Canadian prog rockersRUSH started their musical enterprise
way back in 1968. Forty-seven years and 19 LPs later they called
it a day.
But 10 years later, in 2015, they returned to tour. And last year they celebrated
the 50th anniversary of their-self titled debut LP, which got a deluxe reissue
treatment.
Today marks the 45th birthday of their 8th album MOVING PICTURES, released on 12 February 1981.
It was a big hit, topping the Canadian charts and reaching #3 in both the US and UK.
Promo picture
PopMatters wrote in retrospective review: “Moving Pictures is, without any question, not only Rush’s masterpiece but one of those rare albums that epitomizes an era. It represents both a culmination and a progression: the peak of the band’s development as well as the blueprint for Rush’s subsequent work.”
Happy 70 to The Clash guitar/voice/singwriter legend (1976-1983), who
started dance-orientated band BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE (1984-1997) a year
after Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon fired him.
– SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO –
He had to go in 1983
Band: DEEP DYED Who: Bedroom pop quartet from Hamburg, Germany. They use the dazzling
space between catchy independent pop songs and psychedelic rock to enable
their listeners to take a journey into the world of their own dreams and emotion.
TUTV: Actually, I can describe this debut in one sentence: 11 captivating, high-quality, guitar-driven indie tunes. But I’ll add my overall impressions in more detail right here. Thematically, Unmade Beds is about emotions many of us have experienced/experience. Love and longing, boredom and panic.
Human mood swings that shift from elation to melancholia, from feeling great to feeling empty. Sonically, the record covers a versatile palette of indie sounds. From dream-pop à la Belle and Sebastian (Memory Starts To Bloom / Since I Can Sleep / Outworm / Laundromat) to amplified jangly pop somewhere between Bully and Alvvys(Rush / Crystal Ball Sensation / Dracula Force) to blues-infused psychedelia (Drowned / City Lights / Dead Crass). The vocals also switch depending on the up/down vibrancy. From moony to high-spirited, from romantic to zestful. A notable debut all the way.
Band: RUSH Who: Canadian prog rock legends Active: 1968-2018 / 19 studio LPs
Anniversary album: SIGNALS Released: 9 September 1982 – 40 years ago
AllMusic/Greg Prato: “Instead of playing it safe and writing Moving Pictures, Pt. II, Rush replaced their heavy rock of yesteryear with even more modern sounds for 1982’s Signals. Synthesizers were now an integral part of the band’s sound, and replaced electric guitars as the driving force for almost all the tracks. And more current and easier-to-grasp topics (teen peer pressure, repression, etc.) replaced their trusty old sci-fi-inspired lyrics.” Score: 4/5.
It was their eighth LP and was released in February 1981. A reissue in honor of its
40th anniversary in a sumptuous multidisc/multi-LP set—mastered concision is out
now. Order infohere.
Pitchfork : “In 1981, Rush fully transformed from a prog-rock trio to a mainstay of
classic rock. A 40th-anniversary reissue of Moving Pictures captures the band at their
absolute peak… Thanks to its tautness, conceptual integrity, and the fortuitous manner
in which their career ambitions and radio programmer taste intersected, Moving Pictures functioned as much a harbinger of a new artistic era as David Bowie’s Young Americans.
It peaked at No. 3 in America, their best chart position to date; the RIAA would certify it
five-times platinum.” Full review here. Score: 9/10.
Artwork: Cover of the band’s 4th LP called A Farewell To Kings.
Released 45 years ago this year (3 September).
Longtime Rush collaborator Hugh Syme composed the artwork.
The vivid cover features a puppet-looking king slumped on a throne
in front of a demolished building, contrasted with the Toronto skyline
in the background.
Syme said: “I found a building that was in a state of ruin in Buffalo (New York).
I lived in the Niagara region and went into the U.S. a lot. I saw this beautiful,
dilapidated building and thought, ‘Well, we’ll have access to that.’ We crossed
the border with Josh Onderison, the guitar player from my band, the Ian Thomas
Band, which was on the same label as Rush and Max Webster. Our guitarist was
of a skeletal stature — perfect for the puppet.” (Ultimate Classic Rock).
Band: RUSH Who: Prog-rock heroes from Toronto, Canada Active: 1968–2015 / 19 albums
Album: 2112 – 4th LP Released: 1 April 1976 – 45 years ago today
Score: #5 in Canada, #68 in the US
AllMusic/Greg Prato: “Rush knew it was now or never with their fourth release,
and they delivered just in time — 1976’s 2112 proved to be their much sought-after
commercial breakthrough and remains one of their most popular albums. Instead
of choosing between prog rock and heavy rock, both styles are merged together to
create an interesting and original approach… 2112 is widely considered by Rush
fans as their first true “classic” album, the first in a string of similarly high-quality
albums.” Score: 4.5/5.
