Saga is a Canadian
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. At its Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census population of 213,759, it is List of tow ...
. Bassist and keyboardist Jim Crichton and Welsh-born vocalist and keyboardist Michael Sadler were the principal
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
s.
Saga had numerous line-up changes over the years. Ian and Jim Crichton were the only two original members who appeared on every album. Sadler appeared on every release, apart from the 2009 album ''
The Human Condition
''The Human Condition'', first published in 1958, is Hannah Arendt's account of how "human activities" should be and have been understood throughout Western history. Arendt is interested in the ''vita activa'' (active life) as contrasted with ...
''. Keyboardist Jim Gilmour was with the band from 1979, making his debut on the album ''
Silent Knight
The Silent Knight (Brian Kent, cy, Marchog Tewi) is a fictional medieval hero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #1 (August 1955) and was created by Robert Kanigher and I ...
''. Drummer Steve Negus performed with Saga until 1986. The lineup was supplemented by many session musicians and live performers from the late 1980s to the late 2000s.
Saga has been awarded gold and platinum albums worldwide and have sold more than eight million albums.
History
Originally known as Pockets, Saga formed in 1977 from the nucleus of Canadian rock band
Fludd. In April 1978, they released their self-titled debut album ''
Saga
is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...
''.
A modest success in Canada, it would eventually sell over 30,000 copies in Germany as an import.
Their 1979 follow-up album ''
Images at Twilight''
gave them their first charting single in Canada, with the song "It's Time" peaking at No. 84 in the Canadian Charts. From the album, the songs "See Them Smile" and "Slow Motion" became strong radio favourites elsewhere. Saga's third album, ''
Silent Knight
The Silent Knight (Brian Kent, cy, Marchog Tewi) is a fictional medieval hero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #1 (August 1955) and was created by Robert Kanigher and I ...
,'' was released in 1980,
and included the singles "Don't Be Late" and "Careful Where You Step," which continued and furthered the band's international success.
In 1981, the band's fourth album ''
Worlds Apart'' was released.
The lead single, "On the Loose", finally broke them into the Top 40, peaking at No. 22 on the Canadian Charts in January 1982, and in December 1982, proved to be their breakthrough in America where it peaked at No. 26 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' chart in February 1983. A second single, "Wind Him Up", also fared well, with the help of its music video receiving heavy rotation on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, and became their next charting single in America, peaking at No. 64 on Billboard in May 1983. Eventually, ''Worlds Apart'' was certified Gold in the US in 1983. The band opened for
Jethro Tull on their North American tour in 1982.
Following on the success of ''
Worlds Apart'', the band won the 1982
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
for "
Most Promising Group of the Year."
A fifth album ''
Heads or Tales
''Heads or Tales'' is the fifth studio album by the Canadian progressive rock band Saga (band), Saga and was originally released in 1983. The album was the second of the band's to be produced by Rupert Hine. Although it did not attain the same c ...
'' was released in late 1983
and became another success. The lead single, "The Flyer", fared well in Canada and also became their final U.S. charting single, peaking at No. 79 on Billboard in December 1983. The follow-up single entitled "Scratching the Surface" became popular in Canada, peaking at No. 45 in April 1984.
Their sixth album, ''
Behaviour
Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions and mannerisms made by individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as wel ...
'', was released in 1985
and included the singles, "Listen to Your Heart" and "What Do I Know?" (charted No. 57 in Canada).
Separation and reunion
In 1986
Steve Negus
Stephen William Negus (born February 19, 1952) is a Canadians, Canadian drummer, songwriter, who was a member of the progressive rock band Saga (band), Saga for twenty-six years. In the late 80s, he and keyboardist Jim Gilmour (musician), Jim G ...
and Jim Gilmour left the band over management concerns, soon deciding to form a new band project under the name ''Gilmour-Negus Project'' (GNP).
In 1988, they released their one and only album, ''Safety Zone'' (featuring Robert Bevan on lead vocals). Meanwhile, Saga continued to record and tour, with Michael Sadler and the Crichton brothers augmented by session musicians.
Their 1987 release ''
Wildest Dreams'' enjoyed better distribution under new label,
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
,
but it failed to match expectations in America. The lead single "Only Time Will Tell" became a popular chart favourite in Canada (No. 93), with a memorable video rotated on MTV for a brief period. However, the remainder of the album suffered from over-reliance on technology, with armies of sequencers and drum machines replacing much of the band's earlier trademark sound with Gilmour and Negus.
For 1989's ''
The Beginner's Guide to Throwing Shapes
''The Beginner's Guide to Throwing Shapes'' is the eighth studio album by Saga, originally released in 1989.
It is also the second album recorded by the band without longtime drummer Steve Negus and keyboardist Jim Gilmour, who temporarily left ...
'', Saga refocused on their earlier European popularity which marked a return to their earlier progressive style with a few sci-fi orientated
pop elements to it.
In 1992, Steve Negus and Jim Gilmour returned to Saga. The band's next album, ''
The Security of Illusion
''The Security of Illusion'' is the ninth studio album by Saga, originally released in 1993. The album marks the return of keyboardist Jim Gilmour and drummer Steve Negus, both of whom left the band in 1986 due to management concerns.
Track li ...
'', released in 1993, was well received by Saga fans in Canada and Europe. The 1994 followup, ''
Steel Umbrellas'', was considered uneven when compared to their previous release, perhaps due to the material originally being produced for the short-lived television series ''
Cobra''. However, despite lackluster album sales, Saga's 1993 and 1994 tours helped maintain some of the band's early popularity; their reputation as live performers was not lost among the band's long time fans.
Comeback
In 1995 Jim Crichton composed and produced the majority of Saga's next album, the conceptual ''
Generation 13''. Inspired by a popular political treatise by the same name, the story follows main character Jeremy's troubled search for his real father. The concept is somewhat reminiscent of the storyline in
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
's ''
Quadrophenia
''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song " A Quick One, While ...
''. The album's heavier compositions have a sound similar to fellow Canadians, progressive rock band
Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
, and even early
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
.
Saga's next release, ''
Pleasure and the Pain'' was released on the eve of their 20th anniversary tour in 1997. The album failed to maintain the interest created by the previous release. On the same anniversary tour, the album ''
Phase 1'' was released. ''Phase One'' was an album containing demo songs from the 1979 album ''Images at Twilight'' — some of them were songs found not good enough for the album, some of them were different versions of songs released on ''Images''. The album quickly sold out and a second issue was printed. The album was hard to get and it soon became a most wanted item for Saga collectors and fans.
Their 1998 tour was captured on the next album, ''
Detours'', a double-live album released worldwide. Saga's next three albums, 1999's ''
Full Circle'', 2001's ''
House of Cards
A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...
'', and 2003's ''
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
'' have all been popular with the band's longtime and loyal fanbase. ''House of Cards'', in particular enjoyed renewed interest. Its acoustic-flavoured single, "Money Talks", received Top 5 video airplay in Canada. All three albums included new "chapters", representing a return to the progressive rock of the band's early days. Saga released a new studio album, ''
Network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
'', in the fall of 2004. Their next album, ''
Trust
Trust often refers to:
* Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality
It may also refer to:
Business and law
* Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another
* Trust (bus ...
'', was released in 2006, featuring Brian Doerner as their new drummer. Doerner made his debut on a live Canadian television broadcast in late 2005.
Even though Jim Crichton and Michael Sadler both live in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, they have not committed Saga to any full-length American tours since 1986. However, in late 2005, Michael Sadler announced a limited tour on the West Coast to promote his solo album, ''Clear''. The trek featured Ian Crichton as touring guitarist. Saga also played one show in New York City during their summer 2006 tour in support of ''Trust''.
''The Chapters''
''The Chapters'' is the name given to a series of songs that the band revealed over a 28-year period in a mixed-up order, creating a conceptual puzzle. Each song in the sequence was subtitled "Chapter One", "Chapter Two", etc. In its final form, ''The Chapters'' tells a cohesive science fiction story concerning the preservation of Albert Einstein's brain, aliens who are concerned with humanity's self-destruction, and the resurrection of the dead through technology.
The first eight ''Chapters'' were issued, out of order, across the band's first four albums, issued between 1978 and 1981. After a long layoff, Chapters 9 through 16 were issued, again out of order, across three album releases between 1999 and 2003. Songs from the cycle have been performed in concert throughout their career. The Chapters were finally released all together in a 2 CD live recording called ''
The Chapters Live'' in 2005.
Legacy and recent activity
Despite the band's fluctuating musical styles and limited commercial success in the United States, their fans have remained extremely loyal over the decades. Their musical style was defined by Ian Crichton's staccato guitar riffs, often in harmony with a synthesizer, and complex keyboard arrangements, frequently featuring three players.
The band has been constantly successful in Germany since its inception. It is also very popular in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
; Saga has visited the island twelve times. Saga's second concert in Puerto Rico (1981) caused riots from fans trying to crash into a sold-out concert that sold over 10,000 tickets. Most of the inner cover photographs from the original vinyl release of ''
In Transit'' (1982) were taken in Puerto Rico, including a live photograph from the 1981 concert. For a few years, a keyboard riff from their song ''"No Regrets"'' became the background music for station breaks at WCAD-FM in San Juan. The band received formal recognition as distinguished visitors from the Puerto Rican legislature in February 2005. Their concert on December 9, 2007 (at the Pier 10 Arena club in Old San Juan) was the last concert that Michael Sadler did with Saga until his announcement of returning to the band in January 2011.
On January 16, 2007 it was announced by
InsideOut
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles. In 2009, it formed a partnership with Century M ...
, the band's current record label, that lead singer Michael Sadler would be leaving Saga for personal reasons at the end of 2007. Later that year on Michael's personal site, michaelsadler.com, a note was posted by the singer revealing that his departure was due to a desire to focus on his family life and retire from the stress of being in an active travelling band. A farewell tour of sorts is in the works which will also commemorate Saga's 36th anniversary as a band. Saga announced on July 15, 2007 that they were recording a new album in Los Angeles. Titled ''
10,000 Days'' the album was released on November 6, 2007 in conjunction with their planned European tour. ("10,000 days" equates to 27 years, 4.54 months, approximately the amount of time Sadler spent with the band). Sadler also recorded a forthcoming DVD commemorating his last European tour with Saga. Just prior to the release of ''10,000 Days'', in October 2007 drummer Brian Doerner suffered a heart attack. He has since made a full recovery, but a stand-in drummer (Chris Sutherland) of the
Kim Mitchell
Joseph Kim Mitchell (born July 10, 1952) is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to a solo career. His 1984 single, " Go for Soda", was his only charted song on the US ''Billbo ...
Band was required to fulfill touring commitments.
Saga announced they were auditioning lead vocalists to continue the band's career. The musicians recorded instrumental versions of "On the Loose" and "Wind Him Up" for prospective singers to perform on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, with the winning candidate to be announced at a later date. During the search, Ian Crichton remarked that hopeful candidates "should have a set of pipes" as well as personality. The guitarist also remarked that a Canadian would be preferable, presumably because of travel considerations and the band's nationality. Over 20 candidates (including one woman) submitted demos from across the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
and
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
.
On April 15, 2008 Saga announced that Rob Moratti of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, former singer of Final Frontier, had joined the band as the new lead vocalist. Moratti's background included more than a decade of experience in the Canadian rock music industry, recently working with the respected guitarist-producer Mladen Zaron. Throughout his tenure with the band, Moratti concentrated on lead vocals, leaving the band's instrumental dynamics somewhat changed from the Sadler era, where the lead vocalist often doubled on bass guitar and keyboards. Saga's first gig with Moratti took place in the summer of 2008. Also, 2008 saw the release of a book about the band's history, 'Saga: The Biography', by renowned rock journalist (and long-time friend of Saga), Edwin Ammerlaan.
In 2009 Saga released their first CD with Rob Moratti. This CD was titled ''
The Human Condition
''The Human Condition'', first published in 1958, is Hannah Arendt's account of how "human activities" should be and have been understood throughout Western history. Arendt is interested in the ''vita activa'' (active life) as contrasted with ...
'' and was released in the spring 2009. The band toured in Europe and Canada.
On January 28, 2011 an official statement was made announcing Michael Sadler's return as the lead singer of Saga.
On February 1, 2012 Saga announced that after 6 years of touring and recording together, Brian Doerner and Saga have parted ways. Following YouTube auditions, Mike Thorne (a native of Toronto ) was announced as the new drummer of Saga. On July 6, 2012, Saga's twentieth studio album, ''
20/20
Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
'', was released. It marked the return of original vocalist Michael Sadler.
On June 27, 2014 Saga released their 21st album entitled ''
Sagacity'', which received mostly positive feedback from fans. The album quickly topped the
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
rock lists around Europe (most notably in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
).
A reissue campaign covering the later years (from 1989 to 2007) was announced in 2015, spanning twelve albums in twelve months. However, after five remastered albums the campaign was seemingly aborted without any official statement from the record company, the live recordings intended for the series instead appearing as a live album ''
Live in Hamburg 2015'', which is strictly limited to 5000 copies worldwide.
In January 2017 Michael Sadler announced Saga's retirement following the completion of their farewell tour dubbed The Final Chapter Tour, which also marked their 40th anniversary. He also said that a "very special one-off performance" would take place on the 2018 edition of ''Cruise to the Edge'' in February 2018.
On August 5, 2018 bassist and co-founder Jim Crichton departed the band before the final two shows, and was replaced by new member Dusty Chesterfield. The tour spawned the live release ''So Good So Far – Live at Rock of Ages'', which was released on September 28, 2018.
After reconsideration from the request by the fans, Saga opted to continue with their live performances.
In early 2020, the band performed in Germany and Scandinavia as part of their Out of the Shadows World Tour.
Following the completion of the tour, the band members entered their respective home studios during the
COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...
to record an acoustic album titled ''Symmetry'', which was released on March 12, 2021. The first single "Tired World" was made available for streaming, followed by "Wind Him Up" and "Always There". For the latter, the fans were asked to send in video material, which was then assembled into a video clip.
Although Jim Crichton had quit touring with the band, he was strongly involved with ''Symmetry'', playing bass and supervising the new arrangements. The Band return for concert "A night to remember" tour in San Juan, PR on May 13 2022.
Band members
;Current line-up
* Michael Sadler – vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizer, drums (1977–2007, 2011–present)
* Ian Crichton – guitar, synthaxe, banjo (1977–present)
* Jim Crichton – bass, keyboards, Moog synthesizer, guitar, synthaxe (1977–2018, 2019–present) (studio only)
* Jim Gilmour – synthesizer, keyboards, vocals, clarinet, saxophone, harmonica (1980–1986, 1992–present)
* Mike Thorne – drums, electronic drums, vocals (2012–present)
* Dusty Chesterfield – bass, keyboards, Moog synthesizer (2019–present)
;Former members
* Brian Doerner – drums, backing vocals (2006–2012)
* Rob Moratti – vocals (2008–2011)
* Christian Simpson – drums (2003–2005)
*
Steve Negus
Stephen William Negus (born February 19, 1952) is a Canadians, Canadian drummer, songwriter, who was a member of the progressive rock band Saga (band), Saga for twenty-six years. In the late 80s, he and keyboardist Jim Gilmour (musician), Jim G ...
– drums (1977–1986, 1992–2003)
* Gregg Chadd – synthesizer, keyboards (1979)
* Peter Rochon – synthesizer, keyboards (1977–1978)
;Session and studio musicians
*
Curt Cress
Curtis Cress (born 11 August 1952), known by his stage name Curt Cress, is a German musician, singer and songwriter.
Life and work
Curt Cress began his career in 1965 in Hanau with the band Load. Later also in Hanau he played with the bands I ...
– drums (1987, 1989) (studio)
*Trevor Murrell – drums (1988 tour)
*Tim Moore – synthesizer (1988 tour)
*Graham Lear – drums (1990) (session)
*Richard Baker – Moog synthesizer (1990) (session)
*Marcus Deml – guitar (1995 European tour) (session)
*Glen Sobel – drums (1997) (studio)
*Chris Sutherland – drums (2007 tour, 2009 tour) (session)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Singles
Videography
References
External links
sagagen.com – The official site of SagaJimGilmour.net – The official site of Saga's keyboard playerMichaelSadler.com – The official site of Saga's lead vocalistkul-z.com – Official Saga cover art*
Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saga
Canadian progressive rock groups
Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year winners
Musical groups established in 1977
Musical groups from the Regional Municipality of Halton
1977 establishments in Ontario
Atlantic Records artists
Warner Records artists
Inside Out Music artists
Portrait Records artists