SAGA

Saga is a band I've met recently, but that has captivated me with some of his early work. There is not too progressive attitudes in most of his works really. But his first albums released in the dark period of progressive rock, are some of the best that occurred at the time. And today are also enjoyable. Especially Worlds Apart and Silent Knight In House of Cards you find songs not too large and with not many changes. Some are nicer than others, but no parts be achieved. Maybe I'm being kind, analyzed from the perspective of the page, but 3 is a deserved rating musically.

It must be more than 30 years since I first became aware of Saga, and after purchasing a cut- price single, invested in my first vinyl album of theirs, the wonderful 'Images of Twilight'. From then on I picked up the occasional release, and finally caught them in concert about ten years ago (where they won the award for being the quietest rock band I have ever seen). By then they had, at least to me, settled into a sound that was always very much Saga and they could always be relied upon to release a solid album, but normally not a spectacular one. The last album I heard of theirs was 2006's 'Trust', and in the intervening period they have released two other studio albums and singer Michael Sadler has left and returned, so have I been missing anything?

Well, if this is anything to go by then probably not much. While opener "Six Feet Under" is very much a typical Saga song, with driving keyboards and guitars and over the top vocals it is let down by much that follows, especially "Ellery" which highlights a more reflective side of the band that just doesn't work at all. For every song that raises the hopes there is another that dashes it, and the overall effect is that while die-hard fans will acclaim Michael's return as a masterpiece the rest of us won't feel the same way. If only there were more like "Show and Tell", which is classic Saga in so many ways, then it would be possible to give this more than 3 stars. But as it is, that's al it is worth.

"Scratching the surface. You better come up for air. A new experience to get you there."

Saga was another one of those bands I had only marginal interest in that appeared on late night music video TV. The chorus of the song was catchy and memorable, but like Yes, Genesis, Glass Tiger and a few other bands that were not despicable pop bands like Culture Club and Wham, Saga was actually just a mild respite from top forty pop drivel while I waited for a new video by Accept, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, or any other metal band that might have a video slotted in just before the closing credits of the show. So, I was very surprised to learn on PA that Saga was not only a distinguished neo-prog/crossover prog band with a long history but also the guys were fellow Canuckleheads (Canadians).

It's always a challenge when picking up a band for the first time to choose the album that is going to be worth the money and get me interested in the band. I read the reviews on PA, check out samples on Amazon and iTunes if possible, or go to YouTube, and then make my choice. For Saga I decided the album that would most suit my taste was this one: 'Trust'.

Have you ever seen the Australian comedy movie 'Strictly Ballroom'? A young hot shot dancer with some fancy steps wants to turn the ultra conservative Ballroom Dance Association around. He hooks up with an unknown Spanish immigrant woman whose father teaches them how to dance the Pasa Doble. The result is this couple add something completely new and unheard of to ballroom dance, shocking some while thrilling others.

'Trust' reminded me of that movie because regarding the song length and structure, this album looks by all means to be a traditional rock album: 4 to 5-minute long songs, verse- chorus-verse-chorus, etc. But the music is like the fancy steps in the Aussie flick. Keyboards dance with neo-prog flair all over the album while guitar with hard rock and even metal sensibilities takes turns with the keyboards to show off fancy finger steps. Though the drumming is not exceptional and the bass nothing outstanding, the music on this album is as good as any bona fide neo-prog or even symphonic prog band might produce. It's just shorter and often quicker, licks and tricks darting in and out of the song like a bat out of hell hunting locusts. There's a wonderful duel and duality between the keyboards and the guitar, and vocalist Michael Sadler's voice holds the songs together with liquid smoothness. It sounds like commercial rock, but with something that goes beyond your top forty rock output.

I haven't yet picked out any non-interesting tracks, but the ones I enjoy the most right now are 'That's as Far as I'll Go,' 'Back to the Shadows,' 'I'm OK' (for the music), 'Time to Play,' and 'Trust'. But as I listen through the rest of the album for nearly the tenth time I still find I am enjoying most of the songs, usually for the music. What could have been an arena rock album is delightfully neo-prog in many ways. I am now looking at which of Saga's other albums will be worth purchasing. With 34 years and 22 albums of history, there's bound to be some great music to discover.

Saga has always been around me during my college years in Bandung as I always purchased their albums in the format of music cassette. Unfortunately I never paid attention to their music as when played the tapes I did'nt feel like 'hooked' to their music unlike bands like Genesis, Yes, Marillion or Rush. I was not sure why it was like that. It's probably most of their music structure are quite straight forward - even though I knew that the subtleties of keyboard and guitar work are quite complex. I could only enjoy their live album "In Transit" as there are two great songs and performance: Wind Him Up and Humble Stance (it then became my best track from the band all the time).

Recently I played this music cassette from this album and I feel similar with what I felt in the 80s even though now with a deeper appreciation of their excellent subtleties especially through the sounds of guitar as well as keyboards. I have to admit that this is the only band that has its own unique sound and no one can really follow them. It's probably no one is interested to follow this unique characteristic of Saga. And now I am playing again this album while writing this review and sipping a cup of Aroma coffee made from Jl Banceuy, Bandung. Oh ...what a life! I really enjoy the writing now and let's get started!

Oh yes the opening track "On The Loose" is quite straight forward in structure, but I really enjoy how keyboard and guitar play an interesting intertwining roles in most of segments typical Saga music. "Time's Up" follows the same style but with a bit of energy and dynamics. The third track is the one I love from "in Transit" live album, i.e. "Wind Him Up". The only chief reason to love this track is its dynamic and excellent melody. In a way this track pictures the situation in the 80s when i took college degree in Bandung. I kept playing this track when I did the study in the evening, at my room. What a life - really! "Amnesia" follows in a slower style with some guitar rhythm that reminds me to the sort of reggae music.

Now I realize that I can appreciate more on tracks like "Interview" with its lyrics - especially, as well as with "Conversation" with its keyboard solo. "No Regrets" has been familiar with me since I heard for the first time in the "In Transit" album.

Overall, I really enjoy this album especially now I am playing it through my cassette collection instead of CD which actually I have it already. Recently, I am much more interested to play cassette than CD or MP3 as by playing the cassette I can get full nuances of the album as it was released in the past when CD was not born yet. Keep on proggin' ...!!!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Michael Sadler returns on vocals for the 20th studio album of Saga! 20/20 means perfect eye sight and refers to the eye surgery that keyboardist Jim Gilmour had to undergo in the fall of 2011, which turned out successful.

In the 90's each new album Saga did would bring in a new sound, a new approach for better or worse, and the dismay of the fans following the "Pleasure & the Pain" album (1997) was probably what caused the band to take on a new direction were the old Saga logo was reintroduced as well as the alien theme on album covers, and thematically, new chapter songs were created continuing the story with chapters. And the Full Circle album (1999) was pretty great in my opinion, and the fans were happy again. The subsequent Saga albums of the 2000's have maintained this retro-connection and there haven't been any extreme changes in direction or sound. For me as a huge Saga fan these albums of the 2000's have been of varying quality. Network is my favourite anyway.

The previous album "The Human Condition" was a change, the alien theme wasn't there anymore, and there was a new singer. The positive thing was that it felt like something new and forward-looking. The singer Rob Moratti with a power-rock voice had a clear, articulated, technical singing with good range that with effects added - overdubs, compression and possibly autotune sounded artificial on the downside. But the album was solid as a whole even if a bit mechanic and metronome-stiff.

With Sadlers return, it's back to a more familiar Saga , but the compressed, smooth sound of the previous album is kept. The mood is generally fairly easygoing and energetic. There are some negative things about the vocals. They are not in the front in the mix; they are often effects-treated or multi-layered and the vocal melodies often lack character. That way the vocals becomes of secondary importance, and mostly become muddled together with synths, guitars and drums. Morattis undynamic voice was better suited to such a sound while for Sadler it drowns a bit in the mix.

On first listen the album sounded like a thick mess leaving me very disappointed. After the third listen different parts and sounds became more distinguishable. Surprisingly I began to like several songs. That doesn't happen to me these days. I completely changed opinion. After many listens and a break for some time and coming back to it, my opinions shifted back again towards my initial sentiments. The sound related aspects does have a very negative impact on the album for me.

Well, there are no dynamics. The sound is evenly dense and busy with things going on. The drums are a central problem. Bass drum , hi-hat and ride are too prominent in the mix. The compression on the kick drum is tiring. I must say I hate the snare drum with the big reverb. A particular ride-cymbal is also heavily overused throughout the album. The drum playing is fluid but feels mechanical and the sound is the same throughout the album. Doerner's drumming was way better in all respects on the previous album. Okay, enough drum talk.

There are five songs I like that with better production could have been splendid. Guitar solos are great as you always can expect from Ian Chrichton. I find the lyrics appealing. They are about life and destiny you could say. "Lost For Words" is the album highlight for me, with an atmospheric quality and nice singing by Sadler.

The songs:

1 Six feet Under

A pretty fast-paced heavy rock song, an energetic kickstart to the album. I suddenly started to really like this with its many parts after enough listening, and it could have been awesome. But it feels a bit lifeless with the strong compression. One of the better songs however.

2. Anywhere you wanna go.

Slow heavy power-rock song with synth bass and synths. The chorus is the central point, and it doesn't quite swing very well in my opinion. It feels like the tempo is slow in a strained way. But I'm not sure a faster tempo would have worked either. Though the instrumental part is pretty cool, the song is weak.

3. Ellery

Song in triplet feeling in a similar way to "Follow Me" from Full Circle. Overly dominating synths and weak vocal melody lines. Not good.

4. Spin It Again

It's got a catchy main rock riff over two bars. The song grew on me very much. Now, after even more listens I'm ambivalent. It feels either cool or too catchy. But the bridge part is really nice (beginning with "sometimes"). A small annoyance is that the vocals in the chorus lacks clarity, and the "s" of "spin" is inaudible. However, this is one of the good ones!

5. Another Day Out Of Sight

In accordance with tradition, one or two songs should feature Jim Gilmour on vocals. Many such Saga songs are fantastic . But this is pretty dull, and the layered vocals in the chorus aren't arranged well for Gilmours voice. Weakest song of the album.

6. One of these days

Dull uptempo rock song, with an even progress from beginning to end. Very anonymous, more character is needed.

7. Ball and Chain

A moderate tempo rock song in minor key that changes key in the chorus with a playful and original chord sequence, accompanied by some odd and funny "plucked" synth bass notes. The song grows with time , and I really like the "You now we're all the same"-part, simple but memorable. The sound is messy and would have been better with a different sound but it's still a cool song.

8. Lost For Words

I wasn't positive about this album upon first listen but I did like the instrumental synth parts in this ballad. But this song grew after several listens. The vocal sound have some unnecessary filtration but the singing is very good. There are atmospheric instrumental parts and a great guitar solo. In style it's like a cross between"Don't Say Goodbye", the atmospheric song from Full Circle, and "Believe", the ballad from Network. It suffers from the production but is nevertheless the best song of the album.

9. Show and Tell

Another "ought to have been great" song with a cool chord sequence, similar to a section from "Days like these" (from Security Of Illusion - the "there will never" part) . It's dragged down by plain dynamics and noisiness, with an annoying distorted guitar. The vocals are embedded in the noise. Still it is one of the best songs due to the way it develops with key changes and nice parts.

10. Till the well runs dry

The last song, and longest, has some dynamic changes. There's a moody verse with 16th notes on hihat, halftempo groove, similar to "On the air" from the Network album, or in particular "Goodbye (Once Upon A Time)" from Behaviour. It takes a while before it reaches the chorus, where it goes into full energy. But the chorus... is bad. So, not a great song, but it has great guitar playing and an awesome guitar solo.

Beneath the flat sound surface there is a lot of original music - five good songs. There are no recognizable chord sequences or lack of originality. But the dense and straight sound along with the resulting flatness in emotion and expression is an unfortunate thing which makes me end up rating this right between 2 and 3. But I recommend it because discovering this album is exciting were it comes alive little by little. And I probably haven't said the final word on this album, you never know what details may appear in the future changing the overall picture. I'm looking forward to see them live, and to experience these songs in a way that does them more justice.

Top notch DVD

For 35 years, this year they celebrate their 35 aniversary Saga was and is one of the most intresting names in prog music. Their most glorious days was for sure in the early '80s when they release some respectable and very well recived albums, but aswell they manage to pull some fairly decent even great albums across the years, remaining always in front league. This DVD named All areas Live in Bonn from 2002 was presented as supporting act for their House Of Cards album from 2001 and aswell there was their 25th aniversary. Thjis is excellent performance by the band, they are in big form, each musicin really shines on every tune, Sadler voice sounding truly excellent on every piece. The live set is also top notch, 15 pieces covering almost all their periods, from the golden years 79-83 to more recent ones. All pieces are well presented in typical Saga floavour, the stage performance is brilliant as always. I personaly like Compromise, the superb Wind him up , Time bomb or Remember When. So, a recommended DVD not only for Saga fans, but to whole prog fans who want to see/hear great music who doesn't grown old a bit, still very fresh sound and arrangements. 4 stars easy, excellent .

3.5 stars for sure

Saga was and is one of my fav bands ever, I have a soft spot for them , that's why I still buying their albums since 2 decades ago when I've first encountered their music. Trust from 2006 is another worthy album from their vast catalogue, maybe not as shining brilliant as their classics, but a fairly good album in Saga style. They developed over the yeras their own brend of music, combinig complex progressive parts dominating by excellent guitars and keyboards with catchy melodic parts, that made them fampous world wide. Well, this album stars with the great opener That's As Far As I'll Go, the best tune from the album with unique excellent deep voice of sadler. The album is perfect progressive/art rock release, where each musicians even don't really sine, they done a great job. This is typical Saga album, no less no more. I like what I've heared here as on every Saga album, I do considered that they don't have weak albums, only some periods in their career were more great and inventive then others. Love this band for years Trust desearve 3,5 stars for sure. Great band

Walking on thin ice

Steel Umbrellas was for a long time the only album missing from my Saga collection. When I finally found it (on Spotify) I was expecting the worst given the very low average rating it has on this website (at the time of writing it is the lowest rated Saga studio album of all here). After having listened to it now, I must say that it is not quite as bad as I expected. Still, it is certainly among the least good Saga albums of all time together with Behavior, Wildest Dreams, and The Pleasure & The Pain. What is most astonishing of all is that this album was released between two very good Saga albums; the strong The Security Of Illusion from the year before and the conceptual masterpiece Generation 13 from the year after. Judged in the narrow context of its immediate surroundings, Steel Umbrellas is indeed extremely disappointing and that might be the primary reason for which it is rated as low as it is. But judged in the slightly wider context of the band's output from the 90's and second half of the 80's, it is not that unsatisfactory.

Steel Umbrellas certainly does not sound at all like the follow up to The Security Of Illusion or the predecessor to Generation 13, but rather much more like if it came out of the mid- 80's. Had this album been released say, between 1985's Behavior and 1987's Wildest Dreams, it would surely had been better received than it was in 1994. Overall, this era (the 90's and second half of the 80's) was musically a very turbulent one in Saga's discography with the quality of their output varying widely and erratically from the best to the worst. During this period, they also seemed unsure about their identity and not knowing quite what direction to take. While The Security Of Illusion saw the band stepping into 90's, with Steel Umbrellas they reverted to their earlier mid-80's sound - perhaps triggered by this identity crisis? Some would perhaps say that the material here sounds like leftovers from the mid-80's, but I think it is up to par with, if not better than, those aforementioned weak mid- 80's albums.

The album opener Why Not, Shake That Tree, and the ballad I Walk With You (best experienced in the bonus acoustic live version) are among the better songs here, while the bluesy Steamroller is the worst. The other songs are generally on the soft Pop side and as such they lack the energy and power for which Saga is best known.

Recommended primarily for fans, especially those fans who enjoy the band's mid-80's period.

In hindsight...

From their inception in the late 70's up until the late 90's, Saga's studio output was a very bumpy ride with the quality of their albums ranging from the very best to the very worst; taking in the whole spectrum from masterpiece (Generation 13) to disaster (Wildest Dreams, The Pleasure & The Pain). With 1999's Full Circle, however, Saga entered into a period of remarkable stability of quality that, evidenced by the present album, continues to the present day. Avoiding both the ups and the downs of previous decades, the new millennium has seen Saga releasing an impressively consistent series of albums - all of them good. Not even the temporary loss of original front man Michael Sadler could shake the group's newfound confidence.

With this album Sadler returns to the fold again and all is well. The band's sound remains unchanged and 20/20 is nothing more and nothing less than another good Saga album. The ten new songs are typical Saga tunes, strong, melodic, full of Saga's well-known trademarks. The only surprise here is that they still manage to keep it up and produce such good music in the same style on album after album after album without falling into a creative slump. They are still a very good band, and there is no sign of them losing their grip. On the other hand, there is also no sign of them wanting to push any boundaries and expand in any direction. This is Saga in their comfort zone, but still sounding fresh and relevant.

In conclusion, there is no reason to be disappointed with 20/20 if you expect more of the same good music as Saga has produced in the last 13 years. But if you expect something ground breaking, you would better look elsewhere.

If you liked "Network", "Trust" and "10,000 Days" - this album is right up your alley. A solid effort and not a stinker in the lot. One of the few albums from Saga where I don't have to uncomfortably ask myself: "why do I like these guys?" It takes a lot for me to write a review for any new prog.rock release, so I thought this was a worthy record warranting a comment or two. I didn't review Saga's last 2 albums with Sadler as I thought they were trying to channel Gentle Giant a little too much. "Human Condition" without Sadler didn't really sound like Saga to me(more like Spock's Beard). Although I enjoyed those albums("Trust" and "10,000 Days") tremendously, the Giant has been put out to pasture on 20/20. What we have here is Saga channeling the strong parts from "A Beginner's Guide To Throwing Shapes", "Behaviour", "World's Apart" and "Network". There's absolutely no dated sounding "electronic" drums and Ian Crichton puts on another ripping performance in the guitar department. 10 solid Saga tracks that will grow on you like a bad mold; but I like it that way. Michael Sadler in fine vocal form a la '80s and Jim Gilmour? You're one of the underrated keyboard greats with Downes and Kaye and you prove it on this "20/20" gem. Definitely a top 10 album for 2012.

4.0 stars for a solid Saga release. Welcome back, Michael.