Customer Reviews

Grace Under Pressure Tour CD

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rush's new live album Grace Under Pressure Live 1984 Tour is a must for all Rush fans.
This CD was previously available only as part of the 3 DVD/1 CD box set Rush Replay X 3 which was released in June of 2006 which comprised of DVD versions of the 1981 concert film Exit... Stage Left, this 1984 MTV concert Grace Under Pressure Live 1984 and 1989's A Show of Hands film (which all of the DVDs subsequently got released as stand alone DVDs respectively).
Now Grace Under Pressure Live 1984 was recorded and filmed in September of 1984 at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with the Le Mobile unit by engineer Guy Charbonneau plus former Rush producer Terry Brown and the group's then Front Of House soundman Jon Erickson and over an hour was used for MTV and Westwood One/King Biscuit Flower Hour radio broadcasts respectively.
We kick the live CD off with the "Intro" which is of course the now legendary "Three Stooges Theme" song which Rush used as entrance music for when the band took to the stage (for the 1982-88 and then Vapor Trails tours). We kick the concert off properly with a spirited fast paced version of "The Spirit of Radio". Then we have the whole original Fear Trilogy (before it became a saga with the song "Freeze" for 2002's Vapor Trails) and it starts with The Enemy Within (previously released on the UK released "Prime Mover" EP). Next is a superb version of "The Weapon" with famed Count Floyd intro (Joe Flaherty of SCTV fame) and "Witch Hunt" (with Neil pounding away on electronic drums). Next we have a great version of "New World Man" (which had also been previously released on the UK released "Prime Mover" single).
Then we have "Distant Early Warning" with a nice fanfare into the track (slightly different to the intro on A Show of Hands). Next is a great version of "Red Sector A" (previously released on "The Big Money" single). We follow with "Closer To The Heart" (with a short jam at end of track). We then follow with a medley of the instrumental "YYZ", 2112's "The Temples of Syrinx" and of course the set closer "Tom Sawyer" (this medley works very well). We then have the encore starting with "Vital Signs" (which rocks) and the final medley of "Finding My Way" and "In The Mood".
There you have it but some wished that Anthem/Mercury would issue the full original show on CD with the tracks that weren't filmed on its DVD counterpart (pardon the expression). The track missing are "Subdivisions", "The Body Electric", "Between the Wheels", "Red Barchetta", "Kid Gloves" and "Red Lenses (with drum solo)" but either the multi-tracks with outtakes from the show were lost or thrown out so that is why they are not here.
The audio was painstakingly remixed by guitarist Alex Lifeson and engineer Mike Fraser. Plus the artwork recreates the concert program that Rush sold at shows on the Grace Under Pressure Tour.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

In short, I don't have time to watch concert videos, so I was pretty pissed off at the time of the replay dvd set release that I couldn't get my hands on the bonus audio cd of the Grace Under Pressure Tour. Well, now I have, and can say without reservation that its an excellent live set. The fear trilogy, and the generally really punchy performance and clear recording quality, among other strong points, make this a must have.

Grace Under Pressure has always been my favorite Rush album and have been hoping they would someday release the ENTIRE show on cd or dvd. Why do they keep refusing to do it? Subdivisions, The Body Electric, Red Barchetta, Between The Wheels, Afterimage , and Red Lenses (with drum solo) were played at this concert, but for some reason, we have been forbid to hear the live versions of those songs. This cd would have recieved 100 stars from me if it were a 2 disc set of the whole show. Maybe even add Kid Gloves as a bonus track which replaced Afterimage in the 2nd leg of the tour.
But as far as what we've got here, this disc does sound great. On the old VHS version, the audience was way too loud. They fixed that here. It sounds better than the thousands of bootlegged versions that were recorded directly from the VHS version. This cd is also part of the Replay box set. If you already have that then don't buy this cd because you already have it.

This Live set is RUSH at it`s best.It was a surprise to me when i received Replay Times Three. Grace is one of my several favorite Rush albums.After seeing these guys on several occasions,they still put on a good show AS They`ve Proven with the release of Snakes And Arrows And the Tour that followed it`s release.THIS BAND STILL KICKS BUTT!!!

In the middle of the first decade of the millenium, out of the blue comes a live show representing a tour from 1984. A very odd time to be releasing this live show. Nevertheless, it is yet another treat for Rush fans all around. We get to hear the "Fear" trilogy, or so it was a trilogy at the time. Now it's a four-parter with the release of Freeze, on Vapor Trails. Soem nice medleys of older material as well. If you like live Rush through the decades, this is a worthwhile addition. Just don't accidentally place it after Grace Under Pressure in the stack on the shelf, since it came out much later.

What a mess Mercury Records is. This CD should have been released back in 1986 when the VHS of the show was released. It could have been automatic Gold or Platinum for sure at the time and sold on tape and vinyl since compact discs were just starting. This show is perfect from start to finish. You get 3 "Fear" songs an incredible version of The Spirit of Radio with 3 Stooges Intro, Vital Signs, and other great classic Rush tunes with Rush playing at their peak. It would have been ideal if Mercury had added a few songs to this disc like Red Lenses/Drum solo to it so they could have attracted some different people. Also Between The Wheels and Afterimage live would have been sweet as well. All things said, this is worth the 10 bucks to get. The sound alone crushes Rio, R30, and S&A Live.

An awesome Live performance cd of some of Rush's best material from that time period, in their career. Which, is in fact, still going stronger, than ever, today. Very few progressive metal rock bands can make that claim, they've either broken up by now, or aren't as consistent, in they're musical quality.

They already released this live release with the Replay X3 DVD box set, which any self-respecting Rush fan would already own. So I think that re-releasing it as a single constitutes phoning it in. At least give us something from the vaults here, boys. Something you haven't already released. Throw us a bone. Something from the Hemispheres tour. Maybe Caress of Steel. This band was amazing back then, but all we ever get are late period releases. I can only hear "Tom Sawyer" so many times before it loses all meaning.

And what's up with the artwork and booklet? All they did was take the tour program and reprinted it in tiny print. I already have this in the form of the actual tour book. It's like a Simpsons joke.

But in the end, it gets four stars because it's Rush and the Grace Under Pressure tour was one of the strongest ones I've ever seen them on. This was one of their peaks, so if you didn't get to see this tour, or didn't buy Replay X3 or have no understanding of just how powerful Rush can be, get this disc.