THROUGH THREE LISTENS...

So the Rush in Rio album came into my mailbox the other day, via Rush.com. The thing about that, though, is that I'm pretty sure I got the Canadian version of it. Everything says "Canada," "Made in Canada," "SOCAN," and the envelope that the album came in (bubble-wrapped inside) had a sticker from the Canada Post border check at customs (the parcel weighed 145 grams). I just checked my Vapor Trails album, and it says "Made in USA" all over it and is released through Atlantic Records, but my copy of Rush in Rio is purely Canadian (no Atlantic). I'll check the stores soon here and see if the USA version is any different.

Anyway, the sound mix for this album is a little less refined than what I thought it would be, but I guess that wouldn't be surprising if you looked at the liner notes first and read about the "primitive recording truck." Geddy Lee's bass is very audible in the mix, but I think Alex Lifeson's guitar could have been a little more prevalent in the mix. It seems too much in-the-background, which isn't good most of the time, but there are moments where it sounds great. Neil's drums could have been louder too, but now I'm just whining about it. Is the album a better production than Queensryche's Live Evolution? Yes. Better than Operation:Livecrime? Not quite.

For me, my favorites as of now are the versions of "Bravado," "Driven," "Dreamline," and (because I'm a drummer) "O Baterista."