Vapor Trails Remixed

全米チャート6位を記録したアルバムが、リリースから10年、ニュー・リミックスで蘇る!!アルバムに新たな息吹を吹き込んだのは、名手デヴィッド・ボトリル! 2009年にリリースされた『レトロスペクティヴIII』の為に、『ヴェイパー・トレイルズ』から2曲(「ワン・リトル・ヴィクトリー」と「アースシャインイン」)がリミックスされたと知ったファンは、いつかフル・アルバムのリミックス・ヴァージョンが発売されるのではないかと大いに沸き立ち、熱くその期待を募らせていたが、遂にその日が来たのだ! ファンのみならず、メンバーも熱望していたニュー・リミックスが、オリジナル・アートワークの別ヴァージョンを使用したニュー・ジャケットで登場!時を遡らずとも、一度辿った軌跡を新たにすることは出来ることをRUSHは証明したのである。

Most longtime Rush fans realize that a new album from the Canadian trio in the early 21st century is quite an accomplishment. After drummer Neil Peart's much-publicized tragic turn of events in his private life not long after Rush's 1996 release Test for Echo (the death of both his teenaged daughter and wife less than a year apart), the group's future was understandably cast into doubt. Slowly but surely, however, the band regained their footing and issued their 17th studio album in 2002, Vapor Trails. You would think that a veteran band entering their fourth decade together would perhaps mellow out a bit, but this doesn't prove to be case -- as evidenced by the leadoff track, "One Little Victory," while the majority of the album follows the same direct and hard-hitting sound as their past couple of releases (fans of the group's more synth-based and sterile mid-'80s style will have to look elsewhere). Peart, who remains the group's main lyricist, opts to conquer such challenging subject matter as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on "Peaceable Kingdom," while bits of the lyric to "Ghost Rider" ("Pack up all those phantoms/Shoulder that invisible load") leads the listener to believe that perhaps the drummer is sharing his personal healing process with the fans. Other standouts include the melodic "Sweet Miracle," the explosive "Out of the Cradle," the mid-paced title track, and "Earthshine," the latter of which showcases how fine Lee's voice has matured (especially when compared to his high-piercing shriek on Rush's early albums). All in all, Vapor Trails does an amiable job of signaling the welcomed return of Rush. ~ Greg Prato|