Alex Lifeson (the guitarist) is playing a white Gibson G-1275 with a black pick guard - double neck version of the iconic Gibson SG, famously played by rock icons Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Angus Young (AC/DC), and many others. Jimmy Page played a similar G-1275 guitar on Stairway to Heaven. If you look at the number of tuning pegs at the head of the guitar necks, one has 12 pegs (12 string guitar) and one has 6 pegs (six string guitar). And you're right. It's HEAVY nearly the weight of two guitars. Geddy Lee (the bassist) is playing an even heavier black on black Rickenbacker 4080 four string bass and 6-string guitar combo. As you can imagine, the 12 string gives a fuller sound with 6 tandem strings, each pair of strings tuned in harmony with it's partner. You see Alex playing the 12-string in sections of the song (for the most part) that call for a grander, fuller sound. He uses the six string on the bottom for most of the song, including his guitar solo. Geddy spends the vast majority of his time on the bass, switching to the six string at the end for the walk down scale, providing a foundational reprise for Alex's closing notes and the big finish chords that follow. As the years go by, I've become more amazed by the genius of this piece. Written for 1977's album "A Farewell to Kings", released 8/29/77 when Peart 9/12/52 was not quite 25 and Lee 7/29/53 and Lifeson 8/27/53 had literally just celebrated their 24th birthdays, it's just mind boggling the trio came up with this magnum opus at just 24 years of age. This performance is from their live album, titled Exit... Stage Left, in support of 1981's Moving Pictures studio album. The band now in their late 20's, Exit... Stage Left was recorded approximately 5 years after the song was first released. And like a fine wine, 5 years of rehearsing and performing it made them absolute masters of every note. According to Wiki - Exit... Stage Left was voted the ninth best live album of all time by Classic Rock magazine in 2004.
From my memory, in the poem Xanadu is a mythical place where, if you can find it, you can attain immortality, which sounds awesome. Our protagonist, wishing to be immortal, goes in search of this place. After many trials and travails he does find it but discovers that immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. He grows weary of the endless passing years and yearns for death so he can escape from the world.
The same Samuel Coleridge who wrote 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', Having 2 legendary bands turn 2 of your poems into epic musical monuments is not a bad way to be remembered.
Alex Lifeson: RUSH guitarist and Guru Extraordinaire! The HEART ❤️ AND SOUL OF RUSH! THE FUNNIEST MAN ON THE PLANET AND GREATEST SPEECH GIVER OF ALL TIME!!! BLAH…BLAH…BLAH! HATS 🎩 OFF TO ALEX LIFESON 😎😎😎👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎸🎸🎸
Alex started out on the lower(6 string) guitar and was back and forth to the upper(12 string) guitar. Geddy had an upper bass and a lower 12 string guitar. Neil just had everything!!
That absolutely seamless transition from 12 string to 6 string at 8:42 in this video gets me every time. The sheer raw talent needed to pull that off and 90% of the people that see this never even catch it.
This is my essay to people who may not know RUSH or who Neil was professionally and his contributions to the art of drumming and lyrical writing! Enjoy! RUSH is THE PERFECT EXAMPLE of the fluidity of MASTERING TIME SIGNATURES! I play drums and there are a few things that you need to know about Neil Peart’s ( pronounced PEER-T) character: First he writes the lyrics so he knows in advance what TYPE of song it’s meant to be ie ballad, driver, etc. Second he COMPOSES on the drums… like a carpenter who looks at a set of blueprints before building the object. Neil lays out a SKETCH in his mind of the VOICES of the drumset and builds the song from there. He is also a great LISTENER knowing when NOT to step over Geddy’s singing or Alex’s solos! Finally, he had perfect timing and fluidity of time changes. He said himself that it’s not about COUNTING the time signatures as much as fluid motion to change the tempo without counting: in other words it should FLOW! He hates repeating the same drum patterns in the same song meaning if he plays a fill one way the first time around he will play it differently the second time around. IE. Rolls down the toms the first time around and triplets or quads (all four limbs) the second time around. In short there will NEVER be another like him on planet earth 🌍 🌏 🌎! REST IN PEACE PROFESSOR! With heart felt admiration and sincerity! Gary
Is it weird that has a rush fan since 1976 and seeing them 34 times that it brings tears of joy to my eyes in 2024 when people discover their greatness for the first time?
No, it is not weird at all. What good is discovering the finer things in life if not shared with others, especially music which transcends all boundaries. Blessed to have witnessed Rush live many times and the appreciation of them just continues to grow….
No, it isn't. I've seen them live on tour many, many times myself and I consider myself blessed to have known them that well. Although I never met them, I always considered the members of Rush to be my friends. That is precisely why Neil wrote, "I can't pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend." They didn't get a fair shot back then because people dismissed them during their heyday. But now, they are having a resurgence. Whenever I see people discovering the magic that is Rush, it warms me too. It always disappoints me though because I'll never really know if these amazing musicians end up on reactors playlists or not. Hopefully they really like them, but sometimes I feel like we're being used. But it excites me of the possibility of Rush becoming the Wyld Stallyns of the universe. If anyone is wondering, that was a Bill & Ted movie reference. Bill & Ted were destined to "You see, eventually your music will help put an end to war and poverty. It will align the planets and bring them into universal harmony, allowing meaningful contact with all forms of life, from extraterrestrial beings to common household pets." This is how I always felt about Rush. But not many people listened to them back when they were coming up and were basically ignored by the critics.
Brilliant performance of an amazing song. Geddy and Alex have been best friends since they were 13 and have played together since they were 16 and they enjoy having fun on stage. Three geniuses in one band! Cheers 🇨🇦
Fun fact I was 12 and we were playing in the park near some factories and we heard cool sounds coming from a building and we went and climbed on the garbage dumpsters and watched them recording. They noticed us watching and came out. We thought we were in trouble but they came out and spent a half hour with us talking about music and Hockey cause that's what Canadians do😂 Geddy and Alex gave us guitar picks and Neil gave us drumsticks they were really Amazing and down to earth. And yes I saw them twice in 87 and 2003 they are incredible. The sounds they create are mind blowing 🤯♥️
Back in 77 my family lived just outside Monmouth in south Wales in a place called Trellech and Rockfield Studios was a stones throw from where we lived. You may have seen the area in the Netflix series Sex Education. Any way maybe 77 or 78 we would go through the fields and sneak up to the farm and hide behind the hedge rows where the studios were and would see various famous people on occasion just hanging around chatting and smoking in the farm yard. Pretty sure Rush was one of the bands we saw as I was convinced ( being 12 years old ) that one was a ‘red indian’ due to long black hair and a big nose. It was maybe a year later I first saw a picture of Rush on the back of 2112 and was sure as could be it was GL.
I met Geddy and Alex in Kansas City the day after a show at a restaurant I worked at. They were just the nicest dudes. Nothing but great things to say about how they treated everyone around them. This was after the time machine tour. Like 37 years in of the band...and STILL they were that nice to strangers.. love them.
The lyrics are based on the poem you looked up. Basically, man looks for immortality....finds it...maybe not the best thing to seek out...lol This era of music is mostly lost unfortunately. People have no patience so sitting through a slow beginning that builds up and has multiple changes doesn't sit with many people's brains these days. The newer prog rock can have long songs but it is about number of notes and not melody. This performance, imo, is one of the greatest I have ever seen. 3 guys making all this sound is incredible. Neil on drums puts on a clinic for any drummer to be amazed by. Alex on the 6 and 12 string double neck effortlessly moving between them and Geddy sporting the bass/guitar double neck is an iconic site. Glad people are rediscovering this because it represents the best of what music is. A combination of great song writing/structure and mastering your instruments. We seem to either get people who can write great songs but use computers for all the actual music or people who can play like crazy but have no idea how to construct a song. Not saying great bands don't exist but you have to dig deep to find them as they are not popular. Anything Steven Wilson, Haken, Riverside....they are some that are continuing on with the legacy that Rush, Pink Floyd and others set for us a long time ago. And always looking for more bands like them so anyone who has suggestions, my ears are open!
Coheed & Cambria are a good prog rock band! IMO. I saw RUSH 6 times live, relatively early in their career. First time in late 1974 & the last time about the time this was recorded, 1981. I never saw any other bands/artists more then twice! Testament to their greatness! I enjoy watching later tours of RUSH with YT now, The Garden live with the strings onstage is really good!
Must see RUSH in Rio, YYZ live!!! Strap yourself in! The first time I saw RUSH live was May 7, 1977. The last unfortunately was July 4, 2014. It was my son's first and last RUSH concert BUT his favorite concert ever. We were so blessed to share that show.
Xanadu was released on Rush’s fifth album called A Farewell To Kings. Exit Stage Left was the name of their second live album which featured Xanadu on it. I went to see them on this tour, which was actually the tour for Moving Pictures, their 8th studio album. The live album, Exit Stage Left was recorded during the Moving Pictures tour. This was only my second time seeing them live. I had seen them a year earlier for their Permanent Waves tour. I never missed another Rush tour after that. I seen them 32 times lives and every show was a gem. Their concerts were like no other concert. Just seeing three guys on stage creating all of that sound was mesmerizing. They made so much great music that it takes years to go down that rabbit hole. I began following them since high school in the 70s, so it’s a lot easier for me to catalogue all of that music, since it was over many years and as each album came out. Great reaction. I’m glad you enjoyed this masterpiece.
My intro to these guys was at the age of 15 and the purchase of 2112 in 1976 bought with lawn mowing money...promptly went back and bought the rest...and have never missed a release and yes was the quintessential 70's nerd.
Alex's double guitar had a 12 string on the upper and a standard 6 string lower, Geddy's had his bass on the upper, and a 6 string guitar lower, you can see him using the 6 string right at the end, but i think there is at least 1 section where he plays rhythm guitar in support of Alex
12 string lower on Geddy's. (six of the tuning pegs are hidden behind) He uses it to continue the 12 string part when Alex is playing the solo at the end
@@gregsteele806 Geddy played a Rickenbacker model 4080 which consisted of a 4001 bass guitar upper and a 408 SIX string guitar lower. Finding one today will set you back roughly $15,000. 👍
@@shawnhurley3815 Geddy's doubleneck here is indeed a bass and 12 string, Rickenbacker model 4080/12. Always was when he used the doubleneck for playing Xanadu. He did have one with a 6 string bottom neck but was painted white and was only used for playing Passage to Bangkok on the Permanent Waves tour.
The concert name was Exit, Stage Left and the song was Xanadu. If you would go back and listen to the first part of this double sone, The Trees/Xanadu, it will blow your mind!! The double neck guitar is one 6 string and one 12 string guitars for lead and a 4 string bass along with a 6 string bass for Geddy. They offer different tonal qualities.
Great reaction y’all! I always thought of this song like this.. the magical place is also a fountain of youth. He finds Xanadu, eats and drinks, becomes immortal and after a 1000 years he is so tired of being alive he just wants it to end! I think this is another one of Neil’s “be careful what you wish for” lessons! Enjoyed the reaction! Be well and God bless.. from Texas!!
RUSH IS: Geddy Lee - Bass guitars, Oberheim polyphonic; OB-X; Mini-Moog; and Taurus pedal Synthesizers, vocals Alex Lifeson - Six and twelve string electric and acoustic guitars, Taurus Pedals Neil Peart - Drums kit, timbales, gong bass drums, orchestra bells, glockenspiel, wind chimes, bell tree, tubular bells, crotales, cowbells, plywood, tympani, and Gong!
Hey my friends, great video, I am a lifelong RUSH fan, only got to see Rush in the late 80s(Power Windows Tour) in Halifax, Nova Scotia,Canada, Waited to see Rush for 20 years. They played this song live! Best band ever!!😁👌👍✌
This is the era when musicians actually played their instruments and learned their craft. No computers-no drum machines-no “beats”-no faking. Today’s music is a joke.
They’re definitely one of the greats! I love a lot of their songs and I definitely recommend you guys reacting to a lot of their live performances. They’re one of the very few bands that sound better live 😁 Check out Working Man live 1974 with John Rutsey on the drums.. they’re really young in that video.
From a Gary to Geddy your one of the most talented musician of all time! No one touches your talent on bass, keyboards, and singing! You are the definition of Unique and RUSH is not RUSH without your playing and vocals! To quote the movie: I LOVE YOU MAN! Alex and Neil as well!!
This is off the A Farewell To Kings album released in 1977 as the follow up album to the 2112 album this was recorded in 1981 on their Moving Pictures tour filmed in either Toronto or Montreal ( I have heard both cities) as part of their Exit Stage Left live album. RUSH is still huge here in Canada we share them with the world these guys make this Toronto boy proud as this is their hometown
Toronto boy here seen all three nights of The MOVING Pictures Tour with the band FM backing them up was amazing March 23rd 24th and 25th parents went away that week I skipped high school all week to take it all in. Lol Still have the program and ticket stubs from all three nights at Maple Leaf Gardens.
While they’re all multitasking(overachievers😂)on their individual instruments, Geddy gets the MOTS Award(Multitasker of the Song)playing no less than FIVE🤯different instruments AND singing😬on top of it all!🥇🇨🇦🎼🤘🖖✌️🥁🎸🎤🎹
The twekve string guitar is usually tunes so the that the botton four pairs of strings are tuned in octaves, and the top two are tuned in unison. This creates a huge, subtly shifting sound.
Subbed for more Rush. Masters of Progressive Rock. Alex is playing a six string and a twelve string, Geddy is playing a bass and a twelve string. Geddy is also playing keyboard and singing, and I think both guys are using pedals. Xanadu was a summer pleasure palace built by Kulba Khan, grand son of Gingus Khan who's mongol army almost took over the known world at the time. It is currently known as Shangdu and is a world heritige site. The song is about a fellow, dreaming of immortality, searching for Xanadu. However, once found he is trapped there and immortal because time does not pass there and he becomes a prisoner of the lost Xanadu, praying for the night to end.
XANADU TIER BEST SONG EVER IN MY OPINION!!! & NEIL PEART IS & WILL BE THE BEST DRUMMER 2 EVER SIT BEHIND A DRUM KIT!! R.I.P. NIEL, THE WORLD LOST AN INCREDIBLE MISSION WHEN YOU WERE CALLED HOME TO HEAVEN!!!! YOU ARE A TRULY A GREATEST DRUMMER OF ALL TIME!!!!
actually you got me to thinkin what an amazing ride that would be for a roller coaster theme. go through areas with Zanadu themed background with this Rush version slammin away on the ride.
To be clear, Rush were inspired by the poem Xanadu by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. They sing lyrics referencing Kublai Khan and many references lifted from and paying tribute to that poem.
You finally got to this one. I have seen Rush 9 times first in 74 at my high school. This version I saw live in Calgary the best one they did, Neil is amazing here temple blocks, triangles everywhere, wind chimes, glockenspiel, bell tower, tubular bells and his huge drum kit, Alex the most underrated guitarist ever a goat also and Geddy organ, synthesizers, bass, rhythm guitar and vocals . Alex did play the 6 string tons in that song. The 12 string is more for acoustic
My favorite version of my favorite Rush song. IMO the solo by Alex is one of the greatest because of how well it connected the emotions of the lyrics with the music.
Hi guys, thankyou for this video of Rush "Xanadu" You both have done both you and me a big favor. This is what Progressive rock sounds like. There is probably no need to hear the studio version since this is a Perfect live version showcasing the ability to tell a story with exciting musical parts to make up one song. The top neck on the white twin neck one has 12 strings, the bottom a standard 6 strings. Thankyou again, React To The World. Great.
Neil reflected on the period after '2112' ("Xanadu" is on the following album) as an "experimental phase" for the band. With the introduction of synthesizers and new musical technology like bass pedals, they explored ambitious orchestrations on albums like 'A Farewell to Kings' and 'Hemispheres.' Neil said that he looked back on that time with "an indulgent smile" and "a certain fond appreciation for our youthful earnestness and energy." He acknowledged that they had a lot to learn but were improving as they went along, paving the way for their future musical endeavors in the '80s and beyond. "From a band point of view, we certainly worked on our musicianship first, then - armed with that increased facility and confidence in our individual instruments - expanded into paying more attention to songwriting, arranging, and production."
I saw RUSH 6 times, first time in late 1974, the last time about the time this was recorded, 1981. 1978 I saw them in LR, AR, with Max Webster opening, & UFO next, then RUSH, definitely one of the best concerts I ever attended. This was the time they were really pushing the new intruments/sounds into their music!
Xanadu was a real place on the Alf River - it's a World Heritage site. Xanadu was also an unfinished poem of English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (about Kublai Khan's pleasure palace at, you guessed it, Xanadu). But for Neil Peart's lyrics, Xanadu was about the misbegotten quest for life everlasting. He makes the point that if it were ever possible, endless life would be a punishment, not a gift. In the end, the character in the song wishes to escape eternity and embrace death. Genius, indeed.
This album, playing over and over again, listening thru headphones, while reading Return of the King. Also Yes Relayer. And yes, there were mushrooms involved. Ah, to be young again. 🙂 Amazing how much music these guys could produce.
I really suggest you watch The Saw Doctors perform The Hay Wrap. Live in Galway. The Saw Doctors are a rock band from Ireland. They are sooooo good. It has the best the live version in Galway.
These two have the same look of amazement that I had back in 1981 when I bought "Exit Stage Left" and heard this song being performed. To me, side 3 of this album was one of the best sides of a live album ever. "Broon's Bane", "The Trees", and "Xanadu". What a musical ride.
This album is outstanding! Just want to suggest Genesis Abacab from Three sides live album. A better version than the video version from same album. Phil Collins on drums with Chester Thompson. Or Genesis Cinema Show from Seconds Out album 1977, Phil Collins on drums with Bill Bruford... With that said, Exit, Stage Left album is fantastic. ❤️❤️❤️
Ok Newbies of RUSH the best bass player ever / vocals / keyboards/ guitar 🎸 player plays and does all this in this song plays guitar 🎸 at the end FYI !!!!!
Alex actually switched guitars several times throughout the song, and Geddy had a 6 string below his bass in order to play the moledy behind Alex's solo near the end - ALL THE WHILE PLAYING BASS NOTES WITH HIS FEET ON A PEDAL BOARD! These guys have always been off the charts!
I was 18, when I saw this exact concert in Montreal, Canada 1981. I live in Neil's hometown, they played at my school, when John Rutsey was the drummer.
Image Neal came up with a lot of the songs based on books he read. Alex with his Double neck guitar with 12 string on top and 6 string on the bottom, Geddy playing a double neck bass with a long neck on top and shorter neck on the bottom. By you playing this video is paying homeage to Neal, Alex,Geddy
Welcome to the greatest band of all time lyrically and musically,!!!,all 3 are virtuosos on their instruments!!!! Rush is a album band in my opinion any Rush is good Rush!!! Ypu can go back to the 1st album it's great for the times and a 1st album, try fly by night, bytor and the snow dog,,in the end, beneath,between and behind, then lakeside park bastille day ,whole 1st, side 2112, whole side A Farwell to kings really whole album to then whole hemispheres album whole moving pictures album ,you may have heard Tom Sawyer anyway try driven, mission, marathon, big money, lock and key, turn the page, Animate, Xanadu!!! Half the world, dreamline, bravado, mystic rythems, cut to the chase,roll the bones, I could go on and on ,,,,,,,,,,,For me any Rush is good Rush!!! Music is a journey a ride they take you on ,thought provoking, inspiring, Only 3 guys making ALlTHAT MUSIC!!!lyrically and musically no one is better
In Xanadu did Kublai Khan A stately pleasure dome decree Where Alph, the sacred river ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. That's the first stanza of Xanadu by S.T. Coleridge., who conceived the poem in an opium dream, woke up, and began writing. He was interrupted by a visitor and forgot everything that he hadn't yet set to paper. Rush makes use of some of the imagery, but the monkey's paw curling is all Neil Peart. The narrator went to find immortality and gains it, only to find that time has stopped for him, and he exists in a world that never changes, imorisoned for a thousand years, yearning only for death.
Yes you got it !!!! Magical place ,he sings,for i have dined on honey do and drunk the milk of paradise!!! All 3 are virtuosos on their instruments!!!!!!! Musically and lyrically no one is better!!! Try whole first side of 2112. Use the anamated version, helps you understand a little better, then whole album of a Farwell to kings, hemispheres whole album, off the charts!!! They take you on a journey on a ride ,thought-provoking, inspiring, motivating
“Exit, Stage Left” is their live album and was recorded from two tours of two albums….Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. Videos you find on RU-vid are not necessarily the same night as the one chosen for the live album of the same name…. I can tell when I listen…I have had the Exit, Stage Left album and have listened to it many times! Rush is known as “progressive rock.”
One is a 12 string and the other is a 6 string, totally different sounds. I could listen to this performance everyday for the rest of my life. Listen to the song 3 times: Each time focusing on a different band member: Neil-percussions, Geddy-Voice, bass and Keyboards and synth, and Alex-Guitars and synth/pedals> Rush is one of the few bands whose songs can sound better live than the recorded version.... but that is like saying the recorded version is 9.9 and the live version is a 10 If you haven't already, La Villa Strangiato should be next on your list........
Based on a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, completed in 1797 In Xanadu, a stately pleasure dome, did Kubla Khan decree, where Alph, the sacred river ran, through caverns measureless to man, down to a sunless sea
Rush has been described as the biggest 'cult band' in the world. They sold more consecutive Gold and Platinum selling albums than any other band other than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Rush fans are some of the most loyal and enthusiastic you will find anywhere. I saw them live at least once every single tour they had from 1986 until their last in 2015. Still upset I didn't catch them on this tour, I was just too young.
