Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Another work extaordinaire by three blind mice.
A must buy for Rush fans as well as for those wanting to discovery musicmanship and virtuosity in the contenmporary Rock-n-Roll genre. Over three decades of the band's classics performed live and neatly wrapped inside a little CD holder. Titles such "Working Man" from the band's namesake debut album to "Test for Echo," Rush's title track form their last studio CD. Different Stages is par excellance and should be part of every musical enthusiast's CD collection.Socialy conscious and cerebral lyrics written by drummer, percussionist lyricist and writer Neal Peart ("Modern Drummer" Hall of Fame inductee)form the foundation of the band's political awareness without rendering judgement. Instead Maestro Peart induces thought by stating facts, relying on the listners' intelegence to form their respective opinions. Politicaly conscious before bands like U2 made political awarenes vogue. Both Alex Lifeson (guitars and synthersizers) and Geddy Lee (bass, vocals & synthersizers) have been recognized for their musical virtuosity ("Guitar Player's," "Guitar for the Practicing Musician's," and "Guitar World's" Best Guitarist and Bassist Hall of Fame inductees). More importantly Rush had been recognized my millions of people world-wide. Each and every Rush album has attained at least "Gold" (500,000 units sold) status with the vast majority selling "Platinum and Multiple-Platinun" (1 Million and over 2 Million respectively). Each year, older Rush albums attain "Platinum" status as newly minted Rush fans discover these living musical legends. The following are additional "must buy" CDs for new Rush fans: 2112, All the World's a Stage (live recording), Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Exit Stage Left (live resording), Signals, Power Windows, A Show of Hands (live resording), Chronicles (2 CD set compilation of pre-recorded studio material), Counterparts and Test for Echo. Enjoy this band as they have been a 20 year love affair for me. By-the-way, should the band pass by your city in the future, make it a point to see the boys from up North. You will be pleasently overwhelmed, of this I am sure.
Rating:  - A strong effort, but not essential.
Rush typically do great live albums and this one is no exception. I enjoy hearing the old with the new. My main reason for getting this disc is to pick up a few tracks from studio albums that I didn't want to shell out money for. I thought the album "Test For Echo" was so-so, but I'm thrilled to get that song and "Driven" on this collection. I do wish "Ghost of a Chance" were included-that is one of Rush's best songs in my opinion. The three disc format allows for a plethora of material to be presented here. ... Perhaps Rush were trying a bit to please everyone with this release-old stuff for the "Caress of Steel" crowd, 80's stuff, and newer material from "Test For Echo" and "Counterparts". As some have stated, the mixing is good throughout the three discs, but not GREAT as I had hoped. The other drawback is the inclusion of so many Rush 'oldies'. I don't need another version of "The Trees", "Tom Sawyer", or "Closer To the Heart". Worth checking out for the newer material.
Rating: - Superb
To those who complained about not having a compliation booklet, My CD had one. It's in the middle section behind the black and white picture of Rush accessable from the left or right side. I was amazed how the flat and uninspiring songs from Roll The Bones came out vibrant (especially the musical interlude at the end of Bravado). I was glad that the entire 2112 epic and Natural Science was on this CD as well as Show Don't Tell and Leave that Thing Alone. I was dissappointed with this version of Limelight and Spirit of Radio (The one from the Exit Stage Left video release runs circles around this version). I was impressed at the quality of the Odeon Set especially with A Farewell to Kings, Xanadu, Cinderella Man, and Cygnus x-1. I feel like the reason Rush did not have tracks from Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire is that A Show of Hands was full of tracks from those albums. This live CD makes "A Show of Hands" appear flat even though "A Show of Hands" was a phenomenal CD for it's time by taking every song recorded in a different city and mixing it simultaneous to appear like it was from one show (a concept Garth Brooks copied 10 years later).If I could have had my say so in which tracks I would have wanted to hear on this CD that did not make it. I would have chosen Available Light, Where's My Thing (I think that Neil Peart could have applied his re-invented drumming style here in the "jazz section" and given us a stellar performance), Camera Eye, and Carve Away The Stone.
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