10 Best Progressive Rock Albums Of All Time

Sometimes less really is more.

After spending the '70s knocking out grand scale, 10 minute plus epics, Rush downsized with the 1981 release of 'Moving Pictures'. The result was their biggest commercial success yet and the release of their most famous single, 'Tom Sawyer'. The group's signature high concept lyricism and Neil Peart's incomparable drumming prowess are on full display throughout, even with the more water tight approach to track length.

The album's a fast-paced showcase of Rush's various abilities as a band. Sweeping tracks like 'Red Barchetta' highlight the group's lyrical longing for liberty. 'XYZ' is a neat, well-paced instrumental well-tailored for those longing for the more eccentric compositions of earlier releases.

Then there's the aforementioned 'Tom Sawyer', one of the coolest rock tracks of the '80s. Formed from a poem by Canadian lyricist Pye Dubois, the adventurous single makes good use of the decade's obsession with synthesisers and holds one of guitarist Alex Lifeson's finest solos.

By allowing their sound to become a little more straightforward and accessible, Rush reached new commercial heights whilst keeping their progressive identity in tact. Their next release, 'Signals', did not balance the old and new styles of the group to quite the same effect. Due to a heavy reliance on synthesisers throughout, the LP was criticised for straying too far from the guitar-laden sound the group was better known for.

More than anything, it proved just what a perfect cocktail of sounds and ideas 'Moving Pictures' really was.