment

The Big Money

Lyrics by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

Big money goes around the world
Big money underground
Big money got a mighty voice
Big money make no sound
Big money pull a million strings
Big money hold the prize
Big money weave a mighty web
Big money draw the flies

Sometimes pushing people around
Sometimes pulling out the rug
Sometimes pushing all the buttons
Sometimes pulling out the plug
It's the power and the glory
It's a war in paradise
It's a cinderella story
On a tumble of the dice

Big money goes around the world
Big money take a cruise
Big money leave a mighty wake
Big money leave a bruise
Big money make a million dreams
Big money spin big deals
Big money make a mighty head
Big money spin big wheels

Sometimes building ivory towers
Sometimes knocking castles down
Sometimes building you a stairway --
Lock you underground
It's that old-time religion
It's the kingdom they would rule
It's the fool on television
Getting paid to play the fool

Big money goes around the world
Big money give and take
Big money done a power of good
Big money make mistakes
Big money got a heavy hand
Big money take control
Big money got a mean streak
Big money got no soul...

Grand Designs

Lyrics by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

A to B --
Different degrees...

So much style without substance
So much stuff without style
It's hard to recognize the real thing
It comes along once in a while

Like a rare and precious metal
Beneath a ton of rock
It takes some time and trouble
To separate from the stock
You sometimes have to listen to
A lot of useless talk

Shapes and forms
Against the norms --
Against the run of the mill
Swimming against the stream
Life in two dimensions
Is a mass production scheme

So much poison in power
The principles get left out
So much mind on the matter
The spirit gets forgotten about

Like a righteous inspiration
Overlooked in haste
Like a teardrop in the ocean
A diamond in the waste
Some world-views are spacious --
And some are merely spaced

Against the run of the mill
Static as it seems
We break the surface tension
With our wild kinetic dreams
Curves and lines --
Of grand designs...

Manhattan Project

Lyrics by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

Imagine a time
When it all began
In the dying days of a war
A weapon -- that would settle the score
Whoever found it first
Would be sure to do their worst --
They always had before...

Imagine a man
Where it all began
A scientist pacing the floor
In each nation -- always eager to explore
To build the best big stick
To turn the winning trick --
But this was something more...

The big bang -- took and shook the world
Shot down the rising sun
The end was begun -- it would hit everyone
When the chain reaction was done
The big shots -- try to hold it back
Fools try to wish it away
The hopeful depend on a world without end
Whatever the hopeless may say

Imagine a place
Where it all began
They gathered from across the land
To work in the secrecy of the desert sand
All of the brightest boys
To play with the biggest toys --
More than they bargained for...

Imagine a man
When it all began
The pilot of "Enola Gay"
Flying out of the shockwave
On that August day
All the powers that be
And the course of history
Would be changed for evermore...

Marathon

Lyrics by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

It's not how fast you can go
The force goes into the flow
If you pick up the beat
You can forget about the heat

More than just survival
More than just a flash
More than just a dotted line
More than just a dash

It's a test of ultimate will
The heartbreak climb uphill
Got to pick up the pace
If you want to stay in the race

More than just blind ambition
More than just simple greed
More than just a finish line
Must feed this burning need --

In the long run...

From first to last
The peak is never passed
Something always fires the light
That gets in your eyes
One moment's high
And glory rolls on by
Like a streak of lightning
That flashes and fades
In the summer sky

Your meters may overload
You can rest at the side of the road
You can miss a stride
But nobody gets a free ride

More than high performance
More than just a spark
More than just the bottom line
Or a lucky shot in the dark --

In the long run...

You can do a lot in a lifetime
If you don't burn out too fast
You can make the most of the distance
First you need endurance --
First you've got to last...

Territories

Lyrics by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

I see the Middle Kingdom between Heaven and Earth
Like the Chinese call the country of their birth
We all figure that our homes are set above
Other people than the ones we know and love

In every place with a name
They play the same territorial game
Hiding behind the lines
Sending up warning signs

The whole wide world
An endless universe
Yet we keep looking through
The eyeglass in reverse
Don't feed the people
But we feed the machines
Can't really feel
What international means

In different circles
We keep holding our ground
In different circles
We keep spinning round and round

We see so many tribes -- overrun and undermined
While their invaders dream of lands they've left behind
Better people -- better food -- and better beer
Why move around the world when Eden was so near?

The bosses get talking so tough
And if that wasn't evil enough
We get the drunken and passionate pride
Of the citizens along for the ride

They shoot without shame
In the name of a piece of dirt
For a change of accent
Or the colour of your shirt
Better the pride that resides
In a citizen of the world
Than the pride that divides
When a colourful rag is unfurled

Middletown Dreams

Lyrics by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

The office door closed early
The hidden bottle came out
The salesman turned to close the blinds
A little slow now, a little stout

But he's still heading down those tracks
Any day now for sure
Another day as drab as today
Is more than a man can endure

Dreams flow across the heartland
Feeding on the fires
Dreams transport desires
Drive you when you're down --

Dreams transport the ones
Who need to get out of town

The boy walks with his best friend
Through the fields of early May
They walk awhile in silence
One close -- one far away

But he'd be climbing on that bus
Just him and his guitar
To blaze across the heavens
Like a brilliant shooting star

The middle-aged madonna
Calls her neighbour on the phone
Day by day the seasons pass
And leave her life alone

But she'll go walking out that door
On some bright afternoon
To go and paint big cities
From a lonely attic room

It's understood
By every single person
Who'd be elsewhere if they could
So far so good
And life's not unpleasant
In their little neighbourhood

They dream in Middletown...

Emotion Detector

Lyrics by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

When we lift the covers from our feelings
We expose our insecure spots
Trust is just as rare as devotion--
Forgive us our cynical thoughts
If we need too much attention --
Not content with being cool
We must throw ourselves wide open
And start acting like a fool
If we need too much approval
Then the cuts can seem too cruel

Right to the heart of the matter
Right to the beautiful part
Illusions are painfully shattered
Right where discovery starts
In the secret wells of emotion
Buried deep in our hearts

It's true that love can change us
But never quite enough
Sometimes we are too tender
Sometimes we're too tough
If we get too much attention
It gets hard to overrule
So often fragile power turns
To scorn and ridicule
Sometimes our big splashes
Are just ripples in the pool

Feelings run high

Mystic Rhythms

Lyrics by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

So many things I think about
When I look far away
Things I know -- things I wonder
Things I'd like to say
The more we think we know about
The greater the unknown
We suspend our disbelief
And we are not alone --

Mystic rhythms -- capture my thoughts
And carry them away
Mysteries of night
Escape the light of day
Mystic rhythms -- under northern lights
Or the African sun
Primitive things stir
The hearts of everyone

We sometimes catch a window
A glimpse of what's beyond
Was it just imagination
Stringing us along?
More things than are dreamed about
Unseen and unexplained
We suspend our disbelief
And we are entertained --

Mystic rhythms -- capture my thoughts
And carry them away
Nature seems to spin
A supernatural way
Mystic rhythms -- under city lights
Or a canopy of stars
We feel the powers
And we wonder what they are
We feel the push and pull
Of restless rhythms from afar