Rush Moving Pictures released

Moving Pictures Rush

Released: February 7, 1981 Peak: 3 US, 6 UK, 1 CN, -- AU, 8 DF Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.10 UK, 5.1 world (includes US and UK) Genre: progressive rock/classic rock

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Tom Sawyer (2/28/81, 44 BB, 47 CB, 57 HR, 1 CL, 8 AR, 25 UK, 24 CN) Red Barchetta (6 CL) YYZ (9 CL) Limelight (2/81, 55 BB, 66 CB, 67 HR, 3 CL, 4 AR, 18 CN) The Camera Eye Witch Hunt (Part III of “Fear”) Vital Signs (3/81, 43 CL, 41 UK) Total Running Time: 40:03 The Players: Geddy Lee (vocals, bass, keyboards) Alex Lifeson (guitar) Neil Peart (drums, percussion, lyrics)

Rating: 4.293 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings) Quotable: “Not only is 1981’s Moving Pictures Rush’s best album, it is undeniably one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time.” – Greg Prato, AllMusic.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Not only is 1981’s Moving Pictures Rush’s best album, it is undeniably one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time.” AM The Canadian trio had been “a huge concert draw since the mid-1970s” RD but “while other hard rock bands at the time experimented unsuccessfully with other musical styles, Rush were one of the few to successfully” AM “respond to new wave.” RD They “streamlined their sound with seventh studio LP Permanent Waves” RD in 1980 and on Moving Pictures that “new wave meets hard rock approach…is honed to perfection.” AM “Rush proved with Moving Pictures that there was still uncharted territory to explore within the hard rock format, and were rewarded with their most enduring and popular album.” AM “All seven of the tracks are classics (four are still featured regularly in concert and on classic rock radio)...The whole entire first side is perfect – their most renowned song, Tom Sawyer, kicks things off.” AM “This anthemic ode to individualism stacks virtuoso guitarist Alex Lifeson’s heavy riffs against a gleaming electronic backdrop, while Peart fires off rapid percussion rolls in support.” RD It is “followed by the racing Red Barchetta, the instrumental YYZ, and a song that examines the pros and cons of stardom, Limelight.” AM On the latter, “Lee’s melodic vocal illuminates the plea for privacy.” RD “And while the second side isn’t as instantly striking as the first, it is ultimately rewarding. The long and winding The Camera Eye begins with a synth-driven piece before transforming into one of the band’s more straight-ahead epics,” AM “but with an urban rather than fantasy setting.” RD Vital Signs “marries a dramatic refrain to futuristic reggae.” RD That song and Witch Hunt are “two of the trio’s more underrated rock compositions.” AM The latter Notes: A 40th anniversary reissue in 2022 was comprised of a five-record set that included the 2015 remaster and a previously unreleased live recording of a March 25, 1981 show at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. WK

Reviews: AM AllMusic.com review by Greg Prato RD Robert Dimery (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited: New York, NY. Page 483. WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Links: First posted 4/28/2008; last updated 6/25/2025.