Album · 45 years old this year
Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by the Canadian band Rush, released on 12 February 1981. It follows Permanent Waves, and the band began writing and recording in August 1980 with their long-time co-producer Terry Brown. The songs here are tighter and shorter than on their earlier records, with a more radio-friendly shape, yet the group's progressive rock instincts and hard rock muscle stay firmly in place.
It is the record that brought Rush to the widest audience. "Limelight", "Tom Sawyer" and "Vital Signs" were all released as singles, and the instrumental "YYZ" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The album reached number one in Canada and number three in both the US and the UK, and it remains their fastest-selling title. Rolling Stone placed it at number 379 in its 2020 list of the 500 greatest albums.
Moving Pictures on Riffology
riffology.co →
Moving Pictures: tracklist, credits and charts
7 tracks · 40:01Tracklist
- 1Tom SawyerLee, Lifeson, Dubois, Peart4:35
- 2Red BarchettaLee, Lifeson, Peart6:10
- 3YYZGeddy Lee and Neil Peart4:26
- 4LimelightLee, Lifeson, Peart4:20
- 5The Camera EyeLee, Lifeson, Peart10:59
- 6Witch HuntLee, Lifeson, Peart4:46
- 7Vital SignsLee, Lifeson, Peart4:46
- Produced by
- Terry Brown, Rush
- Recorded at
- Le Studio (Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada)
- Recorded
- October–November 1980
- Mixed at
- Le Studio
- Engineered by
- Paul Northfield
- Labels
- PolyGram, Anthem
- Length
- 40:01
Line-up
- Geddy Lee · synthesizer, bass guitar, Minimoog, lead vocals
- Alex Lifeson · guitar
- Neil Peart · drums (drum set), percussion
- Hugh Syme · synthesizer · guest
Singles
- “Limelight” · February 1981
- “Vital Signs” · March 1981
- “Tom Sawyer” · May 1981
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1981 | 3 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1981 | 3 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1981 | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2022 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2022 | 19 |
| Dutch Albums · 1981 | 19 |
| German Albums · 2022 | 22 |
| Swedish Albums · 1981 | 32 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1981 | 34 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2022 | 41 |
All 13 charts
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) · 2022 | 46 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2022 | 67 |
| Swiss Albums · 2022 | 72 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1990 | 4× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2023 | Gold |
| United States · 2021 | 5× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
88.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
11k
ListenBrainz listeners
307k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
31k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 12 February
Every year →
More from Rush
Full discography →
Rush
1974
Fly by Night
1975
Caress of Steel
1975
2112
1976
All the World’s a Stage
1976
Cygnus X‐1
1977
A Farewell to Kings
1977
Archives
1978
Hemispheres
1978
Rush Through Time
1979
Permanent Waves
1980
Exit… Stage Left
1981
Signals
1982
Grace Under Pressure
1984
Power Windows
1985
Grace Under Pressure Tour
1986
Hold Your Fire
1987
A Show of Hands
1989
Presto
1989
Chronicles
1990
Roll the Bones
1991
Counterparts
1993
Test for Echo
1996
Retrospective I: 1974–1980
1997
Retrospective II: 1981–1987
1997
Different Stages Live
1998
Vapor Trails
2002
The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974–1987
2003
Rush in Rio
2003
Feedback
2004
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour
2005
Gold
2006
Replay X3
2006
Snakes & Arrows
2007
Snakes & Arrows Live
2008
Retrospective 3
2009
Working Men
2009
Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland
2011
Clockwork Angels
2012
The Studio Albums 1989–2007
2013
Clockwork Angels Tour
2013
R40 Live
2015
The best of 1981
All of 1981 →The Rolling Stones 4 Sucessos 1981
4 Sucessos
The Rolling Stones · 1981
Tattoo You
The Rolling Stones · 1981
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
AC/DC · 1981
Killers
Iron Maiden · 1981
Faith
The Cure · 1981
Diary of a Madman
Ozzy Osbourne · 1981
October
U2 · 1981
Fair Warning
Van Halen · 1981
Discipline
King Crimson · 1981
High ’n’ Dry
Def Leppard · 1981
Mob Rules
Black Sabbath · 1981
Point of Entry
Judas Priest · 1981
More on PolyGram
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1981-02-06 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 6 February 1981 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 12 February 1981 | |
| Wikidata | 12 February 1981 | |
| US release | 12 February 1981 | earliest US date |
47 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Mercury Records | 0208314237298 | other |
| — | US | Mercury Records | 731453463127 | other |
| — | US | Mercury Records | other | |
| — | CA | Anthem Records | 00066825108222 | other |
| — | CA | Anthem Records | other | |
| — | US | Mercury Records | 042280004828 | other |
| — | CA | Anthem Records | 066825210307 | other |
| — | US | Mercury Records | 042280004828 | other |
| — | AI | Island Mercury | 00731453463127 | other |
| — | XE | Mercury Records | 042280004828 | other |
| 1981 | US | PolyGram | 042282254948 | other |
| 1981 | DE | Mercury Records | 3259180004828 | other |
| 1981 | NL | Mercury Records | other | |
| 1981 | CA | Anthem Records | other | |
| 1981 | US | Mercury Records | other | |
| 6 February 1981 | CA | Anthem Records | original | |
| 12 February 1981 | CA | Anthem Records | 06682510302 | other |
| 12 February 1981 | US | Mercury Records | 042282254917 | other |
| 1983 | DE | Mercury Records | 3259180004828 | other |
| August 1983 | US | Mercury Records | 042280004828 | other |
| 1984 | US | Mercury Records | 3259180004828 | other |
| 1985 | US | Mercury Records | 3259180004828 | other |
| 25 February 1987 | XE | Mercury Records | 042280004828 | other |
| 26 August 1988 | JP | Epic | 4988010223458 | other |
| 25 October 1991 | JP | Atlantic | 4988029028945 | other |
| 1992 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 015775156920 | other |
| 1997 | DE | Mercury Records | 731453463127 | remaster |
| 3 June 1997 | US | Mercury Records | 731453463127 | remaster |
| 10 June 1997 | CA | Anthem Records | 066825108222 | other |
| 2007 | BR | Mercury Records | 731453463127 | remaster |
| 24 June 2009 | JP | Atlantic | 4943674090570 | other |
| 5 April 2011 | — | Mercury Records | 00602527636993 | remaster |
| 5 April 2011 | US | Anthem Records | 602527621074 | deluxe |
| 11 April 2011 | XE | Mercury Records | 602527636986 | deluxe |
| 19 April 2011 | CA | Anthem Records | 00066825216095 | other |
| 3 May 2011 | US | Mercury Records | 602527636986 | deluxe |
| 14 May 2013 | — | Mercury Records | 00602527893426 | other |
| 14 May 2013 | CA | Anthem Records | 00066825218662 | other |
| 17 July 2015 | — | Mercury Records | 00602547243850 | remaster |
| 24 July 2015 | US | Anthem Records | 602547118080 | remaster |
| 24 July 2015 | JP | Anthem Records | 0602547243850 | other |
| 15 April 2022 | XW | Anthem Entertainment | 602435876405 | deluxe |
| 15 April 2022 | — | Mercury Records | 602445577675 | deluxe |
| 15 April 2022 | — | Mercury Records | 602438663170 | deluxe |
| 15 April 2022 | — | Anthem Entertainment | 602438507863 | deluxe |
| 15 April 2022 | — | Anthem Entertainment | 602435876542 | deluxe |
| 15 April 2022 | XW | Mercury Records | 602435876597 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |