RUSH – MOVING PICTURES 12" Vinyl LP Album

- Genuine USA Release – Recorded at Le Studio, Quebec (1980) and released February 1981

Album Front Cover Photo of RUSH – MOVING PICTURES Visit: https://vinyl-records.nl/

“Moving Pictures” stands as Rush’s defining masterpiece — a record where technical brilliance met mainstream success. Released in 1981, it captured the Canadian trio at the height of their creative power. Produced by Terry Brown and recorded at Le Studio in Quebec, the album’s mix of precision, emotion, and forward-thinking sound made it one of rock’s most enduring releases.

Table of Contents

"Moving Pictures" Album Description:

Released in 1981, "Moving Pictures" stands as a seminal work by the iconic Canadian rock band Rush. This genuine USA release 12" LP vinyl album represents a pinnacle moment in the band's career, showcasing their exceptional musicianship, thought-provoking lyrics, and innovative sound. Recorded at Le Studio in Quebec, Canada, this album remains a testament to Rush's artistic brilliance and enduring influence.

The Vinyl Listening Experience

Listening to "Moving Pictures" on a 12" LP vinyl album offers a uniquely immersive experience. The warm analog sound of the vinyl medium adds depth and richness to the music, bringing every nuance of the band's performance to life.

From the punchy basslines to the intricate guitar work and dynamic drumming, each instrument finds its rightful place, enveloping the listener in a sonic journey that only vinyl can provide.

Musicianship and Sound

"Moving Pictures" showcases Rush's virtuosity and innovative approach to rock music. The album seamlessly blends progressive rock, hard rock, and elements of new wave, creating a sound that is both technically impressive and commercially accessible.

Geddy Lee's soaring vocals, Alex Lifeson's intricate guitar melodies, and Neil Peart's awe-inspiring drumming coalesce into a musical tapestry that pushes boundaries and defies genre conventions.

Track Highlights

The album opens with the iconic "Tom Sawyer", a song that exemplifies Rush's ability to craft catchy, anthemic rock tunes with intelligent lyrics. The energetic "Red Barchetta" takes listeners on a thrilling ride, while "Limelight" explores the struggles of fame and self-identity.

Other standout tracks, such as the epic instrumental "YYZ" and the emotive "The Camera Eye", further demonstrate Rush's range and songwriting prowess.

Lyrics and Themes

Lyrically, "Moving Pictures" delves into a range of thought-provoking themes. From social commentary and philosophical musings to introspective reflections on personal growth and the human experience, the album offers a profound lyrical journey.

Neil Peart's poetic and introspective lyrics add an additional layer of depth to the music, encouraging listeners to reflect on the world around them and their place within it.

Cultural and Musical Impact

"Moving Pictures" stands as a testament to Rush's enduring influence on the rock music landscape. The album's innovative sound and technical prowess inspired countless musicians and bands across various genres.

Rush's unique blend of progressive and hard rock elements, coupled with their uncompromising dedication to their craft, paved the way for a new wave of rock music in the 1980s and beyond.

Album Artwork

The genuine 12" LP vinyl edition of "Moving Pictures" also highlights the importance of album cover art. Designed by Hugh Syme, the iconic cover employs a triple visual pun: it shows workers physically 'moving pictures' (paintings) and people emotionally 'moving' (crying), with the entire scene constituting a 'moving picture' (film). The photograph was shot at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto, not against a black background.

Album Key Details: Genre, Label, Format & Release Info

Music Genre:

Prog Rock / Hard Rock with New Wave influences

Label & Catalognr:

Mercury Records – Cat#: SRM 1 4013

Media Format:

12" LP Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Weight: 230 gram

Year & Country:

1980 – Made in USA

Production & Recording Information:

Producers:
  • Rush – Producers
    Rush, the Canadian power trio formed in 1968, became one of the most influential progressive rock bands of all time. Known for their musicianship, conceptual albums, and technical innovation, they sold over 40 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
  • Terry Brown – Producer
    Terry Brown is a British-Canadian record producer best known for his long-term collaboration with Rush from 1975 to 1982. His engineering precision and dynamic sound shaped the band’s golden era, and his credits include classic albums like “2112,” “Permanent Waves,” and “Moving Pictures.”
Recording Location:

Le Studio – Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada

Le Studio – A legendary recording facility in Morin-Heights, Quebec, often called “Rush’s Abbey Road.” World-class for its state-of-the-art equipment, custom acoustic design, and serene lakeside setting, it attracted artists like Rush, The Police, David Bowie, and Bryan Adams. Its combination of cutting-edge technology and tranquil environment made it one of the premier studios of the 1980s.
Album Cover Design & Artwork:
  • Hugh Syme – Album cover designer and concept artist
    Designed by Hugh Syme, the iconic cover employs a triple visual pun: it shows workers physically 'moving pictures' (paintings) and people emotionally 'moving' (crying), with the entire scene constituting a 'moving picture' (film). The photograph was shot at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto, not against a black background.
    Hugh Syme is a Canadian graphic artist and musician renowned for his surreal and conceptual album art. His career spans over four decades, creating visual identities for artists such as Rush, Dream Theater, and Iron Maiden. His innovative designs have become iconic in rock and progressive music history.

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up:
  • Geddy Lee – Lead Vocals, Bass, Bass Pedals, Minimoog, Oberheim 8-Voice Synthesizer, OB-X, Moog Taurus
    Geddy Lee (Full-name: Paul Gary Lee Weinrib), born 29 July 1953 in Toronto, Canada. He started playing bass guitar at the age of 13 and later formed the rock band Rush with drummer John Rutsey and guitarist Alex Lifeson. The band released their first self-titled album in 1974 and went on to become one of the most successful and influential rock bands of all time.
    Throughout his career with Rush, Lee has been known for his high-pitched voice and intricate bass playing, and has been cited as an influence by many musicians. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest bassists of all time.
    Beyond his work with Rush, Lee released the acclaimed solo album My Favourite Headache in 2000 and published Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass in 2018, celebrating his lifelong passion for the instrument.
  • Alex Lifeson – Guitars, Moog Taurus
    Alex Lifeson (Full-name: Aleksandar Živojinović) is a Canadian musician and songwriter and the guitarist for the rock band Rush. Born 27 August 1953 in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada, he co-founded Rush in 1968 with drummer John Rutsey and bassist Geddy Lee. Lifeson is known for his intricate and innovative guitar playing, forming an integral part of Rush's signature sound.
    Lifeson has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to music and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Rush.
    In addition to his work with Rush, Lifeson explored solo and collaborative projects, including his album Victor (1996) and later involvement with Envy of None. His genre-blending style continues to influence generations of guitarists.
 
  • Neil Peart – Drums, Timbales, Gong, Orchestra Bells, Glockenspiel, Wind Chimes, Bell Tree, Crotales, Cowbells, Plywood
    Neil Peart (Full-name: Neil Ellwood Peart) was the drummer and primary lyricist for Rush. Born 12 September 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Peart joined Rush in 1974, replacing original drummer John Rutsey. His virtuosic drumming style and complex compositions helped define the band's progressive rock sound.
    Peart was also responsible for the band’s introspective and philosophical lyrics. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he remains one of the most celebrated drummers in music history.
    Beyond his musical achievements, Peart was an accomplished author, penning several travel memoirs including Ghost Rider and The Masked Rider. His precision, storytelling, and philosophical depth earned him enduring respect in both literary and musical circles.

Complete Track-listing:

Tracklisting Side One:
  1. Tom Sawyer (4:31) Single
  2. Red Barchetta (6:10)
  3. YYZ (4:23)
  4. Limelight (4:20) Single
Video: Rush - Tom Sawyer
Tracklisting Side Two:
  1. The Camera Eye (11:01)
  2. Witch Hunt (Part III of Fear) (4:46)
  3. Vital Signs (4:47)
Video: Rush - Vital Signs

Disclaimer: Track durations shown are approximate and may vary slightly between different country editions or reissues.

Album Front Cover Photo
Front cover of Rush's 1981 album Moving Pictures shows a group of workers in bright red overalls carrying large framed paintings across the stone steps of a grand neoclassical building, the Ontario Legislature in Toronto. One painting depicts Joan of Arc engulfed in flames, another shows the band’s own 2112 cover image, while a third carries a red sphere on a pedestal. A small crowd of onlookers stands nearby, moved to tears as they watch the scene. The entire tableau forms a triple pun — people literally moving pictures, emotionally moved by pictures, and the whole composition becoming a moving picture — captured under the dark black border with Rush’s red logo at the top.

The front cover of Rush’s Moving Pictures album, designed by Hugh Syme, is a masterclass in visual wit and layered symbolism. It depicts a group of workers dressed in bright red overalls carrying three large framed paintings up the stone steps of a stately, Romanesque-style building — the Ontario Legislature in Toronto. Each painting references previous Rush imagery, creating a self-referential visual world of the band’s mythos.

The first painting on the left shows a dramatic depiction of Joan of Arc engulfed in flames, representing martyrdom and intensity. The central painting features the cover art from Rush’s earlier album 2112, a nod to their own history, while the third shows a red sphere — the symbol from Hemispheres — tying the past and present together. On the right side of the scene, a family of bystanders — a mother, father, and children — watch the workers with emotional expressions, some wiping tears, illustrating the second layer of the pun: that they are “moved” by the pictures.

The entire tableau is being filmed, making the third and final pun — this is literally a “moving picture.” The humor, craftsmanship, and conceptual brilliance of the image perfectly reflect Rush’s approach to music: intelligent, self-aware, and multi-dimensional. Above the photograph, the stark black background and red minimalist typography reinforce the album’s sleek, modern aesthetic.

Photographed on location at the Ontario Legislature, this cover remains one of the most recognizable in rock history, blending architectural grandeur with surreal narrative. It was produced for Mercury Records and became an enduring visual synonym for the band’s progressive vision.

Album Back Cover Photo
Back cover of Rush’s 1981 album Moving Pictures, photographed at the same Ontario Legislature location as the front cover. The image reveals the film set behind the illusion: crew members operate cameras, lighting rigs, and reflectors while the workers in red jumpsuits and emotional onlookers reprise their positions on the grand stone steps. This meta-scene humorously exposes the making of the front cover itself. Above the photo, song titles and production credits are printed in red text on a black background, featuring Side One’s 'Tom Sawyer,' 'Red Barchetta,' 'YYZ,' and 'Limelight,' and Side Two’s 'The Camera Eye,' 'Witch Hunt,' and 'Vital Signs.'

The back cover of Rush’s Moving Pictures album serves as both a visual punchline and a behind-the-scenes reveal. Shot at the same location as the front cover — the Ontario Legislature building in Toronto — the photograph pulls back the curtain on the production, showing an entire film crew orchestrating the tableau we saw earlier.

Dozens of crew members bustle around bright arc lights, bulky tripods, and film cameras, all focused on the scene atop the stone staircase. The workers in red overalls still carry the symbolic paintings, while the black-clad onlookers remain in position, continuing their “moving” performance. The humor lies in the meta-perspective — we’re witnessing the making of the album’s front cover image, transforming the art into art-about-art.

Above the photo, the tracklist is displayed in neat red serif lettering against the black background: Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, and Limelight on Side One; The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, and Vital Signs on Side Two. The concise production credit — “Produced by Rush and Terry Brown” — sits just below, encapsulating the disciplined precision behind the chaos of creativity.

The design reflects Rush’s playful intelligence: a commentary on illusion, artistry, and craftsmanship. Issued by Mercury Records under PolyGram in the U.S., this back cover completes the visual narrative of Moving Pictures, showing that even the magic of rock mythology is the result of careful staging, hard work, and a wink to the audience.

First Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
Front side of the custom inner sleeve from Rush’s 1981 Moving Pictures U.S. Mercury LP, printed on glossy stock. The left half features dense red text credits listing the band members, production team, engineers, and tour personnel against a black background. The right half showcases three sepia-toned, high-contrast performance photos arranged vertically: Geddy Lee playing bass beneath intense lighting; Neil Peart surrounded by cymbals and tubular bells mid-drum strike; and Alex Lifeson captured in a dynamic multi-exposure sequence, guitar in motion, creating ghosted images of his playing. The design balances technical precision with a raw, live energy typical of the band’s studio-meets-stage aesthetic.

The front side of the Moving Pictures custom inner sleeve reveals the intricate credits and evocative performance imagery that define Rush’s attention to detail. Printed on thick glossy paper, the design is divided into two striking halves: on the left, lines of vivid red text densely catalog every contributor, from musicians and engineers to lighting crews, tour staff, and production assistants — a testament to the precision of Mercury Records’ 1981 release.

The right side features a vertical triptych of moody, sepia-toned photographs capturing each band member in action. At the top, Geddy Lee is frozen mid-performance, clutching his bass as motion blur trails his intensity. In the middle, Neil Peart is enveloped by his drum kit and a towering array of tubular bells, sticks mid-air as light glances off the metal surfaces. At the bottom, Alex Lifeson appears in a dynamic multi-exposure, his guitar solo rendered as a blur of movement and passion.

The stark black background and high-contrast tones evoke the controlled chaos of Rush’s sound — technical mastery fused with emotional expression. Together, the imagery and credits combine to create an immersive sense of both the album’s craftsmanship and the trio’s powerful live identity.

This U.S. Mercury edition used premium glossy card stock and crisp typography, embodying early-1980s production design where analog texture and visual clarity went hand in hand. It’s a collector’s hallmark of Rush’s peak progressive era.

Second Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
Back side of the custom inner sleeve for Rush’s 1981 Moving Pictures U.S. Mercury LP. The glossy black background is filled with red-printed lyrics for all seven songs on the album — Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, Limelight, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, and Vital Signs — neatly divided into four vertical columns. Each lyric block is set in precise serif type, with songwriting credits at the bottom. The clean layout balances intensity and order, mirroring the album’s mix of technical musicianship and emotional clarity. No photographs appear here, only text, allowing the words and structure to take center stage.

The reverse side of the Moving Pictures custom inner sleeve transforms the lyrics into a visual composition of their own. Printed in vivid red text against a deep black glossy background, the design showcases the complete words to all seven tracks from the album — Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, Limelight, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, and Vital Signs. The layout divides the content into four evenly spaced columns, giving the text the same precision and rhythm found in Rush’s music.

Each lyric section is meticulously typeset, with songwriting and publishing credits neatly aligned at the base of every column. The minimalist approach — pure text, no images — creates a stark contrast to the performance photography on the other side of the sleeve. This clean typographic presentation invites the listener to engage with Neil Peart’s words, whose poetic reflections on individuality, modernity, and perception anchor the album’s conceptual strength.

The symmetrical structure mirrors the discipline of Rush’s sound: meticulous yet human, orderly yet expressive. Even the choice of red ink evokes the band’s distinctive color motif from the front cover, tying the inner artwork back to the album’s overall visual identity. It’s a collector’s favorite for its elegant restraint — a rare example where typography alone carries the emotional weight of an entire record.

Issued by Mercury Records in 1981, this U.S. edition exemplifies premium album presentation from the vinyl era, balancing lyrical intimacy with modernist design clarity. A perfect complement to Rush’s most celebrated work.

Close up of Side One record’s label
Close-up of Side One record label from Rush’s 1981 Moving Pictures U.S. Mercury LP, catalog number SRM-1-4013. The label design features the silver Mercury Records logo at the top, encircled by small white text reading 'Manufactured and Marketed by PolyGram Records, Inc., New York, N.Y. 10019.' The band’s name RUSH appears boldly in red capital letters across the center, with the album title subtly embossed below. Track listings for Side I are printed in clear serif type: 'Tom Sawyer' (4:33), 'Red Barchetta' (6:07), 'YYZ' (4:23), and 'Limelight' (4:18). Beneath are songwriting credits, noting music by Lee and Lifeson and lyrics by Peart (and Dubois on Tom Sawyer). The lower edge includes production credits for Rush and Terry Brown, and Mercury’s early-1980s pressing details rendered in metallic hues that shimmer under light.

This close-up of Side One from Rush’s Moving Pictures vinyl LP showcases Mercury’s early-1980s label design at its most refined. The metallic sheen of the deep violet label surface is complemented by the polished silver Mercury logo arched across the top, surrounded by fine print denoting “Manufactured and Marketed by PolyGram Records, Inc., New York, N.Y.”

At the center, the bold red lettering of RUSH dominates the visual field, with the album title Moving Pictures subtly embedded beneath. The tracklist for Side I is laid out with typographic precision: Tom Sawyer (4:33), Red Barchetta (6:07), YYZ (4:23), and Limelight (4:18). Below, songwriting and production credits attribute music to Lee and Lifeson, lyrics to Peart (and Pye Dubois on “Tom Sawyer”), and production to Rush and Terry Brown.

The elegant layout balances legibility with a sense of authority, reflecting Mercury Records’ visual style during the label’s high-quality pressing period. Every typographic detail — from catalog number SRM-1-4013 to matrix placement — exudes precision and consistency.

This U.S. edition label, with its restrained color palette and clear information hierarchy, mirrors the album’s sonic sophistication. Under direct light, the metallic hues shift subtly, making it as visually dynamic as the music it identifies.

Selection of RUSH Vinyl LP Albums – Cover Gallery & Collector Information

RUSH - Moving Pictures album front cover vinyl record
RUSH - Moving Pictures

Released in 1981, Moving Pictures is Rush’s eighth studio album and one of their most acclaimed works. Blending progressive rock with radio-friendly hooks, it features classics like Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, and YYZ. The album showcases the trio’s peak musicianship and became their best-selling release worldwide.

RUSH - Signals album front cover vinyl record
RUSH - Signals 12" Vinyl LP

Released in 1982, Signals is Rush’s ninth studio album and marks a bold shift toward synthesizers and modern rock textures. Recorded at Le Studio in Quebec, it features standout tracks like Subdivisions and New World Man, blending technical musicianship with introspective lyrics that captured the spirit of the early 80s.