Rush Expanding 'Moving Pictures' For 40th Anniversary

Bruce Henne | 02-12-2022

Reissue cover art

(hennemusic) Rush will release a series of expanded reissues of their 1981 classic, "Moving Pictures", on April 15th. The 2022 editions will be available to fans in six distinct configurations, including the (1) Super Deluxe Edition, (2) three-CD Deluxe Edition, (3) five-LP Deluxe Edition, (4) one-LP Edition, (5), Digital Deluxe Edition, and (6) Dolby Atmos Digital Edition. Pre-order at Amazon (once available -ad).

Recorded with producer Terry Brown at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, the Canadian band's eighth studio album expertly blended Rush's progressive roots into radio-friendly arrangements, as evidenced by the set's lead single, "Tom Sawyer."

"Moving Pictures" would be their first to top the Canadian charts while earning a second top 5 spot in the US following success with 1980's "Permanent Waves."

The Super Deluxe Edition includes three CDs, one Blu-ray Audio disc, and five high-quality 180-gram black vinyl LPs. The set encompasses the Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015 remastered edition of the album for the first time on CD, along with two discs of previously unreleased and newly restored bonus live content newly mixed from the original analog live multi-tracks by Rush's original producer, Terry Brown, featuring the band's complete, unreleased Toronto concert from Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, on March 25, 1981 (designated here as "Live In YYZ 1981"). The fourth bonus disc is a Blu-ray Audio disc with the core album newly mixed from the original multi-tracks in Dolby Atmos (a Rush catalog first!), Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound as done by noted producer/engineer Richard Chycki, alongside the previously available PCM Stereo mix. Also included on the Blu-ray are four bonus videos: a brand-new video for "YYZ" plus three remastered vintage promo videos for "Tom Sawyer," "Limelight," and "Vital Signs." Additionally, all of the vinyl in the Super Deluxe Edition has been cut via half-speed Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) (another Rush catalog first!) on five 180-gram audiophile LPs.

The Super Deluxe Edition will also include several exclusive items, including a 44-page hardcover book with unreleased photos and new artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme; extensive liner notes by Kim Thayil (guitarist, Soundgarden), Les Claypool (bassist/vocalist, Primus), Taylor Hawkins (drummer, Foo Fighters), Bill Kelliher (guitarist, Mastodon), and Neil Sanderson (drummer, Three Days Grace); a Red Barchetta model car mounted on a black perch with an MP40 nameplate; two Neil Peart signature MP40 branded drumsticks; two metal-embossed guitar picks, one each with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson's respective signatures engraved on them; a replica of the Moving Pictures 1981 official tour program; an MP40 logo enamel pin; a 3D lenticular "Moving Pictures in motion" lithograph; an 18×24-inch Toronto 1981 concert poster; a replica concert ticket from the 1981 Maple Leaf Gardens show; a 12×36-inch Rush Through The Years 1973-1981 poster; a YYZ luggage tag; and a All Access World Tour '81 insert. All contents are housed in a premium lift-top box, which features movingly reimagined cover artwork by Hugh Syme.

The second configuration of Moving Pictures-40th Anniversary will be released in a three-CD Deluxe Edition digipak that includes the newly remastered original album on CD 1 and the entire, unreleased 1981 Toronto concert on CDs 2 and 3. Extras include a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos and reimagined artwork by Syme, along with the aforementioned liner notes by Kim Thayil, Les Claypool, Taylor Hawkins, Bill Kelliher, and Neil Sanderson.

The third Moving Pictures configuration will be offered as a five-LP Deluxe Edition, all of it housed in a slipcase including a single-pocket jacket for the remastered original Moving Pictures on LP 1, and two gatefold jackets for LPs 2-5 that comprise all 19 tracks from the complete, unreleased Live In YYZ 1981 concert. As noted above, all vinyl has been cut for the first time ever via half-speed Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) on 180-gram black audiophile vinyl. Extras include a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos, Syme's reimagined artwork and new illustrations, and the complete liner notes.

The fourth configuration is a one-LP eCommerce exclusive edition, featuring the first-ever half-speed DMM vinyl pressing. It comes newly wrapped in a limited-edition premium tip-on style gatefold jacket with printed sleeve, and each pressing comes with one of six randomly inserted Neil Peart hand-drawn lyrics sheets.

The fifth configuration, the Deluxe Digital Edition, features the original album and all 19 bonus live performances from Toronto, and is the digital equivalent to the three-CD Deluxe Edition.

Finally, the sixth configuration, the Dolby Atmos Digital Edition, is the digital equivalent of Richard Chycki's masterful Atmos mix of all seven tracks from the original album. Watch the unboxing video here.

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