MOVING PICTURES

I'm torn on my feelings towards this album. In the end I think of this album as being the precursor to incredibly bland 80s rock that turned proggers away from rock music. Rush held onto just enough prog to make this album respectable, but I cannot forgive them for abandoning the edge they had for 2112 or the brilliance they had for A Farewell to Kings.

Song specific I think 'Tom Sawyer' is a great song with a great bass riff and that once this song came out the rest of 80s rock had already been ecplised. (aside from some good metal from Maiden and Metallica and such). Afterwards we hear Red Barchetta. This is precisely what I'm talking about! It's kind of long but incredibly bland. XYZ is quality, no doubt - a redeeming track. Limelight is another 80s pop-rock hit in the same vein as Tom Sawyer. Good, but spelling the doom of Rush prog. Camera eye is good at times, but not consistent. Witch hunt I plain dislike. Luckily 'Vital Signs' salvages much of the album. Had the album gotten consistently worse following XYZ I'd be an unhappy Rush fan. That isn't the case as 'Vital Signs' brings sincerity to Rush reportoire.

Moving Pictures is a little too agreeable and hence often turns out bland.