Permanent Waves

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Permanent Waves

Studio album by Rush
Released	January 1, 1980
Recorded	September - October 1979
Genre	Progressive rock Hard rock
Length	35:25
Label	Anthem Records (Canada) Mercury Records
Producer(s)	Rush and Terry Brown
All Music Guide link
Rush chronology
Hemispheres (1978)	Permanent Waves (1980)	Moving Pictures (1981)

Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released January 1, 1980 (see 1980 in music). The album was recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, and was mixed at Trident Studios in London, UK.

Permanent Waves marks a distinct transition into more accessible, radio-friendly numbers and consequently, a significant expansion in the band's record sales with perennial favorites such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill" seeing quite a fair bit of radio airplay. Geddy's singing style changed, too; his range is much lower than the previous albums.

Other notable tracks on Permanent Waves include "Jacob's Ladder", a song style reminiscent of their earlier art rock period. Exploring odd time signatures, the song possesses a dark, ominous feel. The song's lyrics are based on a simple concept; a vision of sunlight breaking through storm clouds. The title is a reference to the natural phenomenon of the sun breaking through the clouds in visible rays, which in turn is named after the Biblical ladder to heaven on which Jacob is supposed to have seen angels ascending and descending in a vision. "Entre Nous" is similar in style to "Freewill," yet it did not receive heavy radio airplay. The ballad "Different Strings" would polarize many Rush fans and critics; some radio stations would feature the song, while others never played it.

While the band began stepping back from the epic song format on this album, "Natural Science" does clock in at over nine minutes and is composed of three distinct movements. The lyrics are driven by concepts of natural science, examining themes of evolution, genetics and civilization, as well as man's responsibility to the arts and sciences. "Natural Science" marks the band's second to last "epic" selection.

Permanent Waves became Rush's first US Top 5 album hitting #4 and was the band's fifth Gold (eventually Platinum) selling album.

1 Track listing
2 Miscellanea
3 Personnel
4 Charts
5 Remaster Details

[edit] Track listing

"The Spirit of Radio" – 4:56
"Freewill" – 5:21
"Jacob's Ladder" – 7:26
"Entre Nous" – 4:36
"Different Strings" – 3:48
"Natural Science" – 9:17
- "Tide Pools" – 2:21
- "Hyperspace" – 2:47
- "Permanent Waves" – 4:08

[edit] Miscellanea

The newspaper that appears on the album cover is the Chicago Daily Tribune edition from 1948 that incorrectly reported the result of the US Presidential Election as 'Dewey Defeats Truman'. The Tribune refused permission to use the edition, so the headline on the cover is usually erased, though it is visible on a few pressings by Rush's native Canadian label Anthem Records and the original sheet music.

Also on the cover, Peart, Lee and Lifeson are names on the signs in the distance. Look for houses to the right of the girl.

Finally, the cover contains 5 visual allusions to the album's title - in the background is a wave of water whose motion is frozen by the picture, i.e., a permanent wave, a man 'waving' at the girl in the foreground, the girl in the foreground has a permanent wave in her hair, while her dress is 'waving' in the wind. The 5th allusion is the picture of Truman waving the famous newspaper.

Just days before beginning recording on the album in August, 1979 Rush played as the headliner for a large multi band rock show at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. They performed "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill" there after introducing them as works 'soon to be recorded'. The event was called the "Summer Blowout" and well over 60,000 tickets were sold.

"The Spirit of Radio" was sampled by UK Indie-rockers Saint Etienne on the track "Conchita Martinez" their 1993 album So Tough.

Alex Lifeson sampled it for the song "I Am the Spirit" on his 1996 solo album, Victor.

[edit] Personnel

Geddy Lee - Bass guitars, Oberheim polyphonic; OB-1; Minimoog; and Taurus pedal synthesizers, vocals
Alex Lifeson - Six and twelve string electric and acoustic guitars, Taurus pedals, vocals
Neil Peart - Drums, tympani, timbales, orchestra bells, tubular bells, wind chimes, bell tree, triangle crotales, cover concept

Erwig Chuapchuaduah - steel drums
Hugh Syme - piano on "Different Strings", art direction, design, cover concept
Deborah Samuel - photography
Fin Costello - photography
Flip Schulke - photography
Terry Brown - arranger, producer, mixing
Paul Northfield - engineer
Robbie Whelan - assistant engineer
Craig Milliner - mixing assistant
Adam Moseley - mixing assistant
Cover girl couturière: Ou la la
Paula Turnbull - cover girl
Ray Staff - mastering on original album
Bob Ludwig - remastering

[edit] Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1980	Billboard's Pop Albums	4

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1980	The Spirit of Radio	Billboard Pop Singles	51

[edit] Remaster Details

A remaster was issued in 1997.

The tray has a picture of star with man painting with THE RUSH REMASTERS printed in all caps just to the left. All remasters from Rush through to Permanent Waves are like this. This is just like the cover art of Retrospective I.
Also includes the original back cover of the album which was missing from the original CD of the band in the recording studio in addition to the inner-sleeve pictures, credits and lyrics which appeared on the original album.