#5 - Rush - Permanent Waves (1980)I don't really remember the exact order in which I got my Rush albums. I do know that the two Retrospective compilations were the first two so I could sample music from most of their albums, followed closely by
Vapor Trails which was the first album they released since I became curious about their music. I also know that
Different Stages came early on as I would buy one or two of their albums here or there. I was already familiar with "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill" from
Retrospective I, but there was a song buried on disc 2 of
Different Stages that I could not get enough of called "Natural Science". Such a magical song for me and I knew I had to get whatever album it was on next. I love the dual nature of the song - the calm serene opening and the chaos of the rest.
"The Spirit of Radio", "Freewill", and "Natural Science" are all Rush classics, but it is the beauty of the other three that make this album stand out in their catalog for me. "Jacob's Ladder" is a great ominous, plodding track. Lots of dark passages and some crazy time signature changes. The way they build that instrumental section (the one after the synth solo) in the last third of the song is so awesome as it becomes almost triumphant, mirroring the sun breaking through the clouds. I love the lyrics to "Entre Nous" so much. And Alex throws in some pretty cool licks here and there. His playing (12-string, riffs and picked parts during the verses, etc) really make the song. And "Different Strings" is just a beautiful song all around. Very moody for this band.
The album marks quite a change for the band as they were feeling a bit tied down to the longer multi-part songs that had become their trademark. The change to shorter, more concise songwriting was surely off-putting to some hardcore fans I'm sure, but for me this is where they hit their stride. With its release on January 1, 1980, I couldn't imagine much better ways to bring in the new decade.
"Wheels 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."