Rush celebrate 40 years of Moving Pictures with new Super Deluxe Edition, including liner notes from Kim Thayil, Les Claypool and Bill Kelliher

Rush will celebrate the 40th anniversary of eighth studio album Moving Pictures by releasing an array of expanded reissue editions on April 15.

Moving Pictures, produced by the band and Terry Brown, was the album that gave us tracks like Tom Sawyer, Limelight and famed instrumental YYZ. It remains the band’s highest-selling album in the US.

The Canadian progressive-rock icons actually released the record almost 41 years ago (on February 12, 1981) but the reissue comes as part of the group’s 40th Anniversary series, hence the title: Moving Pictures – 40th Anniversary. Confused? Well, Rush always did like to keep us guessing.

As part of the lavish reissue campaign, there will be no fewer than six new Moving Pictures packages arriving in April.

At the top end is the monstrous Super Deluxe Edition, which includes three CDs, a Blu-Ray Audio disc and five LPs, which include the album and a previously unreleased 19-song 1981 live set, recorded at the band’s March 25 performance at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Live In YYZ 1981. 

In addition, there are some truly star-studded liner notes from the likes of Kim Thayil, Les Claypool, Taylor Hawkins and Bill Kelliher, not to mention a 44-page hardcover book with new art by cover designer Hugh Syme, a Red Barchetta car model, Neil Peart MP40 drum sticks, two metal picks (with engraved Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson signatures), plus a heap of replica YYZ tour memorabilia.

The other five iterations include a 3CD set, five LP set, one LP edition, Blu-Ray Audio edition, Deluxe Digital Edition (which includes the album and live set) and a Dolby Atmos Digital Edition.

You can preorder or pre-save Rush’s Moving Pictures – 40th Anniversary edition now.