Sector 3
, the third installment of
Rush
's
Sector
series of box sets, finds the band diving headlong into the '80s with a more synth-oriented approach. Featuring the albums
Signals
,
Grace Under Pressure
Power Windows
Hold Your Fire
, and the live album
A Show of Hands
, this period of
's career finds them focusing more on
Geddy Lee
's multi-layered synthesizer excursions and finds guitarist
Alex Lifeson
moving into more of a support role as he begins to experiment with a more effects-heavy sound. Despite these changes, it would still prove to be a strong period for them as three albums in the set achieved platinum status in the United States (with all five of them hitting platinum in their native Canada). Serving as a blast from the past, these remastered reissues are repackaged in tiny re-creations of the original vinyl LP jackets, and the set also features a 52-page booklet containing lyrics and unreleased photos from the era. Also of interest to die-hard fans and audiophiles, the set includes a DVD-Audio version of
that contains both stereo and 5.1 Surround mixes of the album for those who wish to explore all the sonic depths that the album has to offer. ~ Gregory Heaney