This news is going to bring down my uncle’s country place that no one knows about.
Neil Peart’s January 2020 death closed the door on Rush ever again releasing newly-written music, but fans can look forward to a new “super deluxe” expanded edition of Moving Pictures slated for release on April 15 (or in Rush dates that’s 15-4-22).
Super Deluxe is putting it mildly.
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of their eighth studio album’s release, the super deluxe edition of Moving Pictures will include three CDs, on Blu-ray audio disc, and five high-quality 180-gram black vinyl LPs.
More importantly to Rush fans, the set will include two discs of previously unreleased and newly restored live content recently mixed by long-time producer Terry Brown from original analog live multi-track recordings of the band’s Maple Leaf Gardens concert in their hometown of Toronto on March 15, 1981. The band’s press release says it will be called Live in YYZ 1981.
The Moving Pictures anniversary release also will be available in six different digital and physical versions
“Step into the Limelight with Rush’s Moving Pictures,” a statement on the band’s website says.
The set also includes the Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015 remastered edition of the album for the first time on CD, and the Blu-ray audio disc will contain Moving Pictures newly mixed from the original multi-track recordings in Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound.
Whatever all of that means, it sounds like it will sound killer.
The new mixes were done by Canadian producer-engineer Richard Chycki, who previously worked with Rush, Dream Theater, and Aerosmith, along with many other legendary artists, and is available alongside the already available PCM Stereo Mix.
The Blu-ray disc also will contain three remastered vintage promo videos for “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight.” and “Vital Signs” – the latter a gem of a song from the album that many people forget, but upon hearing typically say, “Oh yeah!”
As if that wasn’t enough to get excited about and carry home, the super deluxe edition also includes a 44-page hardcover book with unreleased photos and new artwork by original Moving Pictures designer Hugh Syme with new illustrations for all seven songs.
Extensive liner notes are included from Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Les Claypool, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. It’s also going to have a Red Barchetta model car mounted on a black perch with an MP40 license plate, two Neil Peart signature MP40-branded drumsticks, two metal-embossed guitar picks with Geddy Lee’s and Alex Lifeson’s signatures engraved on them, an MP40 enamel pin, a replica of the Moving Pictures tour program, a 3D lithograph depicting “Moving Pictures in motion,” an 18×24 Maple Leaf Gardens 1981 concert poster, a 12×36 “Rush Through The Years” poster, a YYZ luggage tag, and an All-Access World Tour ‘81 insert.
All of that comes in a premium lift-top box featuring reimagined cover art by Syme (apparently he’s been busy living in Moving Pictures land).
Rush sold more than 45 million albums worldwide, including 25 million in the U.S.
Per-order is available now on Rush’s website.
