Permanent Waves [Remaster] (CD - 1980)

Additional personnel includes: Hugh Syme (piano).

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, mini-Moog synthesizer, Moog synthesizer, Oberheim synthesizer, bass guitar); Alex Lifeson (guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, electric guitar, electric 12-string guitar, 12-string guitar); Erwig Chuapchuadua (steel guitar, steel drum); Hugh Syme (piano, keyboards); Neil Peart (drums, timbales, timpani, triangle, tubular bells, crotales, wind chime).

Audio Mixer: Terry Brown.

Recording information: Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada (09/1979-10/1979).

Photographers: Deborah Samuel; Flip Schulke; Fin Costello.

Arrangers: Rush; Terry Brown.

Since Neil Peart joined the band in time for 1975's Fly by Night, Rush had been experimenting and growing musically with each successive release. By 1980's Permanent Waves, the modern sounds of new wave (the Police, Peter Gabriel, etc.) began to creep into Rush's sound, but the trio still kept their hard rock roots intact. The new approach paid off -- two of their most popular songs, the "make a difference" anthem "Freewill," and a tribute to the Toronto radio station CFNY, "The Spirit of Radio" (the latter a U.K. Top 15 hit), are spectacular highlights. Also included were two "epics," the stormy "Jacob's Ladder" and the album-closing "Natural Science," which contains a middle section that contains elements of reggae. Geddy Lee also began singing in a slightly lower register around this time, which made their music more accessible to fans outside of the heavy prog rock circle. The album proved to be the final breakthrough Rush needed to become an arena headliner throughout the world, beginning a string of albums that would reach inside the Top Five of the U.S. Billboard album charts. Permanent Waves is an undisputed hard rock classic, but Rush would outdo themselves with their next release. ~ Greg Prato

Falling somewhere in between heavy metal and AOR, Rush were one of the success stories of the period from 1976 to 1986--all the more surprising because few Canadians manage to break out from the land of the maple leaf in this area of music. Much of their following idolized Alex Lifeson, who was a guitar hero with the technical ability of a Page or a Beck. Occasionally Neil Peart's lyrics leave a little to be desired: "the shifting shafts of shining, weave the fabric of their dreams . . ." Jon Anderson from Yes was afflicted with the same condition of pretentiolyricitus. That aside, the music is faultless. minimize