Moving Pictures
Released Mercury, 12 February, 1981.
- Tom Sawyer (4:33)
- Red Barchetta (6:06)
- YYZ (instrumental) (4:24)
- Limelight (4:19)
- The Camera Eye (10:56)
- Witch Hunt (Part III of Fear) (4:43)
- Vital Signs (4:43)
Geddy Lee - Bass/Mini Moog/Oberheim Polyphonic/Taurus Pedals/Vocals. Alex Lifeson - Acoustic and Electric Guitars/Tarus Pedals. Neil Peart - Drums/Percussion. Additional Musician: Hugh Syme - Synthesizers (Track 6).
Produced by Rush and Terry Brown. Engineered by Paul Northfield. Assisted by Robbie Whelan.
Lyrics by Peart, except lyrics to ‘Tom Sawyer’ by Peart/Dubois.
From the bassy, synthesised growl of the opening song, it is clear that this is going to be no traditionalist’s Rush album. ‘Moving Pictures’ is of the present, continuing the drive with ‘Permanent Waves’ to bring the band’s thematic and musical roots bang up to date. There is no messing – ‘Tom Sawyer’ hits the listener between the ears, Pye Dubois’ lyrical input leaving the trio to concentrate on writing a solid rock song.
‘Moving Pictures’ can be considered a relaunch, a reinvention of the band, its technical skills and slick songwriting turning its attention to the now. Thematically the album is decidedly autobiographical, its focus on how the band was finding themselves having to respond to mass popularity. ‘Living on a lighted stage approaches the unreal,’ states ‘Limelight’, the upbeat nature of its opening riffs belying the difficulties coping with the increasingly intrusive public. “It’s about the alienation that fans try to force on us,” explained Neil. “They force us to check into hotels under false names. They force us to have security guards to keep people away from us.”
The rant repeats later in ‘Vital Signs’, which tries to explain the contradiction between wanting to perform, and being seen as a performer. Lyrically the song is almost apologetic – “The impulse is pure; sometimes our circuits get shorted, by external interference,” they say. Neil reserved his worst criticism for England, “You can’t even open the curtains in your hotel room,” he said. “If you open your curtains, there’ll be people staring in at you – shamelessly staring into your life.” While still a rock song, the reggae beats of ‘Vital Signs’ demonstrate just how far the band was prepared to go musically, with no thought of compromise to meet the demands of past fans.
For Neil in a number of songs, group behaviour is the enemy, illustrated and enacted by the actions of the many, taken to extremes by the few. ‘The Camera Eye’ contemplates what a city – be it New York or London – must think of it all. With its Hammer Horror chordings and mob scene mayhem, ‘Witch Hunt’ takes this one stage further, itself one facet of a broader picture, treating the influence of fear on everyday lives. Neil had sketched out three “theaters of fear as I saw them: how fear works inside us (‘The Enemy Within’), how fear is used against us (‘The Weapon’), and how fear feeds the mob mentality (‘Witch Hunt’).” The original running order was reversed for practical reasons, as ‘Witch Hunt’ was the easiest for Neil to clarify at the time. One wonders why, but given his growing inability to cope with fame, not for long.
There is room for older subjects to be revisited, not least travel and society, both of which are distilled into ‘Red Barchetta’. Based on Richard Foster’s short story ‘A Nice Morning Drive’, the tale of a Ferrari’s near-final altercation with newer, “safer” vehicles, the song places Ayn Rand’s ‘Anthem’ in a contemporary, high-speed setting. Musically rich and diverse, ‘Moving Pictures’ continues a musical journey into the well-charted waters of the mainstream, without losing touch with the core values of the band – moments of instrumental indulgence like ‘YYZ’ offering the listener some respite to the well-structured songs. With its opening beats based on the call sign of Toronto’s international airport, the instrumental piece was designed to evoke the leaving and homecoming emotions an airport could bring. For the travellers from Willowdale this album is indeed a homecoming, and the world welcomed its prodigal sons back with open arms.