Permanent Waves

 

 

Create your own review

Canadian power trio Rush's eighth album(ninth technically if you are counting the Rush Archives 3-record set released before Hemispheres) entitled Permanent Waves was released in January of 1980. The album was Rush's first album of a decade where they would rule supreme, the 1980s. PWaves was a huge hit peaking at #4(Rush's first US Top 10 album). When I was 14, I first bought this album on tape in June of 1990 and loved it at first listen. This remastered CD, which was superbly remastered by Bob Ludwig, buries the original 80s CD issue and made the cassette sound bland. Plus, all of the artwork that was on the original album is restored as well. The album opens with the classic rock radio staple one-two punch of The Spirit of Radio and Freewill, both of which still get plenty of airplay on rock and roll radio today and Rush still perform those two tracks in concert today. Guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee were just on fire on these tracks and drummer Neil Peart shows why he became the successor to John Bonham for rock drummer supreme after Bonzo passed away later in 1980. Next is Jacob's Ladder which is a great near eight minue mainly instrumental epic with fantastic synthesizer work and a fantastic vocal from Geddy. Next is Entre Nous which is another good rocker. Different Strings follows and features Rush's version of Storm Thorgerson(Floyd's album cover designer) Hugh Syme on piano and this was the only track Neil didn't write lyrics for(Geddy wrote the lyrics). The album concludes with the nine minute plus epic Natural Science. The track is split into three sections and doesn't disappoint. Despite the fact the album only features six tracks and runs over 35 minutes, this album still remains a classic!

"Each of us a cell of awareness ..imperfect and incomplete, genetic blends with uncertain ends on a fortune hunt thats far to fleet....Been a big Rush Fan from their first album...This is definitely their "avant garde" peice,Geddy,Alex and Neil certainly at their best.Neil's lyrics is exceptional as usual and the whole album gives you a 'dreamy' feel.I wish after the 'Power Windows' album the band could have bring back Terry Brown and produce a couple more Masterpieces as this!!!

As far as albums go, 'Permanent Waves' is short at 35 minutes. That's almost an EP by today's standards. That was something that disappointed me when it first came out, but now I realize that they have managed to pack a whole lot of material into that slim 35 minutes.

The title of the album is a statement of defiance against the New Wave--ironic, considering how much it embraces the music, sounds, and lyrical style of that genre.

As a group they decided to focus on achieving in 4 to 5 minutes what had taken them 8 to 11 minutes previously.
'Permanent Waves' opens with one of the coolest opens in Rock. "The Spirit of Radio" really captures that joy of heading down the road listening to a good radio station. Does that happen for anybody anymore?

To my ear, musically, the song is almost like a pop rock version of "Circumstances" from 'Hemispheres'. It is a very fast tempo song compared to most of their previous work.

"Freewill" also has a flavour of 'Hemispheres', but it is lighter and has a distinct 80's feel about it. This song is probably one of the most important in the Rush catalog in terms of defining the philosophy of the band. They are about that is about personal drive, ambition, and the obsession with doing the best job one can possibly do. "Freewill" is about the broader choice in life. It is about the choice of how one lives one's life. Does one accept the blame for one's own mistakes and the accolades for one's own triumphs, or does one put it all on the shoulders of an imaginary being or a belief in the supernatural? Are we victims of circustance or are we the makers of our own destiny? The answer probably lies somewhere in between. "Freewill" is about being accountable for one's self.

I have tried really hard to like "Jacob's Ladder", but it is too long and plodding and repetitive. It could use some economy in its arrangement. Even though the band claims it is a tone poem, I never saw it that way. I always felt that it was about the triumph of reason over the darkness of superstition--especially since it is juxtaposed with "Freewill".

"Entre Nous" is a fun pop rock song. It is almost a love song! It is not overly complex the way many Rush tunes of the time were. I think that if it were more danceable, it would have been a hit single for them.

In stark contrast to the rest of the album, there is the brilliant "Different Strings". The song is beautifully unique. It forms a counterpart to "Madrigal" from 'A Farewell to Kings'. I love all the parts that float in and out, Geddy's clean, warm bass, the cold snap of Neil's drums and cymbals, and Alex's deadly guitar outro.

The album closes with one of the best songs in the entire Rush catalog, "Natural Science". It is in long form like many earlier compositions, but it is not so concentrated on Metal. You could almost
call this Progressive New Wave.

Unlike earlier long form compositions, the lyrics to this one deal with something concrete and relevant. It is not fanciful. The lines are all short and easy to sing, much like the New Wave songs of the time. To my mind, this is very close to a perfect song.
Both Geddy and Alex point to "Natural Science" as their favourite from the album and one of their all time favourites to play live.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 116 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

2.0 out of 5 stars Rush gets too atheistic and pessimistic
I have been a major Rush fan since I started High School. After all these years I'm still a fan of their older stuff through the eighties. Read more

Published on July 19 2004 by Kolchak the Night Stalker

2.0 out of 5 stars Rush gets too atheistic and pessimistic
I have been a major Rush fan since I started High School. After all these years I'm still a fan of their older stuff through the eighties. Read more

Published on July 19 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars great album
I got the PERMANENT WAVES album on cassette some years ago from my brother-in-law but it got messed up in my mom's tape deck. Read more

Published on July 5 2004 by R. Rodriguez

1.0 out of 5 stars they put da pH in PHAT!!!
science rockerz Rush haved livd up to their title in dis album and da next 2. Rush made sciency songs about anything,and there are no bling kiddie tunes in dis here collection... Read more

Published on Jun 4 2004 by tupac wayne gacy

5.0 out of 5 stars The classic before Rush's masterpiece
Canadian power trio Rush's eighth album(ninth technically if you are counting the Rush Archives 3-record set released before Hemispheres) entitled Permanent Waves was released in... Read more

Published on May 13 2004 by Terrence J. Reardon

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have album
Permanent Waves is easily one the best albums in the world, and possible Rush'e best after Vapout Trails, Fly By Night and Retospective Volume 1. Read more

Published on April 29 2004 by ruthligget

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Have" for Fans and fans to be.
If your just discovering Rush, start with "Permanent waves". From their 1974 selt titled album "Rush" to the latest studio release in the new millenium... Read more

Published on April 17 2004 by S. Douglas

2.0 out of 5 stars Maybe if they were an all instrumental band ...
I think Lifeson and Peart are fine enough musicians in their own right, but I can't really hear them... first, because I can't get past the insipid, pseudo-cosmic lyrics. Read more

Published on Mar 24 2004 by Matthew Bush

5.0 out of 5 stars waves
i would have to say that this album is in the top 3 rush albums of all time. this, hemispheres, and moving pictures i believe are the band's best work. Read more

Published on Mar 13 2004 by brendan

3.0 out of 5 stars Long Gone
Its a rather popular opinion that Rush went downhill following the release of Fly By Night. What could have been a serious rocking band was ruined by Neil Pearts overindulgence on... Read more

Published on Mar 9 2004 by Doomantra

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 116 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!