Permanent Waves

Released

Rush weathered the dawning of the 1980s with more grace than a lot of their prog rock brethren – possibly because they had the good sense to pivot back towards FM-friendly song structures (without losing any of the musical virtuosity that had become their stock in trade). It even starts with two of their biggest singles: “The Spirit of Radio,” which recognizes that commercial integrity is as oxymoronic a concept as the album title, and “Freewill,” with a freewheeling solo and Geddy Lee shrieks that show that the band was determined to determine their own destiny. The rest of the record’s no slouch, either. “Jacobs Ladder” remains one of their most dramatic longer pieces, despite being about sunshine coming through a cloud, while deeply underappreciated b-side “Entre Nous” might be the least toxic thing ever associated with Ayn Rand.

Jeff Treppel