Permanent Waves

Permanent Waves
Studio album by Rush
Released	January 14, 1980 (1980-01-14)[1]
Recorded	September–October 1979
Studio	Le Studio (Morin-Heights, Quebec)
Genre	Progressive rock new wave[2]
Length	36:05
Label	Anthem
Producer	Rush Terry Brown
Rush chronology
Rush Through Time (1979) Permanent Waves (1980) Moving Pictures (1981)
Singles from Permanent Waves
"The Spirit of Radio" Released: February 1980[3] "Entre Nous" Released: April 1980[4]
Alternative cover
40th anniversary reissue

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 that 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. The album 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 in 1980.