Moving Pictures
Rush

As a Canadian, I've never felt truly complete knowing that I had yet to check out one of the biggest prog bands (and biggest bands in general) from this country. But that's what this list is for. I've heard bassist and lead vocalist Geddy Lee before though, the guy's a renowned bassist and this album showcases his greatest strength - visibility. While the tone, style, and technicality remind me of Chris Squire of Yes' playing, its presence on this particular album is even stronger, driving the lead melodies on many of these songs. I was a bit indifferent towards his vocals but they grew on me by the time I got to the song 'Limelight', maybe my favorite song here. This prog album feels like it's doing a lot with very little - which is impressive as is, but with songs that are much shorter than your typical prog song, the respective members also manage to showcase a strong understanding of what it means to be "progressive rock". And I say that because many songs, especially the instrumental 'YWZ', manage to encapsulate all those '70s prog tropes very well. The ever-changing song structures, the unconventional time signatures, the bizarre guitar tones, aggressive breaks, and fills - they're all here in spades. And it's all just very enjoyable and doesn't dabble too long on any one idea or motif. This is an album that's constantly changing and one that values cohesive song structures and melody - things that are oftentimes missing from this genre.

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