Permanent Waves

1	The Spirit of Radio 4:59
2	Freewill 5:24
3	Jacob's Ladder 7:28
4	Entre Nous 4:37
5	Different Strings 3:50
6	Natural Science 9:17

Barnes & Noble

By the time Rush released PERMANENT WAVES in 1980, they had the benefit of years of recording and touring experience, honing and refining their particular brand of progressive rock. The Canadian trio finally managed to reduce the excess of their dense music into an album that was accessible as well as musically challenging. The FM radio hits "Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill" still feature the panache that you would expect from Rush -- the adroit opening guitar figure in the former, the rhythmic complexity of the latter -- but with a stronger groove and lighter feel. Likewise, Neil Peart's lyrics, while still philosophically-minded, are a touch more human. Of course, the band would be remiss if they eschewed their high-minded progressive leanings all together and they do deliver one of their trademark epic length tunes in the form of "Natural Science", complete with quirky sectional shifts, pyrotechnic playing, and esoteric lyrics. Steven DeLuca

All Music Guide

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