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Alex Lifeson performs with Kim Mitchell at Andy Kim Christmas Concert


RushFanForever
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Last night at the 14th Annual Andy Kim Christmas Concert (Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto), Alex Lifeson joined Kim Mitchell onstage for Kim's solo hit 'Lager & Ale' and then the Max Webster song 'Battle Scar'.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7A8TaFZXGE.

 

I should also comment that when Kim Mitchell mentioned RUSH performing 'Battlescar' with Max Webster at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in 1980, it was only Geddy Lee who joined the band onstage from this review here.

 

As well, Alex joined Tom Cochrane and Red Rider onstage for 'Life Is A Highway' and 'Boy Inside The Man'.

 

Then Alex joined the entire finale cast for Andy's songs 'Rock Me Gently' and 'Sugar, Sugar' (which The Archies made famous).

Edited by RushFanForever
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Incredible! Dang I love Max Webster! I wish that live "Battle Scar" was in that "The Party" Max Webster Box Set!

 

That would have been amazing - alas nothing has turned up from that gig - no board tape no audience. It was just Geddy. There's a photo were the guitarist has hair a bit like Lifeson's in the Archive's gatefold - but that head belong's to Steve McMurray who was in Max at the time.

 

My hope is that they dig up some Battle Scar outtakes for the PeW Anniversary box set

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The only alternate take of 'Battle Scar' that's available in the Max Webster: The Party Box Set is the unreleased demo version from 1979.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIaxMCIPxp4

 

The truth is 'Battle Scar' was penned in the mid 70's before being recorded in 1980.

 

Referencing this recent interview with Ole Music Management representative Andy Curran here the following is mentioned:

 

'There will not be a 40th anniversary Rush re-issue in 2019, with the next one come in 2020 with a Permanent Waves package, but Curran said his boss at Ole, Robert Ott, has lot of projects for him, including a remastering and re-issuing of the first Coney Hatch album, and a possible second Max Webster package.'

 

If the possible second Max Webster package comes to fruition in the near future, perhaps there's live audio by the band from the New Year's Eve concert at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto that'll be included. This means Geddy's live appearance on 'Battle Scar' would possibly be there as well.

Edited by RushFanForever
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Here's another clip of 'Lager & Alge' and 'Battle Scar' with Kim Mitchell and Alex Lifeson with better audio and video quality.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogg4KzsVTfg

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fa8Co3BuJ4

 

'Rock Me Gently' with Andy Kim and Alex Lifeson and the finale of 'Sugar Sugar'.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptgp9iFqjs4

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tes3kF9nxY

Edited by RushFanForever
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'Life Is A Highway' and 'Boy Inside The Man' with Tom Cochrane and Alex Lifeson.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tychjklnm9k

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0aMcDdmVTY

 

I should mention that the musician with the hat and polka-dot shirt playing both acoustic guitar and banjo is Bill Bell, who worked with Alex Lifeson on Victor. He co-wrote 'Promise' and other tracks from the album.

 

Bill is also known for being a long time sideman in Tom Cochrane's band from the 1990's and onward.

Edited by RushFanForever
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Does audio exist of Geddy performing "Battle Scar" with them in 1980?

Did they ever perform it live with Geddy? If they did I never heard of it.

It's been 40 years, so memory caveats, but I believe Alex and Geddy came out at the end of their set and played with them at the end of their set on the MP tour.

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Incredible! Dang I love Max Webster! I wish that live "Battle Scar" was in that "The Party" Max Webster Box Set!

 

That would have been amazing - alas nothing has turned up from that gig - no board tape no audience. It was just Geddy. There's a photo were the guitarist has hair a bit like Lifeson's in the Archive's gatefold - but that head belong's to Steve McMurray who was in Max at the time.

 

My hope is that they dig up some Battle Scar outtakes for the PeW Anniversary box set

 

'Battle Scar' is a Max Webster song, so it's highly unlikely that any outtakes would be on a future PeW Anniversary box set.

 

As I mentioned, it would be on a possible second Max Webster box set.

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The day came.

 

I've seen Al playing on Sugar Sugar

 

I can die in peace now

 

Fare thee well my Rush friends, they were the best of times...

 

 

 

Oh hangon there's My Ding-a-Ling to go yet, gotta wait a bit longer

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For those of you who don't know... Max Webster (was not a guy in the band, just the name of the band) from Toronto (on the same label as Rush and toured with Rush as opener many times) was a GREAT band. Kim Mitchell was the guitarist, main vocalist, wrote most of the music to the songs (Pye Dubois wrote most of the lyrics) and was in my opinion, one of the very best frontmen ever on a rock stage. Those of you (mostly Canadians) who remember seeing "Max" live back in the 70s and early 80s will know what I mean. Kim was and still is one of the best rock guitar players in the business and he was the funniest, wildest dude ever. Nice to see Al playing with Kim.
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I should also mention that Canadian songwriter Ron Sexsmith (who's a critical favorite and Elton John, Elvis Costello, and Paul McCartney like his work) was also at the Andy Kim Christmas benefit.

 

Sexsmith is a huge Max Webster fan. Awhile back he sat in with Kim Mitchell (during his brief tenure as a classic rock DJ at Q107 in Toronto) and they performed an acoustic rendition 'On The Road' by Max Webster below.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwVyxGsg80A

 

Many theories abound about the origin of the band's name. Some have reported that it came from a random flip in the phone book, naming the band after a snow shoe and dog food, to a friend of Kim Mitchell's named Max living on Webster Drive. But Mitchell himself has said it originated from Tilka's old band, who did a song called "Webster." The band was looking for a name similar to Jethro Tull, a name that no one in the band had.

Edited by RushFanForever
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Incredible! Dang I love Max Webster! I wish that live "Battle Scar" was in that "The Party" Max Webster Box Set!

 

That would have been amazing - alas nothing has turned up from that gig - no board tape no audience. It was just Geddy. There's a photo were the guitarist has hair a bit like Lifeson's in the Archive's gatefold - but that head belong's to Steve McMurray who was in Max at the time.

 

My hope is that they dig up some Battle Scar outtakes for the PeW Anniversary box set

 

'Battle Scar' is a Max Webster song, so it's highly unlikely that any outtakes would be on a future PeW Anniversary box set.

 

As I mentioned, it would be on a possible second Max Webster box set.

 

The way I see it - if they have space for bands covering Rush on these anniversary sets - they should have room for Alex/Geddy and Neil playing someone else's songs.

 

But I'll be just as happy to see another Max Webster box set with those UJ outtakes and all those unreleased songs that they have - there's easily a double album set worth of unreleased songs by Max

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I have the entire Max catalogue on CD... and if you're not familiar with Max Webster, you'll love this band. Check on youtube - The Party, High Class in Borrowed Shoes, Beyond the Moon, A Million Vacations, Check, In the World of Giants, Oh War, In Context of the Moon, Hangover... so many more.
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WOW! I just listened to Sexsmith and Kim doing On the Road... Hey, Max fans... you MUST check this out. "Freedom some say, is after the storm."
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