View source for Exit... Stage Left

{{For|the comic book|Exit, Stage Left!: The Snagglepuss Chronicles}}
{{Distinguish|Exit Stage Right}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Exit... Stage Left
| type       = live
| artist     = [[Rush (band)|Rush]]
| cover      = Rush Exit Stage Left.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = {{start date|1981|10|29}}
| recorded   =
* June 10–11, 1980 at [[The Apollo (Glasgow)|The Apollo]], Glasgow (Side 2)
* March 27, 1981 at [[Montreal Forum|The Forum]], Montreal, and other 1981 dates (Sides 1, 3, 4)<ref>''Limelight- Rush in the 80s, Martin Popoff, page 96''</ref>
| genre      =
* [[Progressive rock]]
* [[hard rock]]
| length     = {{duration|m=76|s=36}}
| label      = [[Anthem Records|Anthem]]
| producer   = [[Terry Brown (record producer)|Terry Brown]]
| prev_title = [[Moving Pictures (Rush album)|Moving Pictures]]
| prev_year  = 1981
| next_title = [[Signals (Rush album)|Signals]]
| next_year  = 1982
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Exit... Stage Left
 | type        = live
 | single1     = [[Tom Sawyer (song)|Tom Sawyer]]
 | single1date = October 16, 1981 (UK)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1981/Music-Week-1981-10-17.pdf|title=Music Week|page=54}}</ref>
 | single2     = [[Closer to the Heart]]
 | single2date = October 20, 1981 (US)<ref>{{cite magazine|date=16 October 1981|title=Releases|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/FMQB-Album/1981/FMQB-1981-10-16.pdf|magazine=[[FMQB|FMQB Album Report]]|page=29}}</ref>
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r17133|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]</ref>
| rev2      = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Martin C. Strong|The Essential Rock Discography]]''
| rev3Score = 5/10<ref name="Strong">{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles  |title=The Essential Rock Discography |edition=8th |year=2006 |publisher=Open City Books |isbn=1-84195-860-3 |pages=938–939 |chapter=Rush }}</ref>
| rev4      = ''[[MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev4Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Graff|editor1-first=Gary|editor2-last=Durchholz|editor2-first=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|section=Rush|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=965}}</ref>
| rev5      = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/exit-stage-left-19820204 |title=Rolling Stone review |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=2017-08-27 |archive-date=2017-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930222515/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/exit-stage-left-19820204 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev6Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/rush/albumguide |title=Rush: Album Guide |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=February 17, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704223108/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/rush/albumguide |archive-date=July 4, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Colin Larkin|The Virgin Encyclopedia of 80s Music]]''
| rev7Score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref>{{Cite book|author=[[Colin Larkin|Larkin, Colin]]|year=2003|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of 80s Music|isbn=1852279699|publisher=[[Virgin Publishing]]|section=Rush|pages=414–415}}</ref>
}}
'''''Exit... Stage Left''''' is a double [[live album]] and the second collection of live recordings by Canadian [[rock music|rock]] band [[Rush (band)|Rush]], released on October 29, 1981 by [[Anthem Records]]. After touring in support of their eighth studio album ''[[Moving Pictures (Rush album)|Moving Pictures]]'' (1981), the band gathered recordings made over the previous two years and constructed a live release from them with producer [[Terry Brown (record producer)|Terry Brown]]. The album features recordings from June 1980 on their ''[[Permanent Waves]]'' (1980) tour, and from 1981 on their ''Moving Pictures'' tour.

''Exit... Stage Left'' is the band's second live album, after ''[[All the World's a Stage (album)|All the World's a Stage]]'' (1976), and received mostly positive reception from music critics. It reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom, No. 7 in Canada, and No. 10 in the United States. It was certified platinum by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] for selling one million copies in the latter country. A same-titled [[Exit...Stage Left (video)|home video]] was released in 1982 that documents the band on the ''Moving Pictures'' tour. ''Exit... Stage Left'' was voted the ninth best live album of all time by ''Classic Rock'' magazine in 2004.<ref>BBC News Entertainment [http://news.billinge.com/1/hi/entertainment/music/3526300.stm Thin Lizzy top live album poll] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402020944/https://secure-uk.imrworldwide.com/v51.js |date=2021-04-02 }} Accessed 16 April 2006.</ref>

== Recording and production ==
Side two of ''Exit... Stage Left'' was recorded from June 10–11, 1980 at [[The Apollo (Glasgow)|The Apollo]] in [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]], during the band's tour for their seventh studio album, ''[[Permanent Waves]]''. The remaining three sides were recorded during the subsequent tour of their eighth album, ''[[Moving Pictures (Rush album)|Moving Pictures]]''.

After the 1981 tour, the band retreated to [[Le Studio]] in [[Morin Heights]] in [[Quebec]], Canada to edit and mix the recordings they had made on the two tours, which [[Neil Peart]] noted totalled over 50 reels of two-inch tape.<ref name=kerrang1982>{{cite web|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19820100kerrang.htm|title=Exit Stage Left: A Rush Update By Rush Drummer Neil Peart|first=Neil|last=Peart|magazine=Kerrang!|date=7 January 1982|access-date=30 September 2017|archive-date=19 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919075302/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19820100kerrang.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The band went through the material to find the best performances for inclusion for a live album. Whenever they found a technical fault or a wrong note affecting an otherwise acceptable performance, they replaced it using material from other shows in their collection of tapes.<ref name=kerrang1982/> In 1993, [[Geddy Lee]] revealed that the band had to add in new sections in the studio to correct passages with out-of-tune guitars.<ref name=guitarmag1993/> None of the individual band members is credited with the album's production; the duty fell to their longtime producer, [[Terry Brown (record producer)|Terry Brown]]. During the production, Rush wrote and recorded "[[Subdivisions (song)|Subdivisions]]", a new song that would be released on their following studio album, ''[[Signals (Rush album)|Signals]]''.<ref name=kerrang1982/>

Upon the album's completion, Peart said the group were happier with ''Exit... Stage Left'' than with their first live album ''[[All the World's a Stage (album)|All the World's a Stage]]'', noting that the latter suffered from uneven sound quality.<ref name=kerrang1982/> In subsequent years however, Lee developed a more critical view of ''Exit... Stage Left'', noting that the group tried to make it sound "too perfect" in part by reducing the levels of audience noise,<ref name=guitarmag1993>{{cite web|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19931100guitar.htm|title=Counter Attack|magazine=The Guitar Magazine|first=Douglas J.|last=Noble|volume=3|issue=9|date=November 1993|access-date=30 September 2017|archive-date=19 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819011115/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19931100guitar.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> while [[Alex Lifeson]] for his part thought the album sounded too clean and not as raw as ''All the World's a Stage'', and as a consequence the band aimed to reach a "middle ground" between the two with ''[[A Show of Hands]]'', Rush's third live release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19890100musicexpress.htm|title=The Weigh-In|newspaper=Music Express|volume=132|first=Keith|last=Sharp|date=January 1989|access-date=30 September 2017|archive-date=19 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819011138/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19890100musicexpress.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Nevertheless, the album remains a fan favorite.

Rush performs a short rendition of "[[Ebb Tide (song)|Ebb Tide]]" before "Jacob's Ladder".<ref name=kerrang1982/> "Broon's Bane" is a short classical guitar arrangement performed by Lifeson as an extended intro to "The Trees". The song is named after Terry Brown, nicknamed "Broon" by the band. The song is not featured on any other live or studio recording by Rush. Also on the album, Lee refers to Brown as "T.C. Broonsie" when introducing "Jacob's Ladder".

The original CD issue removed "A Passage to Bangkok", as CDs could only hold 75 minutes at the time. It was included on the 1997 remaster, as CD capacity had increased to 80 minutes by that time. Before the remastered version was released, the same live version of "A Passage to Bangkok" was released on the compilation ''[[Chronicles (Rush album)|Chronicles]]'' in 1990.

The second verse of "Beneath, Between, & Behind" is omitted. On "La Villa Strangiato", the introductory classical guitar solo from the original recording is played on electric guitar and doubled in length, Lee sings part of a nursery rhyme in [[Yiddish]] during the "Danforth and Pape" section (the liner notes include a translation of his words), and a short bass and percussion solo is added before the "Monsters! (Reprise)" section.

== Title ==
The title comes from the catchphrase of the [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoon character [[Snagglepuss]]. The term "stage left" is a stage direction used in [[Blocking (stage)|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.

{{quote|The whole title came from a character in an American cartoon called Snagglepuss. He's a great little creature, a lion, and every time there's trouble he flees, uttering 'Exit... stage left' or 'Exit... stage right'. But the fact of the matter was that the album cover picture was taken from stage left. And coincidentally that's the direction in which Snagglepuss runs most of the time.|Geddy Lee|''Sounds'' magazine No.&nbsp;66, November 1981}}

{{quote|We wanted to have Snagglepuss's tail on there. You know, 'Exit Stage Left', with a picture of just his tail. Forget it! They wanted all kinds of legal hassles and tons of money.|Neil Peart|''Jam! Showbiz'', October 16, 1996}}

== Artwork ==
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 [[snowy owl]] from ''[[Fly by Night (album)|Fly by Night]]'' flies above ''[[Apollo (god)|Apollo]]'', the man in the suit from ''[[Hemispheres (1978 album)|Hemispheres]]'', who stands next to Paula Turnbull, the woman from ''[[Permanent Waves]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Permanent Waves Album Cover Details Explained |url=http://news.2112.net/2009/11/permanent-waves-album-cover-details.html |website=2112.net |access-date=July 3, 2014 |date=November 29, 2009 |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308003132/http://news.2112.net/2009/11/permanent-waves-album-cover-details.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On the back cover, the puppet king from ''[[A Farewell to Kings]]'' sits atop a box stenciled with the band logo from ''[[Rush (Rush album)|Rush]]''. Next to him is a painting of the ''[[Caress of Steel]]'' album cover, held by one of the movers from ''[[Moving Pictures (Rush album)|Moving Pictures]]'', with another mover standing behind. Next to this is ''[[Dionysus]]'', the nude man from ''[[Hemispheres (1978 album)|Hemispheres]]''. Behind this scene, the starman from ''[[2112 (album)|2112]]'' hangs in the background, next to an "EXIT" sign. The scene was shot in [[Toronto]]'s then-abandoned [[Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres|Winter Garden Theatre]].

Rush's first live album, ''[[All the World's a Stage (album)|All the World's a Stage]]'', is also represented by the cover's background image, taken at a concert at the [[Buffalo Memorial Auditorium]] in [[Buffalo, New York]]. Both album covers show Rush's live setup on an empty stage, although the band no longer used the white carpet by the time of ''Exit... Stage Left''{{'}}s release.

== Reissues ==
A limited-edition promotional 6-track vinyl sampler: ''Rush 'n' Roulette'', included excerpts of six tracks from ''Exit...Stage Left''. The promotional album used a unique mastering process in which concentric grooves were inscribed so that different material would be played depending on where the stylus was put down on the record's surface.
<ref>Discogs | https://www.discogs.com/Rush-Rush-N-Roulette/release/3772080 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828032114/https://www.discogs.com/Rush-Rush-N-Roulette/release/3772080 |date=2019-08-28 }} | Accessed 13 July 2019.</ref>

''Exit... Stage Left'' was re-released on CD in 1997 as part of the "Rush Remasters" series.
* The tray has a picture of three fingerprints, light blue, pink, and lime green (left to right, mirroring the cover art of ''[[Retrospective II]]'') 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.
* On some copies, each of the band members' photos are [[Flipped image|reversed]] from the original. This error has since been corrected on post-1997 reissues of ''Exit... Stage Left''.

''Exit... Stage Left'' was remastered again in 2011 by Andy VanDette for the "Sector" box sets, which re-released all of Rush's Mercury-era albums. It is included in the ''Sector 2'' set.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themasterdiskrecord.com/2011/11/andy-vandette-on-remastering-14-rush-albums |title=Andy VanDette on Remastering 15 Rush Albums &#124; the Masterdisk Record |access-date=2014-04-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823055546/http://www.themasterdiskrecord.com/2011/11/andy-vandette-on-remastering-14-rush-albums/ |archive-date=2014-08-23 }}</ref>

''Exit... Stage Left'' was remastered for vinyl in 2015 by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios as a part of the official "12 Months of Rush" promotion.<ref>{{cite web|title=12 MONTHS OF RUSH: 14 ALBUMS FROM MERCURY ERA FOR RELEASE IN 2015|url=http://www.rush.com/12-months-of-rush-14-albums-from-mercury-era-for-release-in-2015/|website=Rush.com|access-date=10 July 2015|archive-date=11 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711024744/http://www.rush.com/12-months-of-rush-14-albums-from-mercury-era-for-release-in-2015/|url-status=live}}</ref> The high definition master prepared for this release was also made available for purchase in a 24-bit/48&nbsp;kHz digital format at several high-resolution audio online music stores. These remasters have significantly less [[dynamic range compression]] than the 1997 remasters and the "Sector" remasters by Andy VanDette. Sean Magee remastered the audio from an analog copy of the original digital master, using a 192&nbsp;kHz sample rate. But since ''Exit... Stage Left'' was originally mixed on digital equipment at 16-bit/44.1&nbsp;kHz, no audio above 22&nbsp;kHz exists in the original digital master or any of the remasters, which is why many digital music stores are only selling the album at a maximum sample rate of 48&nbsp;kHz.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rush – new 2015 vinyl and hi-res reissues thread|url=http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/rush-new-2015-vinyl-and-hi-res-reissues-thread.399367/|website=Steve Hoffman Music Forums|access-date=10 July 2015|archive-date=10 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710130122/http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/rush-new-2015-vinyl-and-hi-res-reissues-thread.399367/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Track listing ==
">" indicates a [[segue]] directly into the next track.

{{Track listing
| all_writing = [[Geddy Lee]], [[Alex Lifeson]] and [[Neil Peart]], except where noted
| headline = Side one
| title1 = [[The Spirit of Radio]]
| length1 = 5:11
| title2 = [[Red Barchetta]]
| length2 = 6:46
| title3 = [[YYZ (instrumental)|YYZ]]
| note3 = <small>includes a Neil Peart drum solo</small>
| writer3 = Lee, Peart
| length3 = 7:43
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side two
| title1 = [[A Passage to Bangkok]]
| length1 = 3:45
| title2 = [[Closer to the Heart]]
| note2 = >
| writer2 = Lee, Lifeson, Peart, Peter Talbot
| length2 = 3:08
| title3 = Beneath, Between & Behind
| writer3 = Lifeson, Peart
| length3 = 2:34
| title4 = [[Jacob's Ladder (Rush song)|Jacob's Ladder]]
| length4 = 8:46
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side three
| title1 = [[List of Rush instrumentals#Live performances & recordings|Broon's Bane]]
| note1 = >
| writer1 = Lifeson
| length1 = 1:37
| title2 = [[The Trees (Rush song)|The Trees]] 
| note2 = >
| length2 = 4:50
| title3 = [[Xanadu (Rush song)|Xanadu]]
| length3 = 12:09
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side four
| title1 = [[Freewill (song)|Freewill]]
| length1 = 5:31
| title2 = [[Tom Sawyer (song)|Tom Sawyer]]
| writer2 = Lee, Lifeson, Peart, [[Pye Dubois]]
| length2 = 4:59
| title3 = [[Rush Instrumentals#La Villa Strangiato|La Villa Strangiato]]
| length3 = 9:37
}}

== Personnel ==
* [[Geddy Lee]] – [[Lead vocalist|lead vocals]], [[bass guitar|bass]], [[synthesizer]]s, [[Electronic keyboard|keyboards]], [[Moog Taurus|Moog bass pedal synthesizer]], rhythm guitar on "A Passage to Bangkok" and "Xanadu"
* [[Alex Lifeson]] – [[Electric guitar|electric]] and [[Acoustic guitar|acoustic]] [[Guitar|guitars]], Moog bass pedal synthesizer, [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]]
* [[Neil Peart]] – [[Drum kit|drums]], [[Percussion instrument|percussion]]

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (1981-1982)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Canada|7|artist=Rush|album= All the World's a Stage|chartid=0426|rowheader=true|access-date=6 February 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|19|artist=Rush|album=Exit... Stage Left|rowheader=true|access-date=July 3, 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|28|artist=Rush|album=Exit... Stage Left|rowheader=true|access-date=July 3, 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|6|date=19811101|rowheader=true|access-date=July 3, 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|10|artist=Rush|rowheader=true|access-date=July 3, 2020}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|artist=Rush|title= Exit... Stage Left |award=Platinum|relyear=1981|certyear=1982}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist= Rush|title=Exit Stage Left |award=Silver|relyear=1981|certyear=1981|id=2163-789-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist= Rush|title= Exit...Stage Left |award=Platinum|relyear=1981|certyear=1987}}
{{certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|type=album|7461|name=Exit... Stage Left}}

{{Rush}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1981 live albums]]
[[Category:Anthem Records live albums]]
[[Category:Rush (band) live albums]]
[[Category:Mercury Records live albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at the Montreal Forum]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Terry Brown (record producer)]]