Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on January 14, 1980 through Anthem Records. After touring to support their previous album, Hemispheres (1978), the band began working on new material for a follow-up in July 1979. This material showed a shift in the group’s sound towards more 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.” Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee also employed a more restrained vocal delivery compared to previous albums. Permanent Waves was the first of seven studio albums the band recorded at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec with production handled by the group and Terry Brown. Permanent Waves received a mostly positive reception from critics and became the band’s most successful album at the time of its release, reaching No. 3 in Canada and the UK and No. 4 in the United States. It was certified platinum in the latter by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling one million copies. Rush released “The Spirit of Radio” as a single in February 1980 and toured in support of the album later that year.

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