1981's {|Moving Pictures|} is widely regarded as {|Rush|}'s best album and lauded as one of the greatest prog/hard rock outings ever. The trio honed the new wave-meets-hard rock approach from 1980's {|Permanent Waves|} to perfection. Of its seven tra... Read more

1981's {|Moving Pictures|} is widely regarded as {|Rush|}'s best album and lauded as one of the greatest prog/hard rock outings ever. The trio honed the new wave-meets-hard rock approach from 1980's {|Permanent Waves|} to perfection. Of its seven tracks, four remain in regular rotation on classic rock radio. While other legacy acts of the era experimented with various styles in vain attempts to remain relevant, {|Moving Pictures|} peaked at number three on both the U.S. and U.K. album charts. Their most renowned song, Tom Sawyer, was co-written by the band with {|Max Webster|} lyricist {|Pye Dubois|}. It's followed by the futurist auto racing rebellion allegory Red Barchetta, inspired by a short story written by Richard Foster and published in a 1973 edition of Road & Track magazine. It gives way to the sprawling prog instrumental YYZ. Limelight borrows its intro from Fly by Night, while the verse structure echoes Free Will in examining the hazards of fame. The 11-minute The Camera Eye begins with a layered synth-driven segment before transforming itself into a labyrinthian prog epic, marking the band's last recorded ten-plus-minutes studio song. Witch Hunt and Vital Signs remain two of the trio's more underrated rock compositions. The former is a moody collage of shouted voices, blasting guitar riffs, and dynamic crunch with sinister vocals, while the latter offers syncopated synths skillfully melding new wave and polished reggae with prog. {|Moving Pictures|} proved {|Rush|} still had vast, uncharted musical territory to explore. ~ Greg Prato Less