Customer Reviews

Exit Stage Left

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Suitably enough, Rush recorded a live album to top off the most successful period in their careers. Permanent Waves and especially Moving Pictures had secured reams of popularity for the power-prog trio, so a high-energy live compilation was the perfect coda to this hallowed chapter in the band's history.

The tracks here cover a fairly broad range of Rush's catalogue up to this point, but skip over the debut and Caress of Steel. Although this collection largely covers the band's shorter, more commercial songs, they never forget the progressive rock wings on which they once soared. I'd say the song selection is perfect. Alongside hits like "Freewill," "Tom Sawyer," and "The Spirit of Radio" are progressive epics like "Xanadu" and "Jacob's Ladder." One of my favorite moments on the album comes with "La Villa Strangiato," an astounding instrumental tour-de-force that concretizes the band's standing as musicians' musicians. Live, this song SMOKES. Lifeson's first solo in this song is infused with tenfold the passion of the original, and I can't help but get chills up and down my spine listening to it. Still, while the energy is there and the songs are great, overdubs render the album a wee bit too polished, and the band's blazing live ebullience is diluted somewhat.

Still, this album many wonderful moments. The precise, stunning drum solo during "YYZ," "Closer to the Heart" with the entire crowd joining in with Geddy on vocals, the ultra-high energy performance of "Red Barchetta," the serene melodies of "Broon's Bane" as a seque into the hard-rocking "The Trees"...the list is endless.

I was kind of disappointed by the album's dubious representation of the concert experience. At the end of most tracks, the sound fades out and then comes back in for the next song. It's like it's taking snippets from several concerts instead of capturing the seamless performance. Most live albums cut superfluous crowd noise and chitchat, but blend crowd noise together so that it flows smoothly from song to song anyway. This works better in preserving the feel of the actual show. Annoyingly, here you'll often hear silence between the tracks and it creates a frustrating disjointed "concert" experience.

But it's not so bad. As a high-energy live "greatest hits" type package, Exit Stage Left can't be beat. Rush rules the world, and this captures them at their best.

(Oh, and make sure you get the Remastered edition, which has "A Passage to Bangkok," a rockin' song that was not included on some of the earlier pressings.)

There are several things you can judge a live album for, and this one ranks quite well on most of them. Some of the ones where it's "weak" are: mix (uneven at times, leaning a bit more toward Geddy Lee's bass), sound quality (between songs, specially) and the general live feel (arguably, there weren't too many mics pointed at the audience, so you don't hear very loud "roars" between tracks).

On the flip side, the album ranks so well on so many other fronts, that the downsides pale by comparison. The musicianship, above all things, is bound to leave you speechless: Geddy Lee's basswork and Neil Peart's drums are out of this world (take the "YYZ" looooooong solo by the latter as the best example, easily making the entire album worth buying). The fact that the band sounds just as well live as they do on the studio says so much about their work too. Some people argue this is bad: I dare to say this is where a musician gets to prove him/herself, by matching or exceeding the studio work.

All in all, given the items mentioned before, while not the best live album EVER, this is a great piece to add to your music collection to sum up the band's work as well as to enjoy outstanding performances of several of their classics which by now have become prog rock standards.

Considered not only the finest live album by Rush, but the finest live album by any artist, Exit...Stage Left shines like no other.

Rush shows how their musicianship has evolved and improved since their first live cut (All the World's A Stage).

Tracks from their finest CDs to date appear throughout this exceptional collection, and some outdue their studio counterparts.

Case in Point: YYZ. The studio version of this incredible instumental was fantastic. The live version is unreal. Neil Peart's drum solo is...impossible. How one many can generate so many sounds still boggles the mind.

You have to hear (and feel it - subwoofer up to 12) to appreciate it...and even then you'll be left speechless.

Every accolade Rush receives is well deserved as this spectacle proves.

Crank it up!

Exit Stage Left contains the most real and moving conveyances of emotion through music that I have ever heard. Some songs, like La Villa Strangiato, you have to listen to several times before you can even grasp the level of proficiency that these three musicians are playing on. Neil's drum solo in YYZ is almost impossible to believe- in fact, it is what inspired me to take up drumming a few years ago. I have enjoyed this CD since I got a hand-me-down of the old version back in '94. The addition of "A Passage to Bangkok" is just one more incentive to buy the newer version. IMO, anyone who rates this CD lower than a 4 either didn't give it a thorough listen or isn't very musically inclined to begin with.

I think this is the best live Rush album, besides Different Stages of course. How could it be bad? It's a collection of the best songs from Rush's peak period (with the notable exception of Limelight). A lot of people have said that the songs are to close to the studio versions. And while some of them are pretty close, none are carbon copies. After all, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Actually, they did fix it though. This album is heavily overdubbed. No matter, it's still one to get.

Live albums usually lack something in recording and instrumental quality. Not this one. As a big Rush fan who has most of their albums, I truly believe they were at the peak of their careers when they recorded this album. Neil Peart's drumming is incredible and listening to him live makes it even more dynamic. The drum solo in YYZ is worth the price of admission alone. All the great songs from their previous albums are here. My personal favorite is "The Trees", which sends shivers down my spine and I like the live version better then the original version. This is, IMO, the greatest Live Rock album ever produced.

This is no doubt the best of Rush's live albums. All the classics are here: Spirit of Radio, Freewill, Tom Sawyer, YYZ, The Trees, etc. The highlight track is the epic, La Villa Strangiato. An eleven minute instrumental this is no doubt Rush in its finest hour. This live version is also much superior to the original studio one released on the 1978 album Hemispheres. Every time I hear Alex Lifeson's slow & moody guitar solo about halfway through the song I get goosebumps all over. Also the extended jam between "The Trees" and "Xanadu" is nothing short of breathtaking. The band even adds an extended acoustic intro track to the beginning of "The Trees" that can be found only this live record. This CD is an absolute necessity in the collection of serious rock fans everywhere!

Suitably enough, Rush recorded a live album to top off the most successful period in their careers. Permanent Waves and especially Moving Pictures had secured reams of popularity for the power-prog trio, so a high-energy live compilation was the perfect coda to this hallowed chapter in the band's history.

The tracks here cover a fairly broad range of Rush's catalogue up to this point, but skip over the debut and Caress of Steel. Although this collection largely covers the band's shorter, more commercial songs, they never forget the progressive rock wings on which they once soared. I'd say the song selection is perfect. Alongside hits like "Freewill," "Tom Sawyer," and "The Spirit of Radio" are progressive epics like "Xanadu" and "Jacob's Ladder." One of my favorite moments on the album comes with "La Villa Strangiato," an astounding instrumental tour-de-force that concretizes the band's standing as musicians' musicians. Live, this song SMOKES. Lifeson's first solo in this song is infused with tenfold the passion of the original, and I can't help but get chills up and down my spine listening to it. Still, while the energy is there and the songs are great, overdubs render the album a wee bit too polished, and the band's blazing live ebullience is diluted somewhat.

Still, this album many wonderful moments. The precise, stunning drum solo during "YYZ," "Closer to the Heart" with the entire crowd joining in with Geddy on vocals, the ultra-high energy performance of "Red Barchetta," the serene melodies of "Broon's Bane" as a seque into the hard-rocking "The Trees"...the list is endless.

I was kind of disappointed by the album's dubious representation of the concert experience. At the end of most tracks, the sound fades out and then comes back in for the next song. It's like it's taking snippets from several concerts instead of capturing the seamless performance. Most live albums cut superfluous crowd noise and chitchat, but blend crowd noise together so that it flows smoothly from song to song anyway. This works better in preserving the feel of the actual show. I don't know why this wasn't done for this album. Deadlines? Laziness? That stop-start effect kind of throws things off, which annoys me.

But let's give 'er five stars. As a high-energy live "greatest hits" type package, Exit Stage Left can't be beat. And don't listen to the critics...they don't know what they're talking about. Rush rules the world, and this captures them at their best.

(Oh, and make sure you get the Remastered edition, which has "A Passage to Bangkok," a rockin' song that was not included on some of the earlier pressings. It might be tempting to save a few bucks in buying the old one, but don't be cheap! You'll be missing out!)

In case some of you are wondering if you should A)Upgrade your original Exit...Stage Left CD with the new remastered one or B)Wondering which version to get, I have some simple answers for you. You see I had the original CD and then bought the Rush Remasters version hoping for some audio improvements. The remastering done on the new CD brings practically zero improvements to the original mastering. Only the most intense audiophiles with expensive sound systems will likely notice a large enough improvement to make a difference. I'm pretty picky about audio fidelity and when comparing the two versions face to face I couldn't find any differences at all.

So now that the whole remastered question is out of the way we can cover another question: that missing song. This CD is missing a song that was originally on the double vinyl album the CD is supposed to replace. That song was A Passage to Bangkok. That song was left out because the CD couldn't hold the entire double album and a song had to be taken out to make room (this was before the newer 80 minute CD's). Personally I think they made a good call. A Passage to Bangkok is not all that great of a song if you ask me. It's not bad, but if you had to take one out that would be it.

The last question I hear between the two is cover art. You see, these Rush Remasters boast about not only having the music remastered but also the original album art being restored on the CD sleeve. To be honest the original Exit...Stage Left CD is true to the original album art so there is no need to get the new album for that either.

So essentially this version of Exit...Stage Left is still a winner and its only failing grace is the exclusion of the song, A Passage to Bangkok. If you have this album and are thinking about taking the double dip keep in mind the remastered CD won't sound any different, will only look a little different, and will have the single advantage of an additional track. If you have neither and don't mind missing out on one song in leu of maybe a cheaper CD then there is no reason why you shouldn't buy this album instead of the Rush Remasters version.

rush,s exit stage left was released near the end of 1981 or very early in 1982.exit stage left was recorded on rush,s highly successful 'moving pictures tour'of 1981.in my opinion this cd [and the dvd] are packed with great performances of rush classics culled from the albums;fly by night, afarewell to kings,hemispheres,permanent waves,moving pictures and one tune from 2112. this whole album is great but i would buy it for xanadu alone!!xanadu starts out with an amazing otherworldly interplay of alex lifeson playing an amazing array of harmonics on his doubleneck gibson sg 12 over 6 string guitar using a foot pedal with a wah effect,geddy lee using his double neck rickenbacker and his keyboards and neil peart using his awesome array of chimes,congas of different sizes and sounds and of course his large drumset and alltogether the three men create a sonic background that is like stepping into some mystical realm almost like creating colours of imagination with sound.however xanadu is not the only thing to love here also great is;the trees,passage to bangkok,closer to the heart,jacob,s ladder,spirit of radio,red barchetta,freewill,yyz and la villa strangiato to name a few and alltogether these are a great reason if you are a rush fan to add this album to your collection.i believe this live album is another of the all time great rock live albums!