| The
Review |
REPLAY X3 presents three long out of print concert videos
on DVD for the first time, capturing RUSH at various stages
of evolution throughout the 80's. For anyone into 80's RUSH,
where the band were hot property, this is the box set for
you. For the most part, the sound quality has been slightly
touched up, but retains the period feel of the originals.
And a live CD version of the GRACE UNDER PRESSURE TOUR DVD
comes as a bonus disc. Not too shabby. Rush has flooded the
market with DVD's in recent years(RUSH IN RIO, R30:RUSH LIVE
IN FRANKFURT), but this one will be of interest to both the
collector and the nostalgic. These are straight from home
video(EXIT and GRACE were even available on BETA and Laserdisc
at one point), and do not feature any bonus features- just
vintage footage. Some period interviews would have been nice,
as the R30 interview Disc skipped the 80's entirely, but it's
good to see these available again. These were overdue on DVD,
and the extra audio disc of the GRACE UNDER PRESSURE section
is icing on the cake.
Go Rush!***
the discs include: EXIT STAGE LEFT: this was Rush' first
live home video released back in the day(1982), to coincide
with the live album(Rush' second) of the same name. Actually
had this on Betamax. ESL captures Rush at a point of high
profile and high energy. This was Rush at their coolest. The
sight of a younger and scrawny Geddy Lee coming down the hallway
at you backstage to the sounds of 'CAMERA EYE' is indeed cool.
The serious image these guys produced, way cool. And the tunes.
Lots of early gems like XANADU, The TREES and RED BARCHETTA
appear here, and in full versions too. The only issue for
some may be that snatches of interview dialogue does appear
sometimes over the song intros. But that also changes the
feel of the disc a bit from being a straight forward concert
video.***
The sound quality for this disc is decent and touched
up slightly, but still filmed with earlier technology, so
this is period material. However, the sheer energy and bravado
of the spirit of these performances are a high point. Alex
Lifeson is very animated on stage in a red suit with bow tie,
hopping around like an animal. He brings to mind Andy Summers
from the Police. Perhaps it's the stage presence or the blond
hair, but I've always felt that Summers and Lifeson were kindred
spirits. Certainly in the image and their use of more textural
approaches to the electric guitar. And at this stage of the
band's career, Rush were no longer the prog-rock dinosaurs
some claim them to be, but serious modern rock of the highest
order, with slick angular guitar and analogue synths which
actually sound modern now.***
The disc is just over 50 minutes in length and doesn't
feature any bells or whistles at all. Just vintage Rush footage.
For interest, LIMELIGHT and a medley of BY-TOR & THE SNOW
DOG/IN THE END/IN THE MOOD/2112 GRAND FINALE appears here,
neither of which were on the original 2-LP EXIT STAGE LEFT
live album.***
GRACE UNDER PRESSURE TOUR: this home video(originally
released in 1985) captures Rush at a crossroads between their
edgy sound from their last few albums and a future of slick
synth-laden textural 80's rock which would take them through
the rest of the decade, starting with the undervalued Cold
War-focused GRACE UNDER PRESSURE album. One flaw here is that
only three tracks from GRACE are presented here. The entire
FEAR trilogy appears however, and that's a grand thing. Other
highlights include then-current NEW WORLD MAN, VITAL SIGNS
medley with a suprise FINDING MY WAY and RED SECTOR A. The
vibe of this disc is the most "80's" of the three discs, with
Rush decked out in New Romantic getups which could pass them
off as members of OMD. But the shorter haircuts and Miami
Vice suits are not what RUSH were about, as the music was
always tasteful - though check out Neil's pony tail thingy.
The lighting and feel of the GUP disc is very cozy. The GRACE
UNDER PRESSURE period was a facinating era for RUSH which
came and went, and was forgotten soon after. A sleeper of
an album, some fans and even the band themselves are begrudgingly
giving the 1984 album a little respect. Here, one can relive
it for the first time in a while. Not opposed to giving too
much of a good thing, the soundtrack to the GUP Tour disc
appears here as a bonus CD. GUP TOUR wasn't released as a
live album, it was only released on home video.***
A SHOW OF HANDS: the last disc is the most longest and
elaborate, this 90-minute concert video recorded live in the
UK during the 1988 tour for the HOLD YOUR FIRE album and was
originally released in early 1989 to coincide with Rush' third
live album. Here, Rush offers up sophisticated slabs of panoramic
modern rock from their POWER WINDOWS(1985) and HOLD YOUR FIRE(1987)
albums, the two most synthesizer and sequencer-heavy records
in the band's catalogue. Some of this material was lambasted
by some of the more 'HEMISHERES'-and-nothing-else" type fanbase,
but some 15 or 20 years later it's striking to hear how energetic
and happening a lot of the mid/late-80's RUSH material was.
TERRITORIES, TURN THE PAGE and FORCE TEN flat out rock, and
MISSION and MARATHON are sparkling anthems of 'live-your-dreams'
power that the band has yet to match, 1991's BRAVADO and 1996's
RESIST notwithstanding. Plenty of amusing videos as well,
which compliment the songs, as well as Neil's drum solo, which
did not appear on the EXIT or GRACE videos.***
The one sore point is that LOCK & KEY(from Hold Your Fire),
which appeared on the Laserdisc version of ASOH, is not included.
This track personified RUSH in the late 80's, and it's a shame
that the opportunity to include this gem on the DVD was wasted.
Oh well. However, quite a lot of material that didn't appear
on the 1989 2-LP live record can be heard here, such as the
afforementioned TERRITORIES, another overlooked HYF classic
PRIME MOVER, and a slew of early faves including YYZ(not in
the credits, strangely), SPIRIT OF RADIO, TOM SAWYER, and
a 14-minute medley of 2112/LA VILLA STRANGIATO/IN THE MOOD.
Grand stuff. This disc presents RUSH at another crossroads,
and after this tour, they would strip down their sound, gradually
losing layers of keyboards until by the 2000's there were
none. But for those who enjoyed the band at the end of their
experimental 80's phase, check A SHOW OF HANDS out.***
RUSH take great care in their DVD product, and these
vintage performances from the 80's are no exception, and at
a reasonable price too. Get this immediately.***
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