Home » Articles » Rush, “The Spirit of Radio” from Permanent Waves, and “Subdivisions” from Signals Drummer Neil Peart
Rush, “The Spirit of Radio” from Permanent Waves, and “Subdivisions” from Signals Drummer Neil Peart
Transcription by Marc Atkinson
On 01st Sep 2026
This month, we are focusing on Neil Peart—pronounced “Peert”—and diving into not one, but two classic Rush songs: “The Spirit of Radio” and “Subdivisions.” The two tracks are very close in tempo, yet they could not be more different. One, is driven largely by keyboards, while the other leans much more heavily on bass, drums, and guitar. The first song in our double feature is “The Spirit of Radio,” from Rush’s Permanent Waves. I could have chosen any song from this album because, they are all great. This one shines because of the pure joy and energy it brings, both as a listener and as a drummer. Written in the studio at a relatively relaxed pace, the trio absolutely kills it on this track. One of the things that makes the song so interesting is that the intro and middle section move at different tempos from the main body of the […]
September 2026 Issue