Renaissance
171
1980
Except for first-class radio ringer "I Have the Skill," this record requires a modicum of work. But lock yourself inside the crystalline production and recapture the lost prog of near-icons Gamma and Saga. This Aussie aggregate was once Sherbet, a 70's 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.
-STONE, Cheap Trash NYC
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