Behaviour is my favourite. Perfect mix of pop sensibility, cool arrangements, interesting production and epics (Goodbye).
Behaviour is my favourite. Perfect mix of pop sensibility, cool arrangements, interesting production and epics (Goodbye).
I have all Saga albums up to and containing their '20/20' album.. I'm really tired of their hardrock sound and won't buy another Saga album again before hearing it. After Network I lost interest, I'm afraid.
This is more of the hard rock sound IMOOriginally Posted by Hour Candle
Hmmm...I have to admit I may be with Hour Candle on this one. I really enjoyed their newer material up through Network, but have found subsequent albums to be stuck in a rather anonymous, hard rock rut. 20/20 seemed particularly uninspired. Although I enjoyed the guitar solo from the new track, nothing else stood out to me, and reports that the keyboard is buried in the mix is very troubling, to say the least. I'll at least preview the album, but I am not optimistic so far.
I've noticed that some long time Saga fans are having a problem with their "updated" sound. I also have every Saga album starting with my 1st purchase Images At Twilight back in 1980. I love the band's original sound but have really enjoyed the shift to a harder edge - especially with Sagacity (their best since World's Apart IMO).
It's 2014 and Saga is following the trend of many other prog bands with the layered and harder edged sound - they pushed the creative envelope with Sagacity. How can you listen to "Let It Slide" and not love the new Saga?
echolynfan
Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Not entirely true...the keyboard is not buried in the mix in every song and I think Saga has actually returned to their musical roots while still staying current. It's certainly not stuck back in the 80's with the keys to the forefront but to me it's the best of both worlds...old and new.
This a good review of Sagacity:
http://rockunitedreviews.blogspot.co...-sagacity.html
echolynfan
Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
I'll be open to giving the new album a try--after all, both Security of Illusion and House of Cards had a harder sound overall, and I still loved them. But something about their post-Network sound seems less diverse and more blandly homogenized to me. If that is what you mean by their "updated" sound, then yes, I reject it. It sounds anything but fresh or new to me--guitar dominated metal sounds have been around for decades. Saga's more elaborate interplay between guitar and keyboard was something that separated them from their less distinctive hard rock peers (and made them more closely related to prog)--I'd hate to see them move from that to a more conventional hard rock sound, and Rufus's comment has me concerned that this album does not make enough of a departure from the last few. However, the review to which you linked certainly makes it sound more promising. As to "Let it Slide," I enjoy the guitar solo quite a bit, but the rest of the track sounds very much like it could have been randomly selected from Trust or 20/20. I'm hoping the album will have more variety.
Here is a quote from a review in the latest Prog Magazine that somewhat re-affirms my oppinion..."If there's a sticking point, it's that the interplay between, & juxtaposition of, Chrichton's vivid guitars & the bands multi-layered keyboards, such a large contributor to Saga's impact-are all too often off-kilter. Apart from some notable exceptions with a handful of nice keyboard intros and solos, the guitar-keyboard ratio can be out of whack, with keyboards relegated to a background role.......admirers of Chrichton's playing -they certainly won't be straining to hear him!"
Last edited by Rufus; 07-04-2014 at 04:51 PM.
I've listened to the album a couple of times and it doesn't sound drastically different from earlier albums to me. There was at least one really prominent keyboard solo, but I'm still getting to know the album.
True...but it does hark back to the World's Apart/Heads Or Tails era IMO and there's more variety (Press 9 is totally different) and the energy reminds me of World's Apart. Just loving it more with each listen!
It's amazing that a band that has been around since 1978 and just released it's 21st studio album could still have this much energy and creativity. If only YES would have half of what Saga has...
echolynfan
Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
I'll throw a monkey wrench into this. I find "Trust" to be very similar musically and in terms of quality to Network. Not sure how one likes one but not the other. The one album that seems to stand out from this era as being a little weak to my ears is "Marathon". Really though, a great stretch of albums from "Full Circle" through "10,000 Days", to me their most consistent era. Overall I rank it just a little below the initial 78 to 83 era. Pretty great for a band that has been around 36 years.
Interesting--up until Trust I also thought Marathon was the weakest of the post Full Circle albums (though revisiting them not too long ago, I enjoyed Marathon more than I sometimes had in the past, while Trust still left me cold). But I find Trust to be more reminiscent of Marathon than of Network--I would almost describe it as being like Marathon but without the latter's highlights (the chapter songs, "Breathing Lessons," the title track, etc.). I honestly can't think of even a single song title from Trust aside from its annoying title track, despite having listened to it many times over the years. Network has far more memorable melodies and a more balanced keyboard to guitar ratio, IMHO. I would expect you to enjoy Trust more than I do, though, as I think you are a bigger fan of harder, more metallic approaches than I am.
Yeah, I definitely like a lot of music with a metallic approach, so Saga dipping their toes into that territory now and then is not unwelcome. I find Marathon lacks much of the cool instrumental sections Saga is known for, almost as if it was intentional. Not a terrible album, but I just never found much that stood out from it.
Did Sagas first few albums ever get any deluxe treatment?
The new album is now at Progstreaming.
After the 2003 SPV Remasters I'm not aware of any other work done to them...
I live in an ephemeral eternity
I'm just listening now. Just getting to the last couple of tracks. Well, I'm buying it for sure (I usually pick up their albums anyway) but this one is certainly different, mostly in a good/interesting way! Some strange sounds here, but good!
http://http://www.progstreaming.com/_wb/pages/play-album.php?activeAlbum=00825+-+Saga+-+Sagacity
Last edited by Ken Baird; 07-19-2014 at 02:36 PM.
progsteaming puts this to rest for me... after a 10 minute float through the tracks, I'm liking what I'm hearing.. nothing to radical but some different ideas... not metal by my definition, just sounds like Saga to me...
"Angels die, redemption rages
The age of man on an empty page
And chances are
This will save your soul or break it forever"
I just heard it today, and I enjoyed it far more than I had expected--and certainly more so than I had with any of their albums from Trust onward. The first two tracks were somewhat disappointing--not much different from their more recent formula--but beginning especially with the fourth track, the album became far less predictable, and I enjoyed it through until the very appropriate ending track. I will almost certainly buy this now. On a first impression, it may be my favorite since the excellent House of Cards.
Listened to the 1st half & placed my order. "Press 9"Bonus live CD is a plus too!
Hmm... Will have to check this one out. I was not altogether thrilled by their last one, as I felt The Human Condition was stronger. But I do love Saga, and perhaps am an even bigger fan of their more modern sound from the last 10-15 years.
It is great to have Sadler back in the band too.
^ That's 4 people buying this album because of the stream, on PE alone. All hail to me!
You squirted a powerful stream of prog!
I agree with all that have praised the new Saga album which, to my surprise, I saw and bought at my local Best Buy this week. Amazing sound and production and great songs! I also agree that this have the sound of the earlier albums like 'Worlds Apart', for example. This one will end up easily in my top 10 best of the year list.
This album is really great! Finally had a listen to the whole thing on Spotify, and I think it is one of the best things they've done in ages.
Thank you for starting this thread!
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