RUSH - IN RIO

My reaction upon hearing Rush - In Rio for the first was that it probably was the best live album that I have ever heard! But although my original enthusiasm this album hasn't received much more attention from me since then and is instead currently collecting dust on a shelf.

First I blamed this inconsistency on this album's incredible length that doesn't necessary make me want to pop it in the stereo on regular basis, but that's really only one of the main reasons. The second has to do with the energy that the band displays in their performance. I really wanted to pretend that Rush sounded as enthusiastic as they did during their early days but to me it seems more like the huge audience gives the impression of a better performance than it actually is. The crowd of 40,000 that gathered to see this performance was easily the most enthusiastic one that I've ever heard and they definitely deserved to be treated to the show that they got from Rush here. Unfortunately listening to it in retrospect doesn't really justify the experience for me especially since the DVD-version is really what should be the first purchasing choice for anybody wanting to hear this concert. It's also loaded with a great deal of nice bonus material among which is a documentary.

The CD-version remains overshadowed by many different limitations and after purchasing the excellent early '80s live album Exit.....Stage Left that documents Rush in their prime I doubt that I will want to return to Rush - In Rio other then to listen to the magnificent audience participation moments like the ones during 2112 and La Villa Strangiato. Good, but non-essential addition to your already hefty Rush album collection.

***** star songs: YYZ (4:56) The Trees (5:12) Natural Science (8:34) 2112 (6:52) Limelight (4:29) La Villa Strangiato (10:05) The Spirit Of Radio (5:28)

**** star songs: Tom Sawyer (5:04) Distant Early Warning (4:50) The Pass (4:52) The Big Money (6:03) Freewill (5:48) Closer To The Heart (3:04) One Little Victory (5:32) Driven (5:22) Secret Touch (7:00) Dreamline (5:10) Resist (4:23) By-Tor And The Snow Dog (4:34) Cygnus X-1 (3:12) Working Man (5:48) Vital Signs (4:59)

*** star songs: New World Man (4:04) Roll The Bones (6:15) Earthshine (5:44) Bravado (6:18) Ghost Rider (5:36) Red Sector A (5:16) Leave That Thing Alone (4:59) O Baterista (8:54) Between Sun & Moon (4:51)