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Rush: Presto (SACD)
Rush Presto SACD 2014 CD Album Review

Rush: Presto (SACD)

Melodic/Progressive Rock/Metal
No Score

Website (Label)
Audio Fidelity
Words: Craig Hartranft    Added: 17.07.2014

What's your favorite Rush album? Something very early, like Caress of Steel or 2112? Or perhaps something from their successful mainstream period? Maybe Permanant Waves or Moving Pictures? What about the so-called 'synthesizer' period? Possibly Signals? Or if I asked my diehard Rush fan, he would probably answer, 'All of them, dude!

Rush Band Photo

Rush: circa 1989.

More to the point, which one would you want mastered for the Super Audio CD format, which boasts increased audio fidelity? Would you pick Presto? Forgetting the fact that you probably don't have a SACD player or you're not willing to shell out the $500 or better to purchase one, what would be your first choice. My first choice would probably be any of the above first. However, there are good reasons to choose Presto.

For many critics and fans, it's the album that marked another change, a transition away from the synthesizer era to more guitar oriented progressive rock. The keyboards were dailed back, the rock groove and rhythms bumped up. It also produced some popular Rush tunes like The Pass, Superconducter and, though not my favorite, Show Don't Tell, which reached number one. The album itself charted at sixteen. Overall, the album had a more accessible popular sound, sneaking in the prog through the back door.

As I said in the past reviews of other Audio Fidelity SACDs, I don't have a player, so I had to play this through a conventional CD player. Does it sound different or better? I'm not sure, maybe crisper. But it's Rush, so I like it. If you have a Super Audio CD player, Rush's Presto would be a fine addition to your SACD collection. It's also one of the better choices from Audio Fidelity for SACD mastering in recent releases, which have otherwise been average.




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In Short

If you have a SACD player, Rush's Presto would be a fine addition to your SACD collection. It's also one of the better choices from Audio Fidelity for SACD mastering in recent releases, which have otherwise been average.

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