This album is pared down, bare bones, back to basics (?) no bull progressive rock. It also sounds amazing on my car stereo!

I was in Australia the frts time I heard this album. I have been living here for many years and much to my chagrin my favourite band "RUSH" is almost completely unknown here. In general, I don't think that Australians listen to heaps of progressive rock, preferring more organic and acoustic styled music.

That's why when a friend of mine suddenly asked me out of the blue "Do you like Dream Theatre?" I nearly fell over. I was even more delighted to find that there was actually a bit of a following for Dream Theatre building in momentum in Australia, whether or not the band realized it.

When I first heard this album I was immediately blown away. The opening track "As I Am" got about 150 plays on my iPod in one week. This was a dirtier, grittier, edgier DT than we were used to hearing, and the sentiments expressed in that opening song were totally in line with what I was thinking and feeling at that point of my life.

Years later I got a second chance to fall in love with this album. Recently my bandmates and I decided to do a whole slew of Dream Theater in our set and this album wound up in my new stereo system in my car. I have to say that this recording is by far one of their best and one of my favourites to listen to in the car. It is impeccable! This album has the best drum sound I have ever heard!

I guess my only criticism of it would be it's a tad bit on the heavy metal side. Dream Theater is by far one of the most talented and skilled bands on the face of the planet, so I guess to a certain extent I wish that DT would draw upon more range and rely less on heavy metal for their sound. I guess my Australian aesthetics wish that they would be a bit riskier and purposely introduce a more organic sound into their recordings. These guys have CHOPS- I could see them mixing in jazz and more classical sounds to the fray. With musicianship like this, it just doesn't seem to make sense to stay in that heavy metal pigeon hole and never leave.

Don't get me wrong- I do understand it is progressive ROCK,..... but then again is PROGRESSIVE rock hat seperates them from the stock. It just seems to me that the risk could be pushed a little bit further, It doesn't seem right to go so far but not go all the way.

This is one of the best Rush albums of all time.

Forget for a second that anything with an 80's sound is ridiculed. Forget for a second that modern musical idiom is in denial and owes more to this band than is ever acknowledged in the open. Forget for a second that those who ridicule anything from the 80's are usually supporters of what I call "sleepwalk" rock- rock meant to be played in the background like so much lead paint or wallpaper.

To me, Moving Pictures represents the pinnacle of all Rush albums, and without a doubt it is the crown jewel in the Rush musical legacy. This album however, is also a masterpiece closely related to that amazing compendium, and oddly enough it is usually panned by all but the most hardcore Rush fanatic.

I have to admit, that when I first heard this album, purchased when I was in Highschool as a present for my girlfriend (it eventually wound up in MY collection anyway). I hated it. I thought it was the end of days for this esteemed band.

2 weeks later it was the most amazing thing I had ever heard. This album treads dangerous teriroty for a band renown for (what was then) heavy metal progressive rock. Largely synthesized, this album risked alot and tread perilously close to alientating rush fans everywhere.

But it is that very risk that I think makes this album the jewel that it is. It takes guts to embark upon a path such as this- the result either works or it does not. the prrof is in the pudding and unlike their more recent "Vapor Trails", this album is resplendent in sonic mastery and absolute technical perfection.

The musicianship displayed in this recording is mindblowing. The recording itself is a textbook example of the best that analog recording has to offer.

Over the years I have heard many people say they didn't like the mix on this recording. I disagree. i think that judicious taste and a careful touch graced this recording, and it makes me yearn for the "Broon" years when producer Terry Brown manned the helm.

An absolute masterpiece of sound and technique, no matter what the cynics say. I wish I heard more of this sound in their current efforts.

It\'s a sad day when trend setters become jealous of the pop precedent and abandon innovation and character to get in step and fall into line with an already dying aesthetic. Tragedy has struck this band in force and it shows in this album. This album seems confused and mediocre compared to the great epic masterpieces of their past. I love Rush, and was glad to see a new album, but could it be that their fire has gone out? Feedback wasn\'t a much batter album, half-hearted and lazy. These sensibilities of trying to be alternative when alternative music has all but collapsed upon itself scare me. This album is lackluster and lazy, and although I gave it the ole’ college try, I just couldn’t embrace it. I was so excited for this album to come out, but this has to be the worst Rush album of all time.

Don’t get me wrong- I love Rush. However, if this is what they will be putting out, they will be quickly losing my advocacy and support. If I wanted to hear crap like this I would have listened to Mudhoney.