{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}} {{Infobox album | name = Power Windows | type = studio | artist = [[Rush (band)|Rush]] | cover = Rush Power Windows.jpg | alt = | released = {{start date|1985|10|11}} | recorded = April–August 1985 | studio = *[[The Manor Studio|The Manor]] (Oxfordshire) *[[Sarm East Studios|SARM East]] (London) *[[Angel Recording Studios|Angel]] (London) *[[Abbey Road Studios|Abbey Road]] (London) *[[AIR Montserrat|AIR]] ([[Salem, Montserrat]]) | genre = {{hlist|[[Progressive rock]]|[[New wave music|new wave]]|[[electronic rock]]}} | length = {{duration|m=44|s=44}} | label = [[Anthem Records|Anthem]] | producer = {{hlist|[[Peter Collins (record producer)|Peter Collins]]|Rush}} | prev_title = [[Grace Under Pressure (Rush album)|Grace Under Pressure]] | prev_year = 1984 | next_title = [[Hold Your Fire]] | next_year = 1987 | misc = {{Singles | name = Power Windows | type = studio | single1 = [[The Big Money]] | single1date = October 4, 1985<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1985/Music-Week-1985-10-05.pdf|title=Music Week|page=20}}</ref> | single2 = [[Mystic Rhythms]] | single2date = January 27, 1986<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/FMQB-Album/1986/FMQB-1986-01-24.pdf|title=FMQB|page=28}}</ref> }} }}
'''''Power Windows''''' is the eleventh studio album by Canadian rock band [[Rush (band)|Rush]], released on October 11, 1985 in Canada by [[Anthem Records]]<ref>{{cite journal |title=Music Biz |journal=RPM Weekly |date=October 12, 1985 |issue=41 |page=15 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/CANADA/RPM/80s/1985/RPM-1985-10-12.pdf |access-date=March 11, 2022 |publisher=RPM Music Publications Ltd. |location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada |language=English |issn=0315-5994 |quote=Rush's long-awaited LP, Power Windows, has been scheduled for an Oct. 11 release.}}</ref> and on October 21, 1985 in the United States on [[Mercury Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/images/albums/power-windows-release-date.jpg|title=Power Windows release date}}</ref> After touring in support of their previous album, ''[[Grace Under Pressure (Rush album)|Grace Under Pressure]]'' (1984), the band took a break and reconvened in early 1985 to begin work on a follow-up. The material continued to display the band's exploration of synthesizer-oriented music, this time with the addition of sampling, electronic drums, a string section, and choir, with power being a running lyrical theme. ''Power Windows'' was recorded in [[Montserrat]] and England with [[Peter Collins (record producer)|Peter Collins]] as co-producer and [[Andy Richards]] on additional keyboards.
The album reached No. 5 in Canada, No. 9 in the United Kingdom, and No. 10 in the United States. In January 1986, the album reached platinum certification by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) for one million copies sold in the United States. Rush released two singles from the album, "[[The Big Money]]" and "[[Mystic Rhythms]]". The band supported the album with their 1985–1986 tour.
==Background and writing== In November 1984, the band ended their concert tour in support of their previous album, ''[[Grace Under Pressure (Rush album)|Grace Under Pressure]]'' (1984). After a short respite, the group started work for a follow-up album in early 1985. Guitarist [[Alex Lifeson]] looked back at this period, and noted their conscious effort in taking the strongest elements of their previous two records, ''[[Signals (Rush album)|Signals]]'' (1982) and ''Grace Under Pressure'' and capitalizing on them for ''Power Windows''. To Lifeson, this resulted in a more cohesive and satisfying album.<ref name=kerrang1985>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19851114kerrang.htm|title=Pane and Pleasure|magazine=Kerrang!|first=Mark|last=Putterford|issue=107|date=November 14, 1985|access-date=July 9, 2018|archive-date=July 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712030029/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19851114kerrang.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
In February 1985, Rush had relocated to Elora Sound Studios in [[Elora, Ontario]] to write and rehearse new songs. Drummer [[Neil Peart]] would write a set of lyrics from the studio's farmhouse while Lifeson and frontman [[Geddy Lee]] worked on music to fit Peart's words in the adjacent barn which housed a [[Multitrack recording|24-track]] recording studio. Peart worked on a small desk in his room, "about the right size for a five-year-old".<ref name=tourbook>{{cite web|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/powerwindows.html#tourbook|title=Looking Through Power Windows|date=1986|first=Neil|last=Peart|publisher=Anthem Records|access-date=July 11, 2018|archive-date=July 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712024248/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/powerwindows.html#tourbook|url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, Peart researched the [[Manhattan Project]] to write lyrics for the same-titled song. He also had a head start, having written outline lyrics for "The Big Money", "Mystic Rhythms", and "Marathon" before these sessions had begun.<ref name=tourbook /> Lee and Lifeson sorted through jams recorded at soundchecks on tour and Lifeson's own tapes of ideas to assemble music for the three tracks, with each song taking up to a week.<ref name=tourbook /> They then began on "Middletown Dreams", "Marathon" once again, and then "Grand Designs". Having worked out some material, Rush underwent a five-day warm-up tour in Florida in March 1985 to sharpen their performance and to test the new songs on stage prior to recording.<ref name=tourbook /> Peart continued to work on lyrics in his hotel room in Miami.<ref name=tourbook />
Following their warm-up gigs, the band returned to Elora and continued working on their new songs, their break away being a positive impact on their work upon returning. Peart had initially struggled to finish "Territories" and "Manhattan Project", "but now they just fell together".<ref name=tourbook /> On their first day back at Elora, Peart began work on lyrics for "Emotion Detector" as the group had discussed the possibility of recording a ballad for their new album. Upon presenting his words to Lee and Lifeson, his lyrics fit to the piece of music that his bandmates were working on at the time.<ref name=tourbook /> This was followed by Rush arranging the music for "Emotion Detector" and "Territories", after which they had assembled a demo tape of seven new songs ready to present to Collins for recording.<ref name=tourbook />
Later in 1985, Peart told an interviewer that Rush's sound "is changing from having been progressive to not being progressive".<ref name=ModernDrummer>{{Cite book|first1=Jim|last1=Berti|first2=Durrell|last2=Bowman|title=Rush and Philosophy: Heart and Mind United|publisher=Open Court|year=2013|isbn=978-0-8126-9729-2|series=Popular Culture and Philosophy|volume=57|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WSg7bnFJDbgC&pg=PT217|page=217}} Quoting an interview with Scott K. Fish published in January 1986 ''Modern Drummer'' magazine.</ref> He noted that though the album might "seem simpler", it was just as difficult to compose and perform.<ref name=ModernDrummer /> Lifeson expressed some resistance to the emphasis on keyboards during this period of their history. He noted the trend began on ''Signals'' which pushed his guitar parts too far into the background as a result. However, he thought Rush achieved a much greater balance of the two instruments on ''Power Windows'', which he thought ''[[Moving Pictures (Rush album)|Moving Pictures]]'' (1981) successfully had done.<ref name=kerrang1985 />
==Production== Rush recorded ''Power Windows'' from April to August 1985 in five different recording studios. The group recorded ''Power Windows'' with a new producer, [[Peter Collins (record producer)|Peter Collins]].<ref name=kerrang1985 /> During their warm-up gigs in Florida, the band first met Australian engineer James "Jimbo" Barton, whom Collins had recommended. They accepted, and Peart later praised Barton's contributions and suggestions to the band, considering his small recommendations to improve a song, which he referred to as "events", was "just what we were looking for".<ref name=tourbook /> Lifeson compared the experience of recording ''Power Windows'' as more pleasant and fun than ''Grace Under Pressure'', which presented various problems for the band. He added that the album contained elements that Rush had not incorporated before and broke several boundaries that had existed with previous albums.<ref name=kerrang1985 /> Lee supported this view and said the group decided "not to hold anything back" and make the album first and focus later on the music's onstage presentation.<ref name=IMARW1985>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19851200intlmusicianrecordingworld.htm|title=Grand Designs for the Future|first=Philip|last=Bashe|date=December 1985|magazine=International Musician and Recording World|access-date=July 10, 2018|archive-date=July 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712022352/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19851200intlmusicianrecordingworld.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:AIR Studio ruins Montserrat May 2013.jpg|thumb|right|Rush relocated to AIR Studios in Montserrat, the ruins of which are pictured here in 2013, to record guitar overdubs.]] Recording began at [[The Manor Studios]] in Oxfordshire, England, where the basic rhythm tracks and keyboards were recorded more quickly than usual, in the span of five weeks, to capture more spontaneous performances ready for overdubs.<ref name=IMARW1985 /><ref name=tourbook /> They followed a different recording method to prior albums: a rough song structure was recorded to tape first - guide vocals, keyboards and guitars to a click track - then they would play live as a band to this song structure, keeping the drum parts and overdubbing/replacing everything else.<ref name=GP1986>{{cite magazine|first=Tom|last=Mulhern|title=Geddy Lee of Rush: Rock's Leading Bassist|date=April 1986|magazine=Guitar Player|url=https://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19860400guitarplayer.htm|access-date=29 June 2025|via=2112.net}}</ref> This way, they could focus more on getting the track down on one piece of tape and [[Punch in/out|punch in]] when needed, no longer needing to record multiple song passes to edit the best parts from.<ref name=GP1986/>
At the Manor, the music was recorded using two [[Studer]] A800 24-track tape machines with an SSL console.<ref name=IMARW1985 /> It was during sessions at The Manor where Rush brought in musician [[Andy Richards]] to play additional synthesizers and assist in their programming. His rig consisted of a [[PPG Wave]] 2.3 synthesizer connected to a [[Roland MKS-80|Roland Super Jupiter]] module through a [[MIDI]] system, a Yamaha QX-1 digital sequencer, and a [[Roland Jupiter-8]] and [[Yamaha DX7]] synthesizer.<ref name=IMARW1985 /> In one instance, Peart's drum technician Larry Allen drove with him to London to collect a set of African and Indian drums to use on "Mystic Rhythms", and bongos for "Territories".<ref name=tourbook />
In May 1985, the band had relocated to [[AIR Montserrat|AIR Studios]] in the island of [[Montserrat]] in the Caribbean. They had discussed recording at the studio for several years and booked the facility for three weeks for Lifeson to record guitar overdubs.<ref name=tourbook /> The tracks were put down using two Studer tape recorders with a Neve console. Collins recalled this period of recording as painstaking work due to the various combination of microphone and amplifier set-ups that were experimented.<ref name=IMARW1985 /> This was followed by a return to England in June to record in London, firstly at [[Sarm East Studios|SARM East Studios]]. The band chose to live together in a single apartment rather than separate hotel rooms. At SARM East, the guitar solos and Lee's vocals were put down.<ref name=tourbook />
Mixing began in July after the band took a one-week break from the material, which coincided with decisions on the final running order, artwork, credits, and photos.<ref name=tourbook /> In August, the string section was recorded which featured a 30-piece orchestra in studio 1 at [[Abbey Road Studios]]. Rush wanted musician and arranger [[Anne Dudley]] to complete the string arrangements, which she agreed to do,<ref name=cmusician1985 /> and the group was conducted by [[Andrew Pryce Jackman]]. A 25-piece choir was recorded at [[Angel Recording Studios]] for the ending of "Marathon".<ref name=tourbook /><ref name=cmusician1985 /> The album completed, Lee oversaw the mastering in New York City in September, and proofs were approved for the album cover.<ref name=tourbook />
== Content == ''Power Windows'' is a "thin and reedy" [[progressive rock|progressive]] [[Britpop]] album.<ref name = "AlbumbyAlbum">{{cite book|author-link=Martin Popoff|last=Popoff|first=Martin|year=2017|title=Rush: Album by Album|publisher=[[Voyageur Press]]|isbn=978-0760352205|location=[[Minneapolis]]}}</ref>{{rp|118}} ''Power Windows'' lyrics are focused primarily on various manifestations of power. For example, "Territories" comments on nationalism around the world. Like "[[Subdivisions (song)|Subdivisions]]" from ''[[Signals (Rush album)|Signals]]'', "Middletown Dreams" explores suburban monotony and the average person's attempts to temporarily escape it.<ref name="Visions">{{cite book|last1=Banasiewicz|first1=Bill|title=Rush – Visions: The Official Biography|chapter=Catching the window – a glimpse beyond|editor1=Chris Charlesworth|editor-link=Chris Charlesworth|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|year=1988|location=London, UK|pages=84–87|isbn=0-7119-1162-2}}</ref> "Grand Designs" was partly written to criticise mainstream music which the group believed was too superficial. The song also echoes individualistic themes such as non-conformism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rushvault.com/2011/02/07/grand-designs/|title=Grand Designs|date=February 7, 2011|website=rushvault.com|access-date=April 27, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124071048/https://rushvault.com/2011/02/07/grand-designs/|archive-date=January 24, 2018}}</ref> == Songs == "The Big Money" features the sampling of Peart's voice using an AMS sampler and triggered through his Simmons drum kit.<ref name=cmusician1985 />
"Manhattan Project" explores the development and explosion of the first [[nuclear weapon]] at the [[Manhattan Project]]. The track was difficult for the band to put together, partly due to Peart's difficulty in writing lyrics from an objective point of view, rather than as an observer of the event. Lifeson recalled that Peart had "thoroughly" researched on the topic beforehand.<ref name=kerrang1985 />
"Territories" was another difficult track for Rush to complete. After Peart had written some lyrical ideas he went through them with Lee, who noticed it was telling a story and found them difficult to sing once he and Lifeson had developed music for them. Peart then rewrote them in a more direct way which suited Lee better.<ref name=kerrang1985 /> It features the lyric "Better beer", which is an inside joke. Peart played his drum kit without a [[snare drum]], and the middle section features a sample of Lee's voice saying the phrase "Round and round".<ref name=cmusician1985 />
"Middletown Dreams" involved several rewrites before the band reached a working arrangement. After the album was completed, Lifeson expressed some dissatisfaction with the guitar parts, but it grew to become a "very satisfying" track for him.<ref name=kerrang1985 />
"Marathon" was anticipated by Lifeson to be difficult to arrange and record, but it turned out to be one of the easiest songs on the album to complete.<ref name=kerrang1985 /> It contains various samples, the fewest recorded overdubs, and incorporates the string section and choir recorded in London. Collins had the idea of using a choir and the band, upon witnessing the recording, saw the humour in having "pregnant women and old men sing our song".<ref name=cmusician1985>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19851200cm.htm|title=Baroque Cosmologies in Their Past, The Boys Focus on "The Perfect Song"|first=Perry|last=Stern|magazine=Canadian Musician|date=December 1985|access-date=July 11, 2018|archive-date=July 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712024137/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19851200cm.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Lifeson considered the song to be close to Peart as he had taken up cycling during days off on the ''Grace Under Pressure'' tour, riding 100 miles each time.<ref name=kerrang1985 />
"Emotion Detector" was initially anticipated to be easy to complete, but was more difficult than expected.<ref name=kerrang1985 /> It is the only track on the album that Rush has never performed live.
"Mystic Rhythms", as described by Lee, is "the most synthetic track on the record" with each instrument being fed through "a synthesized something".<ref name=cmusician1985 /> It features Lifeson playing an acoustic Ovation guitar which generated a synthesizer-like sound once fed through amplification.<ref name=cmusician1985 />
== Sleeve design == The pictures on the front and back covers were painted by Hugh Syme, from reference photos taken by photographer Dimo Safari. Toronto native Neill Cunningham was the model for the album artwork.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2016/01/20/rushs-power-windows-a-window-into-record-store-owners-past.html|title=Rush's Power Windows a window into record-store owner's past – The Star|website=thestar.com|date=January 20, 2016|access-date=April 27, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019111330/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2016/01/20/rushs-power-windows-a-window-into-record-store-owners-past.html|archive-date=October 19, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Power Windows cover">{{cite web | title=We Interviewed the Guy from Rush's 1985 'Power Windows' Cover | work=Vice | first=Tom | last=Beedham | date=January 25, 2016 | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/we-interviewed-the-guy-from-rushs-1985-power-windows-cover/ | access-date=January 24, 2019 | archive-date=November 6, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106105042/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/rnw5kk/we-interviewed-the-guy-from-rushs-1985-power-windows-cover | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Critical reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] | rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/power-windows-mw0000191583|title=Power Windows – Rush|access-date=August 27, 2011|last=Rivadavia|first=Eduardo|work=[[Allmusic]]|publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523163639/http://www.allmusic.com/album/power-windows-mw0000191583|archive-date=May 23, 2013}}</ref> | rev2 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]'' | rev2Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref> | rev3 = ''[[Martin C. Strong|The Essential Rock Discography]]'' | rev3Score = 5/10<ref name="Strong">{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles |title=The Essential Rock Discography |edition=8th |year=2006 |publisher=Open City Books |isbn=1-84195-860-3 |pages=938–939 |chapter=Rush }}</ref> | rev4 = ''[[Kerrang!]]'' | rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dickson|first1=Dave|title=[[Kerrang!]]|chapter=Stained Glass|volume=105|publisher=Morgan Grampian|date=October 17, 1985|location=London, UK|page=18}}</ref> | rev5 = ''[[MusicHound Rock]]'' | rev5Score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Graff|editor1-first=Gary|editor2-last=Durchholz|editor2-first=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|section=Rush|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=965}}</ref> | rev6 = ''[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]'' | rev6score = 9/10<ref>{{cite web|last=Rensen|first=Michael|title=Rock Hard review|url=http://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/review-anzeigen.html?tx_rxsearch_pi1%5Breview%5D=9542|access-date=May 24, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190605/http://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/review-anzeigen.html?tx_rxsearch_pi1%5Breview%5D=9542|archive-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref> | rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' | rev7score = (favourable)<ref name="Rolling Stone">{{cite magazine|title=Power Windows|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=January 30, 1986|first=David|last=Fricke|author-link=David Fricke|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/power-windows-19860130|access-date=August 27, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014042442/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/power-windows-19860130|archive-date=October 14, 2013}}</ref> | rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' | rev8score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/power-windows-19860130|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222001032/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/power-windows-19860130|archive-date=December 22, 2010|title=Album Reviews: Power Windows|access-date=July 11, 2016|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> | rev9 = ''[[Colin Larkin|The Virgin Encyclopedia of 80s Music]]'' | rev9Score = {{rating|2|5}}<ref>{{Cite book|author=[[Colin Larkin|Larkin, Colin]]|year=2003|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of 80s Music|isbn=1852279699|publisher=[[Virgin Publishing]]|section=Rush|pages=414–415}}</ref> }} ''Power Windows'' has been met with mostly positive reviews from music critics. [[AllMusic]]'s Eduardo Rivadavia retrospectively described the album as Rush's coldest album, citing the sparse, horn-like guitar playing of Lifeson, the prominent synthesizer of Lee and Peart's crisp, clinical percussion and stark lyrical themes. However, he also described the album as one that rewards patience and repeated listens.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rivadavia|first=Eduardo|title=Power Windows|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/power-windows-mw0000191583|website=AllMusic|access-date=March 19, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523163639/http://www.allmusic.com/album/power-windows-mw0000191583|archive-date=May 23, 2013}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, in a positive review of the album, highlighted a number of bands that seemingly influenced ''Power Windows'', such as [[The Police]], [[U2]], [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], and [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]]. The review concludes that ''Power Windows'' may be the missing link between [[Yes (band)|Yes]] and the [[Sex Pistols]].<ref name="Rolling Stone" /> In 2005, the album was ranked number 382 in ''[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]'' magazine's book ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten|year=2005|publisher=[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]|language=de|isbn=3-89880-517-4|page=56}}</ref> It was also in the top ten of a 2014 ''Rolling Stone'' website reader poll of best Rush albums.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rush-greatest-albums-readers-poll-14091/signals-233521/|title=Readers' Poll: 10 Greatest Rush Albums|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=May 15, 2022}}</ref>
''Power Windows'' introduced more synthesizers into the band's sound. During the period when the album was produced, the band were expanding into new directions from their progressive rock base,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cGxXcraZj6oC&pg=PA127|page=127|last=McDonald|first=Christopher J.|title=Rush, Rock Music, and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0-253-00404-8}}</ref> having "tightened up their sidelong suites and rhythmic abstractions into balled-up song fists, [[art pop|art-pop]] blasts of angular, slashing guitar, spatial keyboards and hyperpercussion, all resolved with forthright melodic sense".<ref name=Fricke1985>{{cite magazine|last=Fricke|first=David|title=Power Windows|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/power-windows-19860130|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=March 19, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014042442/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/power-windows-19860130|archive-date=October 14, 2013}}</ref>
==Reissues== Although the original recording had a [[SPARS code]] of DDD and was considered to be of good quality, a remastered edition was issued in 1997. The remastered edition follows the industry's more recent trend of the [[loudness war]], as it is considerably louder.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prorec.com/Articles/tabid/109/EntryID/247/Default.aspx|title=Over the Limit|access-date=November 21, 2011|last=Rowan|first=Rip|date=August 31, 2002|publisher=[[ProRec]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005020650/http://www.prorec.com/Articles/tabid/109/EntryID/247/Default.aspx|archive-date=October 5, 2007}}</ref> * The tray has a picture of three fingerprints, light blue, pink, and lime green (left to right) with "The Rush Remasters" printed in all capital letters just to the left. All remasters from ''Moving Pictures'' to ''A Show of Hands'' feature this logo, originally found on the cover art of ''[[Retrospective II]]''. * Includes the original grey border around the back cover image, along with lyrics and credits.
''Power Windows'' was remastered again in 2011 by Andy VanDette for the "Sector" box sets, which re-released all of Rush's Mercury-era albums. ''Power Windows'' is included in the ''Sector 3'' set.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themasterdiskrecord.com/2011/11/andy-vandette-on-remastering-14-rush-albums|title=Andy VanDette on Remastering 15 Rush Albums | the Masterdisk Record|access-date=July 12, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823055546/http://www.themasterdiskrecord.com/2011/11/andy-vandette-on-remastering-14-rush-albums/|archive-date=August 23, 2014}}</ref>
''Power Windows'' was remastered for vinyl by Sean Magee in 2015 at Abbey Road Studios as a part of the official "12 Months of Rush" promotion.<ref>{{cite web|title=12 MONTHS OF RUSH: 14 ALBUMS FROM MERCURY ERA FOR RELEASE IN 2015|url=http://www.rush.com/12-months-of-rush-14-albums-from-mercury-era-for-release-in-2015/|website=Rush.com|access-date=July 10, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711024744/http://www.rush.com/12-months-of-rush-14-albums-from-mercury-era-for-release-in-2015/|archive-date=July 11, 2015}}</ref>
==Track listing== {{track listing | all_lyrics = [[Neil Peart]] | all_music = [[Alex Lifeson]] and [[Geddy Lee]] | headline = Side one | title1 = [[The Big Money]] | length1 = 5:36 | title2 = Grand Designs | length2 = 5:07 | title3 = [[Manhattan Project (song)|Manhattan Project]] | length3 = 5:09 | title4 = [[Marathon (Rush song)|Marathon]] | length4 = 6:11 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side two | total_length = {{duration|m=44|s=44}} | title1 = Territories | length1 = 6:20 | title2 = Middletown Dreams | length2 = 5:19 | title3 = Emotion Detector | length3 = 5:11 | title4 = [[Mystic Rhythms]] | length4 = 5:54 }}
==Personnel== '''Rush''' *[[Geddy Lee]] – vocals, bass guitar, bass pedals, synthesizers, production, arrangements *[[Alex Lifeson]] – electric and acoustic guitars, production, arrangements *[[Neil Peart]] – drums, percussion, electric percussion, production, arrangements
'''Additional personnel''' *[[Andy Richards]] – additional keyboards, synthesizer programming *Jim Burgess – synthesizer programming *[[Anne Dudley]] – string arrangement, conductor *[[Andrew Jackman]] – conductor, choir arrangements *The Choir – additional vocals
'''Production''' *[[Peter Collins (record producer)|Peter Collins]] – production, arrangements *Jim Barton – engineer *Matt Butler – assistant engineer *Stephen Chase – assistant engineer *[[Dave Meegan]] – assistant engineer *Heff Moraes – assistant engineer *[[Bob Ludwig]] – mastering *Brian Lee – mastering *[[Hugh Syme]] – art direction, graphics, cover design, and painting
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1985) !Peak<br />position |- {{album chart|Canada|5|artist=Rush|album=Power Windows|chartid=0604|refname=CAN1|rowheader=true|access-date=May 14, 2022}} |- {{album chart|Netherlands|44|artist=Rush|album=Power Windows|rowheader=true|access-date=May 14, 2022}} |- !scope="row"|European Albums ([[European Top 100 Albums]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1985/M&M-1985-11-11.pdf#page=8|title=European Hot 100 Albums|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|date=November 11, 1985|volume=2|number=45|page=15|access-date=May 14, 2022|via=World Radio History}}</ref> | 57 |- !scope="row"|Finnish Albums ([[Official Finnish Charts|Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref>{{cite book |url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=221|first=Timo |last=Pennanen |year=2021 |title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 |section=Rush|page=221|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava |location=Helsinki|access-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref> |16 |- {{album chart|Sweden|26|artist=Rush|album=Power Windows|rowheader=true|access-date=May 14, 2022}} |- {{album chart|UK|9|artist=Rush|rowheader=true|access-date=May 14, 2022}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|10|artist=Rush|album=Power Windows|rowheader=true|access-date=May 14, 2022}} |- !scope="row"|US AOR Albums (''[[Radio & Records]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1985/RR-1985-11-08.pdf#page=76|title=AOR Albums|magazine=[[Radio & Records]]|date=November 8, 1985|page=76|access-date=May 14, 2022}}</ref> | 3 |}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (2026) !Peak<br />position |- ! scope="row"| Greek Albums ([[IFPI Greece|IFPI]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html|title=Official IFPI Charts Top-100 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 10/2026|publisher=[[IFPI Greece]]|access-date=March 18, 2026|language=el|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20260318075229/https://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html|archive-date=March 18, 2026|url-status=dead}}</ref> | 29 |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1985) !Position |- {{album chart|Canada|34|artist=Rush|album=Power Windows|chartid=0618|refname=CAN2|rowheader=true|access-date=May 14, 2022}} |- !scope="row"|US AOR (''Radio & Records'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1985/RR-1985-12-13.pdf#page=135|title=AOR Tracks: Top 85 of '85|magazine=[[Radio & Records]]|date=December 13, 1985|page=82|access-date=May 14, 2022}}</ref> |67 |} {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1986) !Position |- !scope="row"|US (''[[Billboard 200]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tiQEAAAAMBAJ&q=power+windows&pg=RA1-PA84|title=Top Pop Albums|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=December 27, 1986|page=Y-19|access-date=June 27, 2022}}</ref> |77 |} {{col-end}}
== Certifications == {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Rush|title=Power Windows|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1985|certyear=1986}} {{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Rush|title=Power Windows|award=Silver|relyear=1985|certyear=1986|id=5188-789-2}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Rush|title=Power Windows|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1985|certyear=1986}} {{certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Discogs master|type=album|7663|name=Power Windows}}
{{Rush}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Rush (band) albums]] [[Category:1985 albums]] [[Category:Anthem Records albums]] [[Category:Mercury Records albums]] [[Category:Vertigo Records albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by Peter Collins (record producer)]] [[Category:Albums recorded at AIR Studios]] [[Category:Art pop albums]] [[Category:Albums conducted by Andrew Pryce Jackman]]