IMAGES AT TWILIGHT

If Saga's debut was rather faceless and undistinguished, this sophomore effort busts out of the gate with arguably their best song ever, "It's Time". Unfortunately after that, there's not much to recommend.

"It's Time" was like an antidote for all the trekkies out there, on par with the more direct reference of FM's "Phasars on Stun" from "Black Noise". Optimistic interstellar science fiction just oozes from the grooves and drips over the far reaches of the platter. The melody is a killer and the synthesizer and acoustic guitar combination is more than palatable. The vocals, bass, and drums, everything really, all expose the enormous potential of the group that was left mostly unrealized.

The other "Chapter" installment is an appealing ballad with a majestic keyboard outro, and the lyrics and main riff of "Mouse in Maze" help plant it firmly in the above average category. Unfortunately, elsewhere it's more of the typical SAGA formula of banal compositions in unkempt polyester dress like a late dinner guest. This is especially true for "Slow Motion" and "Hot to Cold"; even if "See them Smile" and "You're Not Alone" are slightly better.

SAGA could have been so much more than a second league prog group and/or flash-in-the-pan hit makers with a little more vision and focus, but such was not to be. The formula expressed here remained loosely intact through the first half of the eighties, with all too few stunning images emerging sporadically from the twilight fog.