Agreed. A totally over-hyped album. The cover design of people 'moving pictures' pretty much summed up the lack of imaginative thought that went into the album. When you compare it to 'Hemispheres', '2112'.... even the later 'Hold your fire' or 'Test for echo', it's a poor collection of songs. I've never understood why it scores so highly in prog polls.

Progaholic2 wrote: ...The cover design of people 'moving pictures' pretty much summed up the lack of imaginative thought that went into the album...

I actually think the triple entendre is pretty clever. I don't want to assume anything, but by your response it doesn't seem like you really get it.

As for the music. Like others have said, it isn't my personal favorite, but it is a solid album from front to back. Albeit some tracks might be a little overplayed on the radio. Me thinks Power Windows is a better album but doesn't get nearly as much love.

TexasKing wrote: ProgMetaller2112 wrote: As for Moving Pictures, it deserves all the praise it gets in my honest opinion. Rush never made an album like it before and since its release No, I don't agree. I think with Permanent Waves Rush easily topped Moving Pictures.  And Moving Pictures is overrated compared to PeW.

Moving Pictures is synth dominated???

It's one of the best, most well-produced, most fun rock albums of the 80s.   It is a gem, and probably the greatest and most beloved party album of the era.   In that context, it blows away anything they ever did.   Unclever cover?   Just the opposite; 2112, Hem and Perm pale in comparison.  

Just because something is hyped or overexposed doesn't mean its objective quality diminishes.

chopper wrote: Atavachron wrote: probably the greatest and most beloved party album of the era.     Party album? You must have gone to some pretty weird parties.

Sounds like my kind of party.

Blacksword wrote: Jeffro wrote: Moving Pictures is synth dominated??? Yeah, I thought that was an odd comment. It's a guitar album first and foremost although how it's produced gave it a crisp and accessible feel and I guess the synths did stand out more than on PW and Hemispheres.

Catcher10 wrote: and to also call MP overhyped is very odd

Personally, I think Moving Pictures is a great Rush album, but I think their late 70s albums (AFtK and Hemispheres especially) are the ones that appeal to me most from a prog rock perspective, so I too am confused when I see MP at the top of prog rock lists.

However, Rush did a great job of fusing hard-rock, 80's new wave, and prog rock on Moving Pictures (and some of the following albums), so I think they do earn lots of credit for being able to "progress" 80s rock music and contribute something new while still being listenable. It's not common to hear songs with time signature changes all over on the radio, but when I do, it's usually a Rush song, and often from Moving Pictures (doesn't hurt that I'm in Canada).

But I think we're all into prog rock for different reasons - I don't care too much for "progressing" rock music for the sake of "progressing"; I just like interesting, fun, and complicated music (granted, you don't become interesting by doing the same thing over and over again), and Hemispheres gives me more of that than Moving Pictures.

Tom Sawyer is an overplayed, overpopularized song but apart from that; the album is very strong compared many albums prior and after (like Moving Pictures)