Exit...Stage Left

Artist: Rush
Label: Polygram Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Live
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 042282255129
EAN: 0042282255129
ASIN: B000001F8E

Release Date: 1990-10-25

Exit...Stage Left

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Tracks:

Spirit Of Radio
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Closer To The Heart
Beneath, Between And Behind
Jacob's Ladder
Broon's Bane
The Trees
Xanadu
Freewill
Tom Sawyer
La Villa Strangiato

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Customer Reviews:

Just as good as the remastered CD.......2006-02-15

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.

It doesn't get much better........2004-05-19

As one who owns the original pressing of this release (double LP, including the often-regarded-as-missing "Passage to Bangkok"), I can honestly say that this is a great way to introduce yourself to Rush. It was the first record I heard by the Canadian power trio, and afterwards I was hooked -- I went out and found as much as I could.

That having been said, in retrospect this album is better than I thought it was at the time. Rush's more recent live album, though pieced together from different venues as most are, sounds a bit tired. On "Exit ... Stage Left", all performers are on their top-shelf best. Geddy Lee's slightly improvised vocals especially lend a more personal feel to the songs.

Like the best live albums, this one has not been, as we say, "produced to death"; however, the sound quality is magnificent (better than being there live, actually -- the house mix is never quite as good) in all respects: Peart's drums are well-miked and well-mixed, Lifeson's guitar is clear and crisp (even the nylon-string acoustic!), Lee's bass is not too heavy (there have they avoided an unfortunate tendency in live settings), and the vocals sit right where they need to be. Overall the stereo image is spectacular, particularly in regards to the keyboards.

All in all, it's a tour de force for the band, and for the listener as well. Even if you've only heard "Spirit of Radio" on FM a million times, you won't come away from this recording disappointed.

Killer songs and performances........2001-07-25

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!)

Take this exit to live Rush..........2000-05-10

This live set is my favorite of Rush's live efforts, and this remaster made this purchase even easier. With the inclusion of "A Passage to Bangkok", the Boys completed this disc, something that was missing from the original CD release of "Exit... Stage Left". Some may hear "too much Geddy!" but I personally like the mix, except for the fades between tracks, something rather rare in live recordings. This can prove to be helpful, however, if one plans to make a personal CD-R. Rush did the edit for us! As for my favorite track, hands down, "Xanadu". Have a fine day!

Music Album:

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Major and Minor Swing ~ Tom Morley

Paris Jazz Concert 1965 ~ Jimmy Smith & The Trio

Old And New Dreams ~ Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell

1928-1964 ~ Eric Dolphy

Birth of a Legend '41-'46 ~ Kenny Baker

Art of the Duo ~ Philip Catherine, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen

Venir Au Monde ~ Manu Lanvin

Instinct de Survie ~ Eska Grew

Marcando a Quadrilha ~ Oswaldo Bettio

Plus Belles Chansons ~ Il Etait une Fois