Permanent Waves Album Cover Details Explained

One intriguing aspect of Rush's albums is their album covers, and one of the most intriguing album covers to me has always been Permanent Waves. Let's face it, the scene showing a gorgeous smiling woman standing in the midst of all that destruction has always been a visual feast for the eyes.

"Permanent Waves is the result of a conversation which I had with Neil out at his home in the country. We spoke all evening about Rush growing up, and how we were going to do these EKG readings of each member as they were recording. We were going to tape their temples and chests and have real heartbeats of them while they were playing. So Permanent Waves was going to be a technical statement, and we were going to treat that with red and gold foil, and do a nice study in design- as opposed to a photographic thing. I walked out and, in the doorway, said 'Wait! Let's try something with Donna Reed, with her permanent Toni hairdo, and have her walking out of a tidal wave situation.' Neil gave me this blank look and said, 'Get out of here.' The following day, he asked me to consider doing just that because he'd discussed it with the band, and they'd all thought it was more likely for a cover than the serious approach." - Hugh Syme, Creem, 1983

By now we all know the story behind the "Dewey Defeats Truman" newspaper headline, but what about the rest of the cover?

Rush Wins SOCAN's "International Achievement Award"

"Veteran rockers Rush took the international achievement award...as the music industry organization SOCAN handed out its awards Monday night. The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, the copyright collective for musical works, gives annual awards for Canada's top acts and recognizes songs and artists who get the most airplay. Rush is coming off a year of successful international touring and the release of its album Snakes & Arrows Live. The band, which first toured in 1974, is also wooing a new generation by releasing its classic songs for download on the game Rock Band." - CBCnews.com, November 23, 2009

"Working Men" Now Available

The new live Rush compilation, Working Men, is now available on DVD and CD.  This release brings together the "best of" live tracks culled from Rush In Rio, R30and Snakes & Arrows Live. Click here for the North American and UK press releases.

 Tracklist: Limelight³, The Spirit Of Radio², 2112¹, Freewill³, Dreamline², Far Cry³, Subdivisions², One Little Victory (previously, unreleased performance)², Closer To The Heart¹, Tom Sawyer (w/South Park Intro)³, Working Man², YYZ¹ [Source: ¹Rush In Rio, ²R30 and ³Snakes & Arrows Live]

Working Men downloads have been added to the Desktop Wallpaper, PSP Wallpaper, and Winamp Skins sections of this website. At the same time, I've revamped the entire Winamp Skins collection, updating the skins to include some new Winamp features.

Alex Lifeson's Painting Sells for $2,125 to Benefit Kidney Foundation

Alex Lifeson's painting, which he donated to the Kidney Foundation Of Canada, sold today for $2,125 through eBay.ca.

"Alex Lifeson (RUSH), Red Green (Steve Smith), Jessica Holmes, Rita MacNeil and Stompin’ Tom Connors are just a few of the celebrities who have taken up brushes and paints to create small masterpieces to help the nearly 2 million Canadians who either have kidney disease or are at risk." - www.kidney.ca

"It is through the support by all of us that the Kidney Foundation of Canada can continue to provide hope for those who are not so fortunate and must live with this debilitating condition. I urge you to take the time to help in any way you can, whether by donation or some other method to realize the dream of a cure. Even a little goes a long way..." - Alex Lifeson