Best Rush Live Album

Which one do you think is above the rest?

 

I don't really listen to any of them any more, but I liked All the World's a Stage because it doesn't sound exactly the same as the studio versions, and was recorded before Geddy Lee's voice went.

 

Exit. Fecking. Stage Left.

 

R40 — but I'm biased because I was there

Also got to finally see Mr. Lee in person at work recently, so that's pretty cool

 

My favorite Rush era is the'80s stuff, and my favorite album of theirs is Power Windows, so I'll have to go with A Show of Hands. I grew up with that on VHS that my friends and I rented from Blockbuster. We were just starting to play instruments and were in total awe watching them (still am, actually).

 

Different Stages is my favorite, a hard hitting sound and the band in in top form. Great setlist too

 

Love them all for different reasons...even the first set of R40.

Working Men is really a compilation live drawn from Rio, R30 and Snakes and Arrows live. (Love the artwork though.)

 

Just my opinion, but the best RUSH live album hasn't been officially released by RUSH. The Tucson Hemisphere's tour soundboard is jaw dropping. Alas, it isn't legitimately available as far as I know.


Cat

 

All World's a Stage for me, I was there...1st row balcony seats dead center...Vet's Memorial Auditorium Columbus OH.
Heaviest thing there was back then.
Absolutely blown away!

 

Exit Stage Left. The band at a creative and technical high and great selection of songs. Also love the dry, crispy drum sound of that Rush era.

 

ATWAS

Off topic but which are the best radio shows available that have been officially released! There's quite a few on Amazon but can't afford them all. Would love a Hemisphere's radio show if one exists?

 

the Philadelphia '86 soundboard! do yourself a favour and grab it for free

 

A tie with All The World's A Stage and Exit: Stage Left.

Honorary mention: the Hammersmith 1978 disc, from Different Stages

Would very much like to have well mixed/mastered discs of the complete Hammersmith 1978 performance, a complete 1980 Glasgow, and a complete 1981 Montreal.

 

I voted for Different Stages primarily for the third disc alone. All the World's a Stage is probably my favorite, overall.

 

I went for Exit Stage Left because that's the first Rush album I ever got and it got me heavily into the band. That being said, I don't like the fades between songs which make it feel more like a studio album but as a kid I was blown away by the performances. I listen to a fan made version of the album which eliminates the fades between songs, restores the setlist to its proper order and adds the b side Vital Signs to the set.



All The Worlds A Stage however is Rush at the rawest best.
Different Stages is probably the official release I probably listen to the most nowadays. Great package.

 

I bought Exit... Stage Left on vinyl when it came out. That will always be my favorite.

 

I think that's a gray market release now available on import. No guarantee that these recent Rush import releases aren't MP3 sourced though.

Not bothered to check since I have various versions of those already.

 

Only one that ended up being a radio show that was officially commercially released is the the audio from the Grace Under Pressure Tour which was released by the band.

There have been some radio broadcasts that have been either radio promos (St Louis 1980...also now a gray market release and part of the audio from the Exit..Stage Left video) or shows recorded from radio which have have become gray market releases but used to be bootlegs. (The Agora shows from 1974 and 1975, the Electric Ladyland performance from 1974, St. Louis 1980 (again.) and PinkPop from 1979) I've read that Cobo Hall '78 made it to gray market as a supposed radio broadcast, not sure if it ever was a broadcast and the Tuscon '78 show which (as good as it is) is a soundboard. There have been other radio broadcasts since 1989 but they contain those previously mentioned shows primarily from 1981 and 1984 and have just taken songs directly from the band's live albums and broadcast on the radio. (Guess that saves money when the band records the show instead of the record and radio industry. I don't know.)

But I have no idea if the Rush gray market commercial releases are MP3 sourced. I doubt much effort was put into these releases and other than the art of have no interest in them as these keep getting recycled for new generations I suppose.

 

The '78 show that was released on Different Stages was supposed to be a radio broadcast but was scrapped because Geddy was sick and he didn't think it was up to snuff. When they pulled it out for Different Stages he thought he didn't sound that bad and it was a bonus for that cd. I wish they would have released the whole show but I'll take what I can get.
My friend Skip Daly who did the rushpetition.com website with me corresponds with Ian Grandy who used to be Rush's main road guy when they started until about the early 80's and he said that Rush only recorded occasionally off the soundboard until about 1981 when they started recording themselves more constantly. So I'm betting there's a lot of stuff from '81 on sitting in the vaults. I for one would love to get a nice Signals era soundboard as there are none in existence.

 

Well You'd have to at least figure that whole show from Edmonton in '81 is sitting somewhere since they drew the 2112 tracks for the deluxe edition.

The lack of a Signals soundboard is kind of interesting. Have to figure that could be the subject of possible future release down the road.

 

I went with Grace Under Pressure Tour. It combines the raw energy of All the World's a Stage, the polish of Exit Stage Left, and the sheer fun of A Show of Hands. My only gripe is that the full set wasn't used, as a few great songs are missing (The Body Electric, Kid Gloves, Red Lenses).

In second place, I'd go with either A Show of Hands (for the excellent renditions of Force Ten and Closer to the Heart) or Clockwork Angels Tour (since it was my first Rush tour and it heavily emphasized Power Windows).

 

ATWAS for me. Even though it's not my favorite period of the band, it just crushes.
ESL seemed to close to the studio versions...only with more reverb. I haven't heard it in a while though, because I frankly got bored by it.

 

DAMN we only get to pick one hmm well I dunno now

IM CHEATING

ALL THE WORLDS
EXIT
DIFFERENT STAGES

 

Exit......Stage Left for this guy.

 

Give me that complete 1978 Hammersmith show, without the compression. And a complete 1981 show form the board would suffice, too.