They prepared him for an unusual and strange sound, just like the idea behind the lyrics to the song. Peart said that Geddy and Alex came to his house with the demo tape in which they recorded the music for the song. "Outsiders", "socially rejected nerds", who since school days were "cataloged" and marked as exceptions only because of "judgment" and "prejudice". Neil Peart thought about the background from which the band members come from and also a large part of its fans. Peart noted that he began writing the lyrics to the song "Subdivisions" in the exact same session with the two sound team members. It’s those kinds of surprises that Signals pitches into the right field.This jam session with two sound crew members gave the band the boost it needed to run forward and complete the writing of the new material for the album "Signals". I can’t imagine how anyone could make a serious song about that, but Rush pulls it off with gliding wonder. The album also shows it has guts with its epic closer ‘Countdown’, that is strangely about a space shuttle launch. It drives a tough and intricate lyrical trance on life’s fears. The mechanical drum beat of ‘The Weapon’ is catchy to say the least. Every track and space fits seamlessly into the next, weaving such a masterpiece as this.ĭon’t get me wrong, this album isn’t just about gushy feelings, Rush still shows that they’ve got their stuff, as the guitarist Alex Lifeson presents on the track: ‘The Analog Kid’. Along with the auras of Hope and Faith present in the lyrics and melodies, “Signals” is a psychologically captivating classic. Every song shows musical complexity in its rawest form, whether it’s reserved or a sprawled-out intricate array of imagination. “Signals” shows a passion that many deny and others push aside. Geddy Lee’s singing fit perfectly with the new sound and created a motivating masterpiece of grandeur. The lyrics themselves are incredibly well thought out and processed. Troubles of life and the insecurity for growing up and getting older sway the general feeling of the album. Neil Peart’s lyrics are much more focused and in sync with life on Signals. Even the song ‘Digital Man’ has a reggae pressure to it, those who enjoyed Rush’s previous flirts with reggae would heavily commend. Songs akin of ‘Losing It’ and ‘Subdivisions’ explain the true passion behind the record, but the tracks ‘Chemistry’ and ‘The Analog Kid’ show the side older Rush fans may enjoy. Rush certainly demonstrates that they can influence emotion while creating a driving force behind it all. 7/8 paces of underlying moods push into the listener’s feeling of the heart, while the 4/4 tempo gathers the well of emotion a great deal more than a rock classic such as this should. From the beginning of ‘Subdivisions’, the haunting uncertainty of the synth drives deep emotional feedback into the listener. The hit songs ‘Subdivisions’ and ‘New World Man’ were sudden changes of pace compared to the hailed and overplayed ‘Tom Sawyer’. “You move me, you move me/With your buildings and your eyes/Autumn woods and winter skies/You move me, you move me/Open sea and city lights/Busy streets and dizzy heights” Rush cloned the feeling well, as is apparent from the “moving” melody of ‘The Analog Kid’. It’s the visual image of your problems and fears in the mirror and the feeling of sadness and creative depressions. A side that anyone can relate to if they actually try, and that is a side that many would not like to face. The songs push past the lyrics of fiction and sci-fi themes to reveal the deep side of Rush. However, this album is the real Moving Pictures. Although as underrated it was at the time, the song structures would show as the forefront to Rush’s 80’s sound until the next decade, and would become the focal point of Rush’s synth driven era. The unusual hit off of the album, ‘New World Man’ came from nowhere street and wrecked the charts with a stunning #21 Billboard Hit, Rush’s highest chart to date. It was all but presumable for almost every band that entered the 80’s still alive. Most were turned off when it became apparent the straightforward guitar driven rock sound was missing. The synth drenched compositions of this album threw many into leaving the Rush fan-base and handed the green light to many music critics who had been looking to heavily pan Rush since their inception. For the Canadian Rock Trio, 1982 is the year everything changed. “Signals” is the red light that stopped many fans dead in their tracks. Review Summary: Forget a sequel, this album is the real "Moving Pictures"