FM: Black Noise

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

interesting that so many here are calling Headroom "improvised" or "jam"

Each of the 2 pieces on Headroom are intricately composed Prog with several distinct movements and compelling variety. True, the musicians get to play solos within the structure of the movements, but the pieces are still very composed.

[Trane]

interesting that so many here are calling Headroom "improvised" or "jam"

Each of the 2 pieces on Headroom are intricately composed Prog with several distinct movements and compelling variety. True, the musicians get to play solos within the structure of the movements, but the pieces are still very composed.

I don't think anyone here hinted at total improv or full-on jams, from what I read.

We'd have to compare the four versions of each tracks to check out just how much improvised they were... but three of them are lost forever, I believe.

So yes, there was a suite structure to both tracks, but from what I remember of the booklet, I don't know how much it was really all that structured (Deller's solos, for ex)

[aith01]

^ Well, about one thing am I personally certain; FM Or Max Webster et al.) vs. Saga equals some 14 - 1/2. And the latter score doesn't even exist.

Aw, c'mon man, Saga had some good tunes.

I know they aren't near as adventurous as those other groups, but sometimes when I'm in the mood for catchy-yet-technical music Saga fits the bill quite nicely.

[Trane]

Aw, c'mon man, Saga had some good tunes.

I know they aren't near as adventurous as those other groups, but sometimes when I'm in the mood for catchy-yet-technical music Saga fits the bill quite nicely.

TBH, as Toronto youths, we (that's the majority of male late-teens) didn't feel any pride about Saga as we did in Rush, Triumph, FM, Webster or even Goddo (who never managed to break through in the US)...

Not to mention punkier bands like Teenage Heads or The Diodes...

we started paying attention to Saga once we heard they were really big in Germany (around Heads Or Tales release or the In Transit album)

[Scrotum Scissor]

Aw, c'mon man, Saga had some good tunes.

I know they aren't near as adventurous as those other groups, but sometimes when I'm in the mood for catchy-yet-technical music Saga fits the bill quite nicely.

To me, this is the main problem with Saga; I simply don't find it as "catchy" as obviously intended - and I'm a significant fan of genuinely groovy and rhythm-based rock/pop. They were huge here in Norway (and Sweden), and I still shrug at those theatrical and artificial and almost downright animated vocals and the band's desperate attempts at appearing more refined than what substance allowed them. I still keep their debut album, but it strikes me on each and every listen how generally dull and unsuccessfully their musical recipé was presented. They had ideas, but not the means of articulating them in a convincing manner. I have to admit to feeling likewise about several other "mainstream prog" bands from the era 1977-85. And I effectively tried them all and saw a number of them in concert.

[moecurlythanu]

I still keep their debut album, but it strikes me on each and every listen how generally dull and unsuccessfully their musical recipé was presented.

Yeah, the debut is the only one I have, and it's pretty pedestrian.

[aith01]

To me, this is the main problem with Saga; I simply don't find it as "catchy" as obviously intended - and I'm a significant fan of genuinely groovy and rhythm-based rock/pop. They were huge here in Norway (and Sweden), and I still shrug at those theatrical and artificial and almost downright animated vocals and the band's desperate attempts at appearing more refined than what substance allowed them. I still keep their debut album, but it strikes me on each and every listen how generally dull and unsuccessfully their musical recipé was presented. They had ideas, but not the means of articulating them in a convincing manner. I have to admit to feeling likewise about several other "mainstream prog" bands from the era 1977-85. And I effectively tried them all and saw a number of them in concert.

Well I can understand that. Saga was a band that, IMO, got much better into their later career and defined their own sound recombination -- lots of crunchy guitars with lots of keyboards, but not really getting into metal territory. I dunno... I tend to listen to their 90s and 2000s work much more often than anything of theirs from the 1980s -- when I listen to them, which isn't all that often anymore.

And actually, I wouldn't even really consider them mainstream prog or even prog at all (again, just my opinion).

But if someone doesn't find their stuff catchy or interesting, that's okay by me.

[Mascodagama]

Well I can understand that. Saga was a band that, IMO, got much better into their later career and defined their own sound recombination -- lots of crunchy guitars with lots of keyboards, but not really getting into metal territory. I dunno... I tend to listen to their 90s and 2000s work much more often than anything of theirs from the 1980s -- when I listen to them, which isn't all that often anymore.

And actually, I wouldn't even really consider them mainstream prog or even prog at all (again, just my opinion).

But if someone doesn't find their stuff catchy or interesting, that's okay by me.

It's been ages since I really listened to any, but I listened to them quite a bit as a teenager and I did dig some of their records. But they always struck me as a band that was torn between going in the direction of doing stuff that was musically interesting / "proggy", and trying to do melodic AOR that would get airplay / hits. For my taste the results were sometimes nice, but always felt a bit compromised.