Despite no official announcement has been made yet, it seems that Rush seminal album “Permanent Waves” will be re-issued as part of the 40th Anniversary series. Amazon currently has the title listed in Super Deluxe, 2CD, 3LP and Digital formats with a release date of March 27.
The Super Deluxe Edition will feature two CDs, three 180-gram audiophile black vinyl LPs and a 40-page hardcover book filled with re-imagined artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme, unreleased photos from the band’s archive and an exclusive twelve-thousand-plus-word essay. The “Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015” album remaster is made available on CD for the first time. CD 2 is loaded with unreleased bonus live tracks from three stops on the “Permanent Waves” world tour 1980: Manchester Apollo, Manchester, England; Hammersmith Odeon, London, England; and Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, all newly mixed by the band’s longtime producer Terry Brown.
“Permanent Waves” is the band’s first of many iconic visits to Le Studio recording studio in Morin Heights, Quebec which has been nicknamed RUSH‘s Abbey Road Studios. A blank sheet of Le Studio letterhead was newly discovered, so the first of many collectibles included is a 20-page 5″x7″ Le Studio notepad. The two replica tour programs represent the official “Permanent Waves” world tour 1980 program and with the inclusion of U.K. performances the very rare, unofficial “The Words & Pictures Volume II” U.K.-only tour program is included. The Super Deluxe Edition‘s finishing touches feature three band-member replica backstage laminates, a 24″x36″ double-sided poster showcasing the original album cover model and photos of each band member recording at Le Studio, and three Neil Peart handwritten lyric sheets for “The Spirit Of Radio”, “Entre Nous” and “Natural Science”.
“Permanent Waves” is the band’s first departure from in-depth, ten-minute-plus conceptual song crafting and is deemed as a poignant moment they reinvented themselves and their sound. “We’ve taken it (the conceptual album) to its logical limit and it’s time to do something else,” remarked Geddy Lee. To further reinvent themselves, the band opted to record at Le Studio in Quebec which has been highly credited in the evolution of the RUSH sound and would soon become their home away from home for future albums to come. Giving birth to two of the band’s most important songs in their stable, “The Spirit Of Radio” along with “Freewill” offered fans a long-overdue experience: regular radio play. Additionally, the album features the cinematic “Jacob’s Ladder”, the album’s third single “Entre Nous”, the Geddy Lee-lyric-penned “Different Strings” and the barometer for pure progressive rock “Natural Science”.
“Permanent Waves” Super Deluxe Edition track listing:
Disc 1
1. The Spirit Of Radio
2. Freewill
3. Jacob’s Ladder
4. Entre Nous
5. Different Strings
6. Natural Science
Disc 2
1. Beneath, Between & Behind (Live in Manchester)
2. By-Tor & The Snow Dog (Live in London)
3. Xanadu (Live in London)
4. The Spirit Of Radio (Live in Manchester)
5. Natural Science (Live in Manchester)
6. The Trees (Live in Manchester)
7. Cygnus X-1 (Live in London)
8. Cygnus X-1 Book II (Live in London)
9. Closer To The Heart (Live in Manchester)
10. Jacob’s Ladder (Live in Missouri)
11. Freewill (Live in London)
The vinyl will include “A Passage To Bangkok (Live in Manchester)”
Bonus Items:
- Official Permanent Waves World Tour 1980 Program
- The Words & Pictures Volume II – U.K. Tour Program
- Three Neil Peart Handwritten Lyric Sheet Lithos
- Three Band Member Backstage Laminates
- Le Studio 20-page Notepad
- Double-sided 24″x36″ Poster
