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Thread: Ian Crichton of Saga - amazing and underrated guitarist

  1. #1
    Member spiderfeathers's Avatar
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    Ian Crichton of Saga - amazing and underrated guitarist

    What do the prog experts think of this guy? I think he's one of the most exciting guitarists to listen to with all the staccato and extreme intervals that make up his style—despite the band being kinda so so. Very underrated in my opinion.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bODothuoSqg
    Last edited by spiderfeathers; 08-07-2016 at 11:58 AM. Reason: tried to embed video

  2. #2
    He's a wonderful guitarist! Indeed very underrated. Still doing a great job!

  3. #3
    Member eporter66's Avatar
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    He is an excellent guitarist

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    I think he's great. All the little fills and licks he inserts into the Saga songs often make the difference between a bland AOR number and something really exciting.

  5. #5
    Agree, love his guitar playing. I can't think of too many guitarists who are as fast and technically capable yet clean as he is. I think Saga as a band is underrated here on progears. I have them in my top 20 and just maybe around #10.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by flowerking View Post
    Agree, love his guitar playing. I can't think of too many guitarists who are as fast and technically capable yet clean as he is. I think Saga as a band is underrated here on progears. I have them in my top 20 and just maybe around #10.
    I agree, though I think you'll find several threads supportive of Saga here.

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    He's good alright, but his tone choices seem to have gotten less interesting and diverse over the years. I saw a recent DVD of theirs, and I think he had pretty much the same sound for every song throughout almost the whole show. On the early albums, he's a lot more creative.

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    Member Paulrus's Avatar
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    Definitely underrated back when Saga were at their peak (late 70s/early 80s). Popular trends at the time just couldn't allow for a guy more talented than Eddie Van Halen (IMO) but who was championing fusion greats. Plus Saga never really allowed him more than brief snatches of spotlight. He sure made the most of it, though.
    I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.

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    An absolutely fantastic guitarist who has never received the credit he deserves. Listening to those early Saga albums, his playing is years ahead of its time, and his dual lead lines with Rochon, Chadd, Gilmour over the years are often extraordinary to listen to. He's also one of those players who just seems to have constantly developed, too, and I, for one, absolutely love his tone - especially since he moved to Diezel amps. One of the true unsung greats of the guitar, imho.

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    Why do we hate Strange Behavior so much?
    The older I get, the better I was.

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    terrific, dextrous, inventive and, yes, humorous player. in many ways my first ever sensation of what is called a “guitar hero” and his towering playing was what attracted me to SAGA in the early 1980s when i was a mere teen.

    haven't been a fan of his solos on more recent releases which often sound erratic for the sole sake of erratic-ness and thus a little without the painstaking detail that he used to construct his parts to a point that they almost became songs within the song. he's also a devastating riffmeister … check out “network” which is almost entirely solo-free but has him delivering a barrage of guitar walls that are all but intimidating.

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    yes! under rated.

  13. #13
    Member Mr.Krautman's Avatar
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    A very underrated and original guitarist IMO. And BTW, did he ever issued a solo record or other collaborations outside of SAGA ?

  14. #14
    Underrated guitarist AND band. Wish theyd tour the states more often.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Staun View Post
    Why do we hate Strange Behavior so much?
    You mean "Behaviour?" I like that album!

  16. #16
    some fave Ian Crichton solos : Intermission. Scratching the Surface. It's Time. No Stranger etc etc



    a real crime that they never managed to make another proper US tour in the last 30 years . . . such a bummer when the cancelled the NYC BB King gig a few years back

  17. #17
    Member Staun's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    You mean "Behaviour?" I like that album!
    Ha. A good friend of mine introduced me to Saga and Marillion. He always called it, Strange Behavior. It's been bashed here a time or two but yes, I like it too.
    The older I get, the better I was.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Staun View Post
    Ha. A good friend of mine introduced me to Saga and Marillion. He always called it, Strange Behavior. It's been bashed here a time or two but yes, I like it too.
    Maybe you are confusing it with Steel Umbrellas (about being bashed here)? Behavior is a good one, maybe not as strong as their first 5 studio albums but still a good one. I've seen plenty of bashing of Steel Umbrellas and also Beginners Guide to Throwing Shapes.

    One comment not made about Crichton yet, not only is he ridiculously fast and clean, he plays so effortlessly.

  19. #19
    Casanova TCC's Avatar
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    Agree!.
    Underrated ... great musician/guitar player!.
    Love Saga ... love their music but not "all" their albums!.
    Yes, great band imho!.

    Pura vida!
    Pura Vida!.

    There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
    Duke Ellington.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by iguana View Post
    terrific, dextrous, inventive and, yes, humorous player. in many ways my first ever sensation of what is called a “guitar hero” and his towering playing was what attracted me to SAGA in the early 1980s when i was a mere teen.

    haven't been a fan of his solos on more recent releases which often sound erratic for the sole sake of erratic-ness and thus a little without the painstaking detail that he used to construct his parts to a point that they almost became songs within the song. he's also a devastating riffmeister … check out “network” which is almost entirely solo-free but has him delivering a barrage of guitar walls that are all but intimidating.
    very well observed, mate!

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    Beginners Guide to Throwing Shapes
    I always thought this a real return to form after the two albums previous to it, and IC's astonishing performance throughout is one of the principal reasons why.

  22. #22
    While not a huge Saga fan, I do have to agree that Ian Crichton is a great guitarist.

    Fast. clean and imaginative.
    And if there were a god, I think it very unlikely that he would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence - Russell

  23. #23
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Ian's one of the unsung guitar greats. As much as Saga's sound is shaped by the keyboards of Gilmour (and Sadler), the band wouldn't be the same without Ian.

    Also, the Crichton brothers — Ian and his bass-playing brother Jim — are the only two constants throughout the band's career. Even Sadler stepped away for one album.

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by kid_runningfox View Post
    I always thought this a real return to form after the two albums previous to it, and IC's astonishing performance throughout is one of the principal reasons why.
    I didn't mean to suggest that I didn't like Shapes, I do but I've seen a lot of people pan it.

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by dnieper View Post
    He's good alright, but his tone choices seem to have gotten less interesting and diverse over the years. I saw a recent DVD of theirs, and I think he had pretty much the same sound for every song throughout almost the whole show. On the early albums, he's a lot more creative.
    I definitely agree with all the support shown for Ian's playing here. I think he's a completely amazing player and yes, underrated guitarist. I do agree that his tone has become more static in recent years, although on Sagacity, there is a welcome return to some acoustic playing on some of the tracks. But yes, he does seem to use the same metallic a lot of the time. It's very effective, but more changes would be nice I guess.

    I also agree that Saga in general are an impressive band and always worth a listen--I'm a fan of both their old albums and the recent ones in the last 10 years except for 20/20 which I found was a bit weak in the songwriting area. I'm not super familiar with what's in between, but I'm getting there...
    Last edited by Ken Baird; 08-11-2016 at 10:37 PM.

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