Permanent Waves

Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on January 14, 1980 through Anthem Records. The album charted at No. 3 in Canada and the UK, and No. 4 in the United States. By March 1980, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies. It became the fastest-selling Rush album up to that point, before Moving Pictures (1981) surpassed it the following year. Permanent Waves was later certified Platinum in November 1987 for selling over one million copies. After touring for 1978's Hemispheres ended in the summer of 1979, the band retreated to a farm near Flesherton, Ontario to work on material for a new album. This period marked a shift in the group's songwriting towards concise arrangements and radio-friendly songs such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", though their progressive rock blueprint is still evident on "Jacob's Ladder" and the nine-minute closer "Natural Science". The album is also the first to display a more restrained vocal delivery from bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee. Recording took place at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec with production handled by the group and Terry Brown. The release of "The Spirit of Radio" as a single in February 1980 marked the first Rush single to crack the Top 30 in Canada. The album's six-month supporting tour was significant, becoming the first to earn the band a profit. A 40th anniversary edition of Permanent Waves with bonus material was released in 2020.