Hey fellow aspiring vinyl collectors!
Over the course of your life, you may have heard that the vinyl record is a superior music format, compared to CD’s and MP3’s. However, some may say that with our technological advances with sound editing, CD’s and digital formatted music sounds superior, but not necessarily the case. To briefly summarize things, vinyl records are the closest format you’ll get to the master tapes of your favorite artists, so that means that you’ll be getting one of the best ways to enjoy your music. I could keep going on about the listening differences of vinyl, but I’m going to dive into an album that is, in my opinion, a definitive beginner album: Rush’s Moving Pictures.
Why this specific album? Rush is an intricate, dynamic, and definitive progressive rock band that will always dedicate their talents to producing a great album. Whether you loved their first debut album, 2112, or their latest stuff, these guys don’t slap a record together and call it music: you’re getting a REAL album! People have their preferences, but they can tell you what their favorite Rush album is, and back up their reasons why. But their album, Moving Pictures, is a slightly unique experience to listen to, especially if you want to get into Rush in the first place.
Moving Pictures is where familiar hits such as Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and Limelight came from. When someone hasn’t heard of Rush before, Tom Sawyer and Limelight are two songs that are the most familiar to a mainstream crowd. This album experiments more with the keyboard, and eventually becomes a prominent instrument in their later works, as it provides depth and character to the band. Without Geddy Lee’s keyboard, Moving Pictures would still be a solid album, but would lack some character and innovation.
As mentioned before, Rush is a progressive rock band, and this album dedicates both sides of the record to each audience. On the first side, we have the following tracks:
1. Tom Sawyer
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. Limelight
We can see that these four tracks are very powerful to the album. Back in the day, you don’t know which song or songs were going to become great hits, so you decided to listen to the whole album, and appreciated each song until you found your favorite. Since this side of the record is made for the mainstream, casual listener, I’ll break down each track to a “T”.
Tom Sawyer opens up with an abrupt blast with the keyboard, followed by a pumped up Geddy Lee on vocals. In the background, Neil Peart showcases his signature drumming prowess, igniting the intensity of this track to another level. Every time this song plays, I think of three moments this song was played in: The scene in “The Water Boy” where things start to intensify and some ass kicking will be had; the episode of Futurama where Fry is playing a version of Space Invaders, and needs the help of Rush to destroy the alien invaders; and finally, the time that I walk into a Five Guys restaurant, with a Rush shirt on, and the song instantly plays when I step foot into the place. It just doesn’t get any better than this, and this is one song that you should play before you start your day.
Red Barchetta should be an instant favorite for the motor heads that are reading this. Barchetta brings some sort of mystery to the table, opening up with Lifeson messing around with his guitar, followed by the slapping bass of Geddy Lee. Then, in a turn of events, the song becomes a jam. The best part of the song is how Geddy sings about driving the Red Barchetta (which is a Ferrari, by the way) in a race. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and you’ll wish that Red Barchetta would have multiple parts to it, like some of the other Rush songs!
Rush switches gears with a familiar instrumental, YYZ. Why YYZ? I have no idea…but this song showcases what the band is all about. There’s no holding back on talent on this track, as we have impressive bass lines, ridiculous time changes for drums, and solid guitar work that would make any guitarist inspired by Alex Lifeson’s work. Again, keyboard calms everything down, but abruptly creates an odd sense of despair…but finishes strong at the end with a slightly chaotic, short-and-sweet end.
Limelight is awesome. That’s all there is to this track. Usually, a song like this may irritate the music snobs because of its catchy opening, like every other dime a dozen rock song. But here, the beginning hooks you in, and completely turns the listener’s head on its side, and this is when the listener becomes curious to Rush’s style of music. What we hear in this song is the ambient breakdown sessions that some later Rush songs will develop. These types of breakdowns featured in Limelight will dominate albums like “Signals” and “Grace Under Pressure”.
Overall, the first side of the record is incredibly solid. If you don’t feel like listening to anything out of the ordinary, but you don’t want something too crazy, the first side of “Moving Pictures” is a perfect choice.
However, the second side of the record hold some of Rush’s more epic songs. This is where prog-rock enthusiasts will experience the Rush charm right away. Here are the following tracks for the second side:
The Camera Eye
Witch Hunt
Vital Signs
We have three songs, but these songs are roughly around the 6-8 minute mark. It’s not as overwhelming as the twenty minute and thirty three second song, 2112, but the central theme of movement embraces this record so much, that these songs can have their own short films.
The Camera Eye is about the hustle and bustle of New York City. So much is going on, such as the realistic city sounds in the introduction, unusual sounds making music, and the simple, yet complex lyrics. This track has a calm beginning…then ramps up the excitement! Out of the three songs, this one would be my favorite.
Witch Hunt is mysteriously lackluster. Some Rush fans really like this track, but I believe that it’s the weakest track out of the whole album. It’s a slow track that tries a little too hard in being a Rush classic. You know when Rush loses steam when Geddy doesn’t sound like himself; he sounds bored. The only appealing characteristics of the track are the slow pace and the chimes that periodically ring throughout the song. Take a listen, and you’ll see.
And finally, we have Vital Signs. Rush wanted to try something different with this track by adding a Reggae-style beat to it. It’s slow, it’s fast, it’s nothing short of satisfying! The tempo and pacing of Vital Signs is quite intriguing, but doesn’t try to overdo itself, and manages to become a fun track to tie any loose ends to the album. Overall, something different, yet something satisfying!
Final Word: Moving Pictures is not only a great album from a great band, but it’s a great album to hone in your listening to vinyl records in general. By 4-5 plays, listeners will understand the deep bass lines, the precise guitar shredding, and the intricate drum work through and through. If you must have the album out of pure curiosity, it’s not too difficult to find. If you find a beat up Rush album, they are very playable, despite of cosmetic condition (unless someone etches it with a knife!). I personally own two Moving Pictures albums, and they manage to play and look very well. Fort the most part, people have taken care of the record, so other than dust and dirt popping on the record, it will still have a solid sound.
So remember easy listeners, don’t go digital…go analog!!!
