THIS IS LEGENDARY! Rush - Tom Sawyer l | First Time Reaction  

One of the best lyrics ever written. Timeless. RIP Prof. "No, his mind is not for rent To any god or government Always hopeful, yet discontent He knows changes aren't permanent But change is"

Red Barchetta is the greatest driving song ever written. I will never buy a car without premium sound and sunroof ever again. A winding country road, V8 floored, sunroof open, windows down, Red Barchetta cranked on premium sound. This is how you live life, people. This is how you live life

I can't tell you with words what Rush has meant to me for last 42 years ❤ Anthem of my life.

Many bands used synthesizers in the 70's and 80's, but Rush had a very unique style and sound. Their Album 2112 was ground breaking.

I’ve heard them all and Rush is the greatest rock band of all time.

Geddy Lee, the singer, bass player, and keyboardist, started integrating the mini-moog, the Taurus pedals and the Oberhiem Polyphonic synth sounds in 1977. The keyboards were not new for the time, but the way Rush used them was innovative. The Oberhiem enabled Geddy to play keyboard melodies with his feet while he played bass! And Alex on guitar also made use of the pedals, so they were able to achieve a big orchestral sound with just three guys. The period between 1976 and 1982 is my favorite version of Rush. The keys never sounded too contrived or cold, there was a warm, liquid tone that really filled out the mid- range beautifully.

Love this generation admiring great music, keep this music alive, thank you. 👍👍👍

One of their biggest and most known songs. Side 1 of this album is , IMO, one of the perfect album sides. Neil Peart would judge how his night was going to go by how well he got through this song. R.I.P. Professor.

Thank you for reviewing legendary Canadian group Rush. Hard to believe there are only three band members, all amazing musicians including one of the best drummers of all time who passed away a while ago.

Omg im loving your rush's reactions. Please more and more. ❤️

Quite simply three geniuses at the peak of their creativity and masters of their art 🎸

"Changes aren't permanent, but change is". What a great lyric! Rosalie, it is entertaining watching you listen to Rush (and others) and see they total mystification on your face.

Terrific reaction picking up on much of what makes this band so amazing. Three elite musicians all in the conversation of best in the genre at their instruments. Three way musical mind meld that redefined the term “tight.” Complex composition with multiple transitions that they pull off flawlessly. Elements of classical music: musical themes or melodies that are passed from one instrument to another, recurring throughout the piece. Poetic, thought provoking lyrics (written by “beast” drummer Peart).

Rosalie, Rush and so many bands from 60's, 70's 80's and part of 90's, their music is timeless. Great reaction. and yes more Rush.

Back in 2008 my teenage son was taking drums and I took him to a rush concert

Neil was the lyricist for Rush and he was extremely well read, which led to him writing songs that had depth and true meaning, sometimes dealing with current events and things from the past as well! He IS the professor!!

I was in High School when this came out. People were absolutely besides themselves listening to this over and over even in the Hallways and classrooms. Before school and after. Boom Boxes at school. Those were the days. I think the second most played song was Crazy Train.

Looking forward to this journey! This was my first concert back in 1981., Moving Pictures Tour. My Uncle Bill told me this was going to be a great concert. Thank you for the experience Uncle😎👍

Aaah, the rare triple entendre! The crowd on the album is weeping, because they find the pictures "moving" (adjective). The movers are "moving" (verb) the pictures, and the back cover depicts a movie set capturing the scene as a "moving picture" (noun)

Rush, in my opinion, is the very definition of prog rock. And it’s only 3 people

There can never be too much Rush😁. . Great vid ✌️

The front cover shows people being moved by the emotionally moving pictures being moved and the back cover shows the picture on the front cover being staged and taken. 😂

I first saw them live in Dec. '81 on their Moving Pictures tour. Tom Sawyer was the first song on that album. I was 15. A lifelong Rush fan. I'm a 58 year old rock musician. I need to clue you in to this amazing and unique band. Rosie, you'll love the prog meatal band, Jinjer. They are a female fronted Ukrainian band that started out in '09. 💙💛Their first single from their upcoming album dropped three weeks ago called "Someone's Daughter". Check the OMV. It's a must see and hear vid. It will open you up to a deep dive of progressive greatness that Jinjer is. Cheers! 🥂

Your reaction of Rush is always spot on. The changing cords/rhythms are quintessential Rush! I've said it before...Rush is perfect for your psychological mind. Geddy Lee, Alex and Neil (The Professor)! Neil was an avid reader, and also a psychological mind, his love of literature helped him create his lyrics. Extremely intelligent and it showed through his words! Neil said of Tom Sawyer's lyrics..."I took the boy and the man in myself and the difference between what people are and what others perceive them to be". Geddy Lee and Alex grew up together and the two of them are so funny and tricksters...they even brought out the humor from Neil, who ended up being the biggest trickster! The three Musketeers were very close and so intune with each other and you could hear it in their music and see it in their performances!

You’re in for a ride!! So so so many great songs in this album an the lyrics!!! An when you finally hit the final song witch hunt… can’t wait to see you breakdown!! That song gives me goosebumps

Hi Rosalie. Thanks for a great review. Rush one of the all time great bands and Neil Peart not just a beast but arguably the GOAT drummer! Rush has a library of great tracks so please keep making your way through. Would love to go along for the ride!

For the first time ever, I just noticed that I recognize the building on the album cover. I had to go there a month ago to pay for a traffic offense. Crazy.

I still can't wrap my head around singing, playing the bass and playing foot pedal synth parts at the same time in a live concert. I saw them live in '79 in support of 2112. Awesome.

I saw them live 6 times. Every time was a life changing show and appreciation of their music. Red barchetta is another good song. One of my personal favorites and i love you and your reactions 😅

Holy moly you’re just getting to this iconic song and album?! Oh my goodness this drum solo is still an epic achievement when you play drums. I sadly no longer have the ability to play but it took me a few years to get it right

Thank you for this reaction. Brought a tear to my eye. You truly get it.

There is no modern band quite like RUSH. They were perfectionists. Their live performances, for those who were lucky enough to have seen them, sounded EXACTLY the same as when it was recorded in the studio. It blows my mind how so much precise sound could have come from three guys.

Neil said this was the most difficult song for him to play. This is a great song. ❤

I’m 54 years old…been listening to Rush since I was like four or five thanks to my parents being into great music. It still to this day amazes me they are a thee piece! 🤘🏼

Hi Rosalie! Thank you for the info about the firefighter. Never knew that. Your reaction was awesome! Loved the look of amazement on your face! They are amazing! You hit the nail on the head when u were talking about them changing. They are known as progressive rock aka prog rock

Best live band ever.

I like to call this song, the 3 solos in 1 song. Each band member is soloing individually, but within a team concept!!!

goosebumps everytime like hearing the album for the first time. again and again

Yes, Rush were trailblazers with technology. The fact they filmed the recording of this song in the studio is a prime example. This was recorded in the winter of 1980 and early 1981. MTV never went on air until the fall of 1981. Rush was a little ahead of their peers.

I was driving in my car the day it was released and I heard it for the first time. WDIZ from Orlando. I still remember how quick I fell in love with this song

And they did this live. And it sounded just. like. this. Yeah, Im a fan. seen them a lot live. A lot. Since high school in 1978.

I love that you're focusing on the music, not the video, and that you just have the album cover up. That’s exactly how we experienced it for the first time. Gazing at the album cover while the record played. Reading the liner notes inside. I think too many reactors watch post-MTV videos of pre-MTV music. They wind up getting distracted by the bells and whistles on the screen that often leads them in a totally different direction than we did, having just the music.

It's probably the biggest rabbit hole your going to experience and they are better live. I was very lucky to see them from 81 onwards ❤

Remember the Walkman? Back in 1981 I purchased my first Walkman cassette player. I bought the player along with the album (the cassette) Moving Pictures. I listened to this album constantly. I still have that cassette (unfortunately, it no longer plays due to degradation of the magnetic tape) but I have the vinyl and digital versions. Saw them in concert three times in the 70's. Rush was very underappreciated through much of the time since then but is having a resurgence due to reactors as yourself. For that I thank you. I get the warm fuzzies whenever I see young folks enjoy music that I grew up with. I like to say that the rock of my day provided the building blocks for the music of today. Thank you for your insightful reaction to one of my favorite songs! Blessings!

it’s just plain lovely

So.....next up is Red Barchetta and it's simply brilliant. It's based on a short story published by Road and Track magazine in the early/mid '70's and is a complete gem! I love Rush so much, I was fortunate enough to see them live several times.

Welcome to the Rush Family! :) Enjoying your reactions and deep dive lyrical analyses. You have found that point in life many of us experienced years ago when we first heard this band. ❤ Every song is a present to unwrap. From this song, I learned that to listen to Rush is to listen as one does a classical music piece: the instrumentation weaves and braids around each other, goes apart, comes back together, mirrors then contrasts each other as they trade-off musical roles. Lyrically, for Tom Sawyer, this was written in collaboration with Pye Dubois and was Neil's attempt to reconcile the boy and man in himself. Hope you enjoy the rest of the Rush Ride!

No matter how many times I hear this, it always sounds new and fresh to me.

'Signals' and 'Permanent Waves' albums need a listen, in full, as well.

Full album, I'm here for it. A Masterpiece from beginning to end.

I can do this (Rush) all day. ❤😎

You stopped right before my favorite drum fill

When you were talking about the synthesizers being added to their songs, it reminded of a line in their song "The Spirit of Radio"... "All this machinery making modern music can still be open hearted".

It can't be overstated that Rush was among the greatest innovators of all time in the incorporation of new technology into their music. Geddy talks about it quite a bit in his memoir My Effin Life.

Linda Rosalie. Muy buen análisis, Rush es una agrupación que hace música muy compleja y de gran calidad. Una demostración de talento y que no todo se puede crear usando herramientas tecnológicas. Sólo hay solistas hoy en día y muy poca banda que pueda reproducir su música en el escenario con gran calidad.

You are spot on about the sounds being new and innovative

Moving Pictures. One of the albums I have on vinyl, cassette, CD, and MP3. In my view, one of the greatest albums ever released. Rush is so profound in many ways. There are eras of their discography that I struggle with, but I always come back. Such a great band.

Gotta watch the video. It's insane watching them all play.

Rush was always innovative. Trying new things experimenting with time shifts and different instruments.

Moving Pictures was the very 1st album I "experienced"; turned on the stereo and turntable, plugged in the headphones & put them on, placed the album on the turntable, put the needle to vinyl, laid on the floor, picked up the album liner, and read the lyrics as they were being sung. 1981. WOW!

Being a Prog band, yes Rush did have a 'cutting edge' sound in 81 when this was new. That instrumental bridge is legendary. Love watching someone whose not heard it before look dumbfounded as this song moves along. Heard more times than I can count and still love it. Happy Sunday, Rosalie!

Rush and more Rush coming. Sounds like a hell of a plan. See you in the car. TY Cheers! 😎

Rush are the best band I ever heard of got to see live. Moving Pictures is their best album from start to finish. It came in a spot in their discography where they were doing new things, using new musical techniques, shifting their albums to a slightly more radio friendly style. Their musical mastery was being showcased in ever more and diverse ways. Their Time Machine tour may be my favorite concert of theirs on the strength of Moving Pictures being played in its entirety. That album may be the best album of any genre ever made by any artist.

Next you should watch the official video of this song where a camera crew was in the recording studio as these three guys were laying down the tracks of what you just heard. Seeing them in action adds to the amazement of their talents.

This is one of the albums that has a home in my personal "perfect albums" playlist :)

Been listening to Moving Pictures for 43 years now. My first Rush concert, ATL/Omni 1981

I was fortunate to see these guys live 3 times. Long live RUSH. Excited to see you on this journey.

Great Band!

I am so excited to hear you are tackling the whole album. Rush is so iconic & so legendary. Their career is damn near the definition of a rabbit hole. I’ll be here for the entirety!

Listening to 2112 for the first time was a momentous occasion for most of us teenage boys. I could never get it through my head that the 3 guys in the robes made ALL of that noise! Temple of Syrinx just blew my mind. I was like 11-12 listening to Floyd AC/DC even before I got into Zeppelin.

Now that's how to open an album!! RUSH entered the 80's with an increasing emphasis on keyboards, (including synths). By the miod-80's the keyboard was such a dominant part of their songs that guitarist Alex Lifeson was openly wondering where his guitar would fit in. They figured it out.😄

Thanks for the blast from the past. And you are spot on about the drummer. People try to cover Rush songs, but they never get the drums right. 😎☘️

Have to watch this live its one of the greatest drum fills in music

Loved this record as a kid. As always, you do great work.

Synthesizers began to make their presence felt in rock music in the late 1960s. Early electronic instruments like the theremin and Mellotron were used by rock musicians to create unique sounds. By the end of the '70's decade, the Moog synthesizer became the prominent synthesizer, especially in the progressive rock genre. One of the many pivotal moments was the release of Wendy Carlos' album "Switched-On Bach" in 1968, which showcased the Moog synthesizer and helped bring it into the mainstream. I remember in 1985 i had a huge argument with a musician friend about how synthesizers were not destroying music and that drum machines were not the death of culture. lol A lot of musicians had the feeling that if you could pre program a piece of music then it was not performance but nowadays the only thing performed live is the mistakes and most of the music is less than trash so I guess they were right. Without the backing tracks put Dionne Warwick or Whitney Houston against Taylor Swift and you compare the singing quality don't listen to me.

Rosalie, I am very excited that you will react to Moving Pictures. As with most Rush albums they brought new sounds and influences to every album, reflecting the leading edge of music at the time. I think you will really enjoy this experience. Rush On the cover art: The album cover is a monument to triple entendre. Movers are physically moving pictures, people are crying because the pictures passing by are emotionally “moving,” and the back cover depicts a film crew making a “moving picture” of the whole scene

Rush is the smartest yet most accessible band you will ever hear. They don't talk down to you....that talk TO you.

Rush is and will always be in a league of their own!!

Innovation in music during this era was very common. Rock and Roll was in the development stage.

I really like like your analysis of the songs you play.

I forgot about Dream Weaver -- Gary Wright 1975... no electric lead or rhythm guitar on that one ..

The whole album is fantastic. I would suggest doing some live performances of these songs. Seeing how effortlessly they play and their enjoyment of performing is second to none. The next song is Red Barchetta I am suggesting the performance from Exit Stage Left Cheers

So true! Rush was way ahead of their time.

If Rush blows your mind, please make yourself and watch any of the songs you already reacted to but live. You couldn't describe/understand how these 3 uktra talented musicians can exceed their talent while playing live. Try it out, and then you'll be completely into the Rush world forever

I still remember walking out of Record Store with this cassette tape when this released. I was familiar with Rush and had a few of their older albums, but this one subtly changed my life. Moving Pictures is a true masterpiece in nearly every area.

I listened to this album non stop in middle and high school.

New? Yes. Different? Yes. Talented? Hell yes. Some of the best progressive rock ever.

Did see them in concert back in highschool. Great show.

So much sound from a trio! Incredible! Red Barchetta is next. Love your analysis and reactions Rosalie1 Ah-O!

Iconic song.

You'll have a terrific time unpacking The Spirit of Radio. Try to slot that one in sometime!

Hi Rosalie, to answer your question: Rush is a very innovative band! Through the mid 70's (with the addition to Neil Peart) they experimented on every album- listen to 2112 and you can see a huge quantum leap step in their music on each consecutive record. Synthesizers started becoming more important. They were listeners of Yes and Genesis (Synth and Keyboard oriented bands) and perhaps wanted to have those textures but without hiring a new member so Geddy Lee took it upon himself to develop the skills on keys. One thing about Rush is they are a literary band, regardless of how much musical craziness is going on, the songs have meaning and are deep with social conscious. I grew up with them and was forming my own musical/creative identity as a teen in a "Star Wars" culture of 1977. The music of that time was so amazing and complex and unique and innovative. Please listen to more of these guys- you will have years of content to create and enjoy every moment of it! ~JP

The drumming and the baselines in this song are crazy good. Neil Peart owns this song. And love the lyrics and Geddy's vocals. The synthesizer was born in the 70s and all the Prog Rock bands experimented with them.

RUSH is timeless! I started listening in 1975, and never looked back! I just turned 63.

Three master musicians getting together and putting together masterful music... Have been a fan since late 70s ... ❤

Been lucky enough to see Rush a few times, First time in Glasgow Apollo, (feels a long time ago now). Love your reaction, take care❤

Tom Sawyer is one of those forever songs that gets my full attention, at the highest volume my system will take. Such an amazing thrill for the ears.

You should watch the official music video of this song. It’s up close and personal with the band playing this song in their Canadian studio. It’s very cool. I highly recommend it. 😁👍

One of the best albums by anyone, anytime!😸

I can't wait to watch you react to this lp. I subbed. Enjoy the ride. Great band