Enchant and Saga...

[StocktontoMalone]

Please cover WIND HIM UP!

I don't ask for much....well, I DO complain about an East Coast swing. But that's justified - even if only in my counter-reality....

WIND ME UP!!!!!!!!


P.S> - Ed, do you ever check your PMs??????

 

[ProgMetalFan]

I still have to hear this Saga band.

 

[The Stormbringer]

I still have to hear this Saga band.

After hearing their supposedly best album "Worlds Apart", I wasn´t too thrilled. Too 80s-ish and too keyboard-heavy for my tastes... and I can bear lots of keys usually.

 

[StocktontoMalone]

After hearing their supposedly best album "Worlds Apart", I wasn´t too thrilled. Too 80s-ish and too keyboard-heavy for my tastes... and I can bear lots of keys usually.

I guess they're not as talented as YES, or ELP, huh?

 

[ProgMetalFan]

I don't like Yes or ELP, so if they don't sound like them.. I'll be happy.

 

[PapaJimH]

You know, I've been a prog fan since about 1972, and up until 6 months ago Saga had never been on my radar at all. Then one day some guy came on the Spock's Beard board that was Saga gaga. I had to hear what he was on about, so I picked up one of their CDs. I'm sorry but zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I just don't get what al the hype is.

Maybe back in the day they sounded good by comparison to other recordings, and if you lost your virginity in the back seat of a Rambler while listening to them on 8 track tape, they have a special neuron etching in your cranium. But they sounded horribly dated and bland to me.

 

[The Stormbringer]

I guess they're not as talented as YES, or ELP, huh?

I don´t listen to ELP, and Yes definitely have their share of crappy material... but what I heard from Saga sounded so generic and bland. I´ll stick with Rush if it comes to Canadian Prog...

 

[Tangerine Dreamer]

I just got into Saga few months ago. I own the 4 albums from their golden era: Silent Knight, Worlds Apart, Heads Or Tales, Behaviour.

I think they blend pop, rock and prog just nicely. All those albums have their moments. The only problem is that some of the songs feel like fillers simply because the best songs are so great. Some of my favorite Saga-songs so far: Don't Be Late, Careful Where You Step, Wind Him Up (excellent idea for a cover... I really dig this song, the solo is amazing), Time's Up, The Flyer, Pitchman, Intermission, What Do I Know?, Listen To Your Heart, etc.

Any idea shoud I pick up their newer stuff? I heard "Security Of Illusion" and "House Of Cards" are quite good. Are they?

 

[Wilkie]

I just got into Saga few months ago. I own the 4 albums from their golden era: Silent Knight, Worlds Apart, Heads Or Tales, Behaviour.

I think they blend pop, rock and prog just nicely. All those albums have their moments. The only problem is that some of the songs feel like fillers simply because the best songs are so great. Some of my favorite Saga-songs so far: Don't Be Late, Careful Where You Step, Wind Him Up (excellent idea for a cover... I really dig this song, the solo is amazing), Time's Up, The Flyer, Pitchman, Intermission, What Do I Know?, Listen To Your Heart, etc.

Any idea shoud I pick up their newer stuff? I heard "Security Of Illusion" and "House Of Cards" are quite good. Are they?

I would recommend both these albums. I'd give 'Marathon' a miss though. It has some great songs, but the keyboards are WAAAY down in the mix. They're recording their next album in So. Cal., and the Moogs are back

Hey PapaJim, maybe that was me going gaga. Which album did you get? Each to their own, at least prog people are prepared to listen, and THEN judge

BTW, I had a co-incidental thought this morning, that a Saga/ Enchant double-bill would work well, IMHO.

 

[MRNot]

I don´t listen to ELP, and Yes definitely have their share of crappy material... but what I heard from Saga sounded so generic and bland. I´ll stick with Rush if it comes to Canadian Prog...

I'm with the Wilkie & Tangerine Dreamer. Back when their hits hit radio in the early 80s, I wasn't at all into them, but my college roomie had WORLDS APART, and when I listened to it a few times & heard the deep cuts, I started coming around.. If you listen to any Saga again, try focusing on the interplay between guitarist Ian Crichton & keyboards (I'm not sure if Gilmour is more important or Sadler). This is what first got my attention, then I followed along and started getting hooked by many of the melodies & arrangements..

I highly recommend SECURITY OF ILLUSION, as though it may lack some polish in sound, the music is probably their heaviest overall, and there's lots of hooky guitar work.

I hadn't heard that Enchant were going to cover something, so I'd have to think about what I'd most like to hear, as so much of it is great.

To hear something of why I have so much respect for Ian Crichton, I'd recommend listening to the solos in "You and the Night" and "Out of the Shadows" from BEHAVIOUR, and for overall hook, I'd recommend listening to any or all of the following:

(from SILENT KNIGHT) "Don't Be Late," "Help Me Out," "Someone Should"
(from WORLDS APART) "Amnesia," "the Interview," or "No Stranger"
(from HEADS OR TALES) "Cat Walk," "the Writing," "Social Orphan," or "Pitchman"
(from BEHAVIOUR) "Misbehaviour," "You and the Night," "Out of the Shadows," "Promises," or "Once Upon a Time"
(from WILDEST DREAMS) "Don't Put out the Fire"
(from BEGINNER'S GUIDE..) "Odd Man Out," or "Waiting in the Wings"
(from SECURITY..) "Mind Over Matter," "Once Is Never Enough," "Alone Again Tonight," "Days Like These," or "No Man's Land" (tough to choose favorites from this disc..)
(from STEEL UMBRELLAS) "I Walk with You"
(GENERATION 13 is a strong concept piece.. Weird, but well done)
(THE PLEASURE AND THE PAIN was somewhat forgettable to me)
(Of the recent "comeback" discs, I think MARATHON is the weakest, with HOUSE OF CARDS being very strong & FULL CIRCLE landing in the midst..)

Congrats if you lasted this long, now go find some samples to listen to.. Perhaps at their website? ( http://www.saga-world.com/ )

 

[Tangerine Dreamer]

The more I listen to Saga, the more I keep wondering why I like this band. They are not earth-shattering or spectacular in any way, but there's something that makes me want to listen to their music every now and then. I really like Sadler's vocals... his voice is warm and clear with good range. Their music is simple enough and based on strong melodies... sometimes I'm not in the mood for something like Van Der Graaf Generator or Yes and then Saga is a good choice.
And yes they do sound very 80ish, but that's never been a problem for me, because 80s is probably my favorite decade in music (ask me tomorrow and I might answer the 70s).

 

[MRNot]

And yes they do sound very 80ish, but that's never been a problem for me, because 80s is probably my favorite decade in music (ask me tomorrow and I might answer the 70s).

Personally, I just have a hard time with those who use descriptors such as "80s music" in pure negativity (which is not how I understand your use of it, btw). To me, the things that I liked about music at the time were the fact that it was lushly produced (instead of the stripped down, garage-based, coffee-can drums & downtuned, shoddy distortion of the 90s & beyond), and the music that inspired was frequently upbeat or positive (as opposed to the whiny, fully negative introspection of later music). Unfortunately, whenever you listen to more recently produced music that follows these values, the uninitiated lemmings always comeback with, "that's so dated. It sounds so 80's-ish." Um, well if "80's-ish implies being well produced and featuring instrumental proficiency & attention to melody & harmony in a natural tuning, then, ok.. yeah.. it's "80's-ish!"

 

[mgirishfan]

Hear hear hear!!! The 80's ruled!!!! The 80's were my fave musical decade then and now alike --- in fact, I enjoy and appreciate more 80's bands today than I did back then! The MTV era ushered in waaaay more than just 'pretty' bands and musicians!

Mr. Not (I apologize, I can't remember your name - we met at the last Iluvatar gig at Mojo) I heartilly support your view of 80's music and know that it is shared among many of us!

Cheers!

 

[MRNot]

Mr. Not (I apologize, I can't remember your name - we met at the last Iluvatar gig at Mojo)

No prob.. It's Paul. Good to read from you again. BTW, has C shown you the house she's buying? Hubba hubba..

I heartilly support your view of 80's music and know that it is shared among many of us!

Cheers!

In that case, I feel compelled to share a limited circulation missive I sent out after getting stuck watching VH1's crappy "Top 40 Hair Metal Bands of All Time" show the other night.. I was struck with some thoughts I hadn't considered before (though admittedly I should have..)

Id est:

"Perhaps because I never had cable TV, didn't watch videos otherwise, and really didn't go to many shows "back then," the depth of the insidiousness of "the industry" hasn't completely grabbed me until now, but some things have certainly occurred to me while watching this tonight.. I mean, the vehemence that "they" display toward certain bands (that actually *DID* have talent), eschewing their impact as musicians for the celebration of their participation in the only atmoshpere available to rock musicians within that decade, is appalling. I still can't appreciate some of these bands like Faster Pussycat, Britny Fox & such, but they sat there and complained about how useless Europe was because (in essence, simply due to the combination of sports having latched onto "Final Countdown" and the untimely and sudden demise of the pop metal fad), then of course played that very video after their segment. Um.. OK Why not play "Superstitious" or something then? Cripes! Tempest/Norum & Tempest/Marcello did write some great tunes (though obviously most of them weren't made into videos).

In fact, when you hear the comments of musicians throughout the program, it becomes obvious that *MOST* of them weren't into the look at all (prior to getting "signed"), so you just *know* it was the same people who pay the salaries of the negative commentators here who were behind the image consultants, producers & directors *then* who all insisted on artists' side trips to the hair/make-up trailer before the video shoot started. Fucking *HYPOCRITES!* I have to wonder if Dee Snider had a clue how the final product would come out, because he seems to -mostly- make positive comments about the music, which makes me think he's being used too (but maybe he's just smart enough to decide to do this as is because he knows how to play the game? I don't know, but I've never been a fan of the Sister anyway)..

Yeah.. I am thinking I'm late to the party. I've always hated "the industry," but it just didn't sink in exactly *HOW* putrid is their vile stench. My only solace lies in the suspicion that in 15 years or so, they will treat grunge in the same way (but then I see that there's a "I Loved the 90s" thing coming up in a few weeks, so maybe I'm giving them too much credit?)

PS: And for someone like that dickhead from Metal Edge magazine to be citing musicians of the period for looking like they did because {(a) they were following trends or (b) they were covering up a lack of talent},... Please... Let's just say I'm preparing to duck the truckloads of vitreous shrapnel which will surely be raining down upon us all from his stone-throwing from within his house.."

 

[Muntz]

While I do like "On The Loose", "Wind Him Up", and "The Flyer" I did listen to a couple of their albums, to give them the benefit of the doubt. I have to admit I wasn't impressed. Too poppy and keyboard heavy for my taste. It was like a cheesy, watered down version of The Fixx. Not my cup of tea. I don't get the fascination with this band, but hey, different strokes for different folks...

 

[Wilkie]

While I do like "On The Loose", "Wind Him Up", and "The Flyer" I did listen to a couple of their albums, to give them the benefit of the doubt. I have to admit I wasn't impressed. Too poppy and keyboard heavy for my taste. It was like a cheesy, watered down version of The Fixx. Not my cup of tea. I don't get the fascination with this band, but hey, different strokes for different folks...

Hmmm, it's strange that you mention The Fixx. There are many people who see these two bands crossing over, occasionally

 

[Demonspell]

MRNot: While I've rarely been offended by that sort of programming and find it easy to ignore, I agree with some of the basic ideas behind your rant...why don't they try promoting newer artists instead of wasting time mocking bands from years ago and assembling all those novelty shows...now there's an idea.

 

[MRNot]

MRNot: While I've rarely been offended by that sort of programming and find it easy to ignore, I agree with some of the basic ideas behind your rant..

I guess I should be thankful that, even though I do now have cable, I still don't watch much "music television," or I'd be given to frequent outbursts like this and people would *REALLY* hate being around me.. *heh heh*

..why don't they try promoting newer artists instead of wasting time mocking bands from years ago and assembling all those novelty shows...now there's an idea.

Good question. I'm only guessing, but I suspect the directors are pretending to provide content for (those of us of a certain age like 30 - 45) who don't get the current trends in music, although we see the results of such programming (in at least a few malcontents such as myself). I see it as just more disregard for what could still be a very lucrative demographic if they were truly interested.. Idiots..

 

[keeper of the flame]

I've been a SAGA fan for years. I think people who have hardly heard of them shouldn't bash them like they are some kind of second hand rock band.

Saga has been doing a great job ever since their first album (self titled). Their music is very energetic and I think this band has quite a unique style.

Guitarist Ian Crichton is simply great. His guitar is usually all over the place doing lots of little riffs and amazing solos.

I recently bought their DVD ( All Areas) and it's one of my favourite concert recordings because of all the great songs on it.

My favourite SAGA album is Silent Knight (in those days a must have!)
A good place to start listening to SAGA would be a live album like In Transit or Detours.

 

[MRNot]

I think people who have hardly heard of them shouldn't bash them like they are some kind of second hand rock band.

Sounds like most people who've commented so far have made an effort to listen before doing so (and one unfavorable comment was accompanied by "NP: IN TRANSIT", so I guess they're not making unfair accusations, but I'm saddenned that more people here don't find them too enjoyable..

..Guitarist Ian Crichton is simply great. His guitar is usually all over the place doing lots of little riffs and amazing solos.

Indeed, once I started to realize the place Ian has within the arrangement of this band, I started to realize what a great improvisational harmony guitarist he is. (I think he is to Saga what Andy Summers was to Police, though in a hard rock sorta way). For more evidence of his tasty work, H3O+ (Heavy Water, to the chemist) - WELCOME TO THE BOOM BOOM ROOM is a great place to listen. It's Ian letting loose in a barroom rock arena. Ian also did a guest appearance on one of Asia's recent discs, and it's unmistakeable where he appears when you listen.