Rush's Alex Lifeson Reflects On 'Permanent Waves'

Keavin Wiggins | 04-06-2020

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson recently took a look back at the legendary band's 1980 album "Permanent Waves" for the 40th anniversary of the record's release.

Lifeson spoke to Classic Rock for their current issue and reflected on the making of the album. He told the magazine, "Freewill stands out the most for me. It was such a challenging song to play for all of us, but I remember being so excited on the day we recorded it. I can still remember clearly sitting on the tall stool directly behind engineer Paul Northfield, with producer Terry Brown at the console to my right smoking Gitanes.

"I'm sure we did The Spirit Of Radio in the control room too, because that's how we worked: on a stool, sitting behind Paul, with Terry there giving Paul a kick in the back of his chair every so often when he drifted away!"

He added, "At times, Hemispheres was soul crushing. On the other hand, Permanent Waves was so positive and fun. We had come some way as a touring band, playing to larger and more supportive audiences, and all the touring made us better players.

"Individually we were all in a good space, and it showed in the way we treated each other and those around us. Life was fun and exciting."