Saturday, April 28, 2012

scrap 224; Rush MOVING PICTURES

This is a journey into sound.....

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On February 12, 1981 The Canadian Rock trio released their 8th studio album MOVING PICTURES & their modern legacy would forever be cemented. Having already made a name for themselves with their previous 7 albums (especially with 2112), they were now poised to make themselves into modern day Tom Sawyers & go mainstream.
MOVING PICTURES became the band's biggest selling album in the United States rising to #3 on the Billboard charts and remains the band's most popular and commercially successful studio recording to date. The album was certified quadruple-platinum with four million copies sold as of January 27, 1995
The album cover is a monument to triple entendre. On the front cover there are movers who are moving pictures. On the side, people are shown crying because the pictures passing by are emotionally "moving". Finally, the back cover has a film crew making a "moving picture" of the whole scene.[9] The album cover was taken in front of the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park, Toronto. The pictures that are being moved are the starman logo featured on the reverse cover of the 2112 album, the famous Dogs Playing Poker painting, and a painting that presumably shows Joan of Arc being burned at the stake on May 30, 1431.
MOVING PICTURES only has 7 tracks yet all are extremely memorable: 1. Tom Sawyer. 2. Red Barchetta. 3. YYZ (instrumental) 4. Limelight. 5. The Camera Eye. 6. Witch Hunt. 7. Vital Signs. In my estimation, the first 4 tracks solidify the album & the final 3 solidify the bands style at this time.
During Rush's recent Time Machine Tour & in celebration of their biggest selling album 30th anniversary, they played MOVING PICTURES sequentially for all 7 tracks live for the first time ever. The album was also reissued. MOVING PICTURES was re-released in a 2-disc 30th Anniversary set on April 5, 2011. The first disc contains the standard stereo mixes of the songs. The second disc, available as either a DVD or Blu-ray disc, contains all the album's tracks in Audiophile 5.1 Surround and Stereo and music videos for the songs "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight", and "Vital Signs".
The vinyl is solid as well. My version is sparkling & crackling with life. 180g & all is well. It sounds clean. The combination of drums, guitar, bass, & synthesizers all bristle with audio life. It is in my humble opinion, perhaps the best listening experience I have in my vinyl collection. Believe it. MOVING PICTURES is among Rush's best work & maybe their definitive work. Spin it.

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