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A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Tue, Nov 19, 2024

Richard Chycki on the future of Rush's catalog in 5.1

Tue, Apr 5, 2011@3:31PM | comments removed/disabled

UPDATE - 4/5@4:22PM: FYE.com is giving away 5 autographed Rush Moving Pictures posters in celebration of the release (thanks Power Windows).

[Rush: The Fountain of Surround]
[Rush's Fountain of Surround, Part 2: Moving Predictions]

The Moving Pictures 5.1 surround sound 30th anniversary deluxe edition hit stores today. The CD+DVD version is available via multiple retailers but the CD+Blu-ray is only being sold exclusively through Best Buy for the first 30 days; other retailers will have the Blu-ray version on May 3rd. In celebration of the release, Sound & Vision editor-in-chief Mike Mettler (who has already had great things to say about the remix) put together an article yesterday titled Rush: The Fountain of Surround where he chronicles Rush's decade-long journey toward embracing the 5.1 format by compiling bits of interviews he's done with the band over the past several years. Today he posted part 2 of his Rush feature - Rush's Fountain of Surround, Part 2: Moving Predictions. In this installment he unearthed an unpublished interview he'd conducted with Rush sound engineer Richard Chycki back in 2009 where he and Rich discuss the potential of 5.1 as it relates to Rush's back catalog. Moving Pictures is of course mentioned as a prime candidate for 5.1 and this prediction ultimately ended up coming true. But what about the rest of Rush's catalog? The article gives us a notion of what other albums from the Rush catalog might get the 5.1 treatment. 2112 is mentioned as are Caress of Steel, Hemispheres, Power Windows and Vapor Trails. Here's Rich on Caress of Steel:

... The more esoteric material would do really well, you know? Caress of Steel [1975] would be stunning to do in surround, as it�s a frightfully dry record. To maintain that dryness in surround, the placement would be so critical. I think it would be a very angular project to listen to in surround because when stuff �disappears,� there�s so little ambience; you get that suction, with the tail flattening stuff out. Doing something like Caress in surround, with all the motion, everything would be very extreme. But it would be a treat to sit and listen to � especially at extreme volumes. ...

I could not agree more! I love that album. You can read the entire interview at this link and also be sure to check out part 1 of the installment here. And if you haven't already, be sure to vote in the current poll where I'm asking everyone which Rush album that they think should be next to get the 5.1 Surround Sound treatment. Hemispheres is currently in the lead with 2112 close behind.

As I'd mentioned over the weekend, pre-orders of the release have astonishingly already propelled Moving Pictures back into the Billboard 200 after 30 years; it's currently sitting at #137 for the week of April 9th. They even still list its peak position at #3 (this occurred back in 1981) and that it's been on the charts for 69 weeks. You can get more details regarding the Moving Pictures deluxe edition in this post and order your copy at Amazon (CD+DVD, CD+Blu-ray). In celebration of the release, John at Cygnus-X1.net is holding a contest to give away five copies of the CD/DVD version. The first winner was selected this past Friday, April 1st (congrats Mike Markiewicz of Riverview, Michigan!). John will be giving 4 more away; one each Friday for the next 4 weeks. To enter just go to this link. There's also a 30-second trailer for the release which you can watch below or at this location.