ChuckRoast

This is a killer find. By-Tor and the Snowdog is especially awesome as always.

A great live album to be sure. I'm still a hardcore All the World's a Stage fan myself bur there is a lot to love about Exit Stage Left. I remember in 1982 when my mom told me she was going to the mall while I was at school. She asked if I wanted anything and I asked for Exit Stage Left on LP. she came back with Abracadabra by Steve Miller band. Ugh. Talk about disappointment.

I first heard Rush when my mom got me 2112 back in 1981. I knew nothing about them, i just liked the cover art and song titles. Signals was the first new album that came out where I was a full on fan. I got it on LP at my local Safeway grocery store back when they used to have a section for records and tapes. By then I was hooked and Signals is still one of my go to albums. In my old age i consider it a companion piece to Moving Pictures. The blend of the 3 piece rock with the new technology was perfectly balanced. Neil's drumming on Signals is among his best work. Everyone is in peak form. I'm ready for some 40th anniversary love myself.

It's an album by a band that sounds like they needed a break. Other than Driven and Test For Echo I couldn't hum any of the other songs on it. It's a pretty vacant album. The 90s era Rush albums have 2 maybe 3 bona-fide classics per album. The rest of the tunes are largely forgettable. Combine all the classic 90s albums into one album and it would be up there with their best. Now the break that they took I wouldn't wish that on anyone but it definitely helped them reignite the fire. I just wish they had skipped this album and took a nice leisurely break without all the tragedy.

Top 5 covers: 1. All the World's a Stage: that picture rings true for anyone who has ever seen Rush live. Neil's kit is glowing as if it's warming up. The amps are on and ready to go. You can feel the anticipation. It's about to rock. 2. Moving Pictures: This one is artistically perfect. The arches. The symbolism. The characters present. It sets the tone for a varied and perfect album. 3. Signals: I love the colors. The logo is a riff on the runny ink pen of hemispheres but updated for the 80s. The album title shares similarities with Moving Pictures in terms of the font. The symbolism of the dog and the hydrant is super clever. 4. A Farewell to Kings: I love the juxtaposition between the medieval puppet and the modern ruins and city in the distance. The Color Of the sky. The crown on the ground. A very striking piece. 5. Grace Under Pressure: This album cover and the sounds within are a perfect match. It's cold and intense. Perhaps rather than Olympus.....our voyager from Cygnus X-1 arrived in this world instead. Perhaps this is him on the cover surveying and interpreting what he sees. WORST: 1. Hold Your Fire: Terrible. The inside cover art should have been the cover. 2. Vapor Trails: I appreciate the effort but this is another nothing-burger of an album cover. 3. Snakes and Arrows: I'm not sure what rubs me the wrong way about this cover but it just does. 4. Test For Echo: I appreciate the intent but this one is ruined by one of the more boring logos. 5. Clockwork Angels: too much red....hurts my head.