Exit...Stage Left
Encyclopedia
Exit...Stage Left is a live album by Canadian
band Rush
, released in 1981. A video release with the same name
, with slightly different content, was released in 1982 on VHS
and later on Laserdisc
, and in 2007 on DVD
.
The album was voted 9th best live album of all time in a poll by Classic Rock Magazine in 2004.
, Geddy Lee
and Neil Peart
, except where noted.
Tracks 1-3 and 8-13 of the original vinyl were recorded in Canada during the Moving Pictures
tour, while tracks 4-7 were recorded in the UK
during the Permanent Waves
tour.
* The original CD issue did not include "A Passage to Bangkok" due to time constraints, as CDs could only hold 74 minutes at the time. The track did appear on the original LP, 8-track cartridge and cassette issues, and was later included on the remastered CD, when CD times had increased to 80 minutes.
, on the iTunes essential Live Guitar Heroics. Lee sings part of a nursery rhyme and adds a short bass solo near the end of the piece; the liner notes include a translation of his words.
pink mountain lion cartoon character Snagglepuss
(coincidentally, Time Warner
, former owners of Rush's later label Atlantic Records
, owns the H-B properties today). The term "stage left" is a stage direction used in blocking
to identify the left side of a theater from the point of view of the performer, as opposed to the point of view of the audience.
An item from each of Rush's previous eight studio album covers can be seen on the front and back cover of this live album, though each has been modified in some way. The owl
from Fly by Night flies above Apollo, the man in the suit from Hemispheres, who stands next to the woman from Permanent Waves
. The puppet king from A Farewell to Kings
sits atop a box stenciled with the "Rush" logo from Rush. Next to him is a painting of the Caress of Steel
album cover, held by one of the movers from Moving Pictures
, with another mover standing behind. Next to this is Dionysus
, the nude man from Hemispheres. Behind this scene, the starman from 2112
hangs in the background, next to an "EXIT" sign. This entire foreground scene, shot in Toronto's
then-abandoned Winter Garden Theatre
, is on the left side of the stage (from the point of view of the artist) , thus "Exit...Stage Left".
Rush's prior live album, All the World's a Stage
, is also duly represented via the cover's background image - a photo of a concert in Buffalo, New York
at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
. Both album covers show Rush's live setup without anyone on-stage, including their white shag carpet, which they actually stopped using prior to the release of Exit...Stage Left.
Closer to the Heart / Freewill (USA 7") (#69 Billboard Hot 100)
Tom Sawyer / A Passage to Bangkok (UK 7")
Tom Sawyer / Red Barchetta / A Passage to Bangkok (UK 12")
Closer to the heart / The Trees (UK 7")
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
band Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, released in 1981. A video release with the same name
Exit...Stage Left (video)
Exit...Stage Left is a concert film released on videocassette, laserdisc, and DVD by the Canadian band Rush. It documents a live concert performance by the band on their 1981 Moving Pictures tour. In October 1981, the band released an audio album of the same name on vinyl LP, audiocassette, 8-track...
, with slightly different content, was released in 1982 on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and later on Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
, and in 2007 on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
The album was voted 9th best live album of all time in a poll by Classic Rock Magazine in 2004.
Track listing
All songs written by Alex LifesonAlex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
, Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
and Neil Peart
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
, except where noted.
- "The Spirit of RadioThe Spirit of Radio"The Spirit of Radio" is a song released in 1980 by Canadian rock band Rush from their album Permanent Waves. The song's name was inspired by Toronto radio station CFNY's slogan. The song was significant in the growing popularity of the band. It is also the first song of the 1980s, since Permanent...
" – 5:11 - "Red BarchettaRed Barchetta"Red Barchetta" is a song by rock band Rush from their album Moving Pictures.-Synopsis:The song describes a future in which many classes of vehicles have been prohibited by "the Motor Law"...
" – 6:46 - "YYZYYZ (song)For the airport YYZ, see Toronto Pearson International Airport."YYZ" is an instrumental rock piece by Canadian rock band Rush, from the 1981 album Moving Pictures....
" (Lee, Peart) – 7:43 (includes a Peart drum solo) - "A Passage to BangkokA Passage to Bangkok"A Passage to Bangkok" is the second song on Rush's album, 2112. Released in 1976, the song follows the album's title song 2112. The song opens with a driving guitar riff...
" – 3:45 * - "Closer to the HeartCloser to the Heart"Closer to the Heart" is a single by Rush, released in 1977, from the album A Farewell to Kings. It was the first Rush song to have an external co-writer, namely Peter Talbot, a friend of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
" (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Peter TalbotPeter TalbotPeter Talbot may refer to:*Peter Talbot , Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland*Peter Talbot , former Canadian Senator...
) – 3:08 - "Beneath, Between & Behind" (Lifeson, Peart) – 2:34
- "Jacob's Ladder" – 8:46
- "Broon's Bane" (Lifeson) – 1:37
- "The TreesThe Trees (Rush song)"The Trees" is a song by progressive rock band Rush from their 1978 album Hemispheres. The song is also featured on many of Rush's compilation albums and has been a perennial fan favorite of the band's live shows...
" – 4:50 - "Xanadu" – 12:09
- "FreewillFreewill (song)"Freewill" is the second track on progressive rock band Rush's 1980 album Permanent Waves. It is written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson with lyrics by Neil Peart...
" – 5:31 - "Tom SawyerTom Sawyer (song)"Tom Sawyer" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, named after Mark Twain's literary character. The song was released on Mercury Records and PolyGram in 1981 on the Moving Pictures album and numerous compilations thereafter, such as 1990's Chronicles. It has also appeared on several live albums and...
" (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Pye DuboisPye DuboisPye Dubois is a Canadian lyricist and poet. He has worked with a number of bands, including Rush and Max Webster, with whom he was considered an unofficial fifth non-performing member. Dubois would accompany the band in the studio and wrote lyrics for each of their albums. Dubois was given lyric...
) – 4:59 - "La Villa Strangiato" – 9:37
Tracks 1-3 and 8-13 of the original vinyl were recorded in Canada during the Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures (album)
- Personnel :* Geddy Lee - Bass guitar; Minimoog; Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer; OB-X, Moog Taurus bass pedals, vocals* Alex Lifeson - Electric and acoustic guitars, Moog Taurus...
tour, while tracks 4-7 were recorded in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during the Permanent Waves
Permanent Waves
Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released January 1, 1980. The album was recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, and was mixed at Trident Studios in London, UK. Permanent Waves became Rush's first US Top 5 album hitting #4 and was the band's fifth...
tour.
Live changes from studio versions
"YYZ" is extended from 4:24 (studio version) to 7:45 by a Neil Peart drum solo from 2:22 to 5:31. In "La Villa Strangiato", the introductory classical guitar solo from the original recording is played on electric guitar, and it's expanded to twice as long with a more high pitched guitar part. This live change is recognized by iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, on the iTunes essential Live Guitar Heroics. Lee sings part of a nursery rhyme and adds a short bass solo near the end of the piece; the liner notes include a translation of his words.
Personnel
- Geddy LeeGeddy LeeGary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
- bass guitar, synthesizers, bass pedal, occasional rhythm guitar, vocal - Alex LifesonAlex LifesonAleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
- electric and acoustic guitars, bass pedal - Neil PeartNeil PeartNeil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
- drums, percussion
Title and cover art
The title is from the signature catchphrase "Exit, stage left!" of the Hanna-BarberaHanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
pink mountain lion cartoon character Snagglepuss
Snagglepuss
Snagglepuss is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character created in 1959, a pink anthropomorphic mountain lion voiced by Daws Butler. He is best known for his famous catchphrase, "Heavens to Murgatroyd!", along with phrases such as "Exit, stage left!" Snagglepuss was originally known as "Snaggletooth"...
(coincidentally, Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
, former owners of Rush's later label Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, owns the H-B properties today). The term "stage left" is a stage direction used in blocking
Blocking (stage)
Blocking is a theatre term which refers to the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. The term derives from the practice of 19th century theatre directors such as Sir W. S...
to identify the left side of a theater from the point of view of the performer, as opposed to the point of view of the audience.
An item from each of Rush's previous eight studio album covers can be seen on the front and back cover of this live album, though each has been modified in some way. The owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
from Fly by Night flies above Apollo, the man in the suit from Hemispheres, who stands next to the woman from Permanent Waves
Permanent Waves
Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released January 1, 1980. The album was recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, and was mixed at Trident Studios in London, UK. Permanent Waves became Rush's first US Top 5 album hitting #4 and was the band's fifth...
. The puppet king from A Farewell to Kings
A Farewell to Kings
A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1977. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, and mixed at Advision Studios in London....
sits atop a box stenciled with the "Rush" logo from Rush. Next to him is a painting of the Caress of Steel
Caress of Steel
Caress of Steel is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1975. The album shows more of Rush's adherence to hard progressive rock, as opposed to the blues-based heavy metal and hard rock style of the band's first two albums. Long pieces broken up into various sections and...
album cover, held by one of the movers from Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures (album)
- Personnel :* Geddy Lee - Bass guitar; Minimoog; Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer; OB-X, Moog Taurus bass pedals, vocals* Alex Lifeson - Electric and acoustic guitars, Moog Taurus...
, with another mover standing behind. Next to this is Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
, the nude man from Hemispheres. Behind this scene, the starman from 2112
2112 (album)
2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976.The album features an eponymous seven-part suite written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, with lyrics written by Neil Peart telling a dystopian story set in the year 2112. The album is sometimes described as a concept album...
hangs in the background, next to an "EXIT" sign. This entire foreground scene, shot in Toronto's
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
then-abandoned Winter Garden Theatre
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres are a pair of stacked theatres in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Winter Garden theatre is seven stories above the Elgin Theatre....
, is on the left side of the stage (from the point of view of the artist) , thus "Exit...Stage Left".
Rush's prior live album, All the World's a Stage
All the World's a Stage (album)
All the World's a Stage is a double live album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976. The album was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto on June 11 through 13 during their 2112 tour...
, is also duly represented via the cover's background image - a photo of a concert in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium was an indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. It hosted the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL, the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, the Buffalo Braves of the NBA, the Buffalo Stallions of MSL, the Buffalo Bandits of MILL, the Buffalo Blizzard of the second NPSL and the Buffalo...
. Both album covers show Rush's live setup without anyone on-stage, including their white shag carpet, which they actually stopped using prior to the release of Exit...Stage Left.
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Billboard Top LPs & Tapes | 10 |
Singles
A Passage to Bangkok / Free Will (USA 12" promo)Closer to the Heart / Freewill (USA 7") (#69 Billboard Hot 100)
Tom Sawyer / A Passage to Bangkok (UK 7")
Tom Sawyer / Red Barchetta / A Passage to Bangkok (UK 12")
Closer to the heart / The Trees (UK 7")
1997 Remaster details
- The tray has a picture of three fingerprints, light blue, pink, and lime green (left to right, mirroring the cover art of Retrospective IIRetrospective IIRetrospective II: 1981 to 1987 is a compilation album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1997 . The album is essentially a collection of their best songs from the second decade of the band....
) with "The Rush Remasters" printed in all capital letters just to the left. All remasters from Moving Pictures through A Show of Hands are like this. - Includes the track "A Passage to Bangkok" which was left off the original CD issue due to time constraints.