Saga Allien

While Saga began as a progressive rock band, increasing pop sensibilities put the group in a league with bands like the Fixx in the early '80s. This album, which follows the excellent Worlds Apart, is nearly as good as its predecessor; Michael Sadler's commanding voice leads the way while the rest of the band punches up the fairly succinctly written songs with loads of texture and occasional instrumental fireworks. The guitar/keyboard interplay between Jim Gilmour and Ian Crichton alone is enough to get music geeks salivating. Producer Rupert Hine gives the material just enough production sheen to make it sizzle on the airwaves ("The Flyer" was a minor radio hit). Equally enjoyable for pop fans and prog rock fans, this unfortunately was Saga's last great record.

Saga have had their share of lineup changes along the way; one of the most talked about came in late 2007, when longtime frontman Michael Sadler left the band (Rob Moratti was hired as a replacement the following year). Sadler had been Saga's lead singer from the beginning; he was around back when the Canadian prog rockers were still calling themselves Pockets (which was also the name of an Earth, Wind & Fire-ish soul-funk band that recorded three LPs for Columbia in the late '70s), and his departure came after no less than 30 years with the band. Documenting a 2007 show in Munich, Germany, Contact: Live in Munich was recorded/filmed during Sadler's final tour with Saga…

Nearly 30 years after their self titled debut album, Canadian melodic/prog rock legends, Saga are back to offer their amazing new (seventeenth) studio album, Trust. Trust once again delivers that trademark Saga sound; progressive rock chops combined with memorable, radio-friendly melodies…

Saga's first major-label release was also the band's commercial breakthrough; the single "On the Loose" was not only a radio hit, but one of the first videos to be featured on the fledgling MTV network. Fortunately, the rest of the album holds up nearly as well as that fine single; fleshing out the songs' arrangements with lots of interesting instrumental detail, the band manages to maintain their progressive rock roots while producing strong, effective pop tunes. The lyrics are interesting and intelligent without being pretentious or eggheaded. World's Apart is the work of a band at the peak of its skill and inspiration, and may be Saga's best album.

Finally reunited with their original singer Michael Sadler, the band is stronger than ever. 20/20 has all that it takes to become an instant progressive rock classic…

This DVD project came together when during a break in the touring of the "Marathon World Tour". The Band started to review the untold hours of video and thousands of photos from the tour. None of the video or photos had been shot with the intention of a DVD in mind but after reviewing all of this, the possibility was raised and the editing began…

Full Circle. Indeed. You don't need to understand the significance of the title or artwork to appreciate this album, but the background history is important. Saga emerged in the late seventies with a style of music that fused the coming synthesizer-driven pop sound with hard rock guitars and a flair for progressive instrumental sections. Add to that songs of science fiction and intrigue and you have what made the first four albums Saga classics…