The two albums by Rush covered in this film illustrate the changing nature of the band through the 70s and into the 80s.
"2112", released in 1976, was Rush's breakthrough. the title track, which filled the whole of side one on the original LP release, was a defiant expression of the music the band wanted to make despite pressure from their record company to move them in a more "commercial" direction. It was a gamble that paid off with Platinum sales and which laid the foundations for the sequence of albums that followed with thoughtful lyrics covering many themes and multilayered virtusoso music that few other bands could even drem of producing.
"Moving Pictures", released in 1981, saw Rush channel their intellectual complexity and well honed musical skills into a series of shorter, more easily accessible tracks. The result was the biggest selling album of their career and a set of songs including "Tom Sawyer", "Red Barchette", "Limelight" and the instrumental "YXZ" that became radio staples and remain fan favourites to this day.
This Classic Albums programme contains exclusive interviews with band members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson andn NEil Peart along with exclusive performances, archive footage and an in depth examination of the original multi-track tapes with the band and producer Terry Brown.