MOVING PICTURES

'Moving Pictures' is by far the most successful Rush album and the one that produced the omnipresent hit 'Tom Sawyer', and while there might not be much room for speculation on how important this record is for the band, catapulting them to a status of stardom reserved only for a select few artists, this is also the album that marks the most drastic shift in the band's sound, as Rush focus extensively on writing shorter, more straightforward and often radio-friendly tracks, while preserving their adventurous spirit and the desire to experiment with different styles and playing techniques. 'Moving Pictures' is also the last studio album to feature a song surpassing the ten-minute mark, which is another sign of that aforementioned change in sound. For what concerns the music on this album, we often speak of some of the most accessible Rush material, relying on more predictable patterns and more streamlined, memorable lyrics that dare not to step into the fantastical territory of earlier releases.

A commendable achievement in terms of balancing their capabilities of writing good pop tunes and their overall progressive, technical approach to playing through, Rush present a collection of seven entries in a style much more presentable for radio stations than a 'Hemispheres' or a '2112'. The extensive experiments with synths, so prevalent on their 80s material, 'Moving Pictures' is perhaps the one record that achieves the finest balance between the keyboards and the sweeping guitars of Alex Lifeson. Notwithstanding, 'Moving Pictures' is undoubtedly a drummer's album - this is the LP that exhibits Neal Peart's drumming antics like no other, as his acrobatic all-around style is so upfront, cerebral and entirely impressive that you can't help but marvel at the complexity of the drum playing. There is a great unison with the bass, which never dares to overtake the space occupied by the drums on this album.

But then again, even if this album contains several iconic Rush tracks and exhibits some of the band's best playing (mostly referring to the instrumental 'YYZ' and the epic 'The Camera Eye'), this is also one of the albums that feels the most emotionally detached, often leaving the listener in the cold, with the band focusing on delivering a tighter arrangement and a playful fill at the expense of a more natural flow or a more organic unfolding of many of the tracks. It might also be the pressure exercised by the media in lauding the album ad infinitum but I do believe Rush released better albums prior to 'Moving Pictures', which is in any case a great leap forward for them into the territory of more accessible, straightforward rock music.

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