WORLDS APART

"Worlds Apart" is the fourth full-length studio album by Canadian rock/progressive rock act Saga. The album was released through Polydor Records in September 1981. It´s the successor to "Silent Knight" from August 1980 and features the same quintet lineup as the predecessor, which was a first for Saga at this point, as every album before this album had featured a different keyboardist. "Worlds Apart" was produced by Rubert Hine.

"Worlds Apart" marks a musical shift for Saga towards a more commercially assessible synth oriented pop/rock direction compared to the melodic progressive rock/neo-progressive rock sound on the first three albums. "Worlds Apart" sounds more like a fresher and more contemporary 80s pop/rock album and less like the proto-neo-progressive rock Saga had put out before (not completely unlike contemporary Yes, Asia, or even Rush). Lead vocalist/keyboardist Michael Sadler has changed his vocal style considerably and now sounds more natural and less like a trained singer, although he is of course still an incredibly skilled vocalist with a personal delivery.

"Worlds Apart" is probably where fans of the first three albums, who were mostly into those albums because of their progressive rock leanings, left the Saga audience, but as "Worlds Apart" became Saga´s most commercially successful release (and still is today) they obviously found a new audience with this album. The more commercial pop/rock direction of the material and the less theatrical vocal approach have a lot to say in how well received and popular "Worlds Apart" was, and Saga arguably made some wise choices making those changes. Artistically they don´t sacrifice too much of their integrity either, although "Worlds Apart" features only a few progressive rock moments, but the cathiness and memorable songwriting make up for it and "Worlds Apart" is a good quality release from Saga. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.