Rush announced the dates for their 30th Anniversary Tour on this day (February 17th) 2004. The song: “Closer to the Heart” live version was a bit more successful than the original studio recording. Geddy Lee thinks it was almost a different song by then.The studio version was in 1977 on A Farewell to Kings, the live version on Exit…Stage Left (live) 1981
“Closer to the Heart” was just the second Rush single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number-76 in 1977. When they put out their second live album, Exit….Stage Left, four years later they released it again and it charted slightly higher. Singer and bassist Geddy Lee explains why the band prefers the first live version of “Closer to the Heart” to the original studio recording.
“Because that was the version we thought was better, had grown into something different. That song, ‘Closer to the Heart’ had become something different than it was originally written and I think only playing that live so many times could make that happen. Usually, that happens due to a number of accidents — you accidentally play this kind of riff and that sounds good and then somebody else takes the cue, so you start improving and before you know it you have a new version of the song.”
Reuters Photo
