Slaine mac Roth Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 This morning, just before leaving for work, I decided to have Permanent Waves in my walkman as its been a while since I've given it a listen. As I was walking along, listening and loving every minute of it, I was struck by how transtional a release PeW was. To me, this release, more than any other Rush album, marked the biggest change in direction and approach than any other. Gone was the sprawling, overblown, pompous, self-indulgent and pretentious approach that marked Hemispheres (God I LOVE Hemispheres) and, in its place, was a leaner, stripped down Rush, ready for the 1980s. In particular, it signalled (no pun) the end of the extended compostions and fnatastical lyrics. The songs were shorter and more concise with a sharp, contemporary edge to the lyrics that, for me, proved that Rush were ready for the new decade and a new world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Yeah, but only 6 songs!!! We got ripped off!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 ...6 songs that include both Natural Science and Different Strings. It's a veritable bargain mate. Disco Slaine, I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaine mac Roth Posted December 3, 2004 Author Share Posted December 3, 2004 QUOTE (Earthshine @ Dec 3 2004, 07:01 PM) Yeah, but only 6 songs!!! We got ripped off!! Well, A Farewell to Kings also had 6 and Hemispheres only had 4. Its quality not quantity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 I guess my sarcasm was not easily recognized.... I WAS JOKING!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Two of my three fav Rush tunes are on Pem Waves... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 ...yeah, we knew you were joshing Earthshine, so which two on PeW are amongst your faves? D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Natural Science and Spirit of Radio.. (The other is Analog Kid).. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 ...great picks. Disco I thought side two of caress of Steel was a complete rip off being only one song, but when I realised it was actually 7 songs I felt much better about it. Dude, they don't catch me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaine mac Roth Posted December 3, 2004 Author Share Posted December 3, 2004 Its difficult to tell some times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyrob Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 QUOTE (Earthshine @ Dec 3 2004, 02:24 PM) I guess my sarcasm was not easily recognized.... I WAS JOKING!! So was Slaine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 I'm sorry if my initial reply seemed foul.. It was only said in jest. Honest. I put the little sarcastic smile guy there, I thought that would be sufficient to show my sarcasm. I agree with your entire analysis of the Pem Waves album. I was just having a bit of fun.... I entended no harm and it was nothing personal I can assure you. Those of you that have seen me on the board for awhile now know that I speak "tongue in check" most of the time. I apologize if it was taken in the wrong way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pags Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 QUOTE (Slaine mac Roth @ Dec 3 2004, 01:14 PM)This morning, just before leaving for work, I decided to have Permanent Waves in my walkman as its been a while since I've given it a listen. As I was walking along, listening and loving every minute of it, I was struck by how transtional a release PeW was. To me, this release, more than any other Rush album, marked the biggest change in direction and approach than any other. Gone was the sprawling, overblown, pompous, self-indulgent and pretentious approach that marked Hemispheres (God I LOVE Hemispheres) and, in its place, was a leaner, stripped down Rush, ready for the 1980s. In particular, it signalled (no pun) the end of the extended compostions and fnatastical lyrics. The songs were shorter and more concise with a sharp, contemporary edge to the lyrics that, for me, proved that Rush were ready for the new decade and a new world. Right you are Slaine. It was a decided and concise effort to approach things differently and take a new direction. As written in the interview contained in the Chronicles liner notes: It wasn't until the 1980 album Permanent Waves, though, that Rush made the most dramatic transformation. Having gone through heavy metal and art rock, the band emerged as an arena and FM radio-oriented band, spinning catchy yet thoughtful tunes like Freewill and The Spirit of the Radio." [double the reference if you look at the actual printing]. Lee, always a stupendous bassist, suddenly took center stage with his extraordinary synthesizer work. "It was time to stop the concept stories," Lee said. "What you have to say ends up being very nebulous, because you're concerned with the big story. You try to make the story right, you try to evoke the right moods, and invariably sixteen different people come up to you and tell you sixteen different things about what you're trying to say. That's fine, but for us it was time to come out of the fog for a while and put down something concrete." PeW is a clear example of why these guys survive the evolution of the rock era, as they constantly reinvent themselves. They have the uncanny ability to always try something new, yet leave a footprint on the industry that remains for generations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 'PeW is a clear example of why these guys survive the evolution of the rock era, as they constantly reinvent themselves. They have the uncanny ability to always try something new, yet leave a footprint on the industry that remains for generations'' In my humble, the constant re-invention's one of the key reasons they're still around, constant change, never getting into that rut trying to remake their last great album, only it turnign out to be not quite as good. I mean, Vapour Trails, there's no reason to expect anyone to be making such different committed music after 25 odd years. it's great. if there is another album, i just have no idea how it's going to sound. Disco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaine mac Roth Posted December 3, 2004 Author Share Posted December 3, 2004 QUOTE (Disco @ Dec 3 2004, 08:13 PM) In my humble, the constant re-invention's one of the key reasons they're still around, constant change, never getting into that rut trying to remake their last great album, only it turning out to be not quite as good. Changes aren't permanent But change is He's not concerned with yesterday He knows constant change is here today I think Neil agrees with you Disco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proggy Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 I practically worship Permy but not because it has a more concise approach to the music (what was CTTH, ITIGB, Circumstances or many other songs on their previous records if not concise?) but because it has such a wide range of music... It has Jacob's Ladder and NS, which are very much in the extended song-vein and successfully so. Then again, SOTR, Freewill and Entre Nous do have a more modern sound to them, and even though they certainly are more concise, they still manage to have so much musical prowess and so many details weawed within those five or so minutes that it's difficult to get bored hearing them. Different Strings, on the other hand, works rather brilliantly because it is, well, different... The emotional icing on the cake so to speak -and the first song I fell in love with when I got PeW. It's funny but whenever I listen to this record, it effectively makes time stand still for 35 minutes... It is short but it doesn't really FEEL short. I also think that the track order is one of the best ever; PeW in particular needs to be heard as it was originally intended to be heard, from start to finish, since it has such a wonderful FLOW to it. A sublime experience each and every time I give it a well-deserved spin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstantial tree Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Moving Pictures is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proggy Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Dec 3 2004, 07:08 PM) Moving Pictures is better. Nah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaine mac Roth Posted December 4, 2004 Author Share Posted December 4, 2004 QUOTE (Proggy @ Dec 4 2004, 12:07 AM) I practically worship Permy but not because it has a more concise approach to the music (what was CTTH, ITIGB, Circumstances or many other songs on their previous records if not concise?) but because it has such a wide range of music... It has Jacob's Ladder and NS, which are very much in the extended song-vein and successfully so. Then again, SOTR, Freewill and Entre Nous do have a more modern sound to them, and even though they certainly are more concise, they still manage to have so much musical prowess and so many details weawed within those five or so minutes that it's difficult to get bored hearing them. Different Strings, on the other hand, works rather brilliantly because it is, well, different... The emotional icing on the cake so to speak -and the first song I fell in love with when I got PeW. It's funny but whenever I listen to this record, it effectively makes time stand still for 35 minutes... It is short but it doesn't really FEEL short. I also think that the track order is one of the best ever; PeW in particular needs to be heard as it was originally intended to be heard, from start to finish, since it has such a wonderful FLOW to it. A sublime experience each and every time I give it a well-deserved spin! Yes, the tracks you mentioned were concise, as was a lot of FLy By Night and Rush. And Jacob's Ladder and Natural Science were longer (although nowhere near the likes of Fountain of Lamneth, 2112, Xanadu and Cygnus (especially if you look at Books 1 and 2 as a whole. The main transitional thing came because Neil make a radical change in his lyrical approach. Gone were the fantasy elements of By-Tor, The Necromancer and Lamneth. Gone were the Science-Fiction trappings of 2112 and the first part of Cygnus x-1. Gone were the mythic flavourings of Hemispheres. Gone were the traditional poetic leanings of Xanadu. In its place came a more down to earth approach that was grounded in reality. Yes, some of the earlier elements remained (mainly in Natural Science) but they did not permeate the feel of the release as they had in the past. The point I am trying to make is that PeW paved the way for the Rush that we have today and, for that reason alone, it deserves its place in rock history. The fact its such a damn good album is just the icing on the cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test4VitalSigns Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 What's so cool is the PeW album was officially the very first album to come out in the '80s....not just for them...Everybody...the very first album to usher in the '80's (Jan. 1 1980) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pags Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 QUOTE (Proggy @ Dec 3 2004, 07:07 PM) (what was CTTH, ITIGB, Circumstances or many other songs on their previous records if not concise?) Please don't think that a compliment to one piece of work, means a dig to the others. That's just wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indica Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Permanent Waves is a true masterpiece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstantial tree Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Proggy and I had this same conversation once over at CP. I like Permanent Waves, but I always thought PeW was the rough sketch of the upcoming masterpiece Moving Pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proggy Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 QUOTE (paganoman @ Dec 3 2004, 08:37 PM) QUOTE (Proggy @ Dec 3 2004, 07:07 PM) (what was CTTH, ITIGB, Circumstances or many other songs on their previous records if not concise?) Please don't think that a compliment to one piece of work, means a dig to the others. That's just wrong. I was just saying that the catalogue has always included shorter songs, as well, and that this particular trend did not suddenly start with PeW. But Slaine is right: lyrical-wise the songs are indeed transitional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proggy Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Dec 3 2004, 09:26 PM) Proggy and I had this same conversation once over at CP. I like Permanent Waves, but I always thought PeW was the rough sketch of the upcoming masterpiece Moving Pictures. I do remember that conversation, Circy -it was a little bit over a year ago now. My first ever conversation with a Rush fan, I believe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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