Except for first-class radio ringer
"I Have the Skill,"
this record requires a modicum of work. But those who lock themselves inside the crystalline production recapture the lost
prog
of near-icons
Gamma
and
Saga
. This Aussie aggregate was once
Sherbet
, a '70s sensation down under, here striving for a more mature market, though a quirky
pop
sense still prevails, paving the way for
Men at Work
. On
"Back to Zero,"
everyone's favorite null set gets delineated three years before saving
the Fixx
.
"Crazy in the Night"
could pass for
Marillion
(but can't touch the
Kim Carnes
dandy of the same name). The quintet works up a furor-driving
"Into the Heat,"
and the pure positivity and confidence radiating throughout this professional offering are welcome relief in a genre too often dominated by negativity. Surprisingly preserved on CD with tasty bonus bits, this smashing sorbet deserved to be rescued. ~ Doug Stone