Worlds Apart (Saga album)
Encyclopedia
Worlds Apart is the fourth studio album by the Canadian progressive rock
band Saga
and was originally released in 1981. The album has been released with several different covers. The album was produced by Rupert Hine
. Sadler stated in the band's video DVD Silhouette that Hine told him to stop "singing like a choir boy" and actually had him climb up to the roof of a barn located on the farm in England where the recording was done in order to get the proper passion out of Sadler for the song "Wind Him Up". Sadler's vocal style was noticeably different on Worlds Apart than on the first three Saga albums—a style that he kept in successive performances with the band.
during the station's inaugural year on the air. Videos were also made for the singles "Wind Him Up", another successful chart-riser and "Amnesia". The success of the album was also largely credited to an expanded tour roster which saw the band enter new territories and venues, particularly in the United States, to expand their musical presence. Worlds Apart has been certified Platinum in Canada and Gold in Germany, Denmark, The United States and Norway.
two chapters completed the original set of eight. These songs were also later included on The Chapters LIVE, an album that the band recorded in 2005. To date, there's been no official compilation of the chapters in their studio incarnation.
The track order shown above is for the original vinyl LP release. Later CD releases and the Canadian vinyl pressing on Maze Records have "Time's Up" as track #2, with "Wind Him Up", "Amnesia", and "Framed" in positions #3, #4, and #5 respectively. Some of these listed the tracks in the order shown above, meaning tracks #2 through #5 were mislabeled.
Production:
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Saga
Saga (band)
Saga is a progressive rock quintet, formed in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Jim Crichton and Welsh-born vocalist Michael Sadler have been the principal songwriters for Saga. Ian Crichton is the band's guitarist; apart from his work with Saga, he has recorded several solo albums as well as sessions...
and was originally released in 1981. The album has been released with several different covers. The album was produced by Rupert Hine
Rupert Hine
Rupert Neville Hine is an English musician, songwriter and prolific record producer, having produced albums for artists including Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Rush, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, and ...
. Sadler stated in the band's video DVD Silhouette that Hine told him to stop "singing like a choir boy" and actually had him climb up to the roof of a barn located on the farm in England where the recording was done in order to get the proper passion out of Sadler for the song "Wind Him Up". Sadler's vocal style was noticeably different on Worlds Apart than on the first three Saga albums—a style that he kept in successive performances with the band.
Success
Widely considered Saga's best album (and certainly their most commercially successful), the album has become the band's most recognizable work to date. The first song on the album, "On the Loose" was a single that hit #3 on worldwide Billboard charts in 1981, landing Saga their best performance on the charts. The single was helped with a well-made music video which appeared on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
during the station's inaugural year on the air. Videos were also made for the singles "Wind Him Up", another successful chart-riser and "Amnesia". The success of the album was also largely credited to an expanded tour roster which saw the band enter new territories and venues, particularly in the United States, to expand their musical presence. Worlds Apart has been certified Platinum in Canada and Gold in Germany, Denmark, The United States and Norway.
The Chapters
Two of the songs, "No Regrets (Chapter 5)," and "No Stranger (Chapter 8)," were part of a series of eight (but later sixteen) songs that Saga included within their first four albums called "The Chapters," which told the story of a young Albert Einstein. The release of thesetwo chapters completed the original set of eight. These songs were also later included on The Chapters LIVE, an album that the band recorded in 2005. To date, there's been no official compilation of the chapters in their studio incarnation.
Worlds Apart Revisited
In 2007, Saga released Worlds Apart Revisited, a live album in a 2-CD package that included all the songs from the original Worlds Apart album recorded as they were played in a recent concert by the band along with other popular works that the band played for fans in their set.Track listing
Composed by Ian Crichton, Jim Crichton, Jim Gilmour, Steve Negus, and Michael Sadler except as indicated.Side one
- "On the Loose" – 4:12
- "Wind Him Up" – 5:47
- "Amnesia" – 3:16
- "Framed" – 5:42
- "Time's Up" - 4:12
Side two
- "The Interview" (J. Crichton, M. Sadler) – 3:52
- "No Regrets (Chapter 5)" – 4:46
- "Conversations" (J. Crichton, M. Sadler) – 4:46
- "No Stranger (Chapter 8)" (J. Crichton, M. Sadler) – 7:05
The track order shown above is for the original vinyl LP release. Later CD releases and the Canadian vinyl pressing on Maze Records have "Time's Up" as track #2, with "Wind Him Up", "Amnesia", and "Framed" in positions #3, #4, and #5 respectively. Some of these listed the tracks in the order shown above, meaning tracks #2 through #5 were mislabeled.
Personnel
Saga:- Michael Sadler - lead vocals, Moog synthesizerMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
- Jim Crichton - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Yamaha Electric Grand Piano, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Jim Gilmour - lead synthesizer, vocals
- Ian Crichton - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Steve NegusSteve NegusSteve Negus is a Canadian drummer and songwriter who was a member of the progressive rock band Saga for twenty-six years.-Biography:While playing at Larry's Hideaway, a club in Toronto, Steve Negus' drumming came to the attention of the Canadian rock band, Fludd. The band was searching for a new...
- acoustic & electronic drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Production:
- Produced By Rupert HineRupert HineRupert Neville Hine is an English musician, songwriter and prolific record producer, having produced albums for artists including Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Rush, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, and ...
- Recorded & Engineered By Stephen W TaylerStephen W TaylerStephen Tayler is a mixing and recording engineer, music producer, composer and sound designer who has contributed this collection of talents to hundreds of world-class albums for artists including Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega, Peter Gabriel, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, Howard Jones, Stevie Nicks, Rush,...
; assistant engineers: Ian Morais & David Rolfe - Mastered By Bob Ludwig