cripper's Full Review: Permanent Waves [Remaster] by Rush
I will be perfectly honest with you. I rarely seek recommendations for films, music or books on Epinions. From memory, I only recall one or two times when someone at Epinions has recommended a product to me and I followed through with that suggestion. However when reading music reviews 4 or 5 years ago, I remember seeing the band Rush appear on quite a few reviews. All the reviews of the Rush discography were glowing with praise but me, in my infinite wisdom, thought it was not worth listening to Rush. That was until I heard the bass solo of their song, Freewill. Being a bass player myself, the bass solo in that song just blew me away. I was so impressed by the bass playing that I convinced myself to purchase the album the song appears in, Permanent Waves.
For those of you unaware of Rush, they are a 3-man act from Canada. Geddy Lee is the lead singer and bass player of the band and he occasionally moves to other instruments such as piano and synthesizers. Alex Lifeson is the guitarist of the band. Neil Peart is the band's drummer and all-round percussionist (even in live concerts!). Whilst Lee and Lifeson are credited with writing the music to the songs on this album, it is Peart who provides the lyrics (Peart is known as an avid reader, particularly of sci-fi novels, and this comes through in his lyrics usually). The band is usually classified as a progressive rock band but their band usually crosses into other genres as well. And after 30 odd years, they are still performing together as Rush.
The first song, The Spirit of Radio, is a fine example of a progressive rock song that fuses with other genres like reggae. The song opens up with a blazing guitar riff before the rhythm section of drums and bass come in. When the drums and bass first enter the fold, there is something quite amazing that I discovered about them. Lee's bass and Peart's drums are so rhythmically tight! When I mean rhythmically tight, I mean that one can feel a bass note every time Peart hits a drum. There are even a few very quick fills that Peart does that Lee matches up beat for beat. Its a jaw-opening sequence from the rhythm section and its simply quite extraordinary. After such a tight opening, the song's main melody comes flowing through from the clean tone of Lifeson's guitar and Lee's trademark vocals enter the fold. The song, as the title explains, is about the radio and there is something nostalgic about the song. Whether its that guitar riff or the passionate vocals from Lee which include lyrics such as "plays that song that's so elusive" or "there is magic at your fingers", one feels carried back in time to those days where tuning into radio was mainstream. Peart is incredibly impressive on the percussion and there is a sweet-sounding glockenspiel sequence that brings a smile to your face in between his drumming. There are elements of new wave that come weaving into the latter parts of the song with some synthesizer chords. However the single most impressive part of this song, for me, is that transition between what starts off as a rock anthem with little reggae fills. The band transforms itself from rock to reggae in a way that is both noticeable and subtle. Its noticeable in the sense that one can hear Lifeson's power guitar chords change into an off-beat stacatto guitar shuffle and Peart moving from the drums onto the deeper-sounding tubular bells. Its also subtle in the sense that the band moves in and out between the two genres with such skill that one is not shocked by the sudden change. There is so much more I can talk about with this song but there are simply too many positives about this song. Simply put, it is a fantastic way to open an album!
Freewill, the reason why I purchased this album, appears next on this album. The song starts off with a progression of guitar notes backed up by the drums and bass before a lone guitar plays the song's crunchy guitar riff before the bass line akin to the guitar riff comes in with the drums and a very rocking vibe is established from this point on. However a hint of new wave appears in this song with some synthesizers underlying the instrumentation. The lyrical content is about the importance of choice in one life and there is particular emphasis placed by Lee as the vocalist in this part of the chorus: "if you choose not to decide/you still have made a choice". Lee's heartfelt delivery of these two lines really strike home the main point of this song. Some very beautiful vocal harmonies are heard in the chorus. Easily the best part of the song, however, is the duelling bass and guitar solos during the song's interlude section. A very forceful, complex bass solo opens this section before a frenetic guitar solo tries to play over the top of the bass. This section grows more intense as the section goes on. Lifeson's guitar increases in pace and higher pitched notes are hit amidst the increasing tension. Lee's bass introduces more and more tricky little licks. Even the drums help increase this tension by interweaving some hard-hitting, adrenaline-crazed fills. It is an interest conflict and one that sums up the difficulty in making a choice. By the time the final verse comes around, Lee lets out a wail as if to highlight the end of the madness going into making a choice. Starting off with The Spirit of Radio and then coming in with Freewill, its the best one-two punch I have had the pleasure of listening to for a very long time.
The next song on the album, Jacob's Ladder, is a very dramatic number. A synthesizer holds a note along with a muted bass line that is soon accompanied by a similar-sounding guitar riff. The drums provides the song's rhythm with a march-like rhythm before Lee's vocals enter the fold. Lee's vocal delivery is mellow and the lyrics by Peart literally describes the calm before the storm. From the first lines, "the clouds prepare for battle/in the dark and brooding silence", to the final lines, "thunderheads are rumbling/in a distant overture", of this opening sequence, the band are preparing the listener for some sort of onslaught. And this is exactly what the listener receives after this initial opening sequence. As soon as Lee's vocals end, a juggernaut of distorted guitar chords and licks are thrown in and the drums and bass let loose as well. A lot of tension is created during this section as the melody does not change too much. The melody is played on a loop and the repetition of this melody builds more tension until a sweeping synthesizer comes back in. Its amazing what this synthesizer does. It releases the tension created by the opening sequences and brings a disarmingly calm feel to the song. Lee's vocals come back in during this section. His vocals are again mellow and, this time, the lyrics describe sunshine peeping through the gaps in the clouds. This is beautifully expressed in the first few lines of the verse: "all at once/the clouds are parted/light streams down/in bright unbroken beams". The instrumentation of guitar, bass and drums are a bit more muted in this section whilst the synthesizer takes centre stage. Its a beautiful song with yet another universal message that all can relate to.
Entre Nous begin with a ringing guitar melody amidst the backdrop of multilayered synthesizers and some inspired drumming from Peart. However when Lee's vocals enter the fold, the synthesizers fall out and the instrumentation consists of dirty-sounding guitar chords, a pumping bass line and simple drum beat. Its an interesting separation between rock and new wave with the introduction and instrumental sections of this song containing elements of new wave and the instrumentation during the vocal parts retaining a rocking feel. The lyrics also describe this separation but in terms of a relationship. Even though the first part of the first verse starts talking about how one is "even joined in the bonds of love", it goes on to say "each of us a world apart/alone and yet together/like two passing ships". However the chorus describes that separation is crucial in a relationship and that "the spaces in between/leave room/for you and I to grow". This reconciliation also appears in the music as well with the rock and new wave elements molding together. The music certainly grows when combined together and its musical poetry. Simply magnificent. Yet another great track.
The pentultimate track, Different Strings, is easily the quietest track on the album. A lone guitar opens the proceedings and the instrumentation of only the guitar is somewhat haunting. This feeling is accentuated by some tingling harmonics from the guitar which highlights the bareness of the song. The guitar is eventually backed up by the bass, high-hat tapping and occasional fill from the drums, some pleasant-sounding chimes and a beautifully touching piano melody. Lee's vocals are smooth and free-flowing in this tune about how two have become estranged. The lyrics ask "what happened to our innocence/did it go out of style?" and concludes that people have "different eyes see different things/different hearts/beat on different strings" which highlights how people change. There are some moody and expressive pitch bending from the guitar at the end of the song which shows some elements of blues in Rush's music. Its easily the shortest track on the album but its still a great track.
The final track on this album, Natural Science, is a symphony of three parts. The first part is called Tide Pools. After the sound of waves crashing lightly against the shore, a lone guitar enters the fold. The guitar plays some gently strummed acoustic chords that share a tonal quality that is akin to George Harrison's My Sweet Lord (but not quite The Chiffons' He's So Fine). Lee's vocals come echoing in with the guitar and with the sound of waves in the background. The lyrics are about people seeking to create their dreams and the line, "all the busy little creatures/chasing out their destinies", perfectly describes what this first section of this symphony is about. The overall feel is mellow. The end of this section builds up with the presence of the bass and drums. Soon after this build up, we enter the second section of this symphony: Hyperspace. This section is tense: hard-hitting guitar chords, a forceful bass line and powerful drumming sum up this part instrumentally. There is, however, some sweet-sounding synthesizers which contrast this onslaught of loud instruments. Lee's vocals in this second section are as intense as the instruments. The lyrics seem to describe the madness of the world and the intensity certainly backs this claim. There are some computerized sound effects that add an element of science fiction to the song. The third section of this song, Permanent Waves, opens up with a melody that feels similar to the introduction of The 5th Dimension's Let the Sun Shine In. Although this section remains equally intense instrumentally, the lyrics seem to tie in the first two verses by saying that even though there is madness in the world, one finds a way to adjust to the madness. The final verse perfectly sums this up by saying that "tide after tide/will flow and recede/leaving life to go on/as it was....". The instrumentation of guitar, bass and drums build up to a final climax that satisfies one's ears. The transition from one section to the next in this song is flawless. The way the music progresses in terms of its direction is true progressive rock and, to me, musical poetry. Simply outstanding. Its a perfect way to end the album.
If there is anything wrong with the album, its too short. The album is only 39 minutes long and, by the time the album ends, I wanted to hear more! Permanent Waves was really such a joy to listen to and, if you have not listened to this, I strongly suggest that you do. Every instrument plays a prominent role on this album and succeed in adding to the overall feel of every song on the album and the album itself. I guess I can say that I can thank Epinions for opening my eyes, and more importantly ears, to Rush.
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