Even if you choose to ignore the debate raging around RBS chief executive Stephen Hester’s reported annual bonus of GB pound 1 million – and his decision to refuse that sum in the wake of political and social pressure – this week has indeed been dominated by… well, money.
Here at Info4Security’s headquarters we’ve been talking about money since Monday (when we reported on identity fraud costing the UK around GB pound 27 billion every year).
Then MITIE Group’s Interim Management Statement was issued just as we found out it’s a boom time for the fraudsters.
Oh, and let’s not forget the cost reductions to be realised through policing reform, criminals funding victim support services and our own new initiative – IFSEC Connections – bringing buyers and suppliers together at Birmingham’s NEC this coming May.
Gods of progressive rock
So, in honour of all that this week’s Song About Security comes courtesy of Rush, the progressive rock Gods who hail from the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto (and just happen to be fantastic).
The band comprises lead vocalist, keyboardist and bass player par excellence Geddy Lee, guitarist (and occasional backing vocalist) Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart. They’ve been together since 1968 (which makes me a year older than them!)
Across the decades they’ve managed to construct some of the best rock music you’ll ever hear, from their earlier numbers such as Tom Sawyer and YYZ through to Subdivisions and Middletown Dreams and on to the newer tracks including Spindrift and Caravan.
Middletown Dreams appears on the 1983 album Power Windows, the lead track of which is The Big Money.
The latter was written by Peart (as indeed are so many of Rush’s best moments) and focuses its attentions on the power of ‘big money’ as well as the sheer magnitude of trade in the modern global economy (notably during the 1980s when millions of dollars appeared to be loose change if you lived on Southfork Ranch in the heart of Texas).
Computer graphics in videos
Interestingly, the video you’re about to watch was produced by Geddy Lee’s brother Allan Weinrib. You’ll notice that it makes heavy use of computer-generated graphics which were just being introduced at the time (check out Dire Straits’ video Money For Nothing for further evidence) but are now commonplace in many bands’ promotional clips.
I saw Rush perform this track on the Hold Your Fire Tour at Wembley Arena back in the late 80s. It was the lead-off number throughout that tour, in fact, and was captured on the DVD entitled A Show of Hands (which is sublime).
Anyway, that’s enough rambling from me. Here’s Geddy and the Boys at their very best…
