Rush - Exit Stage Left
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Free Music Notes for Exit Stage Left
Free Music Review: A new decade for Rush, it's 1981 - a classic Live album
Hit: 5 Stars
Within 2 years of a new decade Rush had produced 2 classic albums - "Permanent Waves" (1980) and "Moving Pictures" (1981). Their last Live album was "All the Worlds a stage" from 1976 which showcased tremendous material from their first four albums, the fourth of which was the classic 2112. The album showed a band full of confidence and energy. "Exit Stage Left" is even more so, the energy level is in overdrive status and the confidence is so high on the back of the bands latest classic studio recording - "Moving Pictures" featuring classic tracks such as "Tom Sawyer" and "YYZ" among others.
"Moving Pictures" (1981) is represented with 3 tracks ("Tom Sawyer", "Red Barchetta" and "YYZ" - including a stunning drum solo), and "Permanent Waves" (1980) gets 3 as well (Spirit of Radio", "Jacob's Ladder"and "Freewill" - brilliant interplay between Geddy (Bass), Alex (Guitar) and Neil (Drums) here).
For me, all versions come across really well. Both albums are so strong that together with the "classic" older material - ("Beneath, Between, Behind" from "Fly by Night" (1975), "A passage to Bangkok" from "2112" (1976) a full mind blowing 12 minute version of the classic "Xanadau" plus "Closer to the Heart" from "Farewell to Kings" (1977), "The Trees" and an over the top full 9 minute performance of the instrumental masterpiece "La Villa Strangiato" from "Hemispheres" (1978) - this album provides a stunning snapshot of what Rush were capable of live in 1981. It is simply stunning.
In summary, one of the greatest live albums ever recorded. Rush were on top of their game touring in support of the classic Moving Pictures album and the material captured here is simply top notch. I really enjoy this album and hope you do as well,
Certainly one of my favourite live albums over the last 35 years (here are some of my other favourites)...
- "How the West was won" from Led Zeppelin (1972)
- "Made in Japan" from Deep Purple (1972)
- "Yessongs" from Yes (1973)
- "Welcome back my friends" from ELP (1973)
- "Too late to stop now" from Van Morrison (1974)
- "On your feet or on your knees" from Blue Oyster Cult (1975)
- "Live in London" from Bruce Springsteen (1975)
- "One more from the Road" from Lynyrd Skynrd (1976)
- "Frampton comes alive" from Peter Frampton (1976)
- "Live Bullet" from Bob Seger (1976)
- "Seconds Out" from Genesis (1977)
- "A Live Record" from Camel (1978)
- "Bursting Out Live" from Jethro Tull (1978)
- "Two for the Show" from Kansas (1978)
- "Playing the fool" Gentle Giant (1978)
- "Waiting fro Columbus" from Little Feat (1978)
- "Strangers in the Night" from UFO (1979)
- "Live Rust" from Neil Young (1979).
- "Paris" from Supertramp (1980).
- "Exit...Stage left" from Rush (1981)
- "Under a blood red sky" from U2 (1983)
- "Stop making sense" from Talking Heads (1984)
- "Live in the city of Light" from Simple Minds (1986)
- "Live adventures of the Waterboys" from the Waterboys (1986)
- "Operation Livecrime" from Queensryche (1991)
- "Without a safety Net" from Big Country (1992)
- "Secret World Live" from Peter Gabriel (1994)
- "Together in Concert" from Tim Finn, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga (2000)
- "Live Scenes from New York" from Dream Theater (2000)
- "Hullabaloo" from Muse (2002)
- "Out West" from Gomez (2005)
- "Instant Delivery" from Flower Kings (2006).
- "Okonokos" from My Morning Jacket (2006)
Free Music Review: Gets my vote for best RUSH album ever
Hit: 5 Stars
When I saw that this classic live album got remastered, I had to pick it yet again - probably the 4th copy I've gone through since first picking up the cassette tape in 7th grade(!). Extremely eclectic tastes in music have led me far and away from the Rush realm, but you always go back to the BEST.
In general, I think these songs are even better in this live setting compared to the original album versions. They sound more natural, more fluid, clearly having benefitted from being repeatedly played live. In particular, I find "Tom Sawyer" to be more powerful and compelling on EXIT, the (ever so slight!) awkwardness of the (still great!) studio version has been completely eliminated. "YYZ" also gets a fantastic boost here, and of course it contains Neil Peart's mind-blowing drum solo (I still recall that a fellow Rush fanatic friend of mine had timed it back in the day - 3 minutes 12 seconds!). Even some people who normally disdain drum solos have been blown away by Peart's extremely skillful - and quite musical! - showcase which proves why he's been called the best rock drummer in the world.
Any guitar freak will want to savour Alex Lifeson's virtuoso performances, particularly on "La Villa Strangiato" and Geddy Lee's lightning-fingered bass playing is, in my mind, beyond compare. These are some of the best rock musicians the world has ever seen and they jam their tails off onstage, sometimes playing guitars and foot-pedal bass simultaneously. Incredibly, Geddy also plays keyboards and bass simultneously on occasion. Beyond their considerable skill, the music itself is passionate, highly creative and embued with far more intelligence than your average rock band.
The remaster itself certainly isn't anything to complain about, but if anything it reveals the limitations of the technology used to make these live recordings, compared to what is achievable today. (note: on the same day I also got the MOVING PICTURES remaster which is impeccable, well worth buying even if you already have a copy). Although this is the first Rush album I ever heard, for the newbe I would recommend starting with the studio albums first if possible. When I went back to check out these songs on the original albums, they sometimes suffered in comparison to the EXIT versions, which I don't think would've happened had I heard them first. On the other hand, I wouldn't call EXIT a bad place to start at all because it's so awesome and a good (if not thorough) summation of their music up to that point. Rush is such a rush!
A little aside to detractors of Geddy Lee's voice - yes, I understand your criticism, he "sings like his nuts are in a vice." A perfectly valid point of view . . . so you may as well just . . . Take off! to the great outdoors . . . TAKE OFF! it's a beauty way to go . . . LTM
Free Music Review: Arguably Rush's best live album to many
Hit: 5 Stars
Canadian power trio rockers Rush's tenth album entitled Exit...Stage Left was released in October of 1981.
Exit...Stage Left was Rush's second double live album and the album took its title from the old Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Snagglepuss' classic quote.
Exit...Stage Left is my third favorite live Rush album of the seven Rush albums out (I like Different Stages and Snakes and Arrows Live a tad more due to the fact that they are raw sounding and you can hear the crowd singing loudly on each of those) and I first heard most of the album on a now-defunct radio station in Boston in May of 1990 and got on cassette in July of 1990 and subsequently the remastered CD.
The bulk of this album (sides 1,3 and 4 on the original vinyl) were recorded on the band's 1981 tour in support of their Moving Pictures album in Canada (which consist of spirited versions of "The Spirit of Radio", "Red Barchetta", "YYZ" (with drummer Neil Peart's classic drum solo and arguably his most famous drum solo of his), the "Broon's Bane" guitar solo of guitarist Alex Lifeson's, "The Trees", a 12 minue plus "Xanadu" (originally found on 1977's A Farewell to Kings), "Freewill", "Tom Sawyer" and "La Villa Strangiato") with four tracks (side 2 of the original vinyl album) recorded in the UK on the European leg of the band's 1980 Permanent Waves tour (these include a stellar "A Passage to Bangkok" (which was inexplicably removed off of the original CD due to time constraints (reinstated on the remastered CD), "Closer to the Heart" (with the Glaswegian (as in Glasgow, Scotland) crowd singing in unison with the band), "Beneath, Between and Behind" and a nine minute "Jacob's Ladder" with a nice instrumental intro and bass player/singer/keyboard player Geddy Lee crediting this track to T.C. Broonsie (a pseudonym for producer Terry Brown (whom produced this live album and had a hand in some capacity on all of their first 11 albums)).
There were some complaints from some fans that Rush had overpolished the tracks on this album (re-recorded bits of a solo or vocal but not the whole songs like KISS did on Alive in 1975 and Rush admitted this in all interviews unlike KISS whom waited 28 years to come clean) and faded out the live noise which was done even more so on 1989's A Show of Hands which had worse twinkering than this.
Despite this, Exit...Stage Left reached #10 on the Billboard album chart upon its release and was Rush's fourth Platinum album of 1981 (the only band that accomplished this feat then) and was the band's third Top 10 album in a row and another great live album in the pantheon of rock and roll.
Highly recommended!
Free Music Review: One of the best music I've ever heard
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is absolutely best live recording, I've ever heard. I've listened to this album as a first of the Rush albums and still it's the best one.Geddy Lee playing bass, extreme difficult, but melodic and marked, singing on his top form, maybe better than Yes vocalist Jon Anderson and still has a time to play synths and occasionally 12string guitar - incredible. Alex Lifeson's guitar and solos are the most powerful,by this album he has become my one of my the most favourite guitarists and Professor Neil Peart is in my opinion the best drummer on the Earth, his massive percussives, glockenspiels, bells and so on, with the voice of his Tama drums,sounding fantastic, thanks his unique, influental technique. Also the most interesting lyrics are his courtesy.
The album kicks off with "Spirit Of the Radio", with a amazing strict repeating guitar solo. The "brilliant" "Red Barchetta", is my favorite, tender and agressive in one. On the fast instrumental "YYZ" stands out Geddy's bass and Neil' drums, the song is also including his excellent solo. "Passage to Bangkok" is very different from his studio counterpart, but it's better to listening and more technical. Beautiful "Closer To the Heart", on that the crowd sings with Geddy, passes to "Beneath, Between and Behind" from second album "Fly by Night". Next fantastic composition "Jacob's Ladder" has hard and romantic passages, from the middle of the track culminates to grand finale. The second part starts with Alex's sad instrumental "Broon's Bane", continues with "Trees", lively and melodic song. This one continues to 12 min. progressive centerpiece - "Xanadu", with atomspheric space beginning, perfect interplay between the players, and fantasy lyrics. "Freewill" and huge synth-starting "Tom Sawyer" are both big hits, excellent outputs of players. Album closer "La Villa Strangiato, 10 min.instumental piece with Geddy's additional weird lyrics, has very tender start, with some bells, and synths, carrying on really musical exibithion with many unbelievable rhythms and creative solos.
The album hasn't the weak part and I think every song is better than the same studio cut. For the Rush fans it's necessity, for other progressive and hard rock fans decidedly great buy.
Free Music Review: Great album, but not better than original CD
Hit: 5 Stars
With so many reviews posted on this album I'm just going to cut to the chase. I really like Rush. I have 14 of their albums and had more back when I still owned the vinyl versions. Exit.. Stage Left is what I would call the best album to introduce an new fan to what I call Rush's classic period when they were experimenting with what some called "soundtrack rock" as well as making a successful transision into album rock.
Rush has shown the ability to reinvent themselves many times. While others criticize the band for not sticking to their roots I applaud them for stretching out their horizons. This album shows one of those transisions from a purely progressive art rock band to one that is more accessible to radio rock listeners at the time. Rush would go on to evolve their sound a few more times, but Exit...Stage Left is more about the art to radio move.
Okay. Here's the bomb I've been meaning to drop about this remastered version. The actual audio fidelity and mixing between this album and the non-remastered are virtually identical. If you plan on buying this album to get an update in sound don't bother, because only the most avid audiophile will notice any of the subtle changes. What this album has that the original CD doesn't is the song A Passage to Bangkok. Personally I don't think the song is Rush's best, but it was in fact on the original double vinyl album so it's good to see everything finally on CD.
Essentially if you have the original CD and don't miss having A Passage to Bankok then don't bother spending your hard-earned cash on this CD. If you do not have any version of this album then you have some choices. If you want the best possible cut there is no reason why you shouldn't go for this remastered version. However if you ask me, go with the cheapest version and save some money. Do so ONLY if you don't mind getting an album minus a not-so-great song (IMHO).