Album Reviews

Every Canadian is bound to hear the question: “What does Canada offer to the world?” Maple syrup seems to be the general consensus among friends. While delectable, I’m not here to discuss maple syrup. After all, this is AnalogPlanet, not BreakfastPlanet! Rush better answers the question (Not to mention, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen the Band!, Arcade Fire and BTO (etc.)_ed.).

Though the group achieved top ten status at home well before its release, Permanent Waves brought Rush global recognition and assured its status in rock history and eventual induction in 2013 into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Featuring Geddy Lee on bass and vocals, Alex Lifeson on guitar, and Neil Peart (may he rest in peace) on drums, this trio produced a sound so incredibly tight that in the modified words of Ferris Bueller, “If you stuck a lump of coal up Rush’s ass, in two weeks you’d have a diamond.”

Each of them masterfully contributed to the group a unique sound. Peart’s technically marvelous drumming provided an assertive foundation from which the others could work. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Peart’s playing is so singularly “deep in the pocket” that he’s deserving of a similar though unique phrase reserved just for him!

Though he was the group’s sole guitarist, Lifeson, without overdubs, produces the illusion of multiple guitarists. Lee, with his unique Rickenbacker tone, managed, while nimbly fingering his bass, to simultaneously sing challenging lyrics. Together, these three musicians made up one of the “baddest” acts in rock history.

Permanent Waves pulled Rush out of its hard-rock phase, and landed the trio in progressive-rock territory, partly attributable to its reliance on both synthesizers and orchestral instruments. Unlike some later ‘80s acts Rush tastefully used synthesizers, mainly to add to the triple virtuosic playing a sense of much needed continuity and flow.

Critics often lambaste Rush for the group’s nearly nonsensical lyrics; note how I said “nearly”. Rush’s lyrics are certainly more imaginative and metaphorical compared to those found in standard pop songs, and that’s their beauty. Through Lee’s and Peart’s lyrics the music develops a story in the listener’s mind, populated by troubled characters and their triumphs. Brushing off these fanciful lyrics as “nonsensical” is such a waste!

Permanent Waves begins with “The Spirit of Radio,” a belligerently uplifting piece that addresses and challenges those who shun progressive modern music and its courageous straying from formula. Rush’s message is that though music advances with the passage of time, the essence of joy and passion that such art spawns remains.

The second track, “Freewill,” could potentially serve as the atheist anthem. Lyricist Neil Peart fearlessly states that we are all simply multicellular organisms who happen to have communication skills and common beliefs; there is no religious involvement in any of this. Allowing religion to make your decisions is to strip yourself of the freewill to which you are entitled. While I personally disagree with this message, I still find it very self-liberating and enlightening.

“Jacob’s Ladder” begins and you’re soon questioning if you’re listening to Rush or a drumline. You are indeed listening to Rush, and that is made evidently clear in the way this song’s nearly nonsensical lyrics are able to paint a portrait in your head. What did I dream up from this song? I pictured an ominous and thunderous violet sky over an untouched well-kept field filled with the greenest of grass, hinting at the inevitable clash between sky and Earth.

“Entre Nous,” the “we’re better off without each other” song, kicks off side two. Peart conveys this using astronomical metaphors. While the song is musically pleasing thanks to Lifeson’s gritty and therapeutic guitar work, it is without a doubt the album’s most elementary composition.

Next up is “Different Strings,” my personal favourite on the album. I feel it would be incorrect for me to even attempt to assign a meaning or theme to this song, as the lyrics are just so ripe for interpretation. I’ll leave this task up to you. Feel free to share, I’d be happy to read it.

Lastly, birthed from soothing ocean sounds is “Natural Science”: a song criticizing humanity for emphasizing scientific progression over co-existence.

As stated at the outset, Permanent Waves made Rush a true worldwide act. It was not only the first Rush album to chart on America’s Billboard top ten, but it also snuck onto the charts of the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. This happened to be a moment where fans and critics alike agreed: the album sold well and the critics praised its content.

The album’s success produced the “Permanent Waves” tour. Lucky fans get in this box set two LPs of live tour performances. I was at first skeptical of just how enjoyable these would be. Could Rush maintain live its unified and impactful character? Hell yes they could! Not once did I find a song to be “dumbed down” or untidy. While I won’t provide an in-depth analysis of each live performance (if I did your morning read would run into the afternoon), I will say that these performances made for a delightful listen. Side three especially had me in a trance. I’d recommend starting there and then listening randomly to the remaining sides. The performances aren’t connected between sides, so there’s no shame in doing so.

With such magnificent content, I regret to inform potential buyers that this box set does lack something, and that is quality.

Before ordering, I sat down and listened to an original Canadian pressing. As expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. At numerous points I sat in awe as Neil raced across his drum kit, only to lead us into new musical territory. Sadly, I take no great pleasure in describing the sound quality of this reissue as lackluster. Upon receiving the set, I raced this album over to my turntable and lowered the stylus. The music commenced, and while it was all there… it wasn’t truly there. I quickly grew bored with the fidelity. At times I could hardly believe this was sourced from the same mix as my original. Instrumental separation, vocal decay, attack precision of drum strikes and bass plucks were all lost. Instead we’re presented with sound that’s muddy and mundane. Forget about the top end; Lifeson’s sublime work is buried in the presentation. Fascinating instrumental accents like the glockenspiel are nearly lost due to high end attenuation. “Bland” best describes this pressing’s sound quality.

With the underwhelming sound quality established, I must unfortunately share more bad news. The packaging is dreadful. The “box” designed to contain not one, not two, but three 180 gram LPs is constructed from flimsy cardstock. I could almost immediately see the box’s bottom rounding out due to the weight. I noticed that one corner was clearly smushed, and that the damage extended to the contents. The corner damage extended to both record jackets as well as to the lyrics/photo booklet. Also, every jacket suffered a one and a half inch seam split on top.

On a brighter note, I must praise GZ Media’s pressing quality. Every LP met the 180 gram claim, give or take a few grams, and each LP played through flawlessly. To those who actively avoid buying GZ pressings, I must ask why?

The music of course remains outstanding, on both the live LPs and the original album. The neat lyric booklet containing photographs of the band left me chuffed. Yet despite these things, I cannot recommend this box set unless you are a die-hard Rush collector. For a great Permanent Waves experience my recommendation would be seek out an original Canadian Anthem label pressing. I’m sorry to say that this set just isn’t at all what I’d hoped it would be.

(Nathan Zeller is a music-adoring Beatles fanatic from the chilling lands of Western Canada. Born with a piano teacher for a father, and a teacher at a music-oriented elementary school for a mother, you could say he didn’t choose this life, rather it chose him. Currently he finds himself spending his days hunting down affordable vinyl copies of each Vulfpeck album. Follow Nathan on Instagram @nathanmzeller)