Saga 1999 Full Circle (2017 fan re-EQ)

[@annasimone25]

As many prog fans are well aware, Saga created some wonderful albums during the 90's and well into the 21st century. Their desire and self commitment to record epic music never ends. Bless 'em!

[@mpowacht]

Love early Saga, esp. their debut, Images at Twilight, Silent Knight, Worlds Apart, Heads or Tales.

[@jorgepinto2085]

@@mpowacht Those are the best!

[@jeanpierrehespel7732]

"Epic" : the right Word !

[@jorgepinto2085]

@@jeanpierrehespel7732 You´re right ! That´s the word!

[@joeturner6192]

God I love this band. No respect from the U.S. music critics. I wish I could write songs like these. Just amazing.

[@CrimsonThorns]

Joe - I love this band as well. I have their full cd catalog. I am mostly into the heavy metal genre, but SAGA is one prog-band that has always captured me. I have enjoyed the transitions and experimenting they did musically from their inception thru Generation 13...and beyond.

[@Retroscoop]

The US music critics are indeed selectively tonedeaf. So many fantastic bands never got the push they needed, think Strangeways.

[@michaelb.42112]

Couldn't agree more, Joe ! SAGA is one of the prog jewels that went right over the critics heads, but then again prog have never been mainstream. The production value that SAGA has is amazing. Perfectly mixed, etc. - Mike

[@dmitr2004]

The band is extremely popular in Germany though

[@mpowacht]

@@CrimsonThorns spot on. Metal, esp. Black metal junkie, but Saga and Rush will always have a special spot in my heart!

[@shaunclarke1206]

Saw them last month In Buffalo area. Sounded awesome

[@pilotfish4171]

@@shaunclarke1206 Mr Sadler is at the hospital currently, I really hope what you saw will not be Saga's last shows

[@kurttoogs1378]

Uncle Albert's Eyes is unique. Haunting!

[@PriorsHell]

Saw Saga Misbehaviour Tour, Birmingham Ocean (UK) , they were brill. Been out the prog scene for years, now trying to catch up on old & new bands, there's loads to out there! Thanks Pilotfish from a geriatric Englishman

[@bsharpmajorscale]

I just started getting into this band a few days ago. Glad most of their stuff is on Spotify, but glad that this one's available here, since I couldn't find it there.

[@richarddanner4803]

One thing you can always say……. The vocals are always there!!!!!!!!!

[@henrikcarmel1]

A great band with 200 songs. Lots to hear. And still - when they play live - they always focus on giving the old fans the classics.

[@MelvinCruz]

I miss the presentations this band did at PUERTO RICO 🇵🇷 years in a row at the San Juan Bay.In one of their presentations at San Juan Michael their singer stood after the first song and said "What you want to hear!!!!!!" EVERYONE say a different song in the front and the guy with his finger said that oone,one, one,that one...he continued and there was a lot of songs and every single one they guive to the people to enjoy. THE BEST CONCERT OF MY LIFE,I MOMENT I LOVE TO REMEMBER AND TELL ALL MY FRIENDS. GOD SPEED SAGA🔥💪🔥💪🔥💪🔥💪

[@deadweight6090]

Digging this album.Pretty dam good.

[@rhyswalker6706]

Awesome album, it would be cool to have a poster of that front cover simply amazing

[@progmeup]

The cover is actually a really large painting! Watch out for the vinyl reissue coming soon.

[@fredyantoniot]

Amazing,powerfull and MASTERPIECE 🤘

[@glenacker3557]

Saga is so far an excellent 👏 band . Every album that came out been a hit

[@rainerbuchner6108]

Und wieder würde mir mit pilotfish mehr von der sagahaften Welt alter Freude eröffnet... Danke!!

[@pilotfish4171]

You're welcome :-)

[@albertoducloux1585]

Másters for all times!!!!

[@MadsHutters]

2001 we survived the Eternal Explosion because I met a Danish speaking Space Alien while winked my eyes 1974 + Neardeath Experience 1989 at Ryesgade 106 employed by Poul

[@glenacker3557]

I wish I could play the keyboard, be abessing

[@Retroscoop]

A fantasticly strong opener, but if I remain an honest Saga fan, none of the following songs equals that high level again. Don't say goodbye comes the closest. I'd rate it a 9/10 for the opener, an 8/10 for Don't say... and a 7/10 for the rest, even if some of these songs - as always with Saga - have some very good ideas hidden inside. Gilmour's solo vocals have quite some merits too.

[@trevorharrington3343]

I have to disagree! Being a young 21 year old and just recently having to move back in with my parents, "Home" Strikes my heart like no other, the whole album is great, but not quite as good as some of their other albums.

[@Retroscoop]

@@trevorharrington3343 I miss the solid well made and melodic compositions as one can find on 20/20 (Anywhere you wanna go etc.), Trust (the title track etc.) or Marathon. As a 53 year "old" I grew up with Saga, being a fan at a time when you were either a U2-fan, a Simple Minds fan or at least a Human League fan if you wanted to be hip. It was not a "let's be very anti-hip" thing from my part, I just was flabbergasted when I heard songs like Tired World or The Perfectionist for the first time. I began to be less interested after albums as Beginner's guide, Pain and the Pleasure or Generation 13, but so many years later I came back to check out what these guys have been up to since then, and I found quite a lot of fantastic songs scattered over different albums. I decided to buy several of these, including Full Circle, but among the "new" ones I discovered years later, this one certainly is one of the weakest. However I have to underline I'm not so much interested in the lyrics, but purely in the melodies: does it work out fine from A to Z, are they not ruined by an over enthousiastic drummer, a rather boring bass, a surprising but not in the good sense shift in emotions etc. But that's purely personal, not the Absolute Truth or a scientific issue with only one outcome possible. And in the end we're all Saga fans for different reasons, and that's a good thing. It's even a better thing that young people too discover this very underestimated and underrated band, that should have sold as many records as Boston or Toto.

[@progmeup]

@@Retroscoop I think Full Circle suffers from being a) too guitar-oriented (Ian doing this loud wah-wah thing, á la "Pleasure and the Pain", all over the songs, just doesn't fit) and b) too "straight" rhythmically... the drumming just isn't anywhere near as interesting as on the early albums. For an album trying to recapture the early sound, it actually has more in common with Beginner's Guide, Gen13 and P&TP , at least sonically...

[@Retroscoop]

@@progmeup Agreed that Saga's first drummer was by far the best one, maybe not technically, but what he played was so damned efficient, hand in glove with the other instrumental contributions.

[@progmeup]

@@Retroscoop But this IS Saga's first Drummer... Steve Negus just wasn't playing up to his earlier level in his last few years with the band. I think Brian Dörner especially brought the swing back. What didn't help was that Full Circle was apparently recorded remotely, so Steve was basically just drumming on an electronic drum kit and sent the band a bunch of MIDI files. No wonder it sounds stiff! House of Cards doesn't have that issue.

[@richarddanner4803]

The music is there……. The vocals are amazing… The producers failed this %100 what a miss by whoever produced this album. Would love to have the chance to reproduce and rerealse this album. Call me

[@atreyuprincipalh4043]

SAGA You Rock … God bless you for this music work you CREATE ❤

[@biffbarely7045]

Does Saga hold the record for most song sequels across multiple albums not part of a concept album?

[@pilotfish4171]

Probably

[@sivispacemparabellum6923]

29:02 Goose Skin

[@progmeup]

You forgot the Chapter title added to Uncle Albert's Eyes.

[@pilotfish4171]

Thank you :-) I will correct it ASAP

[@marktilley7222]

@@pilotfish4171 Times Up!

[@richarddanner4803]

Unbelievable band… Bad producers!!!

[@Gazsoka66]

somehow but it can be heard that drumtrack was played really separeted far from studio...by inteernet. a lack of soul...or Steve was tired, I don't know. As a drummer and longtime Saga-fan, I think Mike Thorne could play drumtrack more driving and progressive. I miss the power and drive in drumlines, that were on the classics for eg. Heads or tales, or Saga I. or Silent knight. Uncle A eyes, Timebomb, Dont say goodbye are awesome songs, reminding the original classic Saga-tunes!

[@pilotfish4171]

That explains the weird choice of electronic drums. It was probably transcoded to midi via electronic drums played by Mr Negus,then the midi code put into a software. Recording at different studios and gathering the result is very common now thanks to fiber optic internet, but back in 1999, midi was the solution, because it weights nothing to download

[@progmeup]

That explains why the live versions of these songs sound better...

[@clauswalter9586]

Für mich das Album nach Worlds apart......

[@richarddanner4803]

I could have made this band better than Zeppelin!!!!

[@richarddanner4803]

Producers should be fired!!! Not the correct first song for this album ⚾️