MOVING PICTURES

With the release of Moving Pictures in 1981, Rush had finally hit superstardom. Now having sold well over four million copies, it remains the band's best-selling album and is still heralded today as one of their greatest efforts. The band manages to find the ideal blend of its Progressive Rock tenedencies(Hemispheres) with a more concise and accessible approach to song structure. In this way it can be seen as the third effort in a pivotal string of albums: the height of their Progressive Rock phase culminated in the impressive and bombastic Hemispheres(1978); before giving way to the more accessible Progressive Rock of Permanent Waves(1980) most evident in the commercial success of 'The Spirit of Radio'. In Moving Pictures the band can be understood as having learned from both of these aforementioned predecessors. The album contains all the complexity of Hemispheres, but manages to condense it into five to six minute epics. This is evident in the famous lead cut off the album, Tom Sawyer, with its varied time signatures, intricate arangements and extended solo section. The same can be said for Red Barchetta; a song that starts slowly, builds to a steady rocking pace before hitting several climaxes -- the highlight being Lifeson's fleeting solo -- and then easing out as it began. YYZ is a monster riff intrumental that manages to be impressively complex while also remaining completely accessible. Perhaps one of the best intances of instrumental Progressive Rock song-writing in the history of the genre. YYZ really moves, Geddy's kinetic basework particularly shines! Limelight is perhaps the albums most radio-friendly song; with Lifeson's crunchy opening riffs and the highly singable, propulsive chorus. A masterpiece of a rock song, Limelight also contains one of Lifeson's most hauntingly ethereal and beautiful solos.

The second half of Moving Pictures is noticeably different than the first; more Progressive in the traditional sense. It begins with an eleven minute epic that begins slowly but builds into a huge, ringing riff from Lifeson. Then the song plays out a musical dialectic between urban and rural settings; the music switching back-and-forth effortlessly in tune with the personality of the landscapes. There's a great buoyancy in parts of this song that really emphasizes the impressive rhythmic approach of all three members. Witch Hunt begins with a brooding section evocative of a witch burning ceremony; with ominous drums and bells over a roaring mob. It then moves into a simple riff from Lifeson that gains momentum with Peart's monsterous drum fills and Lee's warm blanket of keyboards and emotive vocal work. Vital Signs, the closing song on the album, is an extremely kinetic -- if not somewhat quirky -- reggae-influenced piece(in the sense that The Police are reggae!) which also contains a nice bass solo by Lee before building to a thunderous climax that fades out with Geddy singing, on the verge of screaming. A great closer for an even greater album as a whole! On top of it all, the album contains excellent production values; a polished and crisp mix of extremely well-written, challenging and yet accessible music. An absolute essential for open-minded Progressive Rock fans that appreciate good-songwriting as well as intricate arrangements.