Presto

Presto is the thirteenth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1989 (see 1989 in music). The album was recorded at Le Studio in Morin Heights and at McClear Place in Toronto. It was the band’s first album with their new label Atlantic Records which the band signed to in early 1989 after deciding not to renew its contract with Mercury/PolyGram Records. The Atlantic label gave Rush creative control over its future musical direction. Intended to be co-produced with Peter Collins, who had produced the previous two studio albums, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, he reluctantly declined the offer for personal reasons. An objective ear was found in Rupert Hine, who may have contributed to the record’s relatively dark, reverb-heavy sound.


Musical style and direction
The album is generally held by fans to have marked the beginning of a transition period, wherein the synthesizer-heavy songwriting of the 1980s began to give way to a more guitar-oriented sound in later releases. At the very least, synthesizers and sequencers are generally used in a more discreet fashion compared to previous records. “Chain Lightning”, “Scars”, “Anagram (for Mongo)” and “Red Tide” still feature keyboards as a prominent instrument, but other songs like “Show Don’t Tell” and “Superconductor” are more guitar-motivated. Additionally, “Available Light” and “Red Tide” represent some of the few Rush songs to contain significant piano usage. Bass lines continue to follow the usual Rush style, however, “The Pass” is driven heavily by bass guitar chords.