SAGA MARATHON: Humble Stance - See them Smile - Don't be Late | OUR REACTION | JUST AMAZING BAND!!!

[@arthurmol6875]

Don t be late is a masterpiece

[@gornhorror]

This kind of stuff was on MTV in the early days. My generation was so lucky!!! GEN X baby!!!

[@kellsogolf]

Worlds Apart was the first time I heard this band. I kept the tape in my car for 20 years after high school in the 80's

[@shabozz8762]

Another great call you two. Saga ? Really ? That was awesome. Good for you guys !!

[@MikeRoftHolmes]

Seen them live about 25 times. Lucky me. 😁

[@glennlee1983]

Saga is a hidden treasure!...more Canada please from a proud Canadian...

[@rubicon-oh9km]

Triumph. Rush. Gordon. Joni. Neil. April Wine. Chilliwack. Guess Who. Kim Mitchell... To name a few. All Canadians should be proud of their incredible music pedigree.

[@MindRiot395th]

​@@rubicon-oh9km ...Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Kim Mitchel, Tom Cochrane, Harlequin, Aldo Nova, Heart, Payola$, The Tragically Hip, Trooper, Matthew Good Band, Sloan, Watchman, Age Of Electric, Sam Roberts, Edwin and the Pressure, Alexisonfire, Sum 41, Our Lady Peace, Moist, Big Sugar, Blue Rodeo, Big Wreack, Billy Talent, July Talk, Crown Lands, and the list goes on and on...

[@iliafigueroa4820]

Heart??? Aren’t they from wash state area?

[@Musiquesaecouter]

All Canadians? That's impressive, thanks for sharing. 😎 What do they become? Are they all wonder worth listening? 🤔

[@mattycobby27]

Max Webster

[@ritchmoore1442]

Love Saga! Saw them a few years ago, and they still sounded great! "On The Loose" and Wind Him Up" are musts.

[@richfaille6244]

I don't know how you got such good sound on this video; I've never heard these early albums so clear!! I can remember discovering them in my college days, was a huge Saga fan for all of their early albums. Love you guys - God bless!

[@chago4212]

Hi guys! Saga it's one of my favorite old time band! I had the oportunity to see them live on november 1990 in Nürenberg! Nazareth open the concert, then came Saga (Saga its' one of the best live sound i ever heard, they sound like a CD), and Kansas finished the show! What an excellent concert! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@mvunit3]

WOW! 😮 Saga and Kansas!!! That would be it for me, no need to see anymore shows! 2 of 3 of my all time fave bands :D.

[@mightyV444]

That's a pretty decent line-up! 😀👍 I'd been to a show in Koblenz, Germany in '92, when Negus and Gilmour had just rejoined the band, and it was a pretty good night, too! 😊

[@qwerpoiu1503]

Great reaction. I am from Japan and thank you so much for you guys diving into Saga. These days, very rare to find anyone checking out Saga (one of my fav band since early 80s). There are many important songs you have not touched though...I am really hoping you would be some more rounds cos I have no doubt you would enjoy more Saga. I highly recommend 1) Winds him up 2) On the loose (from 1981 Worlds Apart album), 3) Scraching the surface and 4) The Flyer (from 1983 Heads or Tales album), 5) Misbehavour (from 1985 Behaviour album),

[@paulroutledge5269]

Saga are from my hometown Oakville Ontario Canada saw them twice first at the Oakville Centre and then at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto fantastic live band . You should explore more of there first album songs like Ice Nice and The Perfectionist great songs !!

[@ObscurumMetallicus]

Just heard them live yesterday in Denmark. They were so awesome.

[@JeromeDukes]

SAGA is keyboards and guitar driven. What I like most about the band is the creativity on how the keyboards and guitar share the same space, the instrumentation works so well together. Excellent musicians and the lead singer Sadler is a awesome. SAGA is a hidden treasure from a North American pov. In Europe, especially Germany the band had star status and were very popular.

[@digibirder]

Welcome to Saga. There's a lot to mine here! They are amazing live. "Wind Him Up", "On the Loose", "Mouse in a Maze".

[@mikescriber1777]

I love that you are reacting to a phenomenal Canadian band. While Rush was idolized in Canada, unfortunately Saga’s popularity was greater in Europe. I really do not know why, but other than Rush and Tragically Hip, this is one of my favourite Canadian bands. One of the most recognizable singers. You have proven once again you have one of the most diverse tastes in music. Thank you for this.

[@kenslater7354]

First saw them at Reading Rock Festival, UK in 1981 and immediately got some albums upon arriving home. Seen them a few times on Cruise to the Edge and met them through a friend who played with Jim Gilmour (Keys) when they were youngsters in Canada. Great band and lovely guys. #nicknlexrequest

[@deanlombard9089]

Great pic guys! Growing up in the states just across the border from Montreal, Saga got a lot of radio play on the Canadian Rock stations. I had a chance to see them once at an outdoor venue with Styx. There is so much great Canadian progressive and rock music. I was and am fortunate to be in an area I got exposed to it early on. You have to react to one of their largest hits, On the Loose. A rock classic!! Rock On!

[@maxstephanakkordeonspieler6359]

Diese Musik schafft es immer wieder mit meinen 66 Jahren ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zu zaubern. 🤗

[@maxstephanakkordeonspieler6359]

mit...

[@richardthresh3587]

I've loved Saga for years. Way back in '79 I bought - on the strength of a magazine review - a copy of Images At Twilight (Saga's second album). I was blown away by them and bought their first 6 albums as and when the came out!

[@chrisbatchelor864]

I saw them a couple times at a bar in Scarborough a suburb of Toronto, late 70s. Sounded just as amazing live...much louder in a bar!!

[@paulkirk9168]

Hi NicknLex, i am massively into Rush, heard some Triumph, April Wine & BTO but am amazed that i did not know about this band! Was a pleasant surprise & i am getting the comparisons with Styx so need to check out more of their albums!

[@erikberg5363]

I’m a little embarrassed to admit I’m Canadian but hadn’t heard anything by this band before! I’m a huge Rush fan but just never got around to checking these guys out. I was really blown away by how good these songs were though! Agree with pretty much everything you guys said. Thanks so much for introducing me to them, I’m definitely going to be diving into their music very soon! On a slightly different topic, Max Webster is another Canadian band from right around the same time with a similar vibe, I’m a big fan of them as well. Definitely worth checking out.

[@9RJA]

Gotta do Wind Him Up and On the Loose, probably their 2 biggest hits. There are lots of good videos available to see them playing live. The frontman sometimes jumps on a second set of keyboards and sometimes even plays bass while the bassist is on other keyboards. The guitarist is excellent!!

[@Musiquesaecouter]

Exactly, Michael Sadler were also playing bass guitar like Jim Crichton(I suspect him to have written most of Saga tunes in the shades) by the way they both are playing keyboards as well, Jim was mostly at the Moog bass on one stand, Michael were adding piano and melodic parts on several songs. Very versatile musicians!

[@ramonocasio8413]

There are better songs

[@gregorywchance317]

Amazing band!! I met the singer ( Michael Sadler) in New Jersey 2 weeks ago he was singing with PROGJECT it was an awesome concert. They played the Progrock songs they loved ( ELP, Genesis, Yes etc ) Your reaction videos are great!!

[@tommycanadasmobazimmer]

Nice to see some CanCon - Saga - Huge in Germany - did OK in Canada - The Sadler brothers went to my High School in my Town Oakville Ontario, Canada

[@mightyV444]

* Crichton brothers 😉

[@RichW]

Saga has been one of my top 10 favorite bands. I started listening in 1981. Lost track of them 90s and 2000's. They have been putting out new music and I didn't even know. Saw them live in chicago area in 2019. Their live show is still fantastic and still sound great. It's too bad they never really a big fan base in the US like I feel they deserve.

[@mvunit3]

I was in a Record Store in 1995 (that is still there), in Encinitas Calif. and was looking on the shelves, and they surprisingly had Saga section, and there were 3 albums that I said outloud; "What the Hell???". I had no idea that they were still together THEN :P. One of those albums was "Generation 13" . . . I was totally SHOCKED that they did an all out Concept Album, and it became on of my fave concept albums, VERY unique.

[@johncassidy3071]

Crichton is phenomenal on guitar.

[@toddashton9696]

Really fun video guys!. I remember listening to Saga growing up, and really liked them. Please listen to the following tracks which were my favorites: Scratching the Surface On The Loose Wind Him Up The Flyer You're Not Alone The Perfectionist Cat Walk Don't Be Late Careful Where You Step. The band had a lot of success in Canada and Germany, but for some reason was lost in the US. I never understood that.

[@mightyV444]

They do listen to 'Don't Be Late' in this video! 😉 Great suggestions otherwise! 😊👍

[@jmcd4999]

I'm a long time Saga fan. So many good songs. You are just "Scratching the surface", which, by the way, is a very good song from them. :) Hope you react to many more!

[@eddiebruce8944]

😁bout time you guys! thank you for the Saga reaction now it's April Wine time.

[@rubicon-oh9km]

Oh my. Saga is a massive rabbit hole you can both get totally lost in.

[@michaelj3414]

In Toronto, it was common for our bands to play high school auditoriums to rehearse for bigger venues in upcoming tours pending new album releases. In September 1980, my first month of high school, our auditorium was visited by Saga and I was first row. That night is seared in my memories. I heard all these song performed that night. I've always loved this band and have a hard time not putting them above Rush. Many times I'll reach for Saga before Rush, and I've seen Rush many times so that says alot. The cherry on top is that Saga's current drummer is someone I went to school with there and was probably in the same audience with me watching them. This reaction was a treat.

[@paulcarfantan6688]

Ha ! "Don`t be late", the first song I heard from them on rock radio in 1982. It was the live version and once I heard it I was hooked on Saga. They have many great songs, but that one is just a little masterpiece. And the official video of it is just too good.

[@rmurphy4299]

You folks would be well served to dig up (on line) SAGA...SPIN IT AGAIN IN MUNCHEN. Great video of the Lads at work but much heavier sound. The German audience seems to know every word.....CAREFUL WHERE YOU STEP!

[@bobford100]

Well worth checking out some live Saga tracks you guys.... Another excellent live band... 👍👍👍👍 Cheers Bob..

[@spikeysnack]

"You and the Night" off their "Behaviour" album is one of the best love ballads any prog band has ever made.

[@Musiquesaecouter]

Totally agree 😇

[@geneleonard4368]

Saga is a terrific underrated band , I'm not familiar with all their albums because they have so many ! Ugh ! But their biggest selling album was "World's Apart " that was a big seller in the US with several hits - On the loose , Wind him up . The 1st several albums are big Saga fan favorites .I personally like "Wildest dreams " , "Heads or tails" & "House of cards" is excellent & of course "Worlds apart " ✌️😎. p.s. another Canadian prog band friends with Rush was FM their 1st album " Black noise " was a gold record which is excellent .Their other albums are "Surveillance ", " Direct to disc" ," City of fear " .. love it ! , " Tonight" & "Transformation "

[@mvunit3]

Good to see FM fans showing up here too! :D

[@BeCoShooter]

Great choice. Been a fan since day one. I have 23 of their CD's. Many, many great songs. The interplay between guitar and keyboard is awesome. Check out "Conversations" from Worlds Apart for an example.

[@peterg1646]

I saw Saga open for Jethro Tull in 1982, San Antonio, TX. A lot of Rush fans in Texas liked Saga.

[@shyshift]

I love Saga been a fan since 1978. They should have been huge but another too talented to make it band.

[@gregcormier2379]

As an older Rush fan when I first heard Saga on the Radio,it was their song "On the Loose", I was definitely intrigued.They sounded really good musically with a nice mix of prog/Pop and I had to run out and buy their "World Apart album to hear more. They kind of reminded me of Styx so they filled a void between Rush albums.

[@extracaliber432]

You may also like, On The Loose or Wind Him Up.

[@RushTrader]

Yes, definitely go with either of those two, can't go wrong!

[@Musiquesaecouter]

Great Nick n Lex! Saga! The underrated Canadian prog band! They were second generation group after Rush starting in 1978. Yes, you just discovered another Rabbit hole 😇. Great chosen selection, maybe on that second album "Images at twilight" you could have chosen "You're not alone" who was maybe the most epic famous title, particularly on stage. Also "Mouse in a maze" is powerful excellent, or the ballad "Images" who got an impressive piano intro. Maybe that third Album "Silent knight" 1980 were among their best in his totality. Saga in fact got many catchy songs along the years (my favorites remains the old albums until 1985) heavy with keyboards (many Moogs then) and very virtuosic keyboardist Jim Gilmour (after Peter Rochon after 1978) as well as the guitarist. Finally they were all great in their symbiosis. Check out some other songs like "The perfectionist" "Ice nice" "Wind him up" "Framed" " Pitchman" 😉 more...Obviously their Covers were very Sci-fi, but nice (I was also reading Sci-fi stories then , there were a market then)

[@justinburke2890]

Saga is a great band! Their first 5 albums are all stellar! While you're checking out Canadian bands check out some Triumph and April Wine as well!!

[@mvunit3]

I sent them also 4 Triumph albums, and solo albums of Geddy, and Alex (Victor), 3 Devin Townsend Band/Project and Casualties of Cool, and Kim Mitchell's debut album. Maybe in the Fall I'll send a couple of April Wine, BTO and if I can find them, the 1st 3 *FM* albums :). The 1st 2 Annihilator albums would be awesome, but may be too heavy for Lexi (I think "Goreguts" would be MUCH too heavy for the N&L audience! :P).

[@dickmeijer5363]

Don' 't forget Mystery, another great Canadian band. Great guitars and keyboards and above all a very good singer and front man.

[@davidbentley145]

A nice snappy lil tune...it's gotta fun toe tappin quality to it...Wow! Thanks guys

[@josephtee8911]

They were a great band. I got to see them live in a small bar. I was front and center. Great memories of these songs.

[@andrewmackinnon3378]

It is clear the requested tracks purpously avoided the "hits" which I love. Having said that, the hits are definitely worth checking out. As many suggested here "on the loose" and "wind him up" are both great tracks and well worth the listen. I had the pleasure of seeing Saga play in bar at Nags Head North in the Toronto area and also saw them open for Aerosmith years later. A very tight Live prog band with a great sound. Great request!

[@mikescriber1777]

I have seen many great bands at Nags Head North, but none as big as Saga. Sorry I missed that one. Must have been great.

[@NicknLex]

Those were just random pics from myself. This video was not a request. More line a thank you to Tony for getting us the CDs. Thanks for the suggestions 😊

[@andrewmackinnon3378]

@@NicknLex In that case...well done!!!

[@andrewmackinnon3378]

@@mikescriber1777 Saw FM there as well as Kim Mitchell soon after his split from Max Webster. I've been lucky enough to catch a few bigger acts in bars around Toronto. I remember seeing BTO at a place called The Antex (not sure if that's the correct spelling) and April Wine at Applebee's in Scarborough. All great shows.

[@mvunit3]

Jeez! Did Steven Tyler try to "unplug" Saga??? :P I love early Aerosmith but I'd imagine Saga blew them off stage. Tyler was known to unplug bands if they were getting a better reaction. Kansas tells their story on the documentary "Miracles Out of No Where".

[@j.c.a2872]

On the Loose is also an amazing song, great reaction !!!!

[@robertheckman8013]

Saga, another of the bands appearing on Cruise to the Edge the first week of May. Plus, Michael Sadler is part of a new "supergroup" called ProgJect. They are playing at the pre-cruise party on May 1st in Cape Canaveral.

[@mvunit3]

Oh wow, knew nothing of "ProJect", will have to check them out :).

[@marklarue7743]

You seemed to really like them. Check out albums:Full Circle and 20/20. As a prog rock fanatic, Saga, Genesis, Rush, and Peter Gabriel top my list. Love to see your reactions to their later stuff.

[@stephanevilleneuve9450]

Saga is a great underrated band. They were really popular in Germany.

[@mightyV444]

Still are! 😄

[@chrislegner4816]

I discovered this band my first year in college. Really enjoyed these albums. Excellent choices and enjoyable, generous commentary as always. Well done!

[@coscrupi]

I love my Saga...... next album (4th) is the best. Forgive me for saying...... What a beautiful smile she has ! 😊

[@extracaliber432]

Saw these guys live in the rain in London, great show.

[@sammarsh3679]

So glad to see this. I'm lucky enough to know these guys from the Cruise to the Edge. I even got to work with their current drummer Mike Thorne a few years ago. A fantastic live band, worth checking out the recent live footage to see how powerful Michael Sadler really is. The first 5 albums are damn near perfect throughout, but they are always high quality to this day, and always occupying their own space. They did open for Rush at one point, so they actually do all know each other. Their latest is Symmetry from last year, which features really good acoustic reworks of older songs. They also happen to be really nice guys.

[@garybeaudette4208]

Thank you for this, I have been a Saga fan when i got their 2nd album in 1979. I got to see them when they opened up Jethro Tull in the early 80's in Montreal. Check out their live DVD's, they are a fantastic band! Love your channel, keep up the great reactions.

[@chrisbrugma1811]

Awesome guys , totally blown away by you doing Saga. Some other hits by them is On the Loose, Wind Him Up, Careful Where You Step, Scratching the Surface, The Flyer and Catwalk. Edit so after you said you see them live in a heartbeat, I couldn't help but pop back in to tell you both to listen to their live album "In Transit".

[@Test4Echos]

In the early 80's, a friend and I picked up Images at Twilight and Silent Knight only from the cover art alone in the record store. We had never heard the band, but we bought one album each. At home I was totally blown away! I'm a musician myself, and loved their musicianship and the feel of their songs. Have seen them live twice, once in small movie theatre(!) with amazing sound before Heads or Tales, and then in an arena after that album came out. Amazing band that carved out a niche for themselves in the music world back then.

[@iliafigueroa4820]

Yes, they will love on the loose. The in transit album is a KILLER! They forgot to mention that they became super magna famous here in puerto rico. Last time i read wiki, it said that.

[@iliafigueroa4820]

I’ve seem them here many times. Once a buddy of mine-we studied in university-that eventually became a music event producer was at one concert and we met random and he ushered me in backstage and i met the whole original band and all of them signed my ticket stub! That was in the 1990s i think. And recently, some months ago they gave another concert here and the director of the venue is my neighbor and he invited me in to see them practice. I took my 5-year old son and he was amazed at the sound! It was his first ever loud rock concert! We again went backstage, met them all, signed my original 1980 silent knight LP that my dad(RIP) bought me in 1980, hanged out with them, talked about the island and music, told them were they could smoke(normal cigars!) outside of the venue, guided them there, took pics, their drum tech offered my boy to sit on the drums but he didn’t want to 🙄, then i went to see the guitars area and the guitar and bass tech is another friend of mine, a famous guitarist and producer, abd he let me hold and look at all the gear and guitars, what else can i tell you! One of my best concert or practice experiences ever yet!

[@iliafigueroa4820]

I live in puerto rico, seen them many times in concert and met them all in the 1990s and now just a few months ago. Steve negus met someone here and decided to stay and live here!

[@sergio_sosa]

Saga is a great band!!! The bass on "Don't be late" was played on a Moog keyboard...

[@sammarsh3679]

Jim C played the Moog, but Michael Sadler plays bass guitar on it as well.

[@Musiquesaecouter]

Haha, well in a way they were one of their kind, having double bass, players...

[@mightyV444]

​@@sammarsh3679 - Jim Crichton switches from synth bass to bass guitar for the ending while Michael Sadler plays an additional synth. At least that's what I'd seen in a live clip recently from a French TV performance back in the day 🙂

[@erre_gomez]

Fueron muy famosos en Puerto Rico. Creo que el primer concierto de rock aquí fue de ellos.

[@dandecastro51]

Saga was very successful at producing radio hits, whilst including a "prog" feel, and deeply writing really proggy tracks on the rest of the album... Also, like the Hip, & Rush, very distinct sound.

[@naftaking]

If you haven’t heard “Worlds Apart” your missing what brought a lot of use to this band. Great album.

[@richardconnolly4835]

An exploration of Canadian Rock has to include The Tragically Hip. A contemporary of Saga was the group Triumph which was huge in both the U.S. and Canada.

[@billg763]

Max Webster, Klaatu, Chilliwack

[@richardconnolly4835]

@@billg763 How about Spirit of the West - Home for a Rest, A Foot in Cold Water - Make Me Do Anything You Want, Northern Pikes - She Ain't Pretty or Blue Rodeo - Try.

[@billg763]

@@richardconnolly4835 Never did hear Spirit of the West. Foot in Cold Water, yes. Northern Pikes, yes. Do you remember The Hometown Band out of Vancouver? Folk, progressive rock. They became the back up band for Valdy.

[@mvunit3]

How about the SCARY Canadian bands :P. Rail Unleash the Archers Voivod Annihilator Into Eternity Strapping Young Lad Goreguts Cryptopsy Kataklysm Augury Beyond Creation . . . and the not so scary FM Devin Townsend, Devin Townsend Band, Devin Townsend Project, and Casualties of Cool :)

[@garyives8676]

I didn't know Saga other than the 80's hit On The Loose which I love. Thank you for this reaction! Love your channell!

[@mikearchibald744]

I think that was just BARELY the eighties wasn't it? Their biggest stuff was in the seventies I think.

[@peterhansen3718]

Saw them live for the first time in Hamilton Ontario Canada in 1981. Awesome show. Their opening act was Bryan Adams. Saga is my second favourite band after Rush. Keep up the great reactions.

[@larryclark5422]

"On the Loose" put them on the map.

[@tomvenner6030]

They hail fro Brantford ON, about 20 min from where I live! Seen them live a few times, supper tight.

[@steveberenyi251]

Thanks for the SAGA marathon. As with SWEET & AXEL RUDI-PELL, you are the 1st and only of my subscribed reactors to view this band! Thank You so much - brilliant! I first discovered this group early 1980 when the 2nd & 3rd LP was released at the same time in the UK [Polydor] and I have followed them ever since.There is another Canadian 3-piece that sits inbetween RUSH and SAGA called TRIUMPH who are always largely overlooked and under-rated. Their albums were on RCA and then MCA such as Just A Game ,Progressions Of Power, Allied Forces ,Never Surrender and Thunder Seven. Favourite tracks include Magic Power, Allied Forces ,Fight The Good Fight, Ordinary Man and Spellbound. A TRIUMPH trio marathon would be fantastic. Once Again - Cheers - Take Care!

[@dennisloveland498]

Images at Twilight was the second album. Silent Knight was the third.

[@-R.Gray-]

The keyboard player for the Chicago based group Styx, Lawrence Gowan grew up in a Toronto suburb, and before joining that band had his own group in Canada, "Gowan". They used to play his songs "A Criminal Mind", and "You're A Strange Animal" on the radio a lot, but I don't know if these songs made an impact in the U.S..Another Canadian band of note is Triumph, whose lead singer/guitarist Rik Emmett had his Back To Basics column in Guitar Player Mag. for over 10 yrs. Another Toronto band, A Foot In Cold Water, had a 1972 hit "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want" with a very melodic solo played through a rotating Leslie cabinet.

[@clauderoy4857]

I saw Saga twice and the 80. Very good Canadian band. Best songs from them: on the loose, wing him up, carefull where you step, the flyer, scratching the surface, cat walk. You have to do from Canada as well April Wine, Arcade fire, Tragically hip, to name a few.

[@niged]

Saga are a great band. Don't be late one of my favourite tracks. Have their early albums on vinyl!

[@macintosh3990]

There are many great songs from Saga. I bought all of the early vinyl albums back in the day..... but one of my favourite memorable songs hast to be "Scratching the Surface"..... you have the CD, check it out.

[@paullacroix527]

In 1979 my buddy an I walked into an Oakville, Ontario bar. They were playing there as last tune up as they were taking off for Europe later that week. Unbelievably there was only about a dozen people in the bar. They were great though.

[@dorarie3167]

This used to be probably my fave band in the early 80s when I was in my synth bag. Loved Humble Stance and Don’t Be Late. I got to see their drummer, Steve Negus, do a Simmons synth drum demo in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Of course, I’m a big Rush fan too.

[@iliafigueroa4820]

I live in puerto rico, seen them many times in concert and met them all in the 1990s and now just a few months ago. Steve negus met someone here and decided to stay and live here!!!

[@justy303]

These guys are up there with Rush! Been a fan since "Live in Transit".

[@orioletes]

Saga es una de mis bandas favoriitas de cualquier género. Creo que su mayor virtud es que saben mezclar una técnica muy depurada con unas melodías pop muy únicas y distintivas. El resultado final son composiciones memorables con momentos muy espectaculares y cinematogràficos.

[@a.k.1740]

There is a funny story about Saga in their early days: At the very beginning of the 80s a music critic had asked Michael Sadler (Saga's lead vocalist) what the musical style of the band was, and the latter had replied in a joking tone that the style of Saga was medieval funk !!! (the music critic had taken it at face value and printed it that way in their music review !). Still, the band's musical style was very eclectic and almost incongruous, especially on their first three albums. it incorporated a bit of progressive rock but also a touch of bouncy pop-rock but also some new wave sounds and even sometimes some rhythms close to disco with on top, a guitar with biting sounds sometimes flirting with hard rock and a keyboard with classical influences. In the end, all this mixture gives the Saga style ! A very special album in Saga's discography is the concept album Generation 13 (released in 1995) whose tracks are divided into 25 chapters and whose very particular musical style has either completely displeased the usual fans of the band, or attracted those more prone to change and surprises. I am one of those who admire this very surprising album, which you have to listen to in full at once because all the songs follow one another almost without interruption. I hope you will have the opportunity to give it a listen !

[@mikearchibald744]

I'm going to check that out. I kind of lost interest after Heads or Tales, their next album was fairly forgetable. The guys got a great voice, no doubt about that. "No Regrets" is just a haunting track.

[@a.k.1740]

@@mikearchibald744 Generation 13 is a darker album, both musically and in theme (the concept is inspired by the 1993 book 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail? by American authors Neil Howe and William Strauss). It's really a unique and atypical album in the Saga discography. Either you love it or you hate it, no half measure.

[@mikearchibald744]

@@a.k.1740 Cool, I like theme albums at least for the attempt, they usually aren't very commercial at all, sadly. Peter Gabriel tried a concept album around 2000 and even he really couldn't get any kind of media attention. Its sad that in music there are glorious riches that await you if you release semi unique radio friendly pablum, but if you try anything unique then you basically will starve. Its partly why there is so much really shitty music around today. I actually find the most interesting music that I can find on radio in my province is the french country station which has acadian country which is often really out there.

[@mvunit3]

Generation 13 was a Happy SHOCK for me . . . I didn't know they were still together in 1995! So seeing "3" albums that I didn't know at a Record Shop off the 101 Hwy in San Diego county was a "What the hell???" moment. But when I put Gen13 on and reading the lyrics . . . . I said to myself; "They must have heard from fans that they wanted them to go back to their roots, and they answered . . . okay, but how about a CONCEPT ALBUM!?" :O I loved all those albums before it, yes even the Prog Pop albums because they did it soo well and they were a very unique sound. They have a great catalogue of music. I HOPE one day Nick & Lexi will sit down and do a Album Reaction to Gen13 (its dark, funny, VERY prog and well done, and again, unique sounds/patches on Jim Gilmour's keyboards). Btw - seems that the original CD has had a new "Artistic/Graphic" treatment, and has been released as an "Lp" as well, so I need to get a new copy of both! - So glad that soo many Saga Fans have showed-up!

[@a.k.1740]

@@mvunit3 Generation 13 is one of Saga's very best albums but it is sometimes misunderstood or underestimated. I even saw the band on the Generation 13 Tour in fall '95. John Wetton opened for them as a solo act. For whatever reason I can't remember, it wasn't Ian Crichton on guitar for the European tour but Marcus Deml who did a fantastic job replacing him at short notice ! I have very good memories of this concert seen in a small club.

[@notdirsale7426]

Nice reaction . Saga released in their over40 Years 21 Studio albums and 6 Live-albums and everyone is good until fantastic .

[@andersgranstrom7128]

Started to listen to Saga on the Behaviour-album.... Didn´t think much of it at first, then it grew on me.- like no other band/album ever had before! Turned into total love! 😍And Ian och guitar turned into on of my favorite guitarplayers! So much cool stuff here - another way of thinking, doing music - love it!!

[@alansicular545]

Been listening to Saga since they did their first album.What an amazing band that never got the recognition in the US that they should have.I did see them live once and was blown away by the superb musicianship these guys have.

[@ELEcomments]

Saga is a great band! highly recommend you check out "Scratching The Surface", "On The Loose", "Help Me Out", "Wind Him Up", "The Sound Of Strangers", "The Flyer", "Amnesia", "Take A Chance", and the instrumental song by them "Conversations" #nicknlexrequest

[@perlarsson8430]

Since Germany always has been been one of this band's biggest markets I am a bit surprised that Nick never has heard of them. Could be agerelated, of course. Anyway, thanks for yet another great reaction.

[@mikearchibald744]

Popular in Germany, but not exactly recently. In the eighties they were huge there, and even the nineties but as we see from prog, its a generational thing. While I hear a lot of people grousing about what kids are listening to, from what I see and hear its 'just about everything' which is great to hear. David Hasselhof is also huge in Germany. What that means I don't know.

[@Musiquesaecouter]

I remember also Barclay James Harvest a British soft prog band, so huge in Germany (with the help of their Berlin concert in 1980 perhaps but they got already another fame before as they began in the late sixties), how strange!

[@frankswarbrick7562]

A lesser known Canadian band you might want to check out is FM; particularly their first album Black Noise. The title track is pretty epic.

[@colinmacdonald9052]

Hi Nick and Lex, My name is Colin, and I work with SAGA as a keyboard tech. I want to humbly thank you for you kind review of the SAGA. The music has evolved over the past 5 decades reflecting the changes in lives of the members, technological change, and industry directions. SAGA regards their fans as family, and with that said welcome to the family! I would invite you seek out any tour dates that might be local you, and come out and say hello. As you can imagine, a band that has been producing music and touring for almost 50 years will have many stories to tell. Surviving in this industry for that many years alone is an enormous feat all by it's self. I would like to tell you that SAGA doesn't sequence their live performances, everything you are hearing is played live, with most of the members playing multiple instruments so as you can imagine their stage show is anything but boring. Invite you also to review the Chapters, you have already reviewed Chapter 2 "Don't Be Late". Originally an 8 song story spread out over the first 8 Albums the songs were not in sequence so you weren't able to put the story together until the release of Worlds Apart in 1981. This has never been done before and was one of the many firsts in SAGA history. Come out to a show and hey you might even get a live interview? with that said I say thank you once again for your warm reception and commentary. Hope to see you on the road...

[@NicknLex]

Hi Colin! How kind of you to reach out with such kind and supportive words. You are most welcome, as it's always great to review amazing music such as Saga! We would be absolutely honored to come to a show when the stars align. Would love to say we'll see you on Cruise to the Edge, but we just couldn't put it in the budget for this year - have an absolute BLAST on there!!! Thanks for all the awesome trivia and info; we will absolutely have to checkout more of the unknown catalogue ahead! Lots of love and best wishes on the road, Lex

[@davidmugford8872]

They were a good band everyone played their instruments well with great vocals. I think I was the only Saga fan in high school.

[@Frozenghost2112]

My 3 staples growing up Rush, Saga & Triumph!

[@benjaminsanabria6021]

Saga love them, from my teenage years in Puerto Rico in the 80's, still do.😎

[@robertpearson8798]

As a Canadian of a certain age I tend to forget what songs and groups I hear on the radio that are mostly known here in Canada but little known elsewhere. I take groups like Saga, April Wine, Triumph, Chilliwack, Honeymoon Suite for granted, as well as so many others like Jeff Healy, the Barenaked Ladies, and others. The Professor of Rock picks Triumph as the most underrated 70’s and 80’s rock trio.

[@sooutrageous007]

"Gone so Long" by Chiilwack is classic.

[@mvunit3]

Honeymoon Suite, I think all or their 1st 2 albums were Produced and/or Engineered by non other than "Bob Rock" yet again (who produced Metallica's "Black" album). I STILL don't know "Chilliwack" at all, only the name for decades. What would you recommend?

[@mvunit3]

@@sooutrageous007 - I'll have to try that one out! Thanks!

[@robertpearson8798]

@@mvunit3 I only know their radio hits. Fly By Night, My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone), Crazy Talk, Whatcha Gonna Do, I Believe, and Lonesome Mary. Canadian Classic Rock Station staples.

[@intransit22]

Please more Saga Reactions !!! LIVE

[@leroyrs]

Yes ! Saga - I love ‚em. My favorite album is „Worlds apart“ and „In transit (live)“ I saw them live in 1987 in Cologne/Germany. They had such an iconic sound.

[@shyshift]

I own every studio album they have released. Their latest is Symmetry which is an unplugged album of their greatest material and it sounds terrific. If I were to choose my favorite song from each album it would be: Saga:Climbing The Ladder(1978) Images At Twilight:Mouse In A Maze(1979) Silent Knight-Careful Where You Step(1980) Worlds Apart-Wind Him Up(1982) Heads Or Tales:Scratching The Surface(1983) Behavior:Here I Am(1985) Wildest Dreams:Only Time Will Tell(1987) The Beginners Guide To Throwing Shapes:Giant(1990) The Security Of Illusion: Mind Over Matter(1993) Generation 13:The 13th Generation(1995) Pleasure And The Pain:Taxman(1997) Full Circle:Remember When?(1999) House Of Cards: The Runaway(2001) Marathon:Return To Forever(2003) Network:On The Air(2004) Trust:It’s Your Life(2006) The Human Condition(2009) 10,000 Days:Corkentellis(2011) 20/20:Six Feet Under(2012) Sagacity:Let It Slide(2014) Symmetry:Tired World(2021)

[@mvunit3]

I'm missing 3 :P You got me Rand! Yeah, a band tooooo under appreciated, and its AMAZING they are still going, but I HOPE with another album in the works (sans Jim Crichton on bass sadly).

[@mvunit3]

@@shyshift - Jim* (corrected), he only plays in-studio, not on tour apparently. You scared me there for a minute.

[@mvunit3]

@@shyshift Wow, that would REALLY suck if ever you or I are ever sad :(.

[@janvignoble]

I saw them first live in (mind you) 1980 in Amsterdam. I was 16 years old. And I saw them many time after this. Awesome band.

[@hl5597]

Thank You - brings back a lot of memories...

[@stevesheroan4131]

I loved the Worlds Apart record back in the day, and it makes me so sad that that I have to “introduce” this band to people even from MY generation, who heard their stuff on the radio on occasion. Never heard the earlier stuff, I’m hearing a cool mixture of prog and reggae, maybe some classical mixed in, and even an occasional Supertramp sort of feel. Their “hits” were Wind Him Up and On The Loose if you want to hear what we heard on the radio circa the the early/mid 80s. Edit: Lol, they mentioned the Supertramp feel about 1 minute after I typed it.

[@robb481]

Been a Saga fan since I purchased their third album, Silent Night upon its release. Absolutely blew me away. Completely unique band. With their next album, Worlds Apart they started becoming a bit more commercial but still retained their unique sound. One of my favourites of theirs though is off of the first album I bought, Silent Night, the song being Careful Where You Step. An epic masterpiece.

[@Ottotherepoman1]

Going to see them at the legendary El Mocambo tonight in Toronto! Thanks for appreciating a great Canadian band.

[@Silbentrenner]

You should really listen to all the chapters that are splitted up between the albums - the SAGA if you want to put it that way. Love them and yes, they are still a little popular in Germany. They were very very popular in the 80s.

[@paulthornley4149]

I had the privilege to have front row to Rush for their Permanent Waves tour and Saga was the back up band...amazing show!!! Please do more Saga... Slow-motion, On the Loose and Wind Him Up

[@arthurmol6875]

See them live in germany next month

[@scottstevens7639]

Saw them live in a teeny tiny club in London, Ontario in 1980. That was during the tour for that third album, ‘Silent Knight’. Never saw so many keyboards on stage up until that point. BTW, the covers on those CDs are not the original album artwork for those first three albums. The actual artwork is what you have in the thumbnail and are much more representative of the music. Also, I will echo another comment and wholeheartedly recommend the album ‘Black Noise’ by FM. IMHO it is the pinnacle of Canadian prog/space rock. It is my all-time favourite album. Period. Thank you again for continuing to take the musical path less travelled. Only a couple million more artists to discover…😜

[@mvunit3]

I'm with you on FM, "Black Noise" is an awesome album, and "Surveillance".