Exit...Stage Left (Live) [Remastered]

iTunes Review

Released in 1981 when Rush was at the peak of its artistic and commercial powers, having scored back-to-back successes with 1980's Permanent Waves and 1981's Moving Pictures, Exit…Stage Left is the band's second double-live album and remains its strongest live album, cut for cut. From a band often known for its progressive tendencies, conceptual thrust and expanded compositions, much of what's represented here comes from the trio’s most immediately accessible material — "The Spirit of Radio," ""A Passage to Bangkok," "Closer to the Heart," "Freewill," and "Tom Sawyer" are among the band's biggest hits and crowd pleasers. That doesn't prevent Rush from indulging its instrumental wizardry. "YYZ" represents a serpentine instrumental jam complete with drum solo, "La Villa Strangiato" is a Herculean instrumental workout, and "Xanadu" is among the band's best extended work. But the emphasis is clearly on the tighter cuts from primarily the band's previous four studio albums. It's sometimes hard to imagine a power trio elucidating this much texture and nuance. But Rush was no ordinary power trio.