Review Summary: 420yeah666yeah69 is the kid in my rush vids with the glasses
Since my original was review was removed for being too good, I typed up something that should please the sputnik masses:
Moving Pictures. What, my dear reader, exactly is a moving picture? We can take pictures with cameras. Cameras have eyes. Coincidence...or no? Alas, a picture is still in essense - Once taken and printed out as a proper photo, it is unable to move such as you or I would move. Therefore, would the term "moving pictures" be an oxymoron, like Christian rock or jumbo shrimp? Perhaps indeed, for, alas, the members of Rush are aware of this all, in that they titled their 1981 masterpiece
Moving Pictures thusly due to the fact that it is indeed an album of oxymorons. How, indeed one may indeed ask? Alas, it is thusly: Each of the three members of the Canadian trio Rush are, in their own extrapolate way, quite similar to jumbo shrimp. A shrimp is tasty...it swims; in the - ocean, perhaps? An ocean. My dear reader, I ask thou to think of this word for a moment; simply ponder its beauty... What does the word "ocean" have to do with Rush's 1981 classic? The answer is, my dear reader(s), quite simple. An ocean is large. Larger than life, as some say. It cannot be put into a category for it is so vast and diverse and ever-expanding with its sheer oceanic, salty-esque beauty which is all in the while tranquile and diversified if ever may be. However, what else is similar to such a thing? None other than the oceanic sounds of the band Rush. And in 1981, during the recordings for this album, Rush knew what they were doing. Neil Peart was like the prog rock Brian Wilson - the man had a vision, and he was going to fulfill the prophecies that had been written. His goal was to create an album that was an oxymoron, much like a moving picture itself, and that oxymoron would contain an ocean of oceanic sounds, complete with state of the art synthesizers and roboticized guitarization that would defy the music industry for years on end, and that album was to contain an ocean, and Rush's sound in itself is every bit like the ocean. Tranquile, mysterious, upbeat (like a summer beach day) and then, out of the blue (ocean blue, perhaps?), the sound would change to a dark and strange force that is only perpetrable by the members of Rush, much like a dark and stormy storm out in the ocean.
Inexplicably, this is Neil's vision, and these are the affects of his vision that he has indeed created. Beginning with "Tom Sawyer", we have a song that puts Neil's vision in full, brute force. The song plods along like a viking warrior sailing the seas, or should I say the river, for that is what Tom Sawyer sailed across. Much like the Mark Twain character, the song is mysterious and brooding, and filled with an undeniable sense of wonder and mysticism that has been cherished by billions of readers/listeners since the dawn of time; traits and characteristics and aspects that can be found in all of the great heroes of rock 'n roll and other media. For was it not The Who's Tommy character whom also was a brave hero? Perhaps this is a not-so-subtle way of the members of Rush paying homage to one of their biggest influences, The Who. And once again, another allusion can be made to the ocean, with The Who being rivals of Led Zeppelin, and it was Led Zeppelin who once sang of an ocean on their 1973 release
Houses of the Holy. Perhaps the mighty warriors of Zep could foresee the future and knew that one day a hero would come...much like Tom Sawyer. And, call it a coincidence, but Rush has often cited Zeppelin as an influence...but ask yourself this, reader - Was it not Rush who influenced Led Zeppelin? I find it hard to believe that Zeppelin just magically decided to add synthesizers to their music at nearly the same time as Rush did. And the band's ten-minute epic, "Achilles Last Stand"? What of that, you say? Ask one thusly: Was it not just Zeppelin's way of competing with "2112"? One can only wonder, one can only
taste the mystery...
"Red Barchetta" is Rush's recovery from the dark and mystified "Tom Sawyer", by providing something of a car-driving anthem that is upbeat and beautiful, much like the ocean. Does not an ocean recover from a storm but with none other than sunny waves that are perfect for nude girls to frolic in? Indeed it yes does. This song is technical, synthy, and all-around orgasmorizing. And following it is the classic "YYZ", which originally had lyrics about the attempted Ronald Reagan assassination, but these were removed by the record company for being too edgy and ahead of their time. This was indeed inspiration for the Suicidal Tendencies' anthem "I Shot The Devil", released two years later. It is funky, jammy, and blazing. Coming next is
THE pop song of the 80's, the song that everybody know; "Limelight". Featuring lyrics about how being famous is annoying as ***, the song is a true lesson in how to perfectly construct an accessible hard rock anthem. It is laden with tastefully mesmerizing synthesizers, and has a winter-y vibe, much like an ocean does during the winter. From here, the album transforms into pure synth-prog with reggae influence thrown in. Anybody who says that Rush is not dynamic shall surely be damned; the wide range of sounds showcased on this album is as wide and veluptuous as an ocean. While these last three tracks are not up to par with the first four asskickers, they are still fantastic in their own right, each of which truly showing the advance sounds of the 80's. Long before rip-off artists such as Peter Gabriel and Madonna would dry-hump the synthesizer to goddamned death, rock 'n roll titans Rush were already performing musical fellatio on the world with their synthesizers - Or was it, in the end,
us performing fellatio on Rush?
Nearly thirty years since its release,
Moving Pictures is still a complex ocean of sounds and each day of its existence, it has changed a life. It has turned the world on its axis time and time again, and it shall continue to do so long after we are all deceased. In the end, we
are just merely players, outside the gilded cage.
