Hold Your Fire

September 1987 . 12th Studio Recording

Power Windows 1985 A Show of Hands 1989

About Hold Your Fire

Hold Your Fire is Rush’s 12th studio album, released on September 8, 1987. It was recorded at The Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, AIR Studios in Montserrat and McClear Place in Toronto, with sessions spread out over a relatively long period of time. Although Hold Your Fire features nearly as much synth/keyboards as its predecessor, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire’s guitar riffs and solos are considerably more prominent on several songs.

During the writing stages for the album, with nine songs written, producer Peter Collins also suggested the band make a tenth track for the album. The song “Force Ten” was written on the last day of pre-production, December 14, 1986. Another track on the album, “Time Stand Still,” was the first track Neil wrote. Aimee Mann briefly sings in each chorus of the song, marking Rush’s first collaboration with another singer.

 

  • Credits
  • Liner Notes
  • Awards/Chart Positions

Credits

Produced by

Peter Collins and Rush

Engineered by

Jimbo (James) Barton

Arrangements by

Rush and Peter Collins

Synthesizer programming assistance

Andy Richards and Jim Burgess

Additional keyboards

Andy Richards

Additional vocals

Aimee Mann
Courtesy of Epic Records

Strings arranged and conducted by

Steven Margoshes, recorded at McClear Place

Mastered by

Bob Ludwig and Brian Lee
Gateway Mastering Studios
Portland, Maine

Management

Ray Danniels
SRO Management Inc.
Toronto

Executive Production

Moon Records
Val Azzoli and Liam Birt

Art Direction

Hugh Syme

Photography

Glen Wexler

Urban Development

Scott Alexander, Patrick Johnson and Olivia Ramirez

Force Ten

Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
Lyrics: Neil Peart and Pye Dubois

Tough times demand tough talk
demand tough hearts demand tough songs
demand —

We can rise and fall like empires
Flow in and out like the tide
Be vain and smart, humble and dumb
We can hit and miss like pride

We can circle around like hurricanes
Dance and dream like lovers
Attack the day like birds of prey
Or scavengers under cover

Look in —
To the eye of the storm
Look out —
For the force without form
Look around —
At the sight and the sound
Look in look out look around —

We can move with savage grace
To the rhythms of the night
Cool and remote like dancing girls
In the heat of the beat and the lights

We can wear the rose of romance
An air of joie de vivre
Too-tender hearts upon our sleeves
Or skin as thick as thieves’

rising falling at force ten
we twist the world and ride the wind

Look in —
look the storm in the eye
Look out —
to the sea and the sky
Look around —
at the sight and the sound
Look in look out look around —

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