Permanent Waves

Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on 1 January 1980. The album was recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, and was mixed at Trident Studios in London, UK. Permanent Waves became Rush's first US Top 5 album hitting #4 and was the band's fifth Gold (eventually Platinum) selling album. The album also marks a distinct transition from long, conceptual pieces, into a more accessible, radio-friendly style and consequently, a significant expansion in the band's sales with hits such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill" seeing considerable radio airplay.
"The Spirit of Radio" featured the band's early experiments with a reggae style, which was explored further on Moving Pictures and Signals.
A notable track on Permanent Waves is "Jacob's Ladder", a song style reminiscent of their earlier heavy progressive rock period. Exploring odd time signatures, the song possesses a dark, ominous feel. The song's lyrics are based on a simple concept; a vision of sunlight breaking through storm clouds. The title is a reference to the natural phenomenon of the sun breaking through the clouds in visible rays, which in turn is named after the Biblical ladder to heaven on which Jacob saw angels ascending and descending in a vision.
"Entre Nous" ("Between Us") is similar in style to "Freewill," yet it did not receive heavy radio airplay, and was not featured in concerts until the Snakes & Arrows Tour. While the band began stepping back from the epic song format on this album, "Natural Science" does clock in at over nine minutes and is composed of three distinct movements. The lyrics are driven by concepts of natural science. It was featured, with a different arrangement, on every tour from 1996 to 2002, and was also featured on their 2007-2008 Snakes and Arrows tour.