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Rating: The Rush really can't miss a beat! After the masterpieces "2112", "A Farewell To Kings" and "Hemispheres", here comes the hugely successful "Permanent Waves"; an album that marks a slight but noticeable shift in Rush's music: the three Canadians do not hide their love for progressive rock shown in previous albums but introduce songs with a more commercial nature that lean towards a more 80s sound, always without sacrificing the compositional complexity that will always characterize them. An album that is varied and balanced as a whole, which certainly earns an important place in the band's ranking... Yes indeed, it is true, that is truly the golden period of the band and this record is a real confirmation of it! Sure, in this record they move towards something more catchy but without losing the attitude towards the accuracy of the compositions.
It starts right away with a direct "The Spirit Of Radio", with complex guitar riffs, time changes, and sunny and lively melodies... and even a reggae section. "Freewill" is also quite direct, with a verse-chorus structure and a tangible and evident keyboard accompaniment, but it doesn’t forgo time changes and offers a not bad solo... all in strict order! And we come to the highlight track of the album, the splendid "Jacob's Ladder", where Rush truly confirms they are still in their full prog period: the synthesizers here are the absolute protagonists, and without them, the song wouldn’t have that particular atmosphere that makes it enjoyable to listen to, but the guitars are also not far behind! Another remarkable track is "Entre Nous", where Rush’s intention to direct their sound towards a more massive use of the synthesizer continues: the synths intervene between the verse and the chorus and in the instrumental part with really fitting riffs; the sound of the guitars is more rhythmic and the acoustic chorus is also pleasant. After the ballad "Different Strings", with sweet and melancholic guitars and the piano from guest Hugh Syme, the album closes with the excellent "Natural Science", again testifying to the strong prog intent of the group: it starts delicately with the sound of a babbling brook accompanied by acoustic guitar, but then the track immediately finds a beautiful crescendo: first, the rhythm becomes livelier, accompanied by excellent guitar arpeggios, leading to a frenetic part with powerful guitar riffs and delightful echoes, then calming down to give space to synth parts and cleaner melodies.
This closes another jewel from the Canadian trio... we don’t know what position it will take in this blessed ranking, but it will certainly never be forgotten by the group’s lovers!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 The Spirit of Radio (05:00)
Begin the day with a friendly voice
A companion unobtrusive
Plays the song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood
Off on your way, hit the open road
There is magic at your fingers
For the spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact in your happy solitude
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free
All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted, it's really just a question
Of your honesty, yeah, your honesty
One likes to believe in the freedom of music
But glittering prizes and endless compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity, yeah
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free
For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall
Concert hall
And echoes with the sound of salesmen
Of salesmen, of salesmen
02 Freewill (05:24)
There are those who think that life
Has nothing left to chance,
A host of holy horrors
To direct our aimless dance
A planet of playthings
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
"The stars aren't aligned -
Or the gods are malign"
Blame is better to give than receive.
You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide
You still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that's clear-
I will choose free will
There are those who think that
They've been dealt a losing hand,
The cards were stacked against them-
They weren't born in Lotus-Land
All pre-ordained
A prisoner in chains
A victim of venomous fate
Kicked in the face
You can pray for a place
In heaven's unearthly estate
You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide
You still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that's clear-
I will choose free will
Each of us
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt
That's far too fleet.
You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide
You still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that's clear-
I will choose free will
03 Jacob's Ladder (07:31)
The clouds prepare for battle
In the dark and brooding silence.
Bruised and sullen stormclouds
Have the light of day obscured.
Looming low and ominous
In twilight premature
Thunderheads are rumbling
In a distant overture...
All at once, the clouds are parted.
Light streams down in bright unbroken beams...
Follow men's eyes as they look to the skies.
The shifting shafts of shining weave the fabric of their dreams
04 Entre Nous (04:38)
We are secrets to each other
Each one's life a novel
No-one else has read
Even joined in bonds of love
We're linked to one another
By such slender threads
We are planets to each other
Drifting in our orbits
To a brief eclipse
Each of us a world apart
Alone and yet together
Like two passing ships
Just between us
I think it's time for us to recongnize
the differences we sometimes feared
to show
Just between us
I think it's time for us to realize
The spaces in between
Leave room
For you and I to grow
We are strangers to each other
Full of sliding panels
An illusion show
Acting well-rehearsed routines
Or playing from the heart?
It's hard for one to know
We are islands to each other
Building hopeful bridges
On the troubled seas
Some are burned and swept away
Some we would not choose
But we're not always free
Just between us
I think it's time for us to recongize
The differences we sometimes fear to show
Just between us
I think it's time for us to realize
The spaces in between
Leave room
For you and I to grow
05 Different Strings (03:52)
Who's come to slay the dragon-
Come to watch him fall?
Making arrows out of pointed words
Giant killers at the call
Too much fuss and bother
Too much contradiction and confusion
Peel away the mystery
Here's a clue to some real motivation
All there really is
The two of us
And we both know why we've come along
Nothing to explain
It's a part of us
To be found within a song
What happened to our innocence-
Did it go out of style?
Along with our naivete'-
No longer a child
Different eyes see different things
Different hearts beat on different strings
But there are times
For you and me
When all such things agree.
All there really is
The two of us
And we both know why we've come along
Nothing to explain
It's a part of us
To be found within a song
06 Natural Science (09:17)
'''i Tide Pools'''
When the ebbing tide retreats along the rocky shoreline
It leaves a trail of tide pools in a short-lived galaxy
Each microcosmic planet a complete society
A simple kind of mirror to reflect upon our own
All the busy little creatures chasing out their destinies
Living in their pools they soon forget about the sea...
Wheel within wheels in a spiral array -
A pattern so grand and complex
Time after time we lose sight of the way -
Our causes can't see their effects
'''ii Hyperspace'''
A quantum leap forward in time and space
The universe learned to expand
Mess and magic, triumphant and tragic
A mechanized world out of hand
Computerized clinic for superior cynics
Who dance to a synthetic band
In their own image their world is fashioned
No wonder they don't understand
Wheel within wheels in a spiral array -
A pattern so grand and complex
Time after time we lose sight of the way -
Our causes can't see their effects
'''iii Permanent Waves'''
Science, like nature, must also be tamed
With a view towards its preservation
Given the same state of integrity, it will surely serve us well.
Art as expression, not as market campaigns
Will still capture our imaginations
Given the same state of integrity, it will surely help us along.
The most endangered species - the honest man -
Will still survive annihilation
Forming a world, a state of integrity -
Sensitive, open, and strong.
Wave after wave will flow with the tide
And bury the world as it does
Tide after tide will flow and recede
Leaving life to go on as it was.
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Other reviews
By ProgFan
"‘The Spirit Of Radio’ is the icon of Rush’s thought: the perfect blend of progressive expressions and accessible melodies."
"Permanent Waves is undoubtedly one of the highest points of our trio’s career!"
