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Sunday, August 14, 2011

RUSH : The Camera Eye [1981]


Rush's Time Machine Tour 2010 - 2011 is the third most successful tour of the past year (behind Usher and Lady Gaga, yikes!), proving how enduring the trio is to their legions of fans. One of this tour's selling points is the fact that the band is playing their most popular album "Moving Pictures" in its entirety. Married to this is the re-release of the album as a Deluxe Edition, with a version in 5.1 audio surround! I have said time and again that the only way to remaster music these days is to do something different, and listening to a favourite album in 5.1 is like nothing else! If done well, the remaster will trump all previous versions and become the 'ultimate edition'. Genesis has done it, King Crimson is doing it, and other artists may follow suit. The success of this reissue now has the band considering reworking their ENTIRE back catalogue! That will be a thrill to fans if that comes to pass.
In the meantime, you can check out the new remaster of "The Camera Eye". This is the longest track on the "Moving Pictures", and the last track ever written by Rush to exceed the 10-minute mark! It is basically written in two large parts, the first part has the lyrics painting an image of New York City, whlie the second part deals with London. The beginning is filled with synths, perfectly dating the song. One of my favourite Rush riffs starts at ~2:43, I always felt this kind of sound typifies the band. The flow of the song is wonderfully 'jerky', where the song basically reboots at the 5:59 mark. And Neil Peart's fills, although ever-present, tend to play for the song rather than against it. For example, the understated accents starting at 6:16 lift that part of the song to another level. What's also interesting about this song is it really shows the musicianship of Alex Lifeson - the part of his guitar solo at 9:51 shows a higher level of technique than I've heard from him before! This track may take a few listens to get the true feel of it, but the rewards are there if you do.



Song : "The Camera Eye" by RushFrom the LP "MOVING PICTURES" (Anthem) Feb. 12, 1981

LINEUP:
Geddy Lee : bass, synths (Minimoog, Oberheim, Moog Taurus bass pedals), vocals
Alex Lifeson : guitars
Neil Peart : drums, percussion


Link in title

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Not only a great pick, but great writing babe!

Miloš Vasić said...

I was thinking the same thing as I was reading it....

Anonymous said...

Chers for the heads up on the 5.1 version of the track. I'll have to "track" that down and get it.

Captain Beyond said...

Link updated; in title