Track Listing

1. The Spirit Of Radio
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. A Passage To Bangkok
5. Closer To The Heart
6. Beneath, Between & Behind
7. Jacob's Ladder
8. Broon's Bane
9. The Trees
10. Xanadu
11. Freewill
12. Tom Sawyer
13. La Villa Strangiato

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23177 in Music
• Released on: 1997-09-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Live, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .19 pounds
• Running time: 77 minutes

CD Description
Hot on the heels of their most successful album, Rush's 1981 tour was documented and released as EXIT, itself a Top 10 record. The package is an essential purchase for Rush diehards as well as hard rock fans. It makes a fine companion to ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE, as there are no repeated tracks. Thetwo live records combine to make a fine representation of Rush's prime era.
"YYZ" from MOVING PICTURES features NeilPeart's drum solo and shows why he is truly one of rock's premier skin bashers. Fan favourite "Closer to the Heart" gets the crowd participation going while the epic "Jacob's Ladder" is made to be played in an arena setting. "Xanadu" and album closer "La Villa Strangiato" are both mammoth tracks that exceed the studio versions due to the excellent interplayof the band and their growth as musicians. Recorded in the U.K. and Canada, EXIT is a phenomenal live recording that shows the band can interpret their studio material with both feeling and expertise.

Customer Reviews

Quality Rush
I own several Rush albums and from a quality point of view, this is up there with the best.

All tracks are excellent, they are well recorded with a nice polished production. My only gripe is that there are gaps. I like live albums to be continuous as if you are listening to a complete performance.

That aside, there are no other complaints, Xanadu is the highlight for me, recreating the original masterpiece with incredible precision.

If you don't already have this album, get it!

Live perfection (almost!)
Along with Iron Maiden's `Live After Death', `Exit ... Stage Left' is one of the best live albums in *any* genre, and it's obvious to anyone with ears that Rush were on a distinct high when this album was released.

Many, including the band themselves, have stated that the album was overproduced but in my opinion the standard of the musicianship is second to none (indeed, Geddy Lee's four-string antics inspired me to learn to play bass in my teens) and the sheer energy of the performances far outweigh the slightly OTT production, and it's a lot better than the rather insipid `Show of Hands'.

There's very little filler here; a superb rendition of YYZ (complete with Peart drum solo), an absolutely thumping version of `The Trees' and, for me, the high point is the live version of 'La Villa Strangiato' right at the end which just oozes quality and boots the studio version on Hemispheres into low-Earth orbit - the live version showcases three exceptional musicians at their very best, and the album is worth the money for that track alone.

Downsides? Just two - `Spirit of Radio' and `Closer to the Heart'. Live favourites certainly, but I've never been keen on either track. Having said that, `Closer to the Heart' is worth listening to for the Glaswegian chorus ...

Most Rush fans will already own this album, but if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, it's a good enough place to start.

The Canadian Band, Rush
No other band is going to prepare you for becoming a fan of Rush. I was in a band with two good friends in the 1980's - a time when music was mainly 3 minute conveyer-belt-of-garabage music. The bass player played me YYZ by Rush and my life changed for ever. Listening to Rush is like listening to an old friend - all of the Rush tricks are there - the extra bar in the first chorus being the most obvious. From Prog Rock of the 1970's, through a musically blank 1980's (for everyone else that is) and into an equally uninspiring 1990's, Rush have remained as hard working and inspiring as ever. I went to see them in 1991 and the memory will stick with me forever.

Exit Stage Left captures Rush at the height of their powers - the music is complicated, whilst containing hooks, the musicianship flawless (but you should also check out the honesty of the 1970's bonus disc with Different Stages - which contains some bloopers - honesty personified) and the songs as inspiring and relaxing now as when I first sat back and listened in awe (although back then it was on vinyl).

Graham Davies