Rush Creates Fantastic Editions For 40th Anniversary Of 'Signals'
The legendary Canadian trio celebrate the 40th anniversary of 'Signals' with a comprehensive campaign featuring the album presented in several different formats.
By John Curley, Goldmine, May 3, 2023, transcribed by pwrwindows
SIGNALS - 40TH ANNIVERSARY
UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records (1-LP Picture Disc, Super Deluxe Edition: 1-CD, 1-Blu-ray Audio, 1-LP, 4-seven-inch singles)
★★★★
Following up a landmark album like Rush's 1981 release Moving Pictures would probably prove to be a difficult task for any band. But Rush met the challenge by delivering a very solid album with Signals in 1982. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of Signals, the album has been re-released in two different formats. One is a single-LP picture disc. The other is a Super Deluxe Edition that is comprised of a CD, an LP, a Blu-ray audio disc and four seven-inch singles. A 40-page hardcover book is also included.
The best-known song on the album as well as its standout track is "Subdivisions." The song received quite a bit of radio airplay on FM rock stations upon its release. And the song's music video aired in heavy rotation on MTV for a time. It's a terrific song and still holds up. Neil Peart's drumming on "Subdivisions" is outstanding, Geddy Lee's keyboard and bass playing is impressive and Alex Lifeson's guitar work is stellar, as usual. It's a bit of social commentary on youth and alienation, focusing on a high-school student that is a cast out.
Rush go from strength to strength on "The Analog Kid," rocking out at the start, then downshifting to a slower speed about one minute in as Lee's keyboards dictate the pace. As the song continues, it goes back and forth in this fashion. Lifeson's guitar break in the song is terrific. The excellent "New World Man" shows how well Lee, Lifeson and Peart worked together. Peart, in particular, shines on the song. His drumming is great throughout. "Countdown" builds in power as it goes on. Spoken-word bits of a mission-control worker doing the countdown of a launch of a space shuttle are heard in the background at different parts during the song. All three band members give stellar performances during the instrumental break.
Other highlights of Signals include: the great musicianship on "Chemistry"; Lee's bass playing during the intro of "Digital Man"; the fantastic instrumental passage in "The Weapon"; and Lifeson's guitar work in "Losing It."
The two live tracks in the Super Deluxe Edition, "Red Barchetta" and "Vital Signs," are excellent, and they serve as a reminder of how superb a live band Rush were.
If the Super Deluxe Edition has any flaws, it's that apart from the two live tracks on the B-sides of the seven-inch singles, the rest of the set is the studio tracks from Signals presented in different formats. A live recording of a show from the Signals tour would have been a welcome addition to the set. Opportunity lost there.