Rush Moving Pictures (1981)

From classicrockreview.com

Since the arrival of drummer Neil Peart in the summer of 1974, Rush had produced six consecutive quality albums rock albums, up to and including Permanent Waves in 1980. Then came Moving Pictures which, in many ways, was their musical masterpiece and in all ways would become the most popular album they ever released. This album also would represent a crossroads for the band, at once showcasing many elements of the sound that they had forged throughout the late 1970s while also mildly previewing their new wave influenced sound of the early 1980s. In this sense, it may well be the most diverse album that Rush ever produced as well as the most complete and rewarding album overall of 1981, making it Classic Rock Review’s Album of the Year for that year.

Following the success of the 1976 concept album, 2112, the group delved further into progressive rock with the “Cygnus X-1” concept which spanned two albums and culminated with the 12-part instrumental “La Villa Strangiato” from the 1978 album Hemispheres. With Permanent Waves, released on the first day of the new decade, Rush began to alter their style with some reggae and new wave elements to complement the hard rock core, a sound they expanded upon when production began on this album in late 1980.

Moving Pictures was the seventh consecutive album produced by Terry Brown, who played a huge role in forging Rush’s sound during this classic phase of the career. It is also the first album where Geddy Lee plays some keyboards and bass on each and every song, complementing Alex Lifeson‘s guitar style and sound, which is distinct on every song. As a premiere rock drummer, Peart had long experimented with different styles and time signatures, and he continues to do so on Moving Pictures. But as the band’s primary lyricist, Peart explores more diverse subjects than he had in the past, finding lyrical inspiration in classical literature as well as contemporary events.

 
The final song on the album, “Vital Signs”, contains a dual reggae/electronica influence that would have fit perfectly on their next studio album, Signals. “Witch Hunt” features dramatic sound effects, a deliberate arrangement, and guest keyboardist Hugh Syme, who also designed the album’s signature covers. This song would later be revealed as the third part of the “Fear” series, released chronologically in reverse. As Peart explained in an interview;

The idea for the trilogy was suggested by an older man telling that he didn’t think life was ruled by love, or reason, or money, or the pursuit of happiness, but by fear.

Moving Pictures is also the last album from the era to include an extended piece, “The Camera Eye”. The track paints a lyrical and musical picture of the metro activity of New York City and London, with the title deriving from works by American author John Dos Passos. To this point in their career, Rush had included a track of seven minutes or more in length on each of their first eight albums (including Moving Pictures), but would not do so again for over 30 years. Another rarity on future Rush albums would be a pure instrumental. “YYZ” is a fantastic and thrilling little jam that showcases each of the trio’s musical virtuosity. Musically, the song displays a steady, trance-like motif with many showcase sections for each musician, with its title coming from the airport code from the group’s hometown Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The best known song on the album, and probably the band’s most popular song ever, is “Tom Sawyer”. The song was co-written by Canadian lyricist Pye Dubois, who gave a poem to the band entitled “Louis the Lawyer” and asked if the band would be interested in putting it to music. Peart then added “the themes of reconciling the boy and man in myself, and the difference between what people are and what others perceive them to be”, by using the American literary metaphor. Musically, this steady but complex song incorporates a heavy use of synths, differing time signatures and accessible melodies. “Limelight” was another hit off the album, which portrays Peart’s uneasiness with fame. It contains one of rock music’s most famous riffs, delivered by Lifeson in a perfectly cultivated crunch of distorted guitar that sounds as good as any sound he had ever cultivated. Peart’s lyrics speak of his slight disillusionment with fame and the growing intrusions into his personal life, complete with Shakespearian references.

The tour-de-force of the album is the fantastic “Red Barchetta”, a vivid action story about a joyride in a car taken during a dystopian future where such actions are unlawful. The song was inspired by the futuristic short story “A Nice Morning Drive,” by Richard Foster, published in 1973, which Peart adapted with his own love of classic automobiles. A true classic jam, this complex song was recorded in one take and contains some of the best bass playing by Lee, who really shines on this track.

Moving Pictures was the first Rush album to top the Canadian album charts and nearly did the same in the US and the UK, reaching the Top 3 in both those countries. The album went on to reach quadruple platinum status world wide and it still sounds as fresh and relevant, multiple decades after its release. During Rush’s 2010–11 Time Machine Tour, the album was played live in its entirety for the first and only time.

Rush Moving Pictures (1981)

From starling.rinet.ru

Heh heh. We’re through with the radio (Permanent Waves), now’s the time to handle some cinema (Moving Pictures). 20th century rocks, baby.

Now the nagging question every Rush fan would like to ask me is: why the hell do I trace this huge difference in quality between Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures? There are several reasons, all of which combine to make this 1981 album a real highlight in the Rush catalog.

First reason: the guys have finally learned to master the synthesizers. There’s much more keyboard work here than before; it is better incorporated into the mix, so that the synths feel like partners rather like, uh, roadies or something; and at the same time, they never sound cheesy or overwhelming. So Moving Pictures manage to get a modernistic look without actually sounding dated twenty years on, and at the same time the sound is made less monotonous than on Waves.

Second reason – this album, apart from maybe ‘Red Barchetta’ which is almost as obnoxious lyrically as that radio promotion was a year before (err, Neil, it doesn’t matter how many epithets and romantic allegories you cram into your lines, this band was not designed to continue the line of ‘409’ and ‘Little Honda’), has easily the best lyrics of the entire Rush career.

Every now and then, you still fall upon a line that seems directly taken from a manual on psychoanalytics (like the ‘everybody got to deviate from the norm!’ chorus of ‘Vital Signs’), and the ‘all the world’s indeed a stage’ line in ‘Limelight’ may seem icky when you’re in a particularly sarcastic mood, but there are actually songs that conceal their messages through cleverly selected analogies (‘Tom Sawyer’, ‘Witch Hunt’), make good use of parallelisms (‘Camera Eye’) or have no lyrics at all, heh heh (‘YYZ’).

But, of course, the best thing is that the songs are simply better. ‘Red Barchetta’ may be dumb lyrically, but the main riff of the tune, which sounds like it was copied from Led Zeppelin’s ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ and then worked on and improved, can’t be beat! Don’t tell me it doesn’t prompt you to get out your air guitars or madly tap your foot.

There’s some goddamn energy, which seemed so lacking on Permanent Waves, and even some unfaked excitement… heck, maybe these guys were into simple automotive joys, after all. But even better is the instrumental ‘YYZ’, where Lifeson unleashes his full power in a series of crunchy, fast-flowing, and inventive riffs – the wonderful thing is how he picks upon all the styles imaginable, from dissonant New Wave to basic hard rock to free-form jazz to fusion to even straight ahead funk (check the maniac chuggin’ at the end of the second minute, for instance), plus there’s a weird Eastern-flavoured solo for a dozen seconds or so.

And Geddy and Neil shine on the tune as well, although they’re more supportive of the guitar here than showing off their individual skills (in concert, though, ‘YYZ’ would become a vehicle for Neil’s…. uh… drum solo. Looord!).

The other two songs on the first side are excellent, thus combining to make arguably the best album side in Rush history. ‘Tom Sawyer”s lyrics have a mystical tinge to them, and this is perfectly translated to the music, with a good power chord/sci-fi synth interplay and a couple catchy vocal melodies to boot. And ‘Limelight’ is the best power-pop number Rush ever did; here, Mr Geddy is the main hero, weaving his voice around the guitar lines in a particularly friendly and romantic manner.

It’s really uncanny how a well-placed vocal note can turn a potentially mediocre song into a highlight – but this is exactly how the charm of the ‘living in the limelight, the universal dream, for those who wish to seem…’ appears to me. Unless you’re one of those smelly metal fans who are certain the Beach Boys used to sing that way due to an injured manlihood, ‘Limelight’ can certainly demonstrate how Geddy Lee is actually a very good singer who knows that proper modulation is the proper key to success. (Too bad he forgets that so goddamn often).

Unfortunately, the second side can’t really sustain the success of the first one, because the lads couldn’t resist the temptation of having an epic. ‘The Camera Eye’ is eleven minutes long and eleven minutes boring. The riffs don’t stick in my head, the singing lacks catchiness, the lyrical thematics is all right but the song just never goes anywhere in particular.

Only a brief solo from Lifeson in the end brings some refreshment, but essentially this is just a waste of time – same “loud meaningless riff” approach as on much of Permanent Waves, lacking either the mystical tinge of ‘Tom Sawyer’ or the rough metallic punch of ‘Barchetta’ or the diversity and technical wizardry of ‘YYZ’.

A star off for that one – thankfully, the tension is then restored for ‘Witch Hunt’, which concentrates on building up a monstrous, menacing atmosphere, and does that all right, with a no-holds-barred metal riff from Alex and Geddy spooking you as best as he can (which isn’t really that good, but at least it’s fun). And ‘Vital Signs’ shows vital signs, indeed, namely, that Rush have certainly been spending time absorbing the New Wave sound – Lifeson plays some reggae licks on here that he probably copped from the Clash or Andy Summers.

Not a great song, but a decently constructed one if you disregard the ‘everybody got to deviate from the norm!’ chorus. Er, I like deviating from the norm, but got to? Geez, what a fascistic approach. Maybe I want to conform, is that a problem with you, Mr Peart? You freedom-of-choice-lovin’ no-goodnik!

All in all in all in all, a cool album somewhat marred by the inconsistency of the second side, but still, it’s one of those rare cases when Rush manage to lift the lid off their cauldron of mediocrity and for a brief shining moment combine pop, prog, metal, and New Wave elements in an exciting synthesis. That’s what everybody usually says about Permanent Waves, but there’s so few actual pop and New Wave elements on that record I really don’t understand that approach. This record, all right. I gotcha, Mr General Critical Opinion.