Presto (album)

Presto
Studio album by
Rush
ReleasedNovember 17, 1989 (1989-11-17)[1]
RecordedJune–August 1989
StudioLe Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec
McClear Place, Toronto, Ontario
Genre
Length52:11
LabelAnthem
Producer
Rush chronology
A Show of Hands
(1989) 		Presto
(1989) 		Chronicles
(1990)
Singles from Presto
  1. "Show Don't Tell"
    Released: November 3, 1989[1]
  2. "The Pass"
    Released: March 1990

Presto is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released on November 17, 1989 by Anthem Records[1] and was the band's first album released internationally by Atlantic Records, following the group's departure from Mercury. After the Hold Your Fire (1987) tour ended in 1988, the group members reconvened in December to decide their next step and agreed to take six months off before starting on a new album. Presto marked another change in Rush's sound, with guitar taking a more dominant role in the writing, a reduction in synthesizers and a return towards more guitar-driven arrangements.

Presto reached No. 7 in Canada and No. 16 in the United States. "Show Don't Tell," "The Pass" and "Superconductor" were released as singles from Presto; the former charted at No. 1 on the U.S. Album Rock Tracks chart.[3] Rush supported the album with the Presto Tour from February to June 1990. Presto reached gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 500,000 copies.[4] The album was remastered in 2004 and 2013, the latter as part of the 2013 box set The Studio Albums 1989–2007. In 2015, it was reissued after being remastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios, following a direct approach by Rush to remaster their entire back catalogue.[5]

  1. ^ a b c Lichtman, Irv (November 18, 1989). "Inside Track" (PDF). Billboard. p. 96 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ "Presto (1989)". Stereogum. June 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  3. ^ "Rush - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  4. ^ "Music - What The Hell Happened To... 06.08.09: Rush - Presto". 411mania.com. June 27, 1990. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  5. ^ "Abbey Road - Engineers - Sean Magee". Abbey Road Studios. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.