SAGA - Futuristic and virtuoso

27. June 2014

Saga

SAGA - Futuristic and virtuoso

In 1978, the debut album of the Canadian prog formation Saga featured a golden insect that has since become a kind of band mascot. The chapters, the mosaic stones that together form a science fiction march around Albert Einstein's preserved brain, were found non-chronologically on the Saga albums from 1978 to 2003. Futuristic design and virtuoso craftsmanship characterize Saga to this day. Michael Sadler and Ian Crichton report where the band stands in 2014.

eclipsed: "Sagacity" is a nice play on words with your band name. What do you see as the wisdom of the new album?

Michael Sadler: Oh, hard to answer. (laughs) We try to stand with our music in the here and now. On the other hand, I listen to exactly what the fans are discussing and wishing for on Facebook. They tell us how much they like early albums like Silent Knight. Of course we didn't want to make an album like this, but I tried to go back to the old days. I realized that our strength lay in not following pre-set rules. We wanted to revive this spirit with strong song material on "Sagacity", along with the interplay of guitar and keyboards for which we are famous. We made the new album with the fans in mind.

Ian Crichton: We found the album title in the dictionary. "Sagacity" just made sense. After all, we are now one of the oldest prog bands. So this also describes our stamina. We've managed to still be here.

eclipsed: How does your work today differ from your beginnings?

Sadler: Nowadays we put a lot of emphasis on the melody right from the start and don't have to paste everything with instruments.

Lesen Sie mehr im eclipsed Nr. 162 (Juli/August 2014).