Published on Apr 13, 2023
Saga is an example of the Foolish American syndrome. Americans, being more interested in ephemeral pop, are never as kind to progressive rock as they could be; as such, the Canadian band has charted semi-consistently in Canada and Europe throughout their 40+ year history, and is remembered in American for one hit, “On The Loose”, from 1981.
That hit came from their 1981 album, Worlds Apart. Produced by Rupert Hine (no, Jason, we are not getting into an argument over his greatness right now), Worlds comes off in the beginning as a tight progressive pop piece with pounding drums and particularly distinctive keyboard sounds. The problem is how fast it falls apart.
KID: Mom, can we stop and get Rush?
MOM: We have Rush at home.
Rush at home = Saga.
The problem is this: there are two great songs on this CD, and they were the singles: “Wind Him Up” and “On The Loose.” The rest of the album is a touch directionless; every progressive musician in the early-to-mid eighties is sound-checked (it’s like name-checked, except you sound like them). There’s “Time’s Up,” which sounds like Loverboy gone prog, and yes, that’s as terrifying as it sounds. “Framed” is Yes meets Triumph, but isn’t as good as either of those two bands. “Amnesia” has a definite Thomas Dolby vibe around it. And “No Regrets (Chapter Five)” is just too damn lugubrious and overdone. The sound is okay—it’s a relatively well produced disc, and the musicianship is competent. The songs after track three, however, are an anti-climactic letdown.
I’m not normally a fan of cherry-picking songs of an album, but with a cherry tree like this, there’s no real choice. After the two singles, stay worlds apart from this one.