MOVING PICTURES

When I saw the cover of this album, the word that came to mind was "uninspired". It looks like a motivational poster, only much lamer. And then it hit me. The men on it were "moving pictures". A subtle pun, which makes me appreciate it all the more.

Would the music live up to the cover's ingenuity though? Well, yes and no. On Moving Pictures, Rush change considerably their sound, making it more commercial. One could argue it's as prog rock as it is prog pop. So, when I first heard it, it didn't meet my expectations. What I realized, though, was that the album was different, so I had to adjust my expectations accordingly. I tried to stop comparing it to the older Rush albums. With that in mind, I could appreciate the wonderful "Limelight" and "Tom Sawyer". I've always been a fan of Neil Peart and his lyrics. Even though the lyrics (especially in "Limelight") can come off as cheesy and cliche, one can not deny they are well written. Lifeson's guitar in Moving Pictures isn't given as much room to develop, which is a shame. "YYZ" is a good instrumental. "Vital Signs" is generally the least progressive track on the album and kind of sounds like a contemporary song, as much as an early '80's song can sound like one. "Red Barchetta" has the typical Rush sound and could belong on an earlier album, but it can't compare to the best of them. Finally, the album's weaker tracks (which are still above average) are "The Camera Eye" and "Witch Hunt". I've found myself skipping them at times.

I'd recommend this album to someone wanting to get into Rush but is not a fan of prog. Proggies should definitely begin with 2112, however. I couldn't decide on a rating, because it is better than 3 stars but worse than 4. I gave it 4 stars because it is more of a 4- than a 3+. A great album with some weak tracks.