"A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride"
The opening track of Rush's 8th studio album Moving Pictures serves as the perfect prologue to what the band was able to achieve on the next 6 tracks. That whooshing synth that marks the start of the album makes you feel like you've been propelled through hyperspace to a dimension where musical virtuosity and commercial appeal are one and the same.
On February 12, 1981 Rush released what was to become their best selling album. It rose to No. 3 on the Billboard charts and hit No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart. To this day, it remains their most popular album and "Tom Sawyer" their most well-known song. The third song on the album "YYZ" is one of the most legendary instrumental tracks in prog-rock history.
For 39 years people have been revisiting Moving Pictures to listen in astonishment at the band's elaborate arrangements and lush execution. Rush took into account past criticism and current musical trends while still making the music they wanted to make, and that's the magic of Moving Pictures.
In a feature that appeared in the May 28th, 1981 issue of Rolling Stone bassist Geddy Lee said, "To make records people enjoy and that we enjoy playing - that's our measure of success."
Feature Photo: Getty Images
Photo in Article: Rush.com