Product Description

Studio: Uni Dist Corp (music) Release Date: 10/07/2002

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24059 in DVD
• Brand: RUSH
• Released on: 2001-09-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 63 minutes

Amazon.com
Prog-rock's dominant power trio gets a worthy showcase in this DVD compilation, repeating the 1990 VHS release with minor variations and some pleasant surprises. Chronicles is aptly titled, as the videos follow Rush's 30-year evolution in fashion, performance, and visual representation. Loyalists may wish for a lengthier selection, but with remastered Dolby 2-channel stereo, this 63-minute disc clearly improves upon the VHS release. The in-studio performance of "Tom Sawyer" is new (previous versions were from the Exit, Stage Left concert video), and although hidden bonus videos of "The Enemy Within" and "Afterimage" are inaccurately listed as "previously unreleased" (they appeared on the 1985 compilation Through the Camera Eye), their inclusion here is welcome (and accessible by selecting the "Rush Chronicles" logo on the DVD's "Play Videos" menu). Also, Aimee Mann makes a playful appearance on "Time Stand Still." Recommended to Rush purists only, but on those terms, this is essential viewing. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Primarily Rush's '80s Mercury years catalog
I'm a MAJOR Rush fan, having seen them some dozen times over the years starting with twice in one year on their Farewell to Kings tour in 1977. That's the Rush I fell in love with -- the one that created side-long epics like 2112 and the classic Cygnus X-1 and its follow-up, Hemispheres.

Sadly, my interest began to wane after Signals and almost totally petered out by the Power Windows and Hold Your Fire era, which was in large part their entire '80s catalog.

I began to gain new respect for Rush when they released Roll the Bones, Counterparts and Test For Echo, however, and now eagerly await the new album they're allegedly working on.

Like previous reviewers, I own the videos Exit Stage Left and Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984 and have been waiting -- along with all other fans -- for their first-ever DVD release.

Well, Chronicles The DVD Collection is out. And I have it. And it's really nice to see these music videos again, but -- as I said at the beginning -- I'm a fan of the older material. I liked Geddy Lee's Rickenbacker bass and Alex's cream colored Gibson ES-355 used on the Farewell tour!

The sound and picture quality are just about right, given what this collection is. You won't get perfection and it won't do you any good to whine about pictures and sound that aren't pristine.

All the big hits are here. It's fun to watch vintage Rush. (Check out the hair styles slowly getting shorter with each video...along with the instruments changing from Gibsons and Rickenbackers to Fenders and Wals.)

I couldn't ask for more regarding this collection. It is what it is. It's great, in fact. If you ask me what I'd LIKE to see, however, it's entire concerts on DVD, some from as long ago as their Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres period right on up through to their Test For Echo tour. Music videos are fun and interesting, but it's the live performances that really brought out the best in Rush. So, please, let's see some Rush concert DVDs released in the next year or two!

Very good, but not without a few flaws.
At long last (and many years late) Rush has entered the DVD medium with Chronicles. As a long time fan of the band, I have anxiously anticipated the day when anything from Rush's collection would be transferred to DVD. Now that the day has arrived, hopefully (and there are plans to do so) the live concert VHS catalog will be transferred to DVD as well. Unfortunately, for those who are wishing for a Different Stages live DVD, it's not going to happen... Technically speaking, this is a very good, but not quite perfect DVD. The video motion clips on the song selection menus are a nice touch, and the remastered soundtrack is a vast improvement over the muddy quality of the VHS version. The two extra videos (The Enemy Within and Afterimage) are a wonderful addition to this package, as I have missed being able to watch them on Through The Camera Eye, as my copy was unfortunately destroyed many years ago and could never replace it before it went out of print. The inclusion of the Tom Sawyer studio performance clip instead of the Exit Stage Left clip on the VHS tape was a nice surprise, for I never actually cared much for that particular version. In addition, I had never even seen the studio version clip until now, so for me, that was a bonus! This DVD is not without its flaws, though. As much as the sound quality is improved for this disc, on the live clips (Red Barchetta, Red Sector A), there are spots where the volume is a bit uneven, especially during the first minute of Barchetta. I hope the producers of forthcoming DVD transfers of Exit Stage Left and Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984 (if they do indeed happen) don't make this same mistake. And, since all of the material was shot before 1987, thus years before DVD, the picture quality is not that stunning. In fact, after comparing many of the clips between the DVD and my older VHS copy, I have found it quite difficult to even tell the difference between the two. All in all, this is a nice introduction to DVD, yet it would be even nicer if the rest of Rush's video clips had been included with the extras, namely the rest of Through the Camera Eye, which included Vital Signs, Countdown, and The Body Electric. Still it is a worthwhile collection as is, and ideal for the serious or casual Rush fan.

great video, but some missing stuff
This video shows some of their videos between 1978 and 1987, which is all good, but there are videos that were made in that time period that didn't make it on the video, like Vital Signs, Countdown, The Enemy Within, and The Body Electric. Sure, they were already on "Through The Camera Eye", but that video is impossible to find, and you could get "Chronicles" just about anywhere. My other complaint is the live tracks. These live tracks are already on all of Rush's other live video releases. Instead of "Red Barchetta", why couldn't they put something that was played on that tour but was left off "Exit Stage Left", like "Natural Science"? Instead of "Red Sector A", why couldn't there be a live song that was left off the "Grace Under Pressure" video, like "The Body Electric", "Red Lenses", or "Afterimage"? What about a live track or two that was left off "A Show Of Hands", like the live version of "Time Stand Still" or "Lock And Key"? Actually, in my opinion, Rush should re-release "Exit..", "Grace...", and "A Show of Hands", except this time, have the entire 2 hour shows on each.