Moving Pictures - Classic Album Discussion

[Scotto]

​

Rush has amassed one of the greatest catalogs of music in the industry over their 30+ years performing together. It is hard to imagine three more gifted performers than Geddy Lee on bass, Alex Lifeson on guitar, and of course the one and only Neil Peart on drums. Moving Pictures, released in 1981, produced some of their most radio friendly hits while still maintaining the unusual time signatures, intellectual lyrics, and epic songs they are known for.

I am a lifelong Rush fan, and quite honestly I rarely listened to this album until recently, preferring many of their other albums. However, my young children are discovering the band, and this album is one of their favorites (I figured that it made more sense starting them with these songs rather than The Necromancer.....). Now that I listen to it a lot with them, I am finding out nuances that I had forgotten. Even the incredibly over-played radio stalwart Tom Sawyer has much to offer, especially listening to the drum beats.

Here is the track list:

1. Tom Sawyer
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. Limelight
5. The Camera Eye
6. Witch Hunt
7. Vital Signs

The first side is arguably one of the best all-around group of songs produced by Rush. I challenge you not to play the air drums during the Tom Sawyer interludes . Red Barchetta is an epic road song, with the rhythm section creating the aura of racing a classic car perfectly. YYZ ranks as one of the best instrumental songs there is. It combines the usual sizzling playing with enough changes to keep it interesting. As an aside, for those that don't know, "YYZ" is the airport transmitter code for Toronto airport, and the initial chimes in the song are the morse code for "YYZ". Limelight, also a radio favorite, is a great showcase for Alex's thoughtful soloing, as well as being one of Rush's more accessable songs.

The second side is often forgotten, but contains the epic The Camera Eye which is one of my favorite songs. Witch Hunt is a slightly heavy-handed parable of intolerance, and you have to love a rock song with lyrics like:

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​

Vital Signs has a reggae feel to it, and is enjoyable enough, but doesn't rise to the same level as the rest of the album. All in all, this is a great collection of songs that will always have pride of place in my collection. Also, I would be remiss in mentioning that for the true fanatic, you can get the entire album to play along with on the videogame Rock band.

 

[NFlames]

Quintessential Rush, no doubt about it, there is no way you cannot judge this one a classic. I'm sure that arguments between this and 2112 being Rush's best could very much turn into a heated argument. But you'd be hard pressed to label this album as anything other than Rush's best album to date.

 

[professorchaos]

New Wave meets Hard Rock courtesy of a three man band called Rush. Permanent Waves, 2112 and others may claim to be their best album. But this is the one. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the first side is flawlessly executed. Side two's only fault is that it isn't as immediately compelling as side one.

Tom Sawyer still sounds cool, decades and hundred of listenings later. Limelight...Red Barchetta...what a great album.

 

[reverendyo]

YYZ, the song starts off with Neil beating out the morse code of the song title - . - - (Y)- . - -(Y)- - . .(Z) played in a time signature of 5/4 over and over in the song. YYZ is the code for the Toronto airport, but this unique time signature is also done by the guitar and synthisizer parts is so unique to music let alone rock and roll. This song is taught in many college music classes as an example of non typical music that is non formularic.

What a great group and album. I saw them in concert in Atlanta last year and it while it was the 9th time I have seen them live, they get better everytime as live performers.

Three chords and the truth, not from Rush!

 

[stobes21]

Great album, excellent choice. Neil Peart is truly a great among rock drummers: he, along with John Bohnam, Keith Moon and Danny Carey have produced some of the best examples of incredibly skilled and technically intricate drum work that is nonetheless hugely popular and commercially successful.

 

[johnniegold]

Thanks for the special guest appearance in the Record Shop Scotto. I remember purchasing Roll The Bones many moons ago as my first Rush purchase and it made me "iffy" about purchasing more Rush. I think I need to give them another listen. Great review.

 

[SmoovD]

Had this baby on 8-track back in the day. This was part of a soundtrack to a gloriously mispent youth. The first side is awesome. The second is pretty damn good, to. But how do you compete with Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ and Limelight? Not many rock albums are that good.

This album,their debut and the most excellent Ninth Order of Angels bootleg are about all Rush I can take nowadays. I pretty much lost interest with Power Windows and never looked back.

I will relate a funny line. I have heard it said, "Neil is a great drummer...too bad you have to listen to Rush to hear him". Great line but not one I agree with. Replace "Neil" with "Alex" and I might have to agree.

 

[theperfectstorm]

Had this baby on 8-track back in the day. This was part of a soundtrack to a gloriously mispent youth. The first side is awesome. The second is pretty damn good, to. But how do you compete with Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ and Limelight? Not many rock albums are that good.

This album,their debut and the most excellent Ninth Order of Angels bootleg are about all Rush I can take nowadays. I pretty much lost interest with Power Windows and never looked back.

I will relate a funny line. I have heard it said, "Neil is a great drummer...too bad you have to listen to Rush to hear him". Great line but not one I agree with. Replace "Neil" with "Alex" and I might have to agree.

So, a RUSH fan from Burleson. Please God tell me you drove an IROC Z-28 in the 80's, otherwise my entire adolescence was a lie.

And YYZ never fails to rock my world.

 

[SmoovD]

So, a RUSH fan from Burleson. Please God tell me you drove an IROC Z-28 in the 80's, otherwise my entire adolescence was a lie.

And YYZ never fails to rock my world.

If you must know...I was raised in the desolation of central Wisconsin. Heck, we'd have to drive 30 minutes just to get a city the size of Burleson. And no Z-28s were to be found. Will a coupla of beat-up Camaros suffice?

 

[SRock]

Neil Pert is the man. Probably Top 3 Drummers of all time, if not #1. My Mother and Stepfather were big fans of Rush so needless to say I grew up with it. Great band, great album!

 

[theperfectstorm]

If you must know...I was raised in the desolation of central Wisconsin. Heck, we'd have to drive 30 minutes just to get a city the size of Burleson. And no Z-28s were to be found. Will a coupla of beat-up Camaros suffice?

Dude, you SO missed out. Lake Benbrook in the summer in the 80's--Camaros and mullets and concert t-shirts as far as the eye could see. Rush and Van Halen blaring from every car and obscene amounts of beer so cheap only teenagers and white-trash drink it. The North Texas Riviera--hoo boy.

 

[burnwood]

A fine fine fine dang fine choice for this forum. Every song is a joy to listen to.
Rush, you will always be #1 in my heart.

 

[burnwood]

Neil Pert is the man. Probably Top 3 Drummers of all time, if not #1. My Mother and Stepfather were big fans of Rush so needless to say I grew up with it. Great band, great album!

you better believe it. Saw Rush live 3 times and he never disappoints.

 

[markb]

As a musician, if I had to pick one band that has inspired me the most as a musician and bass guitar player, it would have to be Rush..

Consummate musicians all..

This album I'd rank as one of the top 10 best records made.. EVER!!

 

[Stubblefield]

Neil Pert is the man. Probably Top 3 Drummers of all time, if not #1.

Neil Peart is definitely one of the top 10 rock drummers of all time.

 

[Dink]

This album was "the" album my senior year in high school. I have fond memories of listening to this while flying through Nebraska and Wyoming in my friends MK1 GTI on our way to Colorado to go skiing, it was a very herbal trip.

Cheers,
David

 

[Rughi]

This album came out just as I was beginning to widen my horizons about music, life, and what was going on in the larger world. For a while every one I knew, and the rock press as well, could hardly contain themselves -
Rush ROCKS!!!

Then, a backlash hit. Younger bands were getting airplay on college radio and some cities. Pretty soon, bands of questionable musical ability were all over the place that had a raw sound that was more about communicating with an audience than layering complex tracks on tape. The Sex Pistols broke out and kids found that there had already been bands like the Ramones, Stooges, and oh my god, the Velvet Underground. Suddenly, Boston and Fleetwood Mac were objects of scorn - somehow Rush became the poster boy shown up in opposition to the "only band that really mattered," the Clash.

Suddenly, I was reading in the indie press and hearing everywhere that the goofy, melodramatic Randian idealism and rarified musicianship of Rush had nothing to do with anyone's lives - not like talking about the troubles in Nicaragua and "knowing your rights." Rush SUCKS is what I was hearing then.

Rush didn't deserve to be put up as all that was wrong with 1970s corporate radio - they were outliers and gentle critics themselves. What they are is really good musicians who have entertained millions over a very long career. I say Rush ROCKS!

Roger
PS - Know your rights

 

[Rorschuck]

You know, I never got into Rush. At all. I actually can't stand them. Geddy Lee's voice just grates on my nerves. People always stare at me, gape-jawed, when I tell them I hate Rush, as if I'm from another planet.

Pink Floyd fans, especially (of which I count myself a proud longtime member) seem to have an inexplicable affinity for Rush and are doubly taken back when I tell them my feelings on these Canadian "rockers".

I'm not denying they're talented, mind you, and Peart clearly is a badass drummer, but I still don't like most of their music. It may just be that I've not heard the right songs, but I'm skeptical.

 

[Stubblefield]

This album came out just as I was beginning to widen my horizons about music, life, and what was going on in the larger world. For a while every one I knew, and the rock press as well, could hardly contain themselves -
Rush ROCKS!!!

Then, a backlash hit. Younger bands were getting airplay on college radio and some cities. Pretty soon, bands of questionable musical ability were all over the place that had a raw sound that was more about communicating with an audience than layering complex tracks on tape. The Sex Pistols broke out and kids found that there had already been bands like the Ramones, Stooges, and oh my god, the Velvet Underground. Suddenly, Boston and Fleetwood Mac were objects of scorn - somehow Rush became the poster boy shown up in opposition to the "only band that really mattered," the Clash.

Not so much the Clash, Police, SP, Sioxie or other bands of their period that "did Rush in" (at the time) but it was really the whole NW grunge scene that made bands like Rush largely irrelevant (for a time). Punk may have killed ELP, ELO, and the first incarnation of Genesis, but Rush remained largely unscathed, as did other metal bands like AC/DC and VH. Regardless, Rush has displayed amazing staying power, and will be remembered long after bands like Bush have faded into deserved obscurity.

 

[thirdeye]

Quintessential Rush, no doubt about it, there is no way you cannot judge this one a classic. I'm sure that arguments between this and 2112 being Rush's best could very much turn into a heated argument. But you'd be hard pressed to label this album as anything other than Rush's best album to date.

I could not have said it better myself......+1