October 29, 1981 - Exit... Stage Left

A month after my last release and eight months since "Moving Pictures" in February, Rush released their second live album "Exit... Stage Left" on October 29, 1981. I don't usually do live albums, and this will be my last Rush live album, but they have released some amazing music on their past four albums since their first live album and all three of these guys are such talented musicians.  Most importantly, there are no repeats in the track listing as we get to hear a brand new double album worth of live songs. Let's get to it!

They kick off the album with a bang as "The Spirit Of Radio" as their opener. Alex Lifeson replicates his speedy studio guitar riff very nicely as Geddy Lee and Neil Peart provide the best rhythm section you could ask for. Geddy's bass sounds quite prominent, which I love, but his singing is a bit quieter and lower, which is a little disappointing but it can't sound exactly like the studio version I guess! It may not sound quite as forceful, but he still does a great job singing and all three guys are playing some great music as usual. When they hit the reggae section of the song Lifeson spices things up a bit with some cool new guitar and Geddy does a great job of hitting that last high-pitched "salesman!" Lifeson nails the solo perfectly and they wrap things up wonderfully as this seems a great choice for an opener to get everyone into things! Up next is "Red Barchetta" off their latest album and Geddy really shows off his skills when live as he plays the slow, epic synth notes with his feet while simultaneously playing bass. He is one of a kind for sure and things stay true to the studio version as they slowly ramp into things. Geddy's vocals are spot on in this one, including a great yell at "shivers up and down my spine". Once again all three members are playing some great stuff as they seem to perfectly recreate this catchy song. Geddy's bass continues to sound really clear and awesome and Peart is bursting with so many amazing drum fills. They do an excellent job of mirroring the studio version on this song, and even though the original fades out, they find a nice way to bring things to a close. Side one is ending already with an extended version of "YYZ", my favourite song off their latest record. The fact that these guys can accurately replicate the madness in this song just goes to show how amazingly talented and skilled these three guys are. Peart kicks it off with the trademark tinking noise and they roar into this wicked instrumental song. The mix is done really well as Geddy's bass continues to sound very sharp and you can hear each individual note he plays, and he plays a lot of them! This song was already indescribable in the studio, but it's another thing to hear it not just live, but done so perfectly. After Geddy's sweet little bass solo he and Alex drop off and it's time for a Peart drum solo! He adds an extra 3-plus minutes of awesomeness as he starts with a long drumroll and plays some pretty awesome stuff. In parts it sounds kind of similar to his drum solo on their last live album, but I think he throws in enough extra awesome stuff to make this solo even better than his last one, and that's very high praise! What makes it the most impressive is how well he segues his final drum fill right back into the rest of YYZ! It's seamlessly perfect and amazing and they finish off this superb song perfectly as well. What an amazing display, fantastic stuff! 

Side two begins with "A Passage To Bangkok"  and Lifeson's guitar sounds like it has a bit too much droning effects on it as I think the studio version sounds much tighter. Peart's little percussion intro sounds quiet compared to the loud guitar but once Geddy's bass joins the mix things sound better. They slow down the chorus slightly and Peart adds some pretty sweet drums and percussion to spice things up. Lifeson delivers the solo really well and they jam out the chorus a couple times before bringing things to a close. Up next is "Closer To The Heart" which I'm sure they play at almost every live show; it's a very catchy song and one that the audience loves to sing along to. Lifeson plays his smooth guitar riff and you can hear the crowd belting out the lyrics along with Geddy, who sounds really great hitting those high notes with ease. Peart's bells sound as epic as the original and Geddy's bass continues to sound really clear and great. They stay true to the studio and play things very well but this is another song that fades out normally. Instead of fading, Peart ends things with a freaking amazing little drum solo as he plays some phenomenal new stuff to close finish off this song and it leads right into track 6, "Beneath, Between & Behind". Lifeson's guitar starts the main riff as Peart continues flawlessly into this song with some more great drum fills. Geddy's voice sounds solid as usual as they go way back to their second album with this cool short song. The chorus doesn't seem to hit quite as hard as on the studio version, but they all do a great job as usual as they don't stray from the original on this one. The first disc ends with "Jacob's Ladder" and Lifeson adds an extra minute of new stuff at the beginning. He plays a slow but smooth guitar riff that has the audience clapping along and Geddy introduces this song before they finally start where the original begins. They do a great job with the slow opening as things sound pretty epic. It sounds like they are in the studio; they do a wonderful job of replicating this song as all three members sound fantastic as usual. Geddy's synths sound really nice and when it slows down to just him it must have sounded really cool live as his epic playing holds your attention so well. Lifeson returns and then Peart does and when Geddy returns to playing bass things sound pretty sweet. It ends with an epic flourish Geddy plays a bit of extra synths before the side comes to an end.

The second disc opens with "Broon's Bane", a new song that is a short instrumental written by Lifeson. It's only a minute and half long but it's a true guitar solo by Lifeson and he plays some smooth stuff. This cool little solo serves as an extra intro to the next song as Alex connects things really nicely into the beginning of "The Trees". Geddy joins in on bass and vocals and his singing sounds great as usual. When Peart comes in things kick into the heavier verse and Geddy's bass continues to sound very clear and great. Peart's drums are also superb as usual and when they move into the quieter part Geddy's synths sound quite epic and perhaps even more prominent than the original. Neil's cool percussion is still there, but it's a little quiet and gets drowned out by the loud synths I find. When Geddy returns to bass he does a nice job leading up Lifeson's guitar solo, and Alex does a fine job replicating the studio solo. After the solo they do a wonderful job in the next part, with Peart's awesome drum fills a real highlight, and they play the final verse. After Geddy's final line Lifeson plays a bit more guitar that trails off and the epic vibe leads right into the final song on this third side, the twelve-plus minute "Xanadu". They do a nice job recreating the slow space-y opening as Geddy plays some epic synths and Peart plays some cool percussion. They slow it down even more than the original and this makes for a long, epic opening that sounds pretty cool live. Lifeson's sweet guitar riff cues the start of more awesomeness as they move into the heart of this song and Peart plays some more great drum fills. All three guys play some great music once things are really going but Neil continues to really impress on this one as he is all over the place on drums and percussion. After five minutes they finally slow it down for the first verse as Geddy sings really nicely overtop the epic riff. He is singing, playing some nice slow bass, and playing the epic synths with his feet, what a talented guy! It all sounds great too! They seem to be playing this part slightly slower than usual as well but it just adds to the epicness! Geddy doesn't do his really high pitched "paradise!" that he does on the studio version, which is a little disappointing, but everything else sounds fantastic as they speed it up again, then slow it down for the next verse. They really nail this progressive epic as all three guys take turns spicing things up and they set the stage for the final guitar solo. Lifeson does a fantastic job shredding it in this wicked solo and they slow things down nicely before a rock and roll flourish ending that sounds pretty epic and amazing. Applause is appropriate; what a great song and it was masterfully performed!

The fourth and final side begins with "Freewill" and although they stay true to the studio version, Geddy's bass actually seems too loud on this one as I find he's drowning out Alex's guitar a bit. Things still sound pretty good though and they really don't stray from the original on this one. After the second chorus Geddy plays his cool bass intro that leads right into Lifeson's epic guitar solo and he does an excellent job as usual. He rips off the same wicked solo and it's followed by some well-deserved applause. Geddy attempts to hit the really high notes in the next verse, but he can't quite seem to reach his studio heights and I therefore find this verse a little disappointing. It just doesn't sound as forceful and epic, but this is nearing the end of a live show and I don't hold it against Geddy. They play out the end of the song nicely though and being this to a close. Up next is their latest hit single "Tom Sawyer" and Geddy's synths sound pretty great as they kick off this catchy tune. Geddy is sounding pretty perfect on this one as he plays some great bass, sings some great vocals and also plays the epic synths. They really echo in the chorus and once again these guys are doing a fantastic job at replicating their studio talents. This is most evident in the middle section as Lifeson doesn't miss a beat with his guitar solo and Peart amazingly plays the epic drum fill in this song to perfection. He is one of a kind and it's so crazy to hear him play that live. Geddy puts the same weird spin to sound like "Sawyee" and they play out the end of the song, which normally fades out. Instead, they play a short flourish ending that sounds decent enough to end this classic. The final song on this live album is probably my favourite Rush song, "La Villa Strangiato". The fact that they can replicate the insanity in this song accurately live is just incredible. Lifeson begins it the same way as the studio version, but he adds a little bit of extra awesomeness to this part as he shreds his guitar superbly before slowing things down again. They do a wonderful job with this slow-building beginning and Geddy's synths sound pretty good. Once they really get going, just like the original, words do not do justice to how great these three sound together on this song. This whole part sounds awesome and when they slow it down for Lifeson's epic guitar, man does that sound wicked! He makes his guitar shriek and welp and it all sounds amazing. Such a great solo and it's followed by some more mind-blowing stuff that you just have to listen to! Geddy's bass is superb and Peart's drumming is out of this world! Geddy chants a weird Yiddish poem during Neil's most epic drum roll, and I'm not a fan of adding vocals to this tremendous song. It sounds out of place to me, but I guess he was feelin' it! This poem aside, the music is still absolutely phenomenal as Lifeson plays another wicked solo. With about a minute to go they play things slower than the original and Peart adds in some new percussion that sounds awesome before they ramp back into things for the finale. They end things perfectly just as the original did and Geddy says "thank you very kindly, good night!" as this live album comes to an end.

That is the end of "Exit... Stage Left" and I thought it was a wonderful live album! Their last four albums were their best four in my opinion so it's not surprising that this live album contains some amazing music. This would have been such an amazing time to see Rush as all three guys play some mind boggling stuff on this one. I think it surpasses their last live album "All The World's A Stage" but this will be the final live album I have by Rush. They are still not my thing, but this one is a fine exception to the rule. Back to some new music next time!