Just Listening to…RUSH – R40 Live

Welcome to Just Listening!  This is a new series of shorts, just talking about whatever I happen to be listening to at any given time!  These are not reviews, just a few words.  Join me have a listen?

Just Listening to…RUSH – R40 Live

I’ve been meaning to get to this release for a long time.  It’s been sitting here sealed since…a few Christmases ago?  Sometimes I don’t get around to reviewing these massive sets for a while due to the time you need to invest.  This one got lost in a pile, lonely and unloved. Because it has 3 CDs and a Blu-ray, I set it aside for a viewing day that never came!  Since the eventual full-on detailed review will take time, R40 Live is the perfect release for us to talk about for this first instalment of Just Listening!

Eddie Trunk recently complimented Geddy Lee on how great he sounded on the R40 tour.  I gotta say…and don’t hate on me for this…I disagree.  Geddy’s voice is the biggest stumbling block to my full enjoyment of R40.  Rush haters always rag on Geddy’s voice, but as age takes its toll, it’s really not a pleasant voice anymore.  He does better on some songs, worse on others.  Musically Rush is still top notch and you can’t detect any signs of physical ailment even though all three guys are in pain up there.

Rush knew that their time was up if they wanted people to remember them as the best band from the Great White North.  So they packed the set with all kinds of great songs, going backwards from the most recent to the oldest.  My favourite was “Losing It”, performed live for the first time ever!  This is how you do a final tour.  Shine a light on every part of your career and pick songs that are not just hits, but true album classics.  Are you listening, Kiss?

CD 1

1. “The World Is…The World Is…” 2:11
2. “Workin’ Them Angels/The Anarchist” 7:07
3. “Headlong Flight/Drumbastica” 8:45
4. “Far Cry” 5:31
5. “The Main Monkey Business” 6:07
6. “How It Is” 4:45
7. “Animate” 6:15
8. “Roll the Bones” 6:05
9. “Between the Wheels” 5:58
10. “Losing It” (with Ben Mink) 5:55
11. “Subdivisions” 5:48

CD 2

1. “Tom Sawyer” (Peart, Lee, Lifeson, Pye Dubois) 4:59
2. “YYZ” (Lee, Peart) 4:41
3. “The Spirit of Radio” 5:03
4. “Natural Science” 8:31
5. “Jacob’s Ladder” 7:34
6. “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres: Prelude” 4:19
7. “Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage: Part I/The Story So Far (drum solo)/Part III” 9:21
8. “Closer to the Heart” (Peart, Lee, Lifeson, Peter Talbot) 3:07
9. “Xanadu” 10:39
10. “2112: Part I (“Overture”)/Part II (“The Temples of Syrinx”)/Part IV (“Presentation”)/Part VII (“Grand Finale”)” 12:15

CD 3

1. “Lakeside Park/Anthem” 5:29
2. “What You’re Doing/Working Man” (Lee, Lifeson) 9:35
Bonus
1. “One Little Victory” 5:47
2. “Distant Early Warning” 5:24
3. “Red Barchetta” 7:08
4. “Clockwork Angels” 7:46
5. “The Wreckers” 5:39
6. “The Camera Eye” 10:21
7. “Losing It” (with Jonathan Dinklage) 6:13

24 comments

  1. On the topic of playing songs live for the first time, I hope Maiden dust off some soon. As unlikely as it is, I’d prefer Mother Russia. I’d also like Caught Somewhere in Time to make a return too

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      1. Considering how Maiden regret not filming the Somewhere on Tour tour, they haven’t made any efforts to include those songs on other tours and dvds

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  4. I think its a fantastic release… Geddy’s voice to me is fine as the dude is in his 60’s by this point.(I only have the audio) You were smart by reviewing this album this way. If you recall I reviewed it track by track over 3 different posts and it almost destroyed me..hahaha..
    Its a great recap of a fantastic career….
    Diggin this new format Mikey!

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  5. Man, I just wouldn’t get through something like this. Even if it was a band I loved. Heck, I only finished the Alice in Chains Music Bank a few years ago!

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      1. Especially when the content is of varying quality. I tend to pick the best tracks and make a playlist. This actually reminds me that I’ve yet to really consume the Tom Waits Brawlers set…

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        3. You know that “varying quality” is an ace comment. There so many box sets where I can’t get past the early roughest recordings. Cooper’s Old School box is a great example.

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    1. You know Geoff, it should be pretty simple. I don’t know what Kiss’ problem is. There are many things the fans want on this farewell tour, and they are not going to hear them. Meanwhile, do you hear anyone complaining about Rush’s setlist? No.

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    1. YES me too man. It worked so well, and I listened to Geddy on the radio saying the same…he was really happy with it.

      And the bonus tracks in Disc 3 really fill in most of the blanks from Disc 1 and 2!

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