DIFFERENT STAGES - LIVE

A very solid exposure o great songs, perfect sound with a perfect performance. The trio do it again, a memorable live album for the newer generations to understand what have they done through the years, a must have

Now here is a real swing that I would categorize in the essential category. This package contains 2 live CD's from their latest tour and a bonus CD from 1978 when RUSH were just kiddie boo-boo's. The first 2 CD's explore their vast archives performing great versions of many of their classics. This live recording was very well mic'd and the speaker seperation is superb not to mention the superior sound quality. The 3rd CD is a limited time freebee and captures RUSH back in their youth performing some long lost gems. The crowd noise is at the right level for me here and never interferes with the songs, but still giving that live feel. The songs are full of life and energy and you won't believe the feeling this release gives the listener. Essential Prog especially for RUSH fans.

better than all the anthologies, better than any other RUSH live ? maybe not... but you have the advantage of covering two shows from two different eras of rush history... so as an introduction to someone who wnats to know more about this great canadian band... this is just what yo need (plus the fans won't get bored cause it's great live material) !to sum up, i'd say "different stages" is a clever investment for anyone... so what are you waiting for ???

Well, here we are with another superb live album. Too many highlights to name. The band are in fine fettle all the way here. One thing though, as good as Closer To The Heart is, does it have to appear on every live one? A must for fans though.

With live albums you only need to ask 2 questions.Does it have the best songs? Does it have acceptable sound quality? Here in both cases the answer is definetly yes.This is as great a colection of Rush songs that you can hope to get on a double CD set.The only real ommission is Xanadu which would have made absolutely perfect but that is a minor quibble.The band are totally awesome throughout but what makes this worth buying is the enhanced sound quality which is far better than 'Rush in Rio' I've honestly never heard any band sound so dynamic and powerful.This is wonderful! And if that wasnt't enough you get a bonus disc of Rush playing at Hammersmith Odeon in 1978,and that does include Xanadu!!

I was at that SHOW DONT TELL concert on february 27 of 94 in miami ,with my band (at the time) and it was fantastic .MY band mates were blown away by the power and energy of rush,and it was there first rush concert they had ever been to, but i had seen them before.But even i was caught by surprise when Neil ended his power drum solo with a firework display over the crowd waaaaoooow! what a sight! I,ll never forget that.I,v been to every rush concert from Roll the bones to first row seats at there 30 th anniversary tour,i,v seen each tour at least twice,and its been one great! show after another.These guys have really inspired me,shaped me, and inproved me, as a musician. This is a must have album.

long live rush!!

Ladies & Gentleman, what we have here is the greatest live record by one of the best live bands in the world. A mammoth triple cd, with a full length time of 3,5 hours, that includes nearly all quintessential material Rush created in their over 30 years long career. The most interestening thing is that the third cd is the legendary '78 show in London, only here presented, awaited long time by many fans and there it is. Rush recorded 5 live albums: "All The World's A Stage", "Exit...Stage Left", "A Show Of Hands", "Different Stages" and the actually "Rush In Rio", which is also an enjoyable triple live output, but "Different Stages" sounds more natural and got the (in my oppinion) better playlist. Of course, you can't get wrong with a tracklist by Rush, because they don't have weak songs, but here are some all-time faves like "Anthem" (for what I waited long to hear it live), "Fly By Night", "Farewell To Kings", "Xanadu" or (down on your knees!) the complete "2112" epic included. If you just want one Rush live record (at least one is a must by this band!), this should it be. "Different Stages" presents Rush in ultimative top form: powerful band sound, which wasn't manipulated in the studio, like earlier Rush live albums. It documets the timeless genius of the band with sounding brilliance, which many sound- engineers could bring into suicide. Between the recordings of Disc 1 + 2 & 3 is a timeline of 20 years, but you can't find a difference when you look at the passion, power, perfection and atmosphere, how Rush perform their music. One argument more to carry Rush for the creation of musically timeless travelling up onto the throne of rock knights! Rush are technically the best rock power-trio in the 70's, 80's & 90's on the planet, hopefully they will carry this with them very long into the future...

Somehow this huge 3CD encyclopedia of Rush live recordings was a big disappointment to me. The first two discs contain recordings from their "Test for Echo" tour bring us a wide palette of their 1990's songs, which are good as compositions, but they don't sound specifically interesting to my ears when compared to the studio versions of these tracks. Also "2112" was probably a great experience to listen in the concert, but from the stereos I prefer the original studio version with multitrack recordings. Especially the beginning gets quite flat without three guitars. Then 1978 concert seems unnecessary bonus material here, as it doesn't offer for the listener the best outtakes from this period of the band which I have heard, so this box set is in my opinion outshadowed by many other official live releases of Rush: "Exit...Stage Left", "A Show of Hands" and "Rush in Rio". Maybe releasing these two lives as two separate releases would also have been fairer, as some fans of this band who like their 1970's material don't like their 1990's stuff. Though many reviewers are very excited about this live set, I would personally recommend you to prelisten this expensive box before buying it blindly.

I never really cared for live records very much other than All the World's a Stage. It happened to be my introductory recording to Rush way back when. it has sentimental value and i enjoy it today. The live recordings that followed seemed flawed in one way or another, (that is another review), so by the time Different Stages was released in '98...I passed. It took me FIVE years untill i finally broke down and picked DS up. Ok! Ok! Don't hit me for being ignorant! This is a great live recording complete with recent tours, older tour, good setlist, production, etc, etc. Years from now, when this legendary act has retired, we can all sit back and imagine seeing Rush performing live while listening to Different Stages...it is that good and stands up towhy they are a great live act. I would go out on a limb to say that DS is the best Rush record since...well i won't go there. If you are a Rush fan in any sense of the title as I claim to be, you do not want to squander another day in the fields of live music mire. This is a great Rush cd! Get this record now or be forever flogged by the Rush fans of time!... Ouch!.. Stop that!

This is the ultimate Rush live album. A killer set list and overall incredible musicianship brings this one above all the rest. A great balance between new and old is provided, and this is the only live album to feature 2112 in its entirety (even Discovery is featured). The band has a knack for playing superb renditions of their greatest songs, and they continue that trend as they play through the Test for Echo tour with style and flare. At the time of its release, Neil Peart had lost his wife and daughter, and in the tri-fold inlay, there is a lyric from the GUP song Afterimage.

From the opening riff of Dreamline in 1997 to the closing riff in Cinderella Man in 1978, there is nothing to be disappointed about with this masterpiece of live music. The tuned down 2112 is a treat, and Alex plays superbly during his extended version of Discovery. Great playing is also shown from Peart on his standard drum solo, this one titled The Rhythm Method 1997, and it also revives older sections from solos he did in the past (which he does today, as well). Geddy's voice is at its best and his bass playing is nothing less than superb. The Farewell to Kings tour set is also superb, with old classics being played. My favorite of the tracks there is Xanadu, which is very similar to its Exit... Stage Left counterpart.

I recommend this to any fan of live albums. It is the most varied and most adventurous live album they've done in terms of material played. 5/5.

This is one of the best registrations from Rush live and an excellent introduction to Rush for those who don't know their dynamic and pivotal sound!

CD1 and CD2 contain 3 songs from the "Counterparts" tour from 1994 ("Bravado", "Show don't tell" and "Analog kid") and 17 songs from the "Test for echo" tour from 1997. The most ecixiting musical surprise from Rush to their super loyal fans was the full version of their heavy progressive epic "2112". This rendition sounds great featuring a powerful and inventive rhythm-section and excellent, very propulsive and varied guitarplay. Only the vocals sound a bit too polished to me. Most of the post-"Power windows" tracks are not my cup of tea but I'm delighted about "Driven", the killer guitar riff can compete with the best from Jimmy Page! Most 'classics' are performed very well with some slight changes like surprising acoustic guitarwork in "The trees" and a splendid improvisation in "Closer to the heart". Tracks like "Natural science", "Freewill", "The spirit of the radio" and "Tom Sawyer" showcases the innovative and exciting 'power-symphonic rock" (inspired by mid-Genesis) featuring outstanding interplay from the trio, floods of sensational guitar soli (often biting and wah- wah drenched) and excellent, very dynamic work on bass and drums, so distinctive! CD3 contains a concert from the "A farewell to kings" tour in 1978 in the UK (Hammersmith Odeon in London), enjoy those magnificent 'heavy progressive ' compositions like "Xanadu" (swirling interplay and fine use of synthesizers) and Cygnus X-1 " (what a build-up and climax!) along 'oldies' like "Bastille day", "By-or & The Snow Dog" and the stage favorite "In the mood" (great to see hardrock fans and progheads together screaming and headbanging!).

THIS IS A HISTORICAL PROGROCK DOCUMENT!!

This is a great Rush live recording: a 3 CD set in a very pretty edition. Discs 1 & 2 contains live versions of their latest songs from Presto to Test for Echo albums and great old ones as : The Trees- Closer To The Heart- Natural Science- YYZ, Tom Sawyer- Freewill and analog Kid. But the greatest minutes of this album are the complete epic version of 2112 (From overture to Grand Finale). The third CD contains a great live recording from the Farewell To Kings Tour at London´s Hammersmith Odeon.

This is a set produced by Ged and Paul Northfield, during the "break" that take the band after Neil´s family tragedies.

Rush as always, gave us an excelent live album.

OK...here we go. I didn't like TEST FOR ECHO all that much, so I was skeptical of this live record, simply because I was familiar with the material off TFE, and since it was pretty much the basis for THIS record, I thought it was gonna suck, right? I mean, hell...T4E pretty much sucked, I thought. No way this record could be as good as the other live discs.

OMG! Was I ever wrong! Not only did the (godforsaken) songs from T4E get a better sound than the studio versions (on the record, IMO, they still sound unfinished), but they (the songs) come alive! There's an energy and freshness which had long been missing from their catalog; COUNTERPARTS, IMO, was a bit of a misstep, and TEST FOR ECHO, though I gave it three stars, was even MORE of a step back.

Rush sound alive for the first time in quite a while, and, listening to the audience rant and rave about these veritable gods' peformance just fuels my reaction. Hearing the crowd go nuts during a 5-minute rendering of CLOSER TO THE HEART makes me pump my fist in the air, as does the full-length version of the 2112 suite. "I stand atop a spiral stair..." Yes, Rush...you certainly do. In closing...I am simply not worthy. Wanna have your mind REALLY blown? RUSH IN RIO is better!

Wow! What an excellent live set album containing three discs. From the album title itself it's self explanatory that this concert must have been done at three different stages. Discs one and two were recorded on the 1997 Test for Echo tour (and mostly from the same date), with a few Counterparts period shows added in. Disc three is the 1978 show.

As I always mention in my previous reviews I love live records, so this review must be biased towards my personal taste. In addition, I love the music of Rush which to me meaning "energy" which typically sparks the light to start the day. I remember the time when I always play "The Spirit of Radio" before starting the day. Yeah . "Begin the day with a friendly voice .." is not just applicable for radio broadcaster but it also applies to all other profession. After that I play "Without Hope You Can Not Start The Day" of Yes "Union" album. Wow! What a great thing to start the day with prog spirit!

This live set is also a favorite of mine not only the music but also I really enjoy to see the package which is designed like a three-LP set - really nice; with cover artwork that is so simple but brings with it a clear message. Sometime I bring this package to the office and opened it, unfolded, and make it stood out on top of my desk so people who pass around my office will see the message: "This is the desk of prog rocker who loves RUSH! - Stay away if you don't like this Canadian band!". So if you want my address is number one at the end corner of the office with "Three Different Stages" cardboard package on top of the desk . and it's the only desk having this sort of great artifacts!

Let's talk about the music. The live set opener is "Dreamline" from Roll The Bones album that begins this is raw Rush. On studio version this is not exactly my fave track but this version is kicking. "Animate" from Counterparts album is truly my favorite stuff. I like the flow as well as textures that move along with the music. I love both versions: studio as well as this live set. But the live version is much powerful as it casts higher energy. Rush shows his muscular sound beautifully.

The band also shows different eras with " The Trees" - "Nobody's Hero" - "Closer To The Heart" and well known "2112" at Disc one. This reminds us on the various music approaches the band had made in its history which evolved over time. What I also love is the "Natural Science" which has been my favorite and also "Live That Thing Alone". I don't need to tell you track by track about this live set but it's definitely an excellent live set that satisfies the musical taste of those who like heavier part of prog rock. Oh yeah, there are also "Working Man" and "Cygnus X-1" which are performed wonderfully.

My dear prog friends, please buy this CD as this is an excellent one. I have no financial interest with the label but I want people know that spending their dollars with this album is a wise decision. But . "Leave That Thing Alone" . oops . sorry I mean . I leave it up to you to decide and please .Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Rarely does a live recording manage to capture the very essence of a band like Different Stages does for RUSH. This three disc set, containing over three hours of music, documents nearly the entire history of the band with tracks throughout their entire career from Test For Echo back to their self-titled debut.

The errors of their previous live releases are remedied here. Previously, their live releases have been too polished as to not capture the energy and atmosphere of a live performance, or they have been to raw and thus interfering with the quality of the music. RUSH achieves the perfect balance for Different Stages. The crows noise stays at a level where it's able to be heard and felt, but it never overpowers or even threatens to drown out a note that the band plays. Also, the production allows you to hear that it is a live release and feel the frantic energy and adrenalin galvanized air, but the music quality is still crystal clear.

Many of the songs have undergone a rather significant amount of changes. Whether it be a change in tempo, or and added/dropped beat here, it really makes the songs more interesting. I feel many of the songs here should be held as the definitive version of RUSH tracks due to this and the overall spotless performance by the band. "Test For Echo", "Freewill", and "Bravado" are better here than on any release before or after. Also, the two tracks featured from the self-titled release have had a considerate embellishment rhythmically due to Neil Peart that really brings "Working Man" and "In The Mood" to life, these version should also be the only versions you require for your listening.

One of the beautiful things about this live release, rather than others, is Geddy Lee's voice. On more recent live album he sings in his mature voice that many fans prefer, but when performing an older song, such as "2112" for instance, he is unable to recapture the shriek necessary for the aggression of the track. Here has no such problem, his mature voice is in prime condition for the songs that require it, and his high pitched yelp is still at his disposal.

Every song on this release is either as good or better as the original studio version. It suffers from no pitfalls that often plague live releases, and it should be held in as high esteem as definitive live albums such as Made In Japan and Yessongs.

This is a positively astonishing live triple album from the boys from Toronto. The perfect balance between the crowd's energy and sound quality is hard to achieve, but Rush perfected it here. The crowd augments the already immense energy of the songs. Check the 2112 overture for a perfect example of this. Even more impressive is the absolute virtuosity of the musicians here. It shows brilliantly in every song, whether it's Geddy in "YYZ", Alex in "Freewill" (among MANY others), or Neil's 8 minutes of insanity after "Where's My Thing". If that wasn't enough, the album includes a bonus 3rd disc, with a 1978 "Farewell To Kings" concert. Amazingly enough, the sound quality does not take a hit at all. The song selection is excellent as well, through this disc, and in fact, the rest of the album. Rush always have made great live albums, but this one may have topped them all. Easy 5 star album.

When listening to live CD's I don't really listen for how good the songs are, that's what the studios are for, but I usually listen for how good the band sounds aside from thier studio technology dependency. Rush is known to be one of the best live preformers among most bands, and Different Stages is a testimony to prove that my freinds. If your new to Rush, or looking for some good Rush to listen to, then check out Different stages, becasue Geddy, Neil, and Alex all sound beautiful. 2112 sounded a little weird on the discovery, but I enjoyed to say that there isnt' enough of a down set to give it anything lower than top rating. It still sounds great, and that song alone isn't enough for me to say that this album is worth the look into. Different stages was one of the first live albums I heard from Rush, in fact, one of the first albums I heard from Rush and I'm here to testify that it's a great way to start or continue with your Rush collection. 5 stars for the album, it's incredible.

This is a very strong, consistent, and possibly the band's most professional live album ("Rush in Rio" being their most exciting). It showcases some truly amazing playing from all members and songs from across most of their career (with the inclusion of the bonus 3rd disc). They sound tight, cohesive, and very much in the zone.

In a live setting, one can really hear how awesome Rush's sound really is; their playing is just colossal, and perhaps more likely to attract fans than the sometimes over-produced sound of their studio albums. Standouts include "Dreamline", the extended version of "Closer to the Heart", the most amazing recorded version of "2112" (in its entirety!) and the always excellent "YYZ".

Expect to be amazed and energized!

Setlist 4 Instrumental Performances 5 Stage Energy 4 Live Experience 5

This is a 3-disc document of the live Rush experience. The first two discs contain more recent material that is a mixed bag. Some songs hit big while others miss. Somehow the sound of modern day Rush and the pace of some of their live material here just doesn't cut it to me. They need less "noise" in the mix, more warmth to the sound and in some places a little kick in the butt to get the speed right. Altering the speed intentionally for effect can be useful but the slower versions of a few tracks here detract from the original.

The 3rd disc though is a real treasure, a pretty killer show from 1978. This is nearly the Holy Grail for Rush fans, the only tour that could possibly be better to the prog-era Rush fans would be the Hemispheres tour. C'mon guys, give us a full length uncut DVD video of a show from the Hemispheres tour-now that would be something! I bet somebody filmed at least one show from the Hemispheres or P. Waves tours.

The 3rd disc makes this nearly essential to the Rush fan but for everyone else this is 3 star territory.

If you only get one Rush album, this is the one to get. Seriously. Even for a band noted for the excellence of their live performances, this collection of songs from three tours goes far beyond expectations in the quality of the performances and the sets give an amazing overview of Rush's career. These guys make the songs sound BETTER live. Listen to Analog Kid (for just one example) on the second disc and I'll defy you to tell me that you prefer the studio version. All in all, the best sounding live album that I've heard in a long time. If only they'd included "Subdivisions"....

This will be too big dose of Rush for anyone but hard Rush fans. It is three disc edition and can go boring a bit. Songs are from different phases of Rush music, but they are here played in same production style, so in the moment it gets hard to distinguish songs that are much different on albums. Guitarist plays somehow grungy here, and his sound is somehow to tiny for massive Peart's druming. Bass is also very loud, and it gets irritating to me, as in a moment I figure out that these guys really have a need to prove their technical power all the time. There are many songs from newer albums, that do everything but impress me. Old classics stil sound good, but some newer songs spoil a lot (especially voice and beat samples in Roll the Bones), which are somehow unpleasant to me.

I actually never liked live releases that contain so many songs, it seems like they play their whole catalog. Some songs in here really rock, might be that Rush are even more hard rock band, and Gedy's voice is excellent too.

Good listenings, but not for recomand to everyone as an essential prog live record.

Encyclopedia Rush-tanica: 1974-1996

To celebrate the release of the new Live Rush offering (S&A Live) I've decided to revisit an old friend of mine. This is the kind of friend that over the years you have less and less time for, but whenever you see them (or in this case, hear them I suppose) it evokes such fond memories. This is an album that I bought by chance several years ago after I received pay for my first (paying) gig in the career I would later pursue; so I ran out to the record store to find this - an album that I'd been searching for for so long already based sheerly on it's awesome cover art. Simple and yet mathematical, childish, dense and welcoming all at once. Looking at the track listing also I knew this would be something of a dream come true as an up and coming Rush fanatic, especially with the third disc included.

And so it went - the album followed me everywhere. I played it at home, at work, on my way to and from school, having enough material on it that as soon as I got to the third disc I'd be wanting to hear the first again. Indeed, it's this album that turned me from a Rush fan to a rabid Rush fanatic. Which is why I would eventually choose it as my avatar when I joined Prog Archives, a site that I would come across while looking for more Rush over the web. Go figure.

So the album is monumental in my life, So what!? Many of you may ask, well:

It is such for a very good reason. This is an amazing effort by the legendary Canadian three piece, and at the time of it's release, almost the final effort by them. Following the less than stellar Test For Echo people might have been wondering what the material would sound like live. Well, the band truly managed to bring everything to life here. And really, it's less of a tour to promote one album and more of a tour to play their old material after having evolved and matured as musicians.

One thing I've always admired about the band is that they're always able to make their music fresh. Each recording of Closer To The Heart for example, sounds completely different from the next, and I especially love this version which includes almost 3 minutes of jam-time at the end of the song (topped only by the A Show Of Hands version of the song). Rush always plays the music as if they'd recorded it the day before.

This album features a ton of material - although that's to be expected when it's a three disc set. There's a lot of variety, especially since the band plays a couple of tracks which hardly ever make it to the live album set-lists. A couple of gems to be had here include Show Don't Tell (one of the best tracks from Presto), Nobody's Hero (from the already amazing Counterparts) and 2112 in its entirety (something most prog fans will appreciate)! And that's just the first disc.

The second disc has much much more material to cover. The versions of Test For Echo and Driven presented here are FAR superior to their studio counterparts, and songs like Stick It Out and Leave That Thing Alone get wonderful treatment even if they didn't need to be improved upon in the first place! Although for the prog-heads out there the biggest draw will likely be the addition of the usual Fan Favorites as well as longer tracks like Peart's The Rhythm Method and the energetic Natural Science.

But wait, there's more.

The third disc (if the others didn't interest you) is what will really draw in the proggers. Taken from a concert recorded in 1978, the third disc shows the band in their progressive golden age. Imagine the energy and spirit from All The World's A Stage combined with the musical prowess and prestige of Exit... Stage Left - that's basically what we have here.

The standouts on the disc are many. Mini-epics (that Rush excel so well in) like Xanadu and Cygnus X-1 are played here with such ferocity that one would think that they were trying to take over the Earth! The shorter tracks are all well done also, especially the abridged version of By-Tor and The Snow Dog, the excellent A Farewell To Kings and the ''lost'' Cinderella Man (which has always been a favorite of mine anyways).

Conclusion

As I said in my review of Exit...Stage Left there's not many live albums that I've found that are worthy of the five star mark -- but this is one of them. If you're going to buy one live Rush album it had better be this one, as it is an amazing catalog of their works up until 1996 and includes a double disc-modern Rush live album coupled with a Classic-era Rush live album. In terms of performance -- incredible. Rush have always been a live band, and this is no exception.

Unless you dislike Rush this is an essential piece of music to your library.

RUSH's Different Stages album wraps up their 90's era musical phase, which I call their "Contemporary period". Albums included are Presto (1989), Roll the Bones (1991), Counterparts (1993), Test for Echo (1996), and Different Stages "Live" (1998).

With the prospect of working on the next new Rush album put on an indefinite hold by the personal tragedies that fell upon Rush's drummer, Neil Peart during 1997, Geddy Lee, the band's bassist, took it upon himself to go ahead and work on getting something out to the fans.

Different Stages is Rush's fourth live album up to that point, and in my opinion, the best of them all. It's the most comprehensive live set ever offered. Basically it's a live greatest hits package with live versions of some songs presented for the first and possibly last time. Different Stages comes mostly from Rush's Test for Echo Tour in 1996, which was the first time they played to fans with no opening act. It was billed as An Evening with Rush, and what an evening it was! Awesome long shows running 2 1/2 to 3 hours long. They even played 2112 in it's entirety! Awesome. I saw the show at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans on December 6th 1996.

There are two discs filled with Live Rush from that tour, and then, as a bonus, you get a vintage 1978 show recorded in London from the Farewell to Kings tour. This was originally recorded to be a radio show that was never broadcast. It's nice to hear them play some of these songs from back in the day. A real treat for long-time fans like myself. I consider Different Stages the band's top live offering based on the amount of music, songs presented, quality of the recording, and the bonus disc from 1978. I know that many fans think Exit.Stage Left is better, but with everything considered, this one just edges it out.

I have just re-found a review I did of this album in a web fanzine I ran 8- 10 years ago. I am including that review and hundreds of other reviews on my homepage. So I better listen to it again. I was full of praise of this live album when it was released. I loved it and gave it full score. It is still a superb live album. But it's main problem is the other live albums which followed after the comeback of Rush. In particular the superb Rush In Rio. These albums are so much fresh and livelier than this one. I get the feeling that Rush is a bit standoffish, laid-back and tired on the first two discs of Different Stages.

Don't misunderstand me; Different Stages is in it's own right superb. In particular the third disc with the concert from Hammersmith from 1978. The songs are great, Rush are as usual superb. But that little x-factor which both Rush In Rio and S & A Live has, is missing from Different Stages. But Rush never ever release bad live albums. But I still prefer all their other live albums to this one.

Prog Arcives warns us, with prudence, about giving sparingly the 5-star rating to the albums we review, considering our enthusiasm could distort our judgement. But there´s rarely an ocassion when that advice is not necessary, as in this case. Simply a superlative live album.

This is the best Rush live album. Some people object some of the works of the 90´s era (not me), and probably they´ve got it right, even more if you compare to the classic masterpieces. But I think there should be less doubts about the musical live form of Rush during this time. The sound of Different Stages is magnificent. All the instruments sound harmonious, in time and clean. Strong when the song deserves it, subtle if necessary, and most of the times with a combination of both aspects as a sintesis of what Rush is. Neil awesome as always (the production allows us to distinguish each of the elements of his drum kit), Geddy´s voice in top form and his bass covering with melodic lines every space of the songs, with no need of extra volume of distortion, and Alex showing an amazing variety of colour sounds, redefining the importance of timbre and tone to enrich a song.

As usually, the sound of the record is nearer the used on their lasts album (Counterparts and Test For Echo here). However, it fits perfect with songs from another eras and is in my opinion the great achievement of the first two discs. If I was asked about some lacks, I would object the absence some songs of the 80´s, but with the incredible version of The Analog Kid I´m done. After all, it´s not a compilation of every records. Natural Science is deeply moving, emotional and intense, a resume of Rush. Bravado is a surprise; shows Alex with a free-form ending that should check anyone who thinks everything´s said in melodic rock arrangements and possibillities. The full 2112, Freewill and Animate shine, and the Roll the Bones songs are redefined and sound much better and rich than the album versions.

Last but not least, an excellent third disc with Hammersmith Concert of 1978. Great sound according to the date, and an interesting link between the raw All the World´s a Stage and Exit... Stage Left to understand the evolution of their sound. The live version of A farewell to Kings mede me think it would be a nice opening to future retrospective concerts.

Masterpiece.

After releasing three live albums that spanned four studio albums each, dating from 1976 (All the World's a Stage), 1981 (Exit... Stage Left), and 1989 (A Show of Hands), Rush releases it's first live album in nine years with 1998's Different Stages. Unlike previous live albums which focused strongly on the preceding four studio albums it represented, Different Stages covers the whole of Rush's lengthy career. In this 3-CD set, the first two discs are from 1994 Counterparts and 1997 Test for Echo tours. The third disc is from the 1978 A Farewell to Kings tour.

This fabulous collections covers material from Rush's progressive days up to their Test for Echo album. Each period of the group's history is well represented by the group's best tracks from each period. So, all in all, the vast majority of it is progressive to their modern songs that lean heavily towards the progressive.

The production and recording is top-notch and the performances are very nicely done. Different Stages is Rush's answer to Yes' Yessongs and Genesis' Seconds Out, only it was released decades later. A must have for every Rush fan and a rare genuine live album masterpiece of which very few reach this caliber.

Can anyone say best live album of the 1990's? Well, I can say that abou this superb live album by Rush. It's 2 discs with a full bonus disc from 1977. So, the first 2 discs are mostly from 1994-1997 shows and are excellent. They all flow together well, being the setlist is always excellent and fresh. Geddy's singing is so good, you can barely tell that he has grown in age over the years. His bass playing is always really good, as you can hear in the mix well all the time. Alex sounds very good on guitar, distorted and heavy as usual. Neil is probably the only drummer who can be as good as he is, and no one will ever top him, im fairly sure abou that. So, the setlist flows really well, and some of the classics are on here, even the full version of 2112 on the 1997 tour. The bonus disc is awesome too, nice sound quality considering the age (much better sounding than the 1976 live album, All the Worlds a Stage) and it's overall a good performance. Geddy is a little sick tonight though, so he sounds a little different than normal, a little more pithcy and screechier than usual, but his bass playing is excellent. Alex plays well on this show as well, giving a fine performacne of "A Farewell to Kings" as usual. Neil hasn't evolved as much, but he still hits his drum kit like there is no tommorrow. This album is a heavy proggers dream.

It's interesting to see how Different Stages is the highest rated Rush live album, even though it mainly documents some of their lowest rated albums. The reason can't be the choice of songs or the more powerful live sound. No, it clearly got something to do with that nice little bonus called cd3, "Hammersmith Odeon, 1978"!

So we get a lavish 3cd packaging here, which was quite a treat back in 1998. But what about the content?

A mixed bag for me. The playing is stellar throughout, like a well-oiled machine, but I'm not too fond of the very loud mastering. There's no body and warmth in the sound, it's a too obtrusive clutter of mid-range frequency. The 'i-pod' or rather 'ear-phone' sound. Dreadful, you'll be tune-deaf after less then half an hour.

All songs stick true to the originals. Rush isn't a band engaging in wild live jams. Apart from an occasional flash such as the extended bass guitar part in Driven, there are no surprises here. Still, I very much enjoy the live rendition of some of the recent songs. Dreamline and Bravado are just two examples where the added live energy breathes new life into songs that were rather stale on the studio albums.

Geddy's vocal pitch has lowered a bit to a warmer and fuller tone, much to the appreciation of my wife who usually needs to block out Geddy's voice to be able to appreciate anything Rush. I'm sure there are more people with similar problems. But the changed vocal range is quite problematic on some of the older songs. Limelight sounds rather bland frankly, and songs like The Trees and The Temple Of Syrinx are disappointing. On the intense moments Geddy is either off-pitch or has to resort to alternate melodies that simply don't work.

There are exceptions. Freewill is performed most convincingly, these guys must have played this tune a 1000 times already but still they are focussed and enthusiastic. True professionals! The highlight must be Natural Science, which makes more impact on me here then on Permanent Waves.

CD3 brings us back to the old days and is a nice gem for the fans. The setlist isn't entirely satisfying though. The songs from Farewell To Kings are still very true to the originals and the string of encores doesn't bring out a very inspired performance. It's a nice to have but there are much more interesting '78-'79 concerts available.

Where to start. RUSH has until recently been releasing a live album after every four studio records, and those live albums would focus almost exclusively on the songs from the previous four studio albums. "Exit Stage Left" is my favourite live RUSH album mainly because like most RUSH fans that's my favourite period of the band. This particular live recording is an unprecidented (for RUSH) 3 albums worth of music. And unlike past live albums the songs here are from every era of the band except for the post "Signals" synth period of the band (thankyou). Most of the songs are from the "Test For Echo" tour. Now for most that would be a disappointment but I still hold that album in high esteem and maybe in part that's why I love this recording so much.

I have to say that when this was released in 1998 the band didn't really know if they would be playing again. Neil had lost both his daughter and wife and everything was in limbo. In the liner notes it says "Suddenly...you were gone...from all the lives you left your mark upon".Then below that it says "In loving memory of Jackie and Selena". So there's no doubt that the band swayed from the norm here because of the situation to give the fans almost a retrospective of their careers that was in danger of being done.The third disc is really a bonus from the "A Farewell To Kings" tour in 1978 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England.The raw power and aggression is staggering after listening to the first two discs. Especially Geddy of course who's screaming his head off. Neil's drums are more upfront on this one too. All three of the guys are on fire as they rip through these songs from their first five studio albums. What I like as well about all three discs is that the crowd is very upfront in the sound. I know lots of people who don't like it, but man it gives you a taste of what it's like at a real RUSH concert. I mean almost from start to finish the crowd is yelling, singing, clapping, headbanging and many I know have tears in their eyes as they witness their heroes light the stage on fire with amazing virtuosity and power. I've been in the middle of 450,000 screaming people to witness this first hand at SarsStock in Toronto back on 2003. Also in the front row at the triumphant return of this band to Toronto on the "Vapor Trails" tour. Yeah I love hearing the crowd going nuts.

I don't even know where to begin as far as the music goes because there are so many highlights. I wanted to mention the cd sleeve for the third bonus disc that shows the Hammersmith Odeon theater with Geddy out front scalping RUSH tickets, while Alex is being carried away by men in white coats to the insane asylum, while Neil watches out the window upstairs in the theater. Funny stuff. Terry Brown engineered this disc and epics like "Xanadu" and "Cygnus X-1" are killer ! "Farewell To Kings" sounds incredible around 3 1/2 minutes with the upfront bass, ripping guitar and pounding drums. Every track though has Geddy's bass just booming and I love it. Check out "In The Mood" at the 3 minute mark. Insane !

Disc One begins with "Dreamline" which is the only track RUSH played at SarsStock that wasn't from the "Farewell To Kings" to "Moving Pictures" period. Oh besides the "Painted Black" cover. I have to mention the complete "2112" epic here in it's entirety. Man I had that cranked on the way to work today. My ears haven't been buzzing like that for a while. "Analog Kid" is another highlight. Huge bass as usual. All of the "Test For Echo" tracks sound amazing. "Freewill" is my favourite RUSH track and they nail it. Oh and Neil's drum solo blew me away. I'm not into drum solos usually but this was amazing, and it ended with a gong. I can't forget "Natural Science" either.

So a definite 4 stars. It's far from perfect. It's too long and it includes some songs that I wouldn't have included but hey it's RUSH, the greatest band on the planet.

Bravado!

If you happen to have read some of my reviews of the post-Moving Pictures Rush albums, you have probably noticed that I'm not a very big fan of either the Synth-Pop/New Wave sound they adopted with Signals in the early 80's nor of the Alternative Rock/Grunge sound they adopted with Counterparts in the early 90's. Even though there are a couple of good studio albums to be found in the Rush discography after the end of the classic period (1976- 1981), particularly 1989's Presto and 1996's Test For Echo, and that most of their albums hold at least some good individual tracks, post-Moving Pictures Rush have never been too interesting for me in general. In the studio, that is! As a live band, on the other hand, Rush has continued to be a force to be reckoned with over the decades.

Recorded on tour in support of the unfairly dismissed Test For Echo (Rush's best album of the 90's, in my opinion), Different Stages is a good live album featuring a fine selection of some of the best tracks from the band's 90's albums plus some from the 80's as well as a couple of 70's classics, including a storming rendition of the complete 2112 suite! If you lost touch with Rush somewhere in the mid 80's, Different Stages is a very good place to rekindle the flame. Indeed, this live album is in many ways a good replacement for the band's 90's studio albums from which the bulk of these songs were taken. If you get this live album, you don't really need studio albums like Roll The Bones, Counterparts and Test For Echo, as the best tracks from these albums are all here, often in improved versions. Three tracks were taken from Test For Echo, the best of which is the superb ballad Resist. As I pointed out in my review of that album, Resist is one of the very few post-Moving Pictures Rush songs, possibly the only one, that really sounds like a classic to me. Driven and the title-track are in a different division altogether, but not bad at all as such. Counterparts is represented with no less than four songs, the best of which is Animate and the semi-ballad Nobody's Hero. I was never a fan of that studio album, but I don't dislike what is here. Roll The Bones was another very weak studio album, but again they have managed to some of the better tracks from it here. Unfortunately, they did not remove the awful Rap-section (sic!) of the title-track, which is of course pre-recorded and played out to the audience from the speakers. Very lame, if you ask me! Another little blunder is the tedious, eight minute plus drum solo. Don't get me wrong, I have the greatest respect for Neil Peart and I think he is a truly fantastic drummer indeed. But while drum solos function pretty well on live videos, I have never enjoyed them on audio-only recordings.

To sum up. In my opinion, there is simply too much focus on the band's 90's albums and too little from the classic era for this live recording to be really essential. Only three songs are from the 70's (admittedly one of them is very long, but still) and these stand out so much from the rest that the decline of the band since then becomes painfully evident while listening to this album despite the fact that this set list is almost a greatest hits of the late 80's and 90's. In terms of progressive Rock, this album is not plentiful. The aforementioned 2112 suite as well as the great Natural Science from 1980's Permanent Waves represents Rush's progressive side.

Good, but non-essential

(I should mention that the bonus disc contains a live recording from 1978, that I have yet to hear.)

This is the way to listen to Rush!

The best Rush live album is a 3 CD feast of all that is great about the power trio. The CDs are all over an hour of pure proto metal and feature a wide variety of tracks from most of the classic albums. It works as a kind of live greatest Rush tracks as this features the legendary songs that have made them so popular.

There have been other live albums of course, namely 1976 All the World's a Stage, 1981 Exit... Stage Left, and 1989 A Show of Hands but those albums are more or less promotional tools when the band were touring respective albums. Nine years later they have released this penultimate live experience and unlike previous live albums this one features a much greater range of tracks spannign all their albums. The live tracks featured are taken from classic Rush as well as the more recent at the time 1994 Counterparts and 1997 Test for Echo tours. CD 3 is a terrific nostalgic romp through the classic material performed during 1978 A Farewell to Kings tour.

There are no complaints if you are into high quality proto metal or prog. Highlights include: on CD 1 - Nobody's Hero (5:00); Closer To The Heart (5:13); 2112: (21:29) the full vesion! On Cd 2 Test For Echo (6:15); Freewill (5:36); Leave that thing alone (4:46); Natural science (8:06) - the first time I had heard this leading me to buy the actual album. On CD 3 Bastille Day (5:00); By-Tor and the snow dog (5:05); Xanadu (12:17); Farewell to kings (6:07); Cygnus X-1 (10:23); Anthem (4:39).

With all those highlights and more this is an irresistible album for the Rush addict. I rate it as high as possible as it the absolute best live record for the band thus far.

Compiled by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson whilst Neal Peart struggled to come to terms with a series of tragic events in his family life, there was a time when it appeared that Different Stages might be the final release by Rush. Happily, Peart's emotional recovery meant that this wasn't the case, but if this triple live album had been the band's last words, then they'd have gone out on a high.

The first two discs are drawn from the tours for Counterparts and Test For Echo, with most songs being drawn from a single performance in 1997 with a few exceptions here and there. These showcase Rush giving their heaviest performances since the 1970s - if not of their whole career - with classic songs being given note-perfect live renditions (including a complete run-through of 2112!) and newer songs being given a much-needed shot in the arm, transforming them from their comparatively sterile studio versions into pieces worthy of sharing a setlist with the band's best songs. This, frankly, is the best way to listen to the post-Grace Under Pressure songs included here, and if the release had been rounded off with just these two discs it'd still be decent value for money. It's not perfect - the 'rap' section in Roll the Bones still sounds goofy, there's a really tedious drum solo midway through the second disc, and the classic songs still rather outshine the newer material - but it's Rush sounding back on form for the first time in over a decade, so the first two discs would earn three stars on their own.

The third disc documents a barnstorming show in London during the Farewell to Kings tour. This is very much worth having for any fan of early (pre-Permanent Waves) Rush, and I'd say it's even a better live document of that period of their career than the hastily recorded All the World's a Stage. The band give a performance which is at once heavier and yet at the same time more technically proficient than on that album, adding little flourishes to already complex compositions and rocking the hell out of the selections from their first three albums. In fact, I'd say that the versions of Bastille Day, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, and the other pre-2112 songs here are the definitive recordings of those tracks. As for the fresher material, Something for Nothing is - rather surprisingly - the only 2112 track featured, whilst four songs from Farewell to Kings are presented, the band proving on tracks like Xanadu or Cygnus X-1 that they were fully capable of realising even their most complex compositions on stage.

On the whole, then, a very credible three-plus star performance from the 1990s and a bonus disc of five star 1970s material makes me think a four star rating is more than fair. Different Stages really puts Rush's 1990s studio albums to shame when you compare these lively, energetic renditions of that material to the versions on Roll the Bones, Test for Echo and Counterparts, and comes highly recommended to all Rush fans who like the heavier side of their work; that said, I personally find I keep revisiting the 1970s disc much more than I do the 1990s set.

Half Hard Rock and half Heavy Progressive Rock.

More than 3 hours 20 minutes remembering all the steps of the great Canadian band. Lots of energy on stage, some memorable instrumental deployments, especially in elaborate songs.

From my personal taste, I find too many disposable songs, mainly Hard Rock songs. Lifeson ´s voice and singing style never convinced me, let alone live. In the first half of the 1980s used it in more convincing way, for me.

Reproduction of 2112 is good but not essential. Natural Science, Xanadu, Cygnus X -1 are the best. Farewell to Kings, Bravado, Animate, The Trees, Limelight, and Leave That Thing Alone are other good reproductions that can be enjoyed.

Sometimes the sound of the audience through song is heard, which is not to my taste . For any fan of Rush is a great product, for which it excited us only a certain part of his repertoire, not as spectacular.

This three-disk set is really two albums: a double album with songs recorded from various concerts in 1994 and 1997, and a third disk of live songs recorded at a 1978 show.

Disks 1 and 2

A Show of Hands and Different Stages: Live are Rush's best live albums. Through 1988, the band reliably released one live double album after each four studio albums. Each of these live albums was made up of songs from those four prior albums (with one exception on A Show of Hands).

However, only half of the songs from Different Stages: Live are from the band's four prior albums; the other half are from 1976 through 1987. I guess by the mid-1990s, Rush was playing fewer and fewer new songs in concert. Their record company may have figured that a multi-disk live Rush album might sell a lot more copies if it contained "Tom Sawyer" and "The Spirit of Radio."

But what that means is a less reliance on some of their weaker material, and more room for "The Analog Kid," which wasn't on A Show of Hands, and all twenty-plus minutes of "2112." At the same time, it does contain some good latter-day songs like "Dreamline" and "Show Don't Tell."

It should be no surprise that the performances on these tracks from the 1990s are excellent. To begin with, it's Rush. They're great musicians who design their songs to be played live, then rehearse like mad. Nearly any detail that the three band members can't reproduce live is prerecorded or sequenced. Then they pick the best concerts from among almost three hundred shows across four tours, and even then, they could always re-record any part they wanted to. They mix the album for CD, and it sounds fantastic.

Disk 3

Based on the information on rush.com about the Farewell to Kings tour, the 1978 show is incomplete, excluding a "2112" medley, "Closer to the Heart" (versions of both of which are elsewhere on Different Stages), "Lakeside Park," and the drum solo.

Although it's a "bonus disk," you're paying for it. You can have All the World's a Stage, Exit... Stage Left, and A Show of Hands - - three double albums - - for a total of $11.97 on itunes or $13.97 on Amazon. Different Stages: Live costs $34.99! Unfortunately, you can't buy all of the 1978 songs individually - - to get "Xanadu" and "Cygnus" you have to buy the whole thing. So I disagree that critically examining the third disk is looking the so-called gift horse in the mouth.

As it turns out, the third disk is also well done, though not as polished. Singer/bassist Geddy Lee strains a bit to hit the high notes; but on the other hand, here the band is playing everything (or practically everything) live, and apparently without overdubs.

Summary

On the whole, a good album whose highlight is the 1978 show on the third disk. These recordings add very little to the studio versions, but are very well performed. Different Stages: Live also seems a bit overpriced compared to the band's other live albums.

Even though I first started listening to prog in 1975 and immediately got hooked on Yes, Genesis and the Canterbury Scene, I never met anyone who was into Rush and didn't start listening to the Canadians until we were well into the new millennium. I guess I thought Rush were a rather dubious heavy metal band. When I went to university in the late 1970s, the air around me was full of Blondie, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen and the Police, and none of the music papers I read had a good word to say about Rush. It was only after I discovered Prog Archives and noticed that Rush kept popping up in 'best of' lists that I decided to give them a chance. First I played some of their classic albums from 1977 to 1981, and when I quite seemed to enjoy those, I watched the documentary BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE. The more I found out about the band, the more they fascinated me. That three musicians from relatively anonymous neighbourhoods in Ontario had the guts to set 'Kubla Khan' to music and did so convincingly (I'd even say unforgettably)... I found it breathtaking. In fact, I thought the band so likable I started buying one live DVD after another. (I also appreciated that Rush could send themselves up mercilessly. How many box office heroes have done the same, tour after tour?)

Now the big question that confronted me was which live album I should get. EXIT STAGE LEFT sounded a little sterile, so after consulting a range of reviews I finally settled for DIFFERENT STAGES LIVE. This turned out to be my single best purchase of 2019. Not only does it contain almost all the classic Rush I've come to love (in riveting live performances), it also features a large number of catchy but more conventional rock songs (mainly dating from the 1980s and 1990s) that I greatly enjoy, such as 'Bravado', 'Animate', 'Analog Kid' and 'Roll the Bones'. I'm convinced that if the tunes in question had been recorded by perhaps more universally popular acts like David Bowie or U2, Bowie/Bono fans would have fallen for them without exception. So don't tell me that when Rush went into their more 'commercial' phase they lost inspiration. (The only album of theirs I find painfully overrated is their final studio album, CLOCKWORK ANGELS, which simply does nothing for me.)

It's really strange how a man's life goes... At the age of fifty-nine I seem to like nothing better than Rameau and Berlioz; at the same time nothing cheers me up more than half an hour of Rush - two things I never expected when I was in my teens and twenties. So, in conclusion, let me say this. All three parts of DIFFERENT STAGES LIVE are highly enjoyable. Even the grandiose (and, let's face it, rather silly) '2112' is included in full. (I defy you not to start headbanging to this.) My only regret is that no space was found for 'La Villa Strangiato'. I wouldn't mind if the final few encores on Disc 3 had been dropped for that.