SAFETY IN NUMBERS

Their third album saw the main man Palumbo leave and start a long history of line-up changes - see the very complete bio on the front page for the full story - but rather disgusting musical industry abusing a band name with many reformations having nothing to do with the original line-up. Nevertheless this album is still a legitimate CTS album with Palumbo around for half the album, but the least we can say is that the album is not an improvement over the previous.

As a teen, I was aware of the band and I had given them a try, but they had failed to impress me and they were buried in between hundreds of such soft-hard-rock that tried to break the radios gates open. They managed a few minutes of airplay here and there, probably built-up a following in the hearland of America between the Appalachians Mountains and the Mississippi River, (they originated from there), but never managed to raise that much enthusiasm to the buddies or me. Among the highlights here is the opening Nuclear Apathy and the closing title track, but little else.

Don't get me wrong, CTS is not as bad as I tend to make it, but I doubt they ever got a proghead (or even a simple rock fan for that matter of fact) so excited that he brought his buddies home in emergency to listen to their latest album and get a load of this record. This album has been coupled with the previous Animal Notes (I should call it Dismal Notes) in a B&W sleeve by Lifesong Records in 89 (cat# LSCD 8803), just in case you have a few bucks too much.

This was my introduction to Crack The Sky. I bought the album when the local paper compared them to ELP. After hearing the album, I wondered where they pulled that comparison from.

With respect to other reviewers here, this album rocked my world. Although not all tracks are truly progressive, even the pop-ish songs are inventive. I would categorize it in the same sort of genre as the early Queen albums. The band seems just as competent with prog epics (Nuclear Apathy, Safety In Numbers) as it is with funky rock (Flashlight), tight hard rock (Lighten Up McGraw, Give Myself To You) and throwback vocal tunes (A Night On The Town).

Especially good on this album is the syncopated interplay between the dual guitarists and the bass and drums. Always a joy to my ears, I still come back to this album often even after almost 30 years.

Edited 6/30/09. After listening again to this album today. I just love it. I'm boosting my rating up.

"Safety In Numbers" was my introduction into the music of CTS and today remains a fan favourite in my household. This album has it all...great powerful music and a perfect mix of both progressive and rock elements. On the recording of this album John Palumbo left leaving John D'Amico in charge of lead vocals. Considering still a vast majority of the music was written with Palumbo the music holds up as amongst their best. "Nuclear Apathy" and "Safety In Numbers" are 2 of my favourite tracks off this album. This is a great album to start with if you would like to hear what these guys are all about. Enjoy !

A very enjoyable album, if not the best for Crack the Sky, ''Safety in Numbers'' has a bit of everything: prog epics (and probably the best two songs of the album) in ''Nuclear Apathy'' and the title track, outright rockers with perplexed guitar playing (''Flashlight'', ''Lighten Up McGraw'', ''Give Myself to You'') and mellower moments in the pleasant ''Long Nights'' and the rather disappointing ''A Night on the Town''. Actually there is a strong Queen feeling on the latter but also on several moments through the album that remind us of May's guitar playing or Freddie's melodies, both from the creative 70's and the poppy 80's era. The influence of Styx and Boston can be found in ''Long Nights'', pertinent to the era when this album was released.

There is a hefty dose of talent in the group, for who I understand this was the last worth-noting album back then. The guitar/bass syncopation heard in songs like ''Flashlight'' well place this album into the "creative hard rock" category. The rocky feeling of Led Zeppelin-meets-Rush is delightful through ''Lighten Up McGraw'' and the heavier parts of ''Nuclear Apathy''.

Perhaps not the masterpiece it promises to be, ticking on just over 36 minutes this is a nice heavy/prog rock album with some memorable moments and enjoyable diversity which would keep the listener nodding their heads smoothly throughout.

3.5 stars

Though it opens strong with Nuclear Apathy - one of Crack the Sky's more prog-inclined numbers - things go downhill fast, with Long Nights providing a half-baked AORish ballad and Flashlight rooted in a tepid imitation of funk. Behind the scenes lineup changes saw the departure of Joe Palumbo early on in the recording process, and though he would return eventually, he didn't come back in time to save this album from stumbling onto the market with Gary Lee Chappell doing an alright but somewhat bland job on vocals.

There also seems to have been a shortfall on the songwriting side, where Palumbo had previously carried a lot of the weight. The three tracks with compositional contributions from him actually lead off the album, and the remaining pieces feel underwhelming in comparison - and since I only really have time for Nuclear Apathy, that's a pretty bad sign.