All the World's a Stage [LP]

Rush: Geddy Lee (vocals, synthesizers, bass); Alex Lifeson (guitar); Neil Peart (drums, percussion).
Recorded live at Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada between June 11 & 13, 1976.
Having returned from the edge of obscurity with the ambitious concept album 2112 and years of almost non-stop touring, Rush decided to buy themselves a little time with a double live album. Recorded in 1976 in front of a hometown Toronto audience, ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE is the first of what would become a Rush tradition: following every fourth studio album with a live one as a way of closing out a chapter in the band's history.
The set kicks off with a pair of hard rocking numbers, "Bastille Day" and "Anthem," that pack more power than would be expected from a trio. "2112" proves that this still young band was more than just muscle; the abridged version heard here still clocks in at over 15 minutes. From their second album, "By-Tor And The Snow Dog" is the band's first attempt at a multi-part opus, weaving a fanciful story around an extended jam that recalls their earliest days as a bar band banging out Cream tunes. The album closes out with four songs from their debut. Taken as a whole, ALL THE WORLD shows how far Rush had come in the previous three years and hints at what was to come.