Rush - Moving Pictures
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CD Details
Artist: RushEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1997-06-03
Music Label: Island / Mercury
Soundtracks:
- Tom Sawyer
- Red Barchetta
- YYZ
- Limelight
- The Camera Eye
- Witch Hunt
- Vital Signs
Music reviews of Moving Pictures
Music Review: Reflections of a Recovering RUSH Fan
Rating: 4 Stars
Moving Pictures is the album that put Rush's name - but not their picture - on the cover of Rolling Stone (RS #344, May 28, 1981). It was the highest-charting album of the band's first 19 years (at #3; Counterparts hit #2 in 1993), and with sales of over 4 million, it is the one even non-Rush fans have packed away somewhere. Moving Pictures perfecting and refining the sound they had developed over the first 7 years of their career, but would also turn out to be a "goodbye to all that". Their epic song structure is abandoned almost completely here, in favor of a tighter, more succinct sound. Moving Pictures may not have made Rush an MTV fixture, a Top 40 singles regular, or Rolling Stone cover boys, but it did give them most of the audience that they still have today, and it gave to all of those who would forever insist that Rush sucks a reason to think that maybe they weren't all bad.
The first track on this CD is "Tom Sawyer," the song about which Rush haters say, "oh, but I do like that song." Keyboards play their first major role in a Rush song here, but they are largely absent for the the rest of the album (but not, alas, for the rest of the 80s). "Tom Sawyer" contains all of the trademarks that make Rush who they are: high-pitched vocals, fat bass riffs, synth flourishes, over the top drums, understated and inspired guitars, and philosophical lyrics. Which makes one wonder: why do naysayers like this song? After all, it contains all of the things that make them hate the bad? (I dunno.)
Rush is often accused of always always sounding the same, but every song on this record sounds very different. The bombastic opener gives way to "Red Barchetta", featuring Alex Lifeson's trademark natural harmonics and gentle arpeggios. This is a great song, but it suffers a bit from its attempt to tell a story, in which the build-up, climax, and dénouement are neither very discernible to terribly interesting. Still, the imagery is pretty cool, and the interplay is top notch, with Lifeson sounding as improvisational and inspired as he does on "Tom Sawyer". (As far as the story goes, apparently wacko liberal environmentalists of the not-too-distant future have forced legislation which has banned environmentally unfriendly cars such as the Red Barchetta. The protagonist is therefore breaking the law - "eluding the Eyes" - by driving the car. The cars that chase him are the new environmentally friendly ones - perhaps driven by police - and are out to get him for his trangression. The song is based on a short story by Richard S. Foster called "A Nice Morning Drive".)
"YYZ" is an undeniably brilliant instrumental. All three members shine throughout this record, but on this track, they go above and beyond even their own standards. Lifeson and bassist Geddy Lee are equal leads during the verses. The interlude - in which the members trade guitar strums, bass riffs, and drum fills - never fails to draw a huge applause in concert. Lee and drummer Neil Peart's fills are taut and brief, but are also every bit as indicative of their talent as an entire solo could be. Finally, Lifeson's slippery, wiry, Eastern-sounding guitar solo is perhaps the crowning achievement of his career, forcing one to lament his understatedness on subsequent releases. This song makes me wish that Rush had an instrumental song on every album.
"Limelight" - which closes this first side - is probably the most radio-friendly track on the record. It features meaty distorted guitar riffs, octave-leaping basslines, and Peart's ever-steady drumming. Lifeson's non-flashy, thought-fully constructed solo is again a highlight, and Peart keeps the bottom from falling out beautifully.
The second side of Moving Pictures is a bit more challenging than the first. "The Camera Eye" shows that Rush wasn't quite ready to abandon the epic structure so prominently displayed on their previous albums. This is not quite as good as "Natural Science", but is very listener-friendly for and 11-minute song. It is told from the perspective of one who is fascinated by the more subtle beauty of city life, which one tends to overlook when caught up in its frantic pace. "Witch Hunt" is a creepy minimalistic song about "ignorance, prejudice, and fear", and the danger of mob mentality. (This is also probably one of the first Rush songs in which there are no solos.) "Vital Signs", the closer, forces me to make an unfortunate comparison to The Police, of whom I have never been particularly fond. The minimalism of this track is more robotic than the previous one, and therein lies its ominous feel. Peart is uncommonly, but refreshingly, restrained on the drums, yet still every bit as effective. Lifeson's staccato strumming shows an Andy Summers influence which is very fresh here, but upon which he was to become too reliant throughout the 80s. Lee's voice naturally invites comparison to Sting, and the repetition at the end is also reminiscint of a Police song. Still, I would rather listen to this song than anything by that other band.
So what did Rush achieve with Moving Pictures? They created the most solid album of their long career, and arguably their best (although Permanent Waves, when judged solely in terms of its best tracks, is possibly better). Moving Pictures is concise and catchy without being compromied. The band reigned in their excesses, and indulged without being indulgent. Alex Lifeson's guitar was like a caged animal - ferocious but confined. He proved that he could strut his stuff and still give his bandmates ample room to do the same (no small feat in a band like Rush). Geddy Lee's voice settled into a more accommodating range. Neil Peart's lyrics remained intelligent and literate without being too cryptic (heck, he even managed to get a bit personal). This was the Rush album for rock fans who wanted to like Rush but who preferred no more than one 10-minute track per album. Lee and Lifeson also made the most of a trademark they had been honing for some time: while Lifeson soloed, Lee would play a bass motif or full-on solo underneath it. Rather than simply doubling the guitar or playing the song's rhythm, Lee more than made up for the lack of a second guitarist.
In the end, Moving Pictures can proudly stand as the singlemost convincing case for the success of a band who continues to chart new releases in the Top 10 and tour the biggest concert venues, all without gimmicks, Top 40 singles, or massive publicity campaigns. It also proved that the band could soak up its influences without simply being derivative. But since Geddy Lee is no Morrissey, Rush will always be a love 'em or hate 'em band. And while some Rush naysayers do like it, Moving Pictures remains the best place to do either.
(PS: Note that I described myself as a "recoving Rush fan". This means that from age 14 or so - 1990 - until age 28 - last year - I was your typical Rush fanatic. While I will continue to buy their new releases and go to their concerts, I am no longer the obsessed fan that I once was. Also, note that I seem to mourn the loss of the muscular sound that Rush honed to perfection on this album. While Rush has continued to record great stuff in the past two decades, none of their records has managed to sound, in terms of production and playing, as forceful as this one. I guess that goes to show that, as the "Tom Sawyer" lyric says, "changes aren't permanent, but change is.")
Description of Moving Pictures
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