Worlds Apart

Saga

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1981
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000025SE
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,089 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Progressive Pop., September 15, 2000

By	Jason Stein (Chula Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I remember seeing the video for "On The Loose" on MTV back in '82 and instantly being hooked by the the big synthesizer sound the band had. Today, "Worlds Apart" still sounds unique compared to other progressive rock bands of the time. They don't exactly sound like Rush, King Crimson, Genesis, Yes, ELP. They don't sound like Styx, Supertramp, Journey, Survivor, Loverboy or Toto. I have most of Sagas albums and believe that "Worlds Apart" is one of their best recordings. Rupert Hine (Chris De Burgh, Howard Jones, Stevie Nicks, Rush, Milla and Duncan Sheik) produced, which probably helped the band. If you listen to their later recordings after 1985, their sound slowly diminishes in originality and catchiness. This album has great progressive pop songs like "On The Loose", "Wind Him Up", "Time's Up", "The Interview" and "No Regrets". If you like progressive pop or early 80's synth-rock music, you might enjoy this release.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Defining Moment in Progressive Music, March 2, 2000

By	David Lazarus "andtheufohaslanded" (Hampton Roads, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A brief song-by-song review of one of Saga's most popular albums:

1. On The Loose: A very popular track that received quite a bit of air play on radio and MTV. A great pop song with a twist of Saga.

2. Wind Him Up: Another track that received alot of air play. Drummer, Steve Negus, experiments a little more with electronic drums here. Great instrumental section.

3. Amnesia: Honestly, one of the weakest tracks, but it has its moments. The repeat to fade ending can be annoying.

4. Framed: Wow! What an adventure! Figuratively speaking, Clark Kent turns into Superman as this song transforms from an everyday pop song to one of the most awesome instrumentals that Saga has ever done! Superb guitar work form Ian Crichton. Lightening fast drum rolls from Mr. Negus.

5. Time's Up: One of the more mellow songs on the album. Simple yet interesting. It has a great keyboard bass line that appears in various forms throughout the song.

6. The Interview: More upbeat than Time's Up. Simple, but it has very atmospheric keyboard and guitar work.

7. No Regrets: Quoting Mike Sadler from Saga's In Transit, "Jim Gilmour on clarinet!" A great ballad from a band that's not known for ballads.

8. Conversations: Incredible! The battle between Ian Crichton, Jim Crichton, and Jim Gilmour to play the most innovative guitar and keyboard sounds makes this song a great instrumental with the occassional lyric of "conversations!" in a synthesized voice.

9. No Stranger: A true masterpiece! The innovative keyboard and electronic drum sounds and incredible transitions to more rockin' midsection and then acoustic closure make the song a real landmark for Saga.

This review came from a person who has been a Saga fan since original release of this album. If you're a novice, grab this album! If you're a veteran who might have lost touch with Saga due to lack of popularity in the States, check out *all* of their '90's releases! They're great!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a hard working effort, June 9, 2005

By	S. R. - See all my reviews

Saga has always been an underrated prog band especially when you speak of them to many progressive fans, who tend to look down their noses at most everything. However Saga, to me, is a pure prog band because of the very definition of progressive rock and roll. "Worlds Apart" was commercially a high water mark for the band with the help of the fine songs 'On the Loose" and "Wind HimUp". The rest of the album lays flat at first, but as the best prog albums go, it grows on you like an tough case of the flu, meaning it don't give up. Each song offers much to the listener and never sells itself short forcing the listener to accept the idea presented. The key is the band's uncanny sense of complex melody, no big fat hooks to be found on this effort, nor with any Saga effort really, the progressions slowly seep in and become entrenched in your brain like a good complex melody should. Unparalleled musicianship is to be expected and is truly delivered here most notably the climax to "Wind him up" with intense guitar brining the thunderous sound of the song ending to life. "Wind Him Up" is easily the best effort here with perfect cohesion of programmed synth and keyboards mixed during the song's bridge and the album's best melody located in the lyrics. Saga has struggled to maintain quality throughout their career, but this is subjective as their fan base can never truly agree on the band's best effort to date. My favorite Saga effort happens to be Generation 13, an album recorded well into the band's career. Go Figure. That being said if your a fan of prog rock check out Saga, for sure, if you don;'t know the band your choice of albums to start with may be a crap shoot. Don't give up on Saga.