Courtesy of UMe

Courtesy of UMeIn conjunction with the recent release of the 40th anniversary reissue of Rush‘s 1980 Permanent Waves album, a new animated video for the Canadian power trio’s classic tune “The Spirit of radio” has debuted on the band’s official YouTube channel.

The clip celebrates the magic and spirit of FM radio. It features an homage to pioneering Italian radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi, and also gives a nod to various DJs who supported Rush during its career, as well as paying tribute to the band’s late drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart, who died in January.

In addition, the video features cartoon depictions of Peart, frontman Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson rehearsing, playing in front of a large concert crowd and goofing around together.

Released in January 1980, Permanent Waves was Rush’s seventh album, and became the group’s highest-charting studio effort up to that time, reaching #4 on the Billboard 200. It’s been RIAA certified Platinum for sales of more than a million copies in the U.S. “The Spirit of Radio” was the first single issued from the album, peaking at #22 and #51, respectively, in Canada and the U.S.

The Permanent Waves reissue was released late last month. It’s available in multiple configurations and formats, including a Super Deluxe Edition featuring two CDs and three 180-gram-vinyl LPs. The collection includes the 2015 remastered version of Permanent Waves on CD for the first time, plus previously unreleased and newly restored live performances from three stops on Rush’s 1980 tour, as well as a 40-page hardcover book and more.

By Matt Friedlander
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