Since
Neil Peart joined the band in time for 1975's
Fly by Night,
Rush had been experimenting and growing musically with each successive release. By 1980's
Permanent Waves, the modern sounds of new wave (
the Police,
Peter Gabriel, etc.) began to creep into
Rush's sound, but the trio still kept their hard rock roots intact. The new approach paid off -- two of their most popular songs, the "make a difference" anthem "Freewill," and a tribute to the Toronto radio station CFNY, "The Spirit of Radio" (the latter a U.K. Top 15 hit), are spectacular highlights. Also included were two "epics," the stormy "Jacob's Ladder" and the album-closing "Natural Science," which contains a middle section that contains elements of reggae.
Geddy Lee also began singing in a slightly lower register around this time, which made their music more accessible to fans outside of the heavy prog rock circle. The album proved to be the final breakthrough
Rush needed to become an arena headliner throughout the world, beginning a string of albums that would reach inside the Top Five of the U.S. Billboard album charts.
Permanent Waves is an undisputed hard rock classic that endures.