The cover to Rush’s seminal album, 1980’s Moving Pictures, works on three different levels to illustrate the title. First of all, you can see 6 people transporting paintings, or moving pictures. Then a family on the side is crying, because the pictures are moving. Then on the back cover, you see a film crew at work, producing what used to be called a moving picture. Rush has always been about word play and second level meaning, so it’s not surprising that crossed over to the album covers.
This picture was taken on the front steps of the Ontario Legislative building in downtown Toronto (Rush’s hometown). I was there last week for Canadian Music Week and made a little detour to snap a few pics of the scene.
John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada.
A statue of Queen Victoria.
Sadly, no one was around to carry a picture for me. That would have been the ultimate photo!
The front arches, as framed on the cover
I tried to replicate the color temperature of the original picture but couldn’t get it right.