WORKING

After their contract with the German Bellaphon label was cancelled Frank Farian, producer of Boney M, signed Omega to a one album deal with WEA Records in England and the result was this English version of their Hungarian album Az Arc ( Omega X ). It was a far cry from the previous spacey Gammapolis album, featuring more upbeat rock pieces which seemed to court the changing musical tastes of the 1980`s ( no band was immune ). With more emphasis on rythm the album is very well produced and has a very fresh sound to it with particular emphasis on bass & drums. The heavy synths associated with the band in the seventies all the way up to the Gammapolis album have given way to a softer more subdued in the background approach as the band picks up speed on tracks like Inside Outside, Something`s Going On and the title track, Working. Although the band enjoyed a measure of success with the album with a tour as well as radio and TV shows in Europe there`s not much here for the die-hard prog fan with the exception of one or two short tracks. True Omega fans might still get something out of this though, as the band really hit rock bottom with their follow up album, Omega 11, so it deserves at least a 3½ star rating.