Release Date: 8 April 1978
Song Count: 8
Duration: 45 minutes, 31 seconds
Rating: 7.2/10
Description:
Song Count: 8
Duration: 45 minutes, 31 seconds
Rating: 7.2/10
Description:
From one rock album made by a band that has since disbanded to another from a group that has been going for almost five decades and is still kicking, we now hop onto Saga and their self-titled debut album from all the way back in 1978. One of the oldest albums I've had the pleasure of reviewing so far, this record is one that dates far back enough to have reached a sort of legendary status amongst the band's smaller yet highly dedicated following, and contains that tracks that since have only rarely ever been performed by the musicians involved (with "Climbing The Ladder" straight-up never being performed live at all). Saga has since been extremely active in the field of old-school progressive rock music, releasing many more albums and going on several tours across its long lifespan, even surviving a breakup and multiple of its original members leaving and returning, and as such has had plenty of time to evolve its musical identity - so it will be especially interesting looking back on where it all started for them.
In classic progressive music fashion, the tracks featured in this album take a decent amount of space and length to themselves, almost all of which exceed four minutes with two of them even going above the seven minute mark. The instruments, composition and mixing of the music feels relatively of its time, showcasing a glimpse into what its genre holds in the future whilst containing itself to the musical norms of those days. Atop a melodic and often indulgent backing sounds a young Michael Sadler's voice adding a big dash of character and energy that keeps the experience particularly memorable. While a majority of the songs - especially the longer ones - do end up drawing themselves out a little excessively after a while and letting their level of interest wane, there do exist a few that avoid this pitfall and manage to be both intriguing for a listen and tightly packed, most notably the most energetic track that is "Give Em The Money". "Ice Nice" also provides a slower, atmospheric and more spacious sounding bout of music that works quite well, in spite of also overstaying its welcome after a bit, though it does try to combat this around halfway through to moderate success.
For a record from such a long time ago, a lot of Saga's contents hold up impressively well in terms of quality and enjoyment, and that is due to a mixture of it laying the foundations of a genre that is more than willing to go off the walls for artistic visions, as well as it consistently introducing new settings for the listener to develop a mental attachment to. As such, in spite of it being far from a flawless piece of work and overindulging itself a little at times, there is plenty of great rock music to be explored and listened to here. Saga's work most certainly deserves more attention than it has gotten over the years, and their origin in the form of their eponymous work is no exception to that statement. A pleasant surprise for sure!