EXIT...STAGE LEFT

Transition for one of the most accomplished rock ensembles of all time was handled tastefully back in 1981 by issuing a sonic tour diary, their second double live set in seven years.



Actual plans to incorporate Snagglepuss in the cover design were quickly scrapped with the realization of how much legal engagement for the licensing of one image (his tail, even...) would cost. The catchphrase would stay.

Heavens to Murgatroyd would have killed as an album title

"Live" releases can serve as a summation of career statements to date, greatest hits package with crowd noise, tour souvenir and stop gap measure while the artist/band takes some time to forge a new creative path. This monster checked each of those boxes. Rush had put out eight studio discs (plus All The World's a Stage) over seven years at this point, with each subsequent project expanding their range and topping what had come before. Touring their most recent (and arguably finest) record, Moving Pictures, the trio defied gravity in performance on a nightly basis. All of that precision playing and sheer discipline in concert found its way into the grooves of Exit...Stage Left. Change in stylistic approach had been the only constant in their work to date. Zeppelin figured prominently in their debut, though when Peart came on board ahead of their second effort, he became the primary lyricist in addition to bringing his world class musicianship to the drum stool. Lengthy prog rock suites soon became the order of the day. Whole sides of vinyl were devoted to storyboards that ranged from futuristic totalitarian rule devoid of art, music or soul (2112) to an innovative exploration of inner space (Hemispheres). With Permanent Waves, there was a shift away from long form concepts, though their instrumental prowess and arrangements continued to astonish, culminating in the jazz rock masterpiece that was Moving Pictures. Exit is a beautiful synopsis of the craftsmanship that went into every note spanning the period of 1977 to 1981, the lone exceptions being the smoking, blazing travelogue, "A Passage to Bangkok" from 2112 and "Beneath, Between & Behind" which had graced Fly By Night

"Wreathed in smoke in Lebanon/We burn the midnight oil..."

Fly by night, indeed.

These aforementioned selections, along with the rest of side two, were taken from two gigs at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow in 1980. All remaining music was captured at the Montreal Forum on a magic March evening in 1981. Everything that a Rush fanatic could hope for is gathered for repeated enjoyment here. Neil Peart gets a showcase within the framework of "YYZ", thereby extending the instrumental with his heavy hitting solo. "Broon's Bane" is the only track that had not appeared in their discography heretofore, serving as an impeccably rendered classical guitar solo intro to "The Trees". Outside of his longstanding role as producer, Terry Brown figures into the title of Lifeson's delicate fingerpicking and Geddy also jokingly introduces "Jacob's Ladder" as an old song by T.C. Broonsy.

"Xanadu", "Free Will" and the jaw-dropping "La Villa Strangiato" are incandescent.

There is much to love about this LP. A few fixes were applied before it hit record retailers, though the end result was fantastic. Listening to my vinyl copy as I scribble about it, there are nuances that cause moments of disbelief, trigger great memories of that first spin and a renewed respect for the abilities of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Coming full circle back to the artwork on the gatefold sleeve, there is also a subtle message being delivered to their fan base in the not-so-subtle images that reference all of their previous releases.

"Take a good look at what we have done up until now because we will not be repeating it"

It wasn't apparent to me at 14 that they were using the imagery to say goodbye to that incarnation of the band, though when Signals came out in the fall of 1982, they did a complete overhaul of their sound, moving further toward a sleek, keyboard-centric model. To their credit, no attempt was made to duplicate Moving Pictures. New ways of doing business continued through the 80s, with the departure of Terry Brown from the team post Signals. That said, Rush closed an incredible chapter with Exit...Stage Left. It remains one of my personal favorites in their entire catalog, standing as a testament to the excitement that they generated as a live act at the peak of their powers. The recent digital re-mastering job on this one brings their brilliance to yet another generation of listeners, though it sounds phenomenal in any format.