Behaviour

Saga: Michael Sadler (vocals, keyboards); Ian Crichton (guitar); Jim Crichton (keyboards, bass); Jim Gilmore (keyboards); Steve Negus (drums, percussion).
Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; Powerplay Studios, Zurich, Switzerland; Union Studios, Munich, West Germany.
When Saga started out in the late '70s, their culmination of keyboards and guitar presented them with a sound that was nothing short of progressive. As the '80s approached, they began to slim down their long instrumental rock suites and play shorter songs with more lyrics, eventually taking on a sound that veered more toward a commercial feel. Behaviour represents a little of both, with some of the tracks gleaming with radio savvy while a few still involve the band's unmistakable progressive flair but to a lesser extent. "Take a Chance" rides on it's clickety-clack rhythm and subdued but expressive vocal surge, while the lonely, midnight appeal of "What Do I Know" became one of their most frequented radio singles. Although Saga gained most of their recognition in Canada and Europe (particularly Germany), Behaviour's all-around Rush-like appeal helped to widen the spotlight a little. "Misbehaviour" and "Nine Lives of Miss Midi" both contain elements of progressive rock in their instrumental overtones and in their lyrics, but the drift toward mainstream arises here as well with the vocals sounding friendlier and the keyboard excursions kept to a minimum without overcompensating. With the band producing most of the album themselves, Behaviour begins to reveal sharper songwriting and finessed musicianship that gave way to an almost wholesale change in their style, but later albums would prove that their progressive tendencies were far from abandoned. ~ Mike DeGagne