Saga

Saga is a Canadian progressive rock band from Oakville, Canada, active since 1977. The group forms around bassist and keyboardist Jim Crichton and vocalist and keyboardist Michael Sadler, who act as the principal songwriters. Over the years the band changes line-up many times, but Ian Crichton and Jim Crichton appear on every album, while Sadler appears on all releases except The Human Condition.

Formation and early releases

The band begins in 1977 from the remaining members of the Canadian rock group Fludd, and is first known as Pockets before adopting the name Saga. Its self-titled debut album appears in 1978 and achieves moderate success in Canada, later selling more than 30,000 copies in Germany as an import. The second album, Images at Twilight, follows in 1979 and gives the band its first charting Canadian single, “It’s Time”. Songs including “See Them Smile” and “Slow Motion” also receive radio play in other markets.

Silent Knight is released in 1980 and includes “Don’t Be Late” and “Careful Where You Step”, helping to raise the band’s international profile. Keyboardist Jim Gilmour joins in 1979 and makes his debut on this album.

Commercial peak and recognition

Worlds Apart appears in 1981 and becomes the band’s commercial breakthrough in the United States. Its lead single, “On the Loose”, reaches No. 22 in Canada and later No. 26 on the US Billboard chart, while “Wind Him Up” also charts in the US and receives MTV airplay. The album is certified gold in the United States, and Saga supports Jethro Tull on a North American tour in 1982. The band also receives the Juno Award for Most Promising Group of the Year in 1982.

Heads or Tales follows in 1983 and includes “The Flyer”, which charts in Canada and becomes the band’s final US charting single. The follow-up, “Scratching the Surface”, also charts in Canada in 1984. Behaviour is released in 1985 and includes singles such as “Listen to Your Heart” and “What Do I Know?”, the latter also charting in Canada.

Line-up changes and stylistic shifts

Drummer Steve Negus performs with Saga until 1986. He and Jim Gilmour leave the band that year and later form the Gilmour-Negus Project, releasing Safety Zone in 1988. Saga continues with Sadler and the Crichton brothers, often supported by session musicians and live players. The 1987 album Wildest Dreams, released on Atlantic Records, uses more synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines than earlier work, while The Beginner’s Guide to Throwing Shapes in 1989 moves back toward the band’s earlier progressive rock style.

Gilmour and Negus rejoin in 1992. The Security of Illusion follows in 1993 and is well received by fans in Canada and Europe. Steel Umbrellas arrives in 1994 and includes material originally developed for the television series Cobra. In 1995, Jim Crichton produces the concept album Generation 13, a story centred on Jeremy, who searches for his biological father. The album has been compared with The Who’s Quadrophenia and has a heavier sound with progressive rock influences.

Later albums and long-running concepts

Pleasure and the Pain is released in 1997, followed by the live album Detours in 1998. Studio albums Full Circle (1999), House of Cards (2001) and Marathon (2003) continue the band’s established progressive style, including episodic “chapter” structures. House of Cards includes “Money Talks”, which receives notable video airplay in Canada. Network follows in 2004, and Trust appears in 2006 with drummer Brian Doerner, who first plays live with the group in 2005.

Saga is also known for “The Chapters”, a long-running science-fiction song cycle released out of narrative order across several albums. The storyline includes ideas such as the preservation of Albert Einstein’s brain, extraterrestrial observers and technological resurrection. The first eight chapters appear between 1978 and 1981, with further chapters released between 1999 and 2003, and the complete sequence later issued as The Chapters Live in 2005.

2000s onward

Despite Jim Crichton and Michael Sadler living in Los Angeles, the band does not undertake extensive full-scale US touring after 1986, although it does play limited shows and promotional dates in the mid-2000s. Saga maintains strong popularity in Germany and also builds a significant following in Puerto Rico. A 1981 concert in Puerto Rico draws a very large crowd and is associated with disturbances outside the venue, and material from the island appears in the artwork for In Transit in 1982. The Puerto Rican legislature formally recognises the band in 2005.

In 2007, Sadler announces his intention to leave after 10,000 Days, an album title referring to roughly 10,000 days of his time with the band. Brian Doerner is temporarily replaced during the tour period, with Chris Sutherland filling in live. After auditions for a new singer, Rob Moratti joins in 2008 and sings on The Human Condition in 2009. Sadler returns in 2011, Mike Thorne replaces Doerner in 2012, and 20/20 is released that year. Sagacity follows in 2014, and the reissue programme covering material from 1989 to 2007 begins in 2015 but is later discontinued after several releases.

Recent activity

Live recording Live in Hamburg 2015 appears in limited quantities. In 2017, Saga announces a farewell tour titled The Final Chapter Tour to mark its 40th anniversary, but continues performing live after it. Jim Crichton leaves shortly before the final shows in 2018 and is replaced live by Dusty Chesterfield. A live album, So Good So Far – Live at Rock of Ages, also appears in 2018. The band tours Germany and Scandinavia in 2020 as part of the Out of the Shadows World Tour, and during the COVID-19 pandemic records the acoustic album Symmetry, released in 2021. That album includes “Tired World”, “Wind Him Up” and “Always There”, with the last song accompanied by a fan-contributed video.