Hold Your Fire

Rush’s 1987 album comes from the era that many fans seem to have mixed feelings about, as the trio doggedly pursued their eighties sonic interests via state of the art synths, electronic drum additions and a slicker kind of power. But that overlooks among other things how Neil Peart’s lyrics in particular had shifted to more generous outlooks, perhaps most typified by “Time Stand Still,” a thoughtful and suddenly melancholic reflection on aging and loss, with Geddy Lee’s lead vocal matched by a memorable Aimee Mann contribution.