ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE

All the World's a Stage was Rush's first live album, released in 1976 following the 2112 tour. This began a series of Rush live albums released approximately after every fourth studio album. It contains material from Rush's first four albums.

Overall, it isn't the best sounding of Rush's live albums, but it has a strong rawness unlike the others. For that alone, this album is a wonderful documentary of Rush's earlier years, including much material from their movement towards being a full-fledged progressive rock band. The best highlights for me are By-Tor & The Snow Dog and the Working Man/Finding My Way/Drum Solo medley. I found their rendition of 2112 a little disappointing in that it's a shortened version.

This is definitely a must-have for Rush fans, but I would recommend Exit... Stage Left for newcomers interested in their live material as it is the most progressive of their live releases. Three stars for a really good live album.