Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Saga
Label: SPV Records
Release: 1979
Rating: 5/5
As the great cover art of “Images At Twilight”, the second album from the witty Canadian art rockers Saga, suggests, the cybernetic grasshoppers led by a queen with Einstein’s brain have finally had enough. So after a fresh invasion from space, they’ve started tearing down every sky-pointing monument to human vanity (check out the remains of both WTC towers, too). That’s how Saga brought their lyrical and conceptual visions to life visually as well, poured into so-called chapters that formed a fascinating sci-fi story and confirmed the band’s reputation for always being one step ahead of its time. With every new “chapter,” Saga kept the mysterious saga rolling, and with every new album listeners waited in suspense for the final outcome of the saga of Einstein’s brain. With the release of this record, a breakthrough to the wider public was only a matter of time. Their playful tinkering with traditional symphonic prog patterns, which was advanced for the era, especially the sprawling palettes of moog synthesizers, hard rock passages and pomp, reached a new level of artistic maturity on “Images At Twilight”. They also pulled off something that’s still damn rare today: winning over most of the hearts of both prog rock and pop fans, two genres that seem to totally repel each other at first glance.
At first glance, it doesn’t even seem like they made any noteworthy sonic difference or visible progress compared to the debut. On “Images At Twilight” Saga keep up their witty blend of symphonic arrangements with hard rock guitar passages and simple rhythms, only now they’ve added an even bigger dose of pomp and melodic color, which indirectly leads to greater commercial accessibility. A significant upgrade over the debut is the even heavier presence of keyboard arrangements, which add an extra dose of wit to individual songs, something they’ve been true masters of since birth. After the departure of original keyboardist Peter Rochon, the job of building symphonic arrangements on the moogs fell to his short-lived successor Greg Chadd as well as to singer Michael Sadler and bassist Jim Gilmour. Although guitarist Ian Crichton again doesn’t hold back on razor-sharp passages and witty soloing, he takes careful care not to drown out the vast synthesizer waves that are often pushed to the front of the production. That way Saga became a touch more refined and indirectly boosted the pop content of their music (especially in the first half of the album), yet they still loved experimenting with classicist instrumental sections. This lower complexity and the greater number of shorter “pop” songs might lead some to think they actually regressed as a progressive band creatively. But complexity is far from the only yardstick of good, forward-thinking music, and when it comes to making intelligent and unique melodic art rock, Saga created one of their brightest gems.
The album opens with the rhythmically superbly slick “It’s Time (Chapter III)”, a true lyrical call to revolution, distinguished by an excellent mix of pomp and wit. After the layered synth intro and calm rhythm, we get hit by Sadler’s energetic vocals, which deliver a mighty chorus that floats somewhere between the schizoid feel of an impending apocalypse and redemptive revelation. Ian’s guitar passages weave beautifully with the colorful synthesizer waves throughout the whole song. This combination of longer instrumental bits makes sure that most of the tracks on the album never slip into the waters of ordinary, cliché pop rock/AOR from the late 70s or early 80s. “It’s Time (Chapter III)” is still a classic today and one of the standards that had a major influence on the development of neo prog. The cynically tinged “See Them Smile” is one of the wittiest and also one of the best creations of their career. A swaying, funky rhythm is artfully interwoven with fine layers of keyboards, which a restrained chorus, deliberately sung through a special effect, carries into some strange dimension. Ian’s guitar riffing, backed by tremolo dive-bombs, is interrupted by Sadler’s mocking vocals, which paint a lyrical picture of a spiritually devalued society waiting for its final catharsis. After the sudden ending comes the no less entertaining “Slow Motion”, which is almost perfect pop rock, marked by high melodicism, a simple chorus, a practically disco rhythm and extensive layering of all three electronic keyboards. The latter is backed in the background by some quality guitar passages. Holy simplicity, which they manage to dress up as a hugely endearing creation with an intelligent approach. Hard rock riffing, pompous vocals and a funky rhythm are the main virtues of the ultra-melodic “You’re Not Alone”, yet another creation that successfully floats between prog, pomp and pop rock. For that it mostly has the remarkable unpredictability of the individual instrumental parts to thank (the interesting interplay between drums and moog stands out). Over the years “You’re Not Alone” has become a staple of their concerts, since the second half has a building section where, during the main chorus, comes the perfect moment for the audience to join in. “Take It Or Leave It” is another ultra-melodic treat with which Saga easily win the hearts of all pomp lovers. Besides a tasty chorus, it also has an interesting section where things get a little “complicated” with a guitar solo, dirty riffing and electrified synth sounds. With “Images (Chapter I)”, a lyrical illustration of Einstein’s disappointment with a world that has fallen into a ruthless arms race, they ease off the album’s energetic tempo a little for the first time. With a melancholic piano intro, followed by synths, acoustic guitar and sorrowful vocals, they show their symphonic prog roots more clearly for the first time. The calm intro is followed by an excellent ambient passage where the synths ring out and guitar riffing crashes in. Without a doubt the experimental peak of the album. On the splendid, melodically punchy “Hot To Cold” we can see a nice example of early neo prog design, where elements of pop rock and prog once again battle it out for supremacy. The simple structure with a melodic chorus contains interesting guitar passages and rich keyboard textures that dance the whole time over a simple but well-oiled rhythm. Of all the potential hits on the album, I’d pick it as the ideal candidate for radio play. The closing “Mouse In A Maze” is the pompous peak of the album and perhaps even its most interesting piece. A half-schizoid, half-jokey creation with an exceptional, slightly gloomy atmosphere, where the listener can come up with completely contrasting images of its lyrical message; you can picture a man who can’t escape his fate, or a lab mouse chasing in vain after a piece of cheese at the end of a maze while evil scientists laugh at it. The dark futuristic mood comes mostly from the mix of sharpened riffing, dramatic vocals and spacey synthesizer sounds. What gives it a touch of cynical burlesque is the chorus with its sarcastic vocals and a sprawling rhythm, where for the first time on the album we get more pronounced fills from drummer Negus. Meanwhile, the intensifying, dramatically rising rhythm on the synths pulls the music toward some futuristic movie.
“Images At Twilight” is a small but important step forward in the musical development of this unique band, which never had any ambition to write itself into the ranks of the big names of symphonic prog rock, but rather forged its own expression, drawing the best ideas from both the prog and pop worlds. Although there are no standout favorites on it, all the tracks are equal to each other in their own way. Like most of their albums, it will hardly thrill prog purists obsessed with sprawling rhythms and complex sections, but it will thrill all the more music connoisseurs who appreciate melodic, punchy art rock that puts witty experiments ahead of chasing radio hits. In my opinion this is a genre classic that still passes the test of time today and sounds as fresh as it did on release, even though with the next album Saga would take another important step up in the dramatic intensity of their sound and the traditional wit that makes grasshoppers happily twitch their antennae. It would be very hard to pick their best album, but if I had to choose a favorite, “Images At Twilight” would be the main contender.
Lineup
Michael Sadler – vocals, keyboards, bass guitar
Ian Crichton – guitar
Jim Crichton – bass guitar, moog (bass) synthesizer
Greg Chadd – keyboards, moog synthesizer, backing vocals
Steve Negus – drums, percussion
Production
Paul Gross
Tracklist
1. It’s Time (Chapter Three) (4:04)
2. See Them Smile (3:24)
3. Slow Motion (3:53)
4. You’re Not Alone (5:26)
5. Take It Or Leave It (4:00)
6. Images (Chapter One) (6:29)
7. Hot To Cold (4:58)
8. Mouse In A Maze (5:43)
Album length: 37:47
