Rush's "Permanent Waves" Gets The Deluxe Treatment For Its 40th Anniversary

Back in 1980, the Canadian rock band Rush were entering a new phase of their career. The epic songs of earlier albums ("2112" and "Hemispheres") were given a trim to create a more addictive, radio-friendly sound to their progressive nature. They released their seventh album "Permanent Waves" in January 1980 and it has since gone on to sell over a million copies in the U.S. alone. Songs like "The Spirit Of Radio" and "Freewill" have become staples both on classic rock radio and in their concerts for the years that followed.

On May 29th, UMe/Mercury/Anthem labels teamed up to release a brand new 40th anniversary version of the "Permanent Waves" album. It features the Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015 remastered version of the album, along with highlights from Rush's "Permanent Waves World Tour 1980." This new 40th anniversary edition arrived in a number of different formats, including a two-CD deluxe edition, a three-LP vinyl edition and a super deluxe edition which includes both sets of CDs and vinyl along with a 40-page hardcover book.

This 2015 remastered version of the album is simply stunning. The electricity that flows through "The Spirit Of The Radio," and the keyboard wizardry of "Entre Nous" are grand displays of how evolved their songwriting has become. Rush also keeps a little bit of their past with the nine-minute closer "Natural Science." The acoustic chords that start out the song are clear and precise, before the steady drumming and driving bass line deliver another epic masterpiece for the band.

The eleven bonus tracks that make up the second CD or the second and third LPs are live versions of songs from throughout Rush's career to that point. Even though a complete show is not present, like Rush fans may have hoped, it does contain many highlights, like a beautiful version of "The Trees," with Alex Lifeson's short, but sweet acoustic introduction. A couple other pieces that may grab your attention are "Cygnus X-1" and "Cygnus X-1: Book II," which equal over twenty minutes of progressive rock heaven. With so many great sounding songs included as a bonus, a full-show would have been a real treat from this era of the band. So, no matter how you prefer to listen to your music, there is a version of Rush's "Permanent Waves" 40th anniversary edition for everyone. To find out even more about it, please visit  rush.com/permanent-waves-40th-anniversary.