Revisiting Every Rush Album In Order: Moving Pictures (1981)

[Segue Myles]

 

Album number eight, and my first Rush album ever, is without any hesitation to admit, a masterpiece.

 

I don't have the most exciting story in the world, but around 2010/11 two bands came into my life and helped me escape falling into boredom musically. Bruce Springsteen and The Beatles. In a short space of time, I became obsessed with both and I was really excited by the prospect of finally loving music that was older than I was used too. I had fallen into listening almost exclusively to modern rock bands, and as time wore on, I felt bored and limited as they were all starting to sound the same.

 

So one day I went on Amazon and bought a tonne of albums in one go, all records I knew to be highly acclaimed. One of them was Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, the other, Moving Pictures. The latter I remember a neighbour I grew up with (only a year or two older than me) loved, because he wore a Rush shirt everywhere with this album cover on it. Metal magazines mentioned Rush often around that time (2011) and bands I love LOVED Rush.

 

So without any prior knowledge of the band or their songs, I put the disc in and I remember distinctly being impressed by the opening seconds of Tom Sawyer. Whatever I had been expecting, it was not something so fresh and still so modern sounding as that.

 

1981? At that point the album had turned 20. It blew me away!

 

So here we go:

Edited November 5, 2018 by Segue Myles

[Segue Myles]

1. Tom Sawyer

 

I really do not know what to say about this song. It was the first Rush song I ever heard, and the very first play made me sit up and take notice. It sounded like nothing I had ever heard before, and I immediately liked it. The synths, the drumming, the rhythm, the vocals (I had no issue with them at all), the strange song structure...even now my brain cannot make sense of it and I never tire of listening too it. It is one of the greatest rock songs the world has ever seen!

 

It has groove and the way it develops never ceases to pull me in. I know for many fans this is overplayed, but considering I have never heard Rush on the radio or been exposed to the same old setlist staples tour after tour, I can safely say this song still sounds fresh and exciting to my ears.

 

I don't really have a clue what it's about and I don't need too. It's a classic and one I hope I never tire of.

 

And for the record, I enjoy this song more than Spirit Of Radio, which is the closest song I can think of to this one.

 

A sidenote: Rush have the most surreal sounding hit singles.

 

10/10

Edited November 5, 2018 by Segue Myles

[Segue Myles]

2. Red Barchetta

 

"My uncle has a country place that no one knows about..."

 

The greatest song about a car ever written! I love this song, it in many ways reminds me thematically of 2112, but the protagonist here is able to enjoy a sense of freedom and enjoy life to the fullest. I listen to it and feel the rebellious excitement and giddy joys of the lad in question, and I can visualise the cool car journeys he takes!

 

FUXK THE MOTOR LAW!

 

This is the sound of a new and reinvigorated Rush. If I had sensed a few growing pains on Permanent Waves, I most certainly do not on Moving Pictures. Instead I hear and observe from the huge melodies to the smaller details a newfound confidence and a newly refreshed approach to songwriting.

 

Red Barchetta is Rush embracing not only a new decade, but an entirely new era of rock music. It feels both of its time and utterly timeless.

 

The perfect, PERFECT soundtrack for an adventure. This story would have made for a kickass teen drama/adventure movie back then.

 

10/10

Edited November 5, 2018 by Segue Myles

[Bigbobby10]

The one song I could never get with on this album is Witch Hunt, curious how you will react to it.

[Segue Myles]

3. YYZ

 

The bands second instrumental is, once again, a fantastic metal masterclass! As proven by the audience on the bands 2003 release Rush In Rio, you can sing along to this even without their being lyrics!

 

A very different sound to the style of their first attempt at an instrumental, YYZ keeps the momentum going. Rush left the seventies and were taking on the new decade in style! It is clear here that whilst many of their peers were losing their way, Rush were doing no such thing.

 

This is a glorious piece of music, with a sense of majesty and a grandiose climax that only the finest musicians, with tested and proven abilities, can create.

 

Less than ten years previously, Rush wrote I Think I'm Going Bald. Let that sink in.

 

10/10

Edited November 5, 2018 by Segue Myles

[Segue Myles]

4. Limelight

 

When I first listened to this album, Limelight was my immediate favourite. I love, love, LOVE Geddy's voice here. And the lyrics reveal a vulnerable side to Peart, as he tackles head on the struggles with fame.

 

The melancholy nature of this song contrasted with the joyous display of talent is a delight to behold. Is it still my favourite Rush song? It is VERY high on my list, and it's without a doubt close to being the best of this album. Personally, it is most strongly rivalled by Red Barchetta.

 

Neck and neck.

 

This song is where my obsession with Rush truly began. Right here. Track number four. If the first three drew me in, by the end of my first listen to Limelight, my identity as a Rush fan was cemented into place.

 

10/10

[Segue Myles]

That is the end of the first side of Moving Pictures.

 

Apparently the second side is less brilliant, and for many fans a bit of a letdown.

 

I don't think we listened to the same albun...

[Segue Myles]

5. The Camera Eye

 

I've heard fans call this song one of the least impressive Rush epics.

 

I think they got it wrong, and instead talked about Natural Science instead.

 

The Camera Eye is one of the greatest Rush songs of all time! And yes I know I say This a lot, but trust me you won't be hearing it as often once this album is over. The Camera Eye is a lushly produced beauty. I love the production here, it sounds warm and bright, whilst the music is heavy and at times very muscular. It takes all the lessons they learned from their seventies prog successes and adapts all those best elements for the eighties. No longer do we have the mystical feel of Xanadu, or the ambitious and overtly dramatic twists and turns of the two part Cygnus X-1 epics. K stead we have a longas song infused with the new stylistic approach of the likes of Spirit Of Radio or Limelight. This is Rush using their heads to draw upon their past and move their sound forwards, perfecting all my minor issues I had about the previous album.

 

The Camera Eye is in no way disappointing. I have always loved this song, and I shall continue to shout it's defence! I think its mostly well regarded anyway, but I personally feel that it is far greater than it is given credit for.

 

The Camera Eye is a major reason why Moving Pictures outlasted being simply "my first Rush album" and instead endure as one of my all time favourite records by any band ever.

 

Side one had the amazing Red Barchetta. It has its equal on side 2 in The Camera Eye. I regard both as mini-epics, as I think their running time are outweighed by the absolute onslaught of terrific narrative and thematic ideas, and phenomenal execution.

 

Rush continued to evolve beautifully and it is an aweinspiring thing to observe and hear.

 

10/10

[Wil1972]

1. Tom Sawyer

 

I really do not know what to say about this song. It was the first Rush song O ever heard, and the very first play made me sit up and take notice. It sounded like nothing I had ever heard before, and I immediately liked it. The synths, the drumming, the rhythm, the vocals (I had no issue with them at all), the strange song structure...even now my brain cannot make sense of it and I never tire of listening too it! It is one of the greatest rock songs the world has ever seen!

 

It has groove and the way it develops never ceases to pull me in. I know for many fans this is overplayed, but considering I have never heard Rush on the radio or been exposed to a the same old stylist staples tour after tour, I can safely say this song still sounds fresh and exciting to my ears.

 

I don't really have a clue what it's about and I don't need too. It's a classic and one I hope I never tire of.

 

And for the record, I enjoy this song more than Spirit Of Radio, which is the closest song I can think of to this one.

 

And a sidenote: Rush have the most surreal sounding hit singles.

 

10/10

 

Tom Sawyer is a gateway drug for many into the world of Rush.

[Wil1972]

5. The Camera Eye

 

I've heard fans call this song one of the least impressive Rush epics.

 

I think they got it wrong, and instead talked about Natural Science instead.

 

The Camera Eye is one of the greatest Rush songs of all time! And yes I know I say This a lot, but trust me you won't be hearing it as often once this album is over. The Camera Eye is a lushly produced beauty. I love the production here, it sounds warm and bright, whilst the music is heavy and at times very muscular. It takes all the lessons they learned from their seventies prog successes and adapts all those best elements for the eighties. No longer do we have the mystical feel of Xanadu, or the ambitious and overtly dramatic twists and turns of the two part Cygnus X-1 epics. K stead we have a longas song infused with the new stylistic approach of the likes of Spirit Of Radio or Limelight. This is Rush using their heads to draw upon their past and move their sound forwards, perfecting all my minor issues I had about the previous album.

 

The Camera Eye is in no way disappointing. I have always loved this song, and I shall continue to shout it's defence! I think its mostly well regarded anyway, but I personally feel that it is far greater than it is given credit for.

 

The Camera Eye is a major reason why Moving Pictures outlasted being simply "my first Rush album" and instead endure as one of my all time favourite records by any band ever.

 

Side one had the amazing Red Barchetta. It has its equal on side 2 in The Camera Eye. I regard both as mini-epics, as I think their running time are outweighed by the absolute onslaught of terrific narrative and thematic ideas, and phenomenal execution.

 

Rush continued to evolve beautifully and it is an aweinspiring thing to observe and hear.

 

10/10

 

For years this was my least favorite track on the album. Now it's Witch Hunt. But I love every song on here. TCE just took longer.

[Segue Myles]

6. Witch Hunt

 

Bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Dross, dross, dross!

 

What am I talking about? Why, the hate this song gets of course!

 

Weak song my ass. Witch Hunt is a powerful and moving song with a theme that is perhaps even more relevant now than it was when the album first came out.

 

Everything, EVERYTHING, about Witch Hunt is perfect. It starts off in complete contrast to the rest of the album: cold, airy, subdued and full to the brim with a sense of dread and fear.

 

This is perhaps the darkest song Rush ever wrote.

 

"The night is black

Without a moon

The air is thick and still

 

The vigilantes gather on

The lonely torchlit hill

 

Features distorted in the flickering light

The faces are twisted and grotesque

Silent and stern in the sweltering night

The mob moves like demons possessed

Quiet in conscience, calm in their right

Confident their ways are best

 

The righteous rise

With burning eyes

Of hatred and ill-will

 

Madmen fed on fear and lies

To beat, and burn, and kill

 

They say there are strangers, who threaten us

In our immigrants and infidels

They say there is strangeness, too dangerous

In our theatres and bookstore shelves

That those who know what’s best for us –

Must rise and save us from ourselves

 

Quick to judge,

Quick to anger

Slow to understand

 

Ignorance and prejudice

And fear

 

Walk hand in hand"

 

The times we live in only increase my love and admiration for this song.

 

Another contender for best song on the album.

 

10/10

[Segue Myles]

7. Vital Signs

 

The album finishes with a reggae style song, which is at once bouncier than the rest of the album, and also still carrying an element of the darkness that preceded it.

 

Is it a Rush classic? You bet your arse it is!

 

Rush close their boldest masterpiece yet in a style only hinted at on previous album opener Spirit Of Radio.

 

"Everybody got to deviate

From the norm."

 

10/10

Edited November 5, 2018 by Segue Myles

[Segue Myles]

And thus ends Moving Pictures. Rush continue to push the boundaries of their musical limits, smoothing their sound to create a commercially viable record, whilst sacrificing none of their artistic integrity. No other band has ever been able to so successfully carry on their initial creative fire and maintain the ability to stay true to their origins whilst opening their sound wide open to a world of endless possibilities the way Rush did with Moving Pictures. Everything that makes this phenomenal seven song collection so great could just have easily have been their downfall.

 

I am sure there are those who will scream "sell out", but Rush wrote an album that could just have easily confused the masses as it did in reality please them.

 

This is a brave, bold and beautiful album full of ideas. And ideas are not something that normally guarantee a rock band success.

 

Absolutely everything this album has to offer is of the highest quality. I do not have the ability to explain fully just how much I love Moving Pictures, but I can say that hearing it in the context of a chronological marathon has left me absolutely enthralled and it is almost like hearing it for the first time.

 

This is without a doubt the most perfect Rush album thus far. Listening to Rush like this is moving me to tears, the musoc of these three guys is such a gift I am struggling to know how exactly to put into words how I feel.

 

But Moving Pictures is an absolute delight and their is nothing at all wrong with it. From a band like Rush, who I have already awarded three 10's, Moving Pictures greatness looks like "just another great album". BUT STOP! This is not "just another great album", this is the sound of a band brave and bold enough to not let go of the past, who knew their worth and what made them special, that respected and loved their fans, and who took time to craft an outstanding record that not only changed their world, but the the world of rock as well. No other band of the seventies managed to survive as unscathed as Rush did. Rock n roll evolved, adapted and in many ways regressed. Rush helped rock grow into another decade. They pushed and they pushed and they SURVIVED!

 

Moving Pictures is not just a great album. It is an everlasting monument to the power music can have and the importance to never stop striving to grow. Moving Pictures is a testament to the bands willingness to progress and endure, and the results speak for themselves.

 

Moving Pictures changed my life. And listening to it today has been a real life affirming moment.

 

Rush. I love you so much.

 

10/10

Edited November 5, 2018 by Segue Myles

[J2112YYZ]

Limelight is the song that made me a fan as well. I knew who Rush was before that since the radio played their hits a lot. But I never really paid attention to the songs much. Then one day when I was 14 Limelight came on the radio and for the first time I actually paid attention to the lyrics. They really struck a chord with me. I thought "Wow, nobody else writes lyrics like that". I bought Chronicles not too long after that which is a great compilation to introduce the band to someone. Started getting their albums and they've been my favorite band for 25 years now.

[Segue Myles]

Limelight is the song that made me a fan as well. I knew who Rush was before that since the radio played their hits a lot. But I never really paid attention to the songs much. Then one day when I was 14 Limelight came on the radio and for the first time I actually paid attention to the lyrics. They really struck a chord with me. I thought "Wow, nobody else writes lyrics like that". I bought Chronicles not too long after that which is a great compilation to introduce the band to someone. Started getting their albums and they've been my favorite band for 25 years now.

 

If any band discovered outside my teens has a chance to ever take over from the music that came before, it is Rush. Hands down one of the most precious bands to ever grace this earth.

 

This marathon has really reinvigorated my love for them, and it's been a steady year for me and Rush. More and more they have taken precedent in my music listening, the most they have since around 2015.

[Wil1972]

Limelight is the song that made me a fan as well. I knew who Rush was before that since the radio played their hits a lot. But I never really paid attention to the songs much. Then one day when I was 14 Limelight came on the radio and for the first time I actually paid attention to the lyrics. They really struck a chord with me. I thought "Wow, nobody else writes lyrics like that". I bought Chronicles not too long after that which is a great compilation to introduce the band to someone. Started getting their albums and they've been my favorite band for 25 years now.

 

Chronicles was my first too.