Tag: saga (Page 1 of 2)

Album number 11 from Canada’s greatest exponents of Prog rock, Saga. Although I do find it hard to pigeon hole them with a label, because they tend to float around style-wise. Plus, this album is a concept album, and is all over the map. Each song is joined together with strange interludes to carry on the tale that is told. This album came out in ’95, right in the middle of grunge-arama, so to come out with a progressive concept record was about as popular as a fart in a space suit. Thank god for Germany as they seemed to accept it with open arms, but then again the Germans have always had a soft spot for the band.

I’m a sucker for a concept album, especially with lots of weird connecting musical pieces and this fits right into that box. There are some killer songs, as you would expect. The Cross is trademark Saga. It has the killer Ian Crichton guitar, with a quirky groove and matching hook and chorus. The Learning Tree is superb with a great choppy riff and groove, and I love the guitar sound, it’s one of those songs that only Saga could do. My Name Is Sam is a song you could imagine Peter Gabriel doing, as it has that Sledgehammer vibe. My favourite tune is Screw ‘Em, a song that you would expect Saga to do. A very busy guitar riff and melody with suitable Ian Crichton wizardry on the guitar.

I’m not sure if the band ever played this in its entirety live, but if they ever decide to, I would love to see it.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

Another one of the Saga CD period albums that the band have put out recently on vinyl. This time it’s Marathon from 2003, the band’s fifteenth studio release. If any of you bought this on CD when it was originally released, it came with a surround sound version which sounded amazing. It’s good to see this release has been remastered just for this vinyl release. Glad to report it sounds amazing. SAGA are another Canadian band that just seemed to bubble under and not quite make it to the top. Which is a travesty really, because all their albums make the listener think, there was always a lot going on to keep you entertained.

Okay, so which tracks float my boat on this one? Well, I would say How Are You? is typical Saga with that choppy, quirky riff style that they do so well with some epic guitar from Ian Crichton. The vocals and melody are always superb and this track is no exception. Return To Forever is my favourite track. The musicality is just superb and the guitar is off the charts. The only other band that do this is Toto. You Know I Know is a close second for me as the playing is exceptional.

I definitely recommend you owning this one because it sounds superb.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

Released in ’81, this is Saga’s 4th studio album, and as soon as the needle hits the grooves you know it’s Saga – they have such a distinctive sound. The album is produced by Rupert, who was flavour of the month at the time, and the sound is spectacular. Rupert was working with lots of synth bands like The Thompson Twins at the time, and that sound mixed with the rock of Saga, works really well.

On The Loose is the big hit from the album and opens us up. Great track with a superb melody and chorus – it’s a typical Saga tune. The following track is Times Up and it’s a very eighties synth pop track, and Hines’ influence is evident. For me, what makes this band special is the interplay with the keyboards and the killer guitar playing from Ian Crichton. On the next track, Wind Him Up, this is delivered to the max – with the added bonus of a superb melody and hook. Amnesia is next, and again, it has that eighties pop feel to it. It doesn’t quite work for me as a song, but the instrumentation is good. Framed closes out Side 1, and it could be part two of the previous track as the feel is very much the same. The vibe is lifted somewhat by some killer playing from Ian Crichton.

The Interview opens up Side 2, and it reminds me of a heavier Styx. This side also sees two of the band’s “Chapters” based songs, namely number 5, No Regrets, and number 8, No Stranger. These songs told the tale of a young Albert Einstein and were spread over the band’s first 4 albums – they keep the band’s Prog credentials intact. Not the best album by the band, but still a good album.

8/10 from The Grooveman.