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Album Details
- Artist: Rush
- Album: Different Stages
- Label: Anthem/Atlantic
- Year of Release: 1998
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: gwhill on 2012-11-20
RecommendThe title of this live album refers to the fact that recordings from different periods of the band, and different shows, were assembled to produce this live album. The main set is from the Test for Echo tour and at the time Rush were on hiatus. Drummer Neil Peart had suffered a couple major family tragedies and was on hiatus. So, when this disc came out, the future of Rush was definitely uncertain. That lent it a certain importance. Even with that importance faded, this is a pretty solid live release from the Toronto based trio.
One complaint about the set is that (as was not the case with the previous live releases) there had been official live releases of much of the material here. Mind you, I’m not referring to these specific performances, but live recordings from other shows of the songs here. That made this disc somewhat redundant for Rush fans who owned the previous live releases.
Perhaps one of the highlights, though, is the live version of the full “2112” suite. When that album was originally released, the group weren’t in a headlining slot, so they played a shortened rendition to fit into the allocated time. On the Test for Echo tour, they played it start to finish. Of course, they did drop the song in pitch, possibly due to the lowering of Geddy Lee’s voice with time and aging. But, having a full live recording of the suite certainly made this worth having for Rush fans.
Those, like myself, who discovered Rush during their more progressive rock oriented period will find plenty to like in the third CD, which came from the 1978 tour. That one presents a lot of material from the A Farewell to Kings album. In some ways, this recording feels more authentically live than did the Exit…Stage Left set. Really, despite some redundancy, this is one of the better live albums from Rush. It’s highly recommended to fans of the group, despite losing some of the importance it had at the time of release.
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Tell us why this album is great or sucks ass, or correct the reviewer. If you write enough quality reviews you may find yourself on the editorial staff.
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Log In or Register to Rate Albumson 2012-11-23 SolitaryMan Said:
Next to Rush in Rio, this is definitely my favorite live Rush collection. The first two discs are great cross-sections of the band's best material over the years, and the 3rd disc, the full show from 1978, is about on-par with their earliest live record, "All The World's A Stage".
Rating: 8/10
