MOVING PICTURES

One of Prog Archives' highest rated "masterpieces" of all time is actually a collection of unremarkable stadium rock songs with pop flavor. The only reasons I can think why one would like this album so much are the technical skills of the band and the catchiness of the music. Now then, I'm not a big fan of catchy songs and I tend to find the experimental side of music much more rewarding, which is probably why I wasn't very impressed by the album. Although the tracks are all neat little packages, and some of them even quite cute, I don't think there's a lot of creativity or even ambition behind them.

I love the way Rush constantly creates these really challenging parts for the rhythm section to spice the songs up. They actually do it brilliantly, and manage to give each of the pieces a much needed extra punch without making them too rigid or unnatural. I could also give them a better rating for the genuinely lovely melodies presented throughout side A (check out Red Barchetta or the fiery YYZ) and The Camera Eye, but it just wouldn't feel right with the two terrible closing numbers.

Moving Pictures is a perfectly mediocre album. Right in the middle of the road, 50/50, nothing is obnoxious nor spectacular. This means it's a 2.5 stars affair for me! Normally I would squeeze out a third star, which it almost deserves, but in PA where the album is currently in top10... two it is.