Working Men ( Live)

Rush | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 17, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic
• ASIN: B002P4VUMG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,309 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Over the last 40 years Canada's biggest rock band, Rush has been creating one platinum album after another. The trio, featuring members Geddy Lee (Lead Vocals, Bass), Alex Lifeson (Guitarist), Neil Peart (Drums) are renowned in their own right, but together have come to form one of the most succesfull rock bands of all time, ranked fourth in sales behind only The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith. Since the release of the band's self-titled album in March 1974, Rush has become well-known for the instrumental skills of its members, eclectic lyrics, and complex compositional style. After Rush's 8 year hiatus in 1997, the band reunited to create Snakes and Arrows in 2006, renewing interest around the world. Rush's latest offering Working Men, the live CD release, pulls selected live offerings from their vast collection.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Pointless Release, November 17, 2009

By 

R. Short "robertsathard" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Working Men ( Live) (Audio CD)

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but this has to be the first time there has been a "greatest hits" packaging of previously released live recordings. For me there is no such thing as too much Rush live...but why bother with this? Most fans like myself likely already own the three live albums which this material is taken from. Speaking of which, why isn't the live album "Different Stages" represented? That has the entire version of "2112" not to mention (imho) the best available live recording of "Natural Science". Another complaint...a live compilation...a Rush live compilation..with no drum solo? Unthinkable! Okay now I realize that the version of "One Little Victory" hasn't been released however, the song is available on two other live sets and this isn't one of those songs that changes drastically from tour to tour. One final thought..this really is just another "Best of" Rush release with an audience. Most of the songs are the standards.."Tom Sawyer", "Limelight", "Spirit of Radio", "Closer To The Heart"..etc. Rush is a great live band but I really can't see any reason for purchasing this one. I do like the artwork though.

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Come now..., November 24, 2009

By 

Bryan M. Tucker (baltimore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Working Men ( Live) (Audio CD)

I place myself in the top 1% of RUSH fans in the world. Love 'em. But come on folks! A best of live???? The only fans I can see loving this are the ones that can't be objective when it comes to Rush. As another person mentioned, were they to release a best of live from their entire career with prev. unreleased stuff (and you know there is a warehouse of material they are saving until the end), I would be on that like right on Christ. I have about 3 hours of unreleased early studio songs, live sound board recordings and bootlegs from over the years and most of it is in stereo with some kind of mix. Got it ALL from the Power Windows website before Atlantic made them shut down the downloadable section. THAT would be worth going to Best Buy or ordering it on line.

I will support this band come hell or High Water (pun intended) but this is as pointless as middle east politics.

57 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Crawling Men, November 18, 2009

By 

John Stainer "John" (Plantation,Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Working Men ( Live) (Audio CD)

Another useless live Rush package. Saying you "need to own" the best live Rush songs from the last 3 or 4 tours is like saying you like being awakened by a screaming toddler at 5 am on a work day. What cracks me up about this is the fact that not only are these songs available on other live discs...but these versions are just weak!

1. Limelight - LOL. Really. Quite possibly the weakest and slowest version of this song ever recorded.
2. Spirit of Radio - If you own the Grace Under Pressure Live cd or Exit Stage Left... version...then you own the best professional releases of this track.
3. 2112- Really? We needed this version? If you are going to go all out then at least put out the Different Stages version, I mean the whole intention of this was to capture the live Atlantic Records years right?
4. Freewill - Painful. If you own Exit Stage Left...you own the only version you will ever need.
5. Dreamline - Again, a song that is readily available on Different Stages, Rush In Rio, R30 discs, and Snakes & Arrows Live.
6. Far Cry - This makes a bit of sense...still trying to milk what ever you can off of the last live and studio release.
7. Subdivisions - Have you noticed the trend here? How many Mercury/Polygram songs do we have here versus Atlantic years? Looks like even Atlantic knows Rush's best years were decades ago now.
8. One Little Victory - Oh ok. So we get the "unreleased come buy this because you don't own this version yet" track. It will be featured on the upcoming R30 re-release next month..ON BLU-RAY ONLY. Thanks for thinking about those who only own DVD players still (89.2% of the nation).
9. Closer To The Heart - Let's start the count - Exit Stage Left, Grace Under Pressure Tour 84 Live, A Show of Hands, Different Stages, Rush In Rio, and now...Working Men.
10. Tom Sawyer - We can always use the 102,000th release of this song in some way, shape, or form.
11. Working Man - A song from 1974 is on an Atlantic Records best of collection.
12. YYZ - See above for Closer To The Heart.

If somebody actually consulted..gee..I dunno...FANS...Atlantic could have actually made money here. They could have released Atlantic era only tunes that were recorded from live tours during their tenure with the label and have even more that are unreleased and fans would have snatched this up!

This could have worked for a best of live package:

1. Show Don't Tell
2. Stick It Out
3. Bravado
4. Ceiling Unlimited
5. Superconductor
6. Test For Echo
7. Time and Motion
8. Scars
9. Where's My Thing?
10. Far Cry
11. The Pass
12. War Paint
13. Limbo
14. Double Agent

Now here is something that would actually shed light on their Atlantic material and gasp! More than half of these songs were big radio hits and radio singles. They must be really hard up to sell Mercury's material over there at Atlantic.