Presto (album)

In May 1988, Rush wrapped up touring the band's previous album, Hold Your Fire (1987),[6] which was followed by the band's third live release A Show of Hands in early 1989.[7] The group then decided not to renew contracts with international distributor Mercury Records; Lifeson said they departed because the relationship had become stale by this point.[7] Peart later wrote that with the band now "free of deadlines and obligations" for the first time in fifteen years, they chose to take advantage by taking a six-month break.[8] In December 1988, the group gathered at Peart's house to discuss the next step and agreed to start a new studio album after the break.[8][9]

Work on Presto began with Rush renting a studio in the country to write and rehearse new material. They adopted their usual method of Lifeson and Lee working on the music while Peart worked alone on the lyrics. Peart wrote: "At the end of the day I might wander into the studio, ice cubes clinking, and listen to what they'd been up to, and if I'd been lucky, show them something new."[8] Rush worked at the studio during the week and returned home on weekends.[8]

Presto marks the beginning of Rush's return to a more guitar-driven sound from what is known to many as Rush's "synthesizer period" of the band's previous four releases. When Lifeson and Lee discussed what musical direction to take, they agreed that the core of the band's sound, emotion, and energy had come from the guitar, something that they wanted to return to for Presto.[8] This resulted in a much more satisfying album for Lifeson.[7] Lifeson had felt constricted in his guitar playing since synthesizers began playing a more dominant role in the songwriting and performance on Signals (1982), which had continued through the 1980s.[10] Lee explained that Rush wanted Presto to be "more of a singer's album, and I think you'll notice that the arrangements musically support the vocal[s] ... Neil's lyrics to me are a lot more heartfelt [...] This album was a real reaction against technology in a sense. I was getting sick and tired of working with computers and synthesizers [...] We made a pact to stay away from strings, pianos, and organs—to stay away from digital technology. In the end, we couldn't resist using them for colour."[11]

In a contrast to previous albums Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, the album does not contain an overall running lyrical theme, or what Peart described as "heavy" lyrical messages, instead adopting a more loose approach with each track making its own statement.[9] Peart used the word "response" to describe the lyrical content as a whole. "The idea that you don't go through life just looking at things. It doesn't matter if you've been all around the world - you may have seen it, but if you haven't felt it, you haven't been there."[12] Peart added: "There are many threads and a strong motif of looking at life today and trying to act inside it."[13]

After several songs had been worked out, the band felt it was the right time to present what they had to a co-producer. However, their initial choice, Peter Collins, who'd worked on Power Windows (1985) and Hold Your Fire, reluctantly declined the offer to work on Presto as he wished to produce other bands. Though Rush felt confident enough to undertake production duties themselves, they still wanted someone they could trust and to provide an objective point of view to their ideas.[8] Among the various candidates was English producer, songwriter, and keyboardist Rupert Hine, whose experience with a variety of artists attracted the group. Peart recalled the time when they presented their ideas to Hine: "We were a little bemused [...] at the end of some of them he actually seemed to be laughing! We looked at each other, eyebrows raised as if to say: "He thinks our songs are funny?" But evidently it was a laugh of pleasure; he stayed 'til the end".[8] At Hine's suggestion, the group brought in Stephen W. Tayler as the recording and mixing engineer. The sessions with Rush and Hine together were productive; initially, 10 days were assigned for pre-production work with one track for each day, but it was complete after just one-and-a-half days.[7]

The album's title was an idea that Rush had considered to use for A Show of Hands, but when Peart had started writing for a song entitled "Presto" it was then used as the title.[14][9]

Presto was recorded from June to August 1989.[15] As part of their deal with Hine, the band agreed to record parts of Presto in London.[14] Presto was finished around four weeks ahead of schedule.[7]

When the album was complete, Rush sought a new record deal and signed to Atlantic Records after executive Doug Morris had wanted to sign the group for a number of years and made an attractive offer.[7]

The album's sleeve was designed by Rush's longtime collaborator Hugh Syme: a black-and-white design depicting a levitating magician's hat on a hill with a rabbit emerging from it. The field in the foreground has many rabbits.[7] Rush had devised its concept and presented it to Syme who then produced several ideas depicting what they suggested. Lifeson recalled the moment when they saw the design they went with: "We all started laughing hysterically, 'This is great, it's perfect!'"[7]

Rush produced three music videos for Presto: "Show, Don't Tell," "The Pass" and "Superconductor.".[7]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[17]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[18]
Rolling Stone	[19]

Gregory Heaney of AllMusic described the album as 'workmanlike' and removed from the creativity of their earlier works. However, he asserts that the songs aren't terrible, just a sense that something is not quite clicking, perhaps due to the length of time it had been since the band wrote more-traditional, guitar-based songs.[20] However, before such a review was posted on November 10, 2012, the site had listed a favorable 4.5 star (out of a possible 5) review of the album by Mackenzie Wilson. Wilson described the album as one that "intelligently leads Rush into the '90s without musical bleakness".[17]

Credits taken from the album's CD liner notes.[15]

Rush

• Geddy Lee – bass guitar, vocals, synthesizers
• Alex Lifeson – electric and acoustic guitars
• Neil Peart – drums, electronic percussion

Additional personnel

• Rupert Hine – additional keyboards and backing vocals
• Jason Sniderman – additional keyboards

Production

• Rush – production, arrangement
• Rupert Hine – production, arrangement
• Stephen W. Tayler – engineer, mixing
• Simon Pressey – assistant recording engineer at Le Studio
• Jaques Deveau – assistant recording engineer at Le Studio
• Rick Anderson – assistant recording engineer at McClear Place
• Matt Howe – assistant mixing engineer
• Everett Ravenstein – assistant pre-production engineer
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Hugh Syme – art direction
• Scarpati – photography
• Andrew MacNaughtan – portraits

• Presto at Discogs (list of releases)