Customer Reviews

Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a breezy overview of the now 30+ year career of Rush. One has to give these guys credit for keeping the fires burning all these years, with no band turnover, and creative output that continues to be inventive, original and uncompromising. What amazes me is that critics in mainstream music magazines still like to label Rush as a sci-fi/fantasy prog-rock outfit that writes space operas and songs about gnomes and elves. That was done over twenty years ago! Since the early eighties, their songs have focused on social, political and psychological issues as well as relationships and the human condition.

Back to the book...

It's arranged chronologically, with each chapter covering an album/cd release and subsequent tour. The writing is mostly transcribed interviews, and I found that Alex Lifeson was quite talkative and provided the most insight. Funny considering Neil Peart is the lyricist and Geddy Lee is the vocalist. Lifeson also displayed great humor.
While the style proved to be breezy and chatty, as if the reader is sitting on a couch across from the guys, I wanted more meat on the bones. While the press release reads that every song is analyzed, this amounts to little more than a sentence or two on most tunes. I wanted more specifics than hearing that "Grace Under Pressure" was difficult to record. Why? What made it hard? There were other examples of this, but I did find that more time was spent with recent material, say the last five or so studio releases and the two recent live sets. This was good, since I'm less familiar with the newer material, being an old school Rush fan from back in the day.
What comes across is that the members of Rush are gracious, intelligent men committed to their craft, while also pursuing outside hobbies to enrich their lives. They avoid negative talk about other groups or music industry folks, save a veiled remarks. They are also intensely private about their families. I learned that Alex has a grown son, also a musician, and that Alex is now a grandfather. Very little is mentioned about Geddy Lee's family. Most Rush fans should by now be familiar with the tragedies of Neil Peart's family. Read "Ghost Rider" to learn more about that.

If you're looking from the road like the Led Zeppelin book "Hammer of the Gods" or Bill Wyman's "Stone Alone" this is not for you. This is a career overview that focuses on the music, with lots of band pictures that show the evolution of their fashion over the years.

I've been a fan of Rush's music since the early 1980's, and have every one of their CDs. However, I really don't know a whole lot about the band members as they have been extremely guarded about their life in and outside the band. This book helps melt down that guard a little bit, but still does not provide a comprehensive look at Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.

The book is structured by chapters, which each one representing one of the band's CDs (in chronological order, including the 4 live albums). In that chapter, the band discusses their recollections about writing songs for the album, recording it (including gripes about several producers) and touring (with some anecdotes about their adventures with some of their support acts - or main acts (Kiss, Aerosmith) when they were just starting out.

You'll learn a lot about how the band goes about their business (for example, for almost every album, they write one song quickly at the end of their recording sessions and it invariably makes the record and is one of their favorites), but if you are looking for stuff about the three guys' family life, you'll be disappointed. I believe I remember one mention of Geddy's son and Alex briefly mentions that he is now a grandfather, but other than that, there isn't much about life outside the band (the death of Peart's wife and daughter within months of each other in the late 90s are mentioned, but other than a paragraph or two, are not discussed in detail).

So if you like Rush, get it for the novelty and the many great pictures.

As a total Rush freak, I know how hard it can be to find good reading material about them. (No coverage in any of the mainstream music mags, despite being one of the biggest selling bands in history). That's why this book is a godsend for any Rush fan. "Contents Under Pressure" is not a typical paint-by-numbers type biography, but more like a sit-down session over a few beers with Geddy, Neil and Alex as they recall their memories of touring and recording from the birth of Rush up until today. The author, Martin Popoff, asks the kind of questions that a die hard fan would ask. Lots of insight from the band themselves into song titles, album titles, lyrics, cover art, stage productions etc. Lots of amusing road stories, (especially from the early days and the oddball tours they were booked on), and behind the music type stuff. Every single album and tour gets a thorough profile. As well, it is packed with close to 300 photos (mostly color) of which I don't think I ve seen any before and is printed on a very high quality, heavy gloss paper. This is the kind of book you wish would never end and is a must-have.

Popoff (the author) does what great rock authors should do: he gets out of the way and lets the band tell the story. The book shares the band's view of each of their albums and tours (with the exception of Feedback-not sure why that was left out). If you are a Rush fan I think you will enjoy the details of the band's perspective on their progression over the years. Some truly interesting antics-many of them involving interactions with other classic rock bands: Blue Oyster Cult, Pat Travers, etc. Only gripe is that the book seems fragile: glossy pages and they will fall out if you are not somewhat delicate with it (of course I read the thing by a pool in extreme heat). If you like Rush, don't hesitate on this one-great photos of the band.

This was a casual book. Not like an interview so much as like conversation. I'm sure much was left out; but it seems the guys told you what they wanted you to know. I liked the way the songs were discussed, not too much depth, but we real RUSH fans have our own feelings for each song and this didn't change my own interpretations. It really felt more like a reinforcement of what great guys they seem to be.
As long as you don't expect any great secrets to be divulged this is great. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Rush have always been a very private band and that is fine with me -- I really don't have to know every stinking detail about their lives. And really, this is not the Rolling Stones we are talking about -- for a band that has been around for 30 years, Rush has been remarkably scandal proof, even in their (rare)worst moments, which really are nothing compared to most bands. In fact, the most scandalous things surrounding this band happened within the past few years, with guitarist Alex Lifeson's arrest for getting into a fight with a cop during a New Year's Eve party. Beyond that, they are rather straight. But they sure can rock.
And its that that this book focuses on -- this is no "biography" per se (as is explained in the introduction), but rather a chance for the band to talk about their likes and dislikes concerning what really matters -- the music, both studio and live incarnations.
While the book doesn't go very in-depth even on these topics, it does give fans a newer, fresher insight into many topics, even clearing up old trivia that fans thought they knew. (Example: what was the working title of "Tom Sawyer"? Not "Louis the Warrior"!)
There are a few typos that are aggravating, and some of the photos are really pointless if you own the CDs. But overall its a really well made book, "authorized" by the band. They talk about every album right up to their most recent, the live triple album RUSH IN RIO. This is especially nice as the previous Rush "bible" had been VISIONS, written at the time of the band's 1987 HOLD YOUR FIRE album. It is really nice to hear what they think about their Atlantic years. And anytime you can get Peart to open up and talk its worth every dime.
All in all, a nice momento of the band. Light on substance but heavy on fun.

geez, next people will want to know about when Neil eats breakfast or Geddy brushes his teeth! is there no limit to adoration! personally I find it kind of sickening. Its about the music, people! not about hero worship!

anyways, this book is really in depth about the music and the creation of many songs, which is what I was looking for. plus it is chock full of many terrific pictures, which are mostly color. This documents the Rush evolution perfectly, interviewing them about their catalog and its strengths and weaknesses, and whether it was fun or boring, easy or hard. Rush is a band that realizes, like any good musician, that they need to "rip apart" every little thing they do in order to improve. They certainly are quite critical of many things on here, especially of Signals and Presto and Caress of Steel (very disliked albums by them it seems to me, though they had good words for "the pass" off of Presto) This is a very laid back kind of interview with the band, it is funny and informative, and really sheds some light on who Geddy, Alex, and Neil are as people, not just as stage presences. If you still want more background I recommend that you read Neil Peart's books, they have many stories about his life with the band and his life in general (especially Traveling Music). This is a highly enjoyable and informative read for any and all Rush fans.

As time passes and these guys continue to loosen up I am reminded that their personal lives remain boring and uncontroversial. Once you learn what they are really like, it's obvious that their gift to rock and roll was excellent music and nothing more. They are musicians in a very pure form. A touring machine fueled by a new studio album released every few years and a constant under-the-radar fan base. No radio hits yet millions of albums sold. Rock stars who really appreciate their anonymity. I am a 20 year fan from Cleveland, Ohio and I'd love to see two things. Behind the Music: RUSH and RUSH in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The book doesn't address the lyrics behind each song as much as I'd hoped. The format deals with every album (even the live albums) as a different chapter; each chapter reminding me of the tour programs I once owned. This book is basically a compilation of tour programs with a commentary from each band member. One thing I found very interesting was the parts in which they critique their own songs. Some songs that I always felt were "filler" they weren't totally satisfied with either. Other songs like Cold Fire from the Counterparts album are in their words: "Unheralded". The book covers their humble beginnings thru the beginning of the 30th Anniversary tour. A lot of photos are included and most I'd never seen before.

I am not sure why some reviewers keep saying there are no rare photos. I have Visions, "Rush" (the Brian Harrigan book), Sucess Under Pressure, and every single tour book and I still managed to find photos in this book that I have never seen until now.

The interviews are new, not ones quoted from years ago. I like the album by album, tour by tour format.

This book was an excellent addition to my Rush collection and a big improvement over the last Rush book release, Merely Players, which was a complete rehash of old interviews.

I liked it. It's true, what the other reviews say: it's all somewhat superficial and no one ever gets to talking about what color underwear they have on or what they put on their toast in the morning - but so what? There's just a whole lot of information here, and pictures pictures pictures everywhere - you want more? Marry one of the guys! I was perfectly happy. Mind you I don't consider myself a "fan" per se, but I know a whole lotta Rush - and I feel I know a lot more now that I've read the book. An enjoyable read overall!