Saga on the loose again with '20/20'


Michael Sadler returns to Canadian prog-rock institution
By Peter Lindblad
Saga 2012
Germany has taken its fair share of abuse from comedians for its deep and abiding love of the sonic artistry of David Hasselhoff. What people tend to forget is that, along with a thorough understanding and appreciation of the works of the giants of classical music, the country also was the first to throw its wholehearted support behind an upstart band from Canada called Saga that would engineer some of the most intriguing and dramatic progressive-rock anybody had heard since the heady days of prog’s golden age.
Heirs of a tradition – started by the likes of King Crimson, Yes and Genesis – that prized daring experimentation, unusual creativity and skillful musicianship as much as melody, Saga was formed in 1977 from the ashes of the Canadian rock outfit Fludd, taking Jim Crichton, Steve Negus and Peter Rochon to start with. A friend of Crichton’s, singer Michael Sadler, would also join up, and before long, Ian Crichton, Jim’s guitarist brother, came aboard. Rochon eventually departed, and Greg Chadd was shuffled in, until he was replaced by Jim “Daryl” Gilmour – rounding out the classic Saga lineup.  
Sinewy, labyrinthine guitars, a solid and oftentimes melodic rhythmic underpinning, Sadler’s striking vocals and dreamy synthesizers all contributed to the Saga sound that caught on immediately in Germany and, of all places, Puerto Rico. In Germany alone, Saga sold more than 30,000 import copies of their debut album, while in Puerto Rico radio advertisements for a local stereo equipment store were buoyed by the single “Humble Stance,” which propelled Saga’s first LP to surprisingly strong sales there.  
As for America, Saga had to wait until 1981 to make a dent in the States, as the gripping hooks and accelerated pace of the New Wave-tinged Worlds Apart – the band’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed LP – and its driving singles “On the Loose,” now a staple of classic rock radio, and “Wind Him Up” practically hunted down a greater U.S. audience. Now, more than 20 years later and with Sadler back in the group after leaving in 2007, Saga – comprised of all the original members, except for new drummer Mike Thorne – is experiencing a resurgence of popularity, as anticipation for the upcoming release, 20/20, not so coincidently Saga’s 20th album, seems to grow hotter by the day.
Sadler recently talked about all matters Saga, both past and present, in this interview.
Why was it the right time for you to come back in 2011? What prompted the reunion?
Michael Sadler: When I left, although it was meant to be a permanent thing, I’m pretty sure if I search myself that I left the door open to perhaps one day, somewhere down the road, that I could return if it felt right. I don’t that there was anything specific. Jim Crichton and I kept in touch after I left and I kept tabs on what the guys were doing, because you can’t just walk away from something after 30 years and not have a vested interest in how it moves forward. I don’t know if I can nail it down to one specific time when we decided it was a good time [for it], but I do remember being on the phone with Jim in early January – I was speaking with him most of the time when I was gone and following the career of the band. I don’t know whether it was he or I … we were discussing how things were going for them and this and that, and one of us said jokingly, or I may have said, “You know what, maybe I should just come back and you can make a record with me and we’ll do sold-out halls again and be rich and famous again,” just for a laugh. And he went, ‘Yeah, ha, ha, ha.” And I think that kind of stayed with us, in our heads, and I think a week or two went by, and we talked again. And then I think maybe around the third call, Jim said, “Remember what you said a few weeks ago? I wonder … do you think maybe …” and one thing led to another, and we said, maybe it is the right time, and “Do you think it’s the right time?” We went back and forth.
I discussed it with my wife, obviously, because the initial reason for leaving … the decision to leave was a family one, to be with the family, to have a child of my own, and after 30 years – which is a nice round number – I thought it was time to get off the road and focus on that. I’d always wanted a child and I never wanted to be in a position where I was on the road when he or she took their first step or said their first words. I made it a point of waiting. I thought it was the time to do it. I discussed it with my wife, and I said to Jim, “Before we take this any further, before even thinking about it, run it by the other guys,” because if not everyone is onboard with the idea, then it makes no sense to do it. So once he’d run it by them, and I had discussed it with my wife, looking at the future … I mean, she turned around to me, and honestly, she looked at me and said, “You know what? Your son knows who you are and now he knows you’re a singer, and he knows you have to leave sometimes to do concerts, so you’ve got that bond in place.” He’s four and a half, or he was four at that time. And she just looked at me and she said, “It’s who you are. It’s what you do, and you’ve accomplished what you needed to do with your son, and if you feel the time is right with this band – not necessarily with Saga – it’s time you go back out and do what you do.” So, it was a green light across the board, with the both of us looking at the family side of things, and the guys saying, “Yeah, let’s do it,” I said, “Yep.” They had actually already started on the new album.
Oh, they had.
MS: You know, it was kind of weird, because … I mean, fortunately, Rob Moratti, had not really delved into it too far, as far as I know. I think he was working on preliminary melodies and one or two sketches of songs. When it was decided that I was coming back, and when we decided to make the announcement, I was basically handed pretty much a finished record, which was odd for me because I’d always been, since the beginning, a fairly integral part of the writing. For me to be handed music that I couldn’t touch was, “Oh, really …” (laughs) Every once in a while, I’d go, “Oh, I think that part should have been six bars instead of four,” or “maybe that should have been …” So, on one hand it was slightly frustrating; on the other, as a singer, being handed a blank slate like that and just being able to do whatever I wanted on top of it, it was very inspiring actually, because I was hearing the record like someone in the audience would hear it or one of the fans would hear it for the first time. So I was completely objective about it, because when you write something – and it takes a long time for the whole process and the recording of it and the arranging – you get a little bit too close. So hearing it fresh like that and singing it was great, because it was like I had the luxury – unlike most singers – of going in and in the headphones, it was pretty much a finished and almost mixed product. So to sing to it was very inspiring, and it worked out well.  
Being away for a few years, did the time off give you a new perspective on songwriting or your role in the band? Did you want to address new themes in your writing?
MS: I don’t know consciously, but I would have to believe those four years, with the different things that I did, and just the fact that I suddenly had a child of my own, it had to have. I’m sure subliminally … I know I came back into the band with both guns blazing. There was a renewed energy in me, and the fun factor was way, way up there. Really, I was more than ready, but at the same time, a little apprehensive. I showed up for that first day of rehearsal not really knowing what to expect. Four years is a long time. You don’t know what people expect. Everyone’s going to change a little bit, but if you’re not changing along with the group, as it were, mindset-wise, then who knows? Have I grown apart? Am I seeing life differently … blah, blah, blah, that kind of thing. But I think what ended up happening was I brought all the positive things that ended up happening to me, subconsciously, into the band and within the first song, I felt like I had been away for two weeks. It just felt completely natural again, right from the get-go. So I knew at that moment that we’d all decided to do the right thing. 
There’s a real weight to this new album that I really like, a real strength to everything from the keyboards to the guitars …
MS: You know what? Somebody called it “muscular” last week.
That’s a good word for it actually.
MS: I know what you mean. It does have some substance to it. I recognize that.
Was that your reaction to it when you first heard the record?
Saga - 20/20
MS: I did, to a degree – yeah. My initial reaction was I listened to it … like I said I’m hearing it fresh, like any listener for the first time. And my overall impression was, I used the word “vintage,” but without referring to something old-fashioned. So it sounded like vintage Saga, but very fresh and very 2012. In other words, in terms of vintage, I was recognizing elements of the signature sound that got people excited in the first place, but juxtaposed into today’s framework, as it were, or mindset and approach to the way the record sounds. So, it sounded to me like the perfect blend. I thought, first of all, that the fans are going to be very happy and I do believe there is the possibility we could pick up a new fan base with this record. It just felt, like I said, substantial to me and I was very excited.
In many respects, 20/20 seems to be a classic Saga album in that there’s a real balance between the keyboards and guitars, with perhaps the guitars being more prominent than they’ve been in a while. Is there a sort of creative tension that exists between the two entities or has Saga always been able to get them to work together without too much divisiveness?
MS: Never, never. It’s always been the balance between the two, the good-natured wars between the two, but that’s built into the song. It’s like a “dueling banjos” kind of vibe but with keyboards and guitar. But, yeah, again, that goes back to the signature sound, the point being that we have always done that, and it’s not a matter of vying for position. What ends up happening is what is more suitable in that section of the song to put across the emotion that’s taking place in that particular moment. Is that better suited played by a keyboard or a guitar? Usually, it makes itself known pretty quickly in the writing process. It’s really not a conscious thing; the instrumentation makes up its own mind, as it were, what the song needs. 
I know you came in a little late to the recording process this time, but what’s made the writing and recording process work for Saga in the past and have those same methods been utilized in the making of 20/20?
MS: As far as I know, from what I’ve been told by the guys when I asked them the same kind of question – because, obviously, I was curious – it appears to me it was pretty much the ideal situation that we like to have, the format being when you finish a tour or the downtime starts, in terms of when you start thinking about a new record, everyone does writing on their own. There are phases to the process, and everyone goes home and just writes whatever they want, as much as they possibly can, whatever inspires them – no parameters, no guidelines. It doesn’t matter. It can be slightly country in nature if that’s what you feel like. Whatever, you just come armed with all your ideas, bits and pieces, sections – not even full songs. Ian will show up with some great licks, and songs will be written around that – whatever. And we kind of review everything everybody’s been doing and find the most significant pieces that move everybody collectively. That’s the thing it’s always been, from Day 1, a democratic process in terms of what we decide to work on. It doesn’t matter who wrote it or who wrote that section, or whatever, because everybody’s going to contribute to the eventual song anyway. It’s just really a matter of all five have to like it and be inspired by it. We learned that a long time ago and live by that sentiment.
Say three people in the band really dig working on this particular song, and the other two are just playing it because they’ve been outnumbered. Those two are not going to give, first of all, their full creative input. Second of all, they probably won’t play it with as much passion when it comes time to record their part. So it’s much better all around for the sake of the song, for the sake of the band, and just the overall sound of the track that if everyone feels really strongly about it, that’s going to translate to the recording process. So, yeah, it’s just really a matter of a collective soul, to steal a phrase, but it really is that, and we put all the ideas on the table and it’s like a jigsaw puzzle putting parts together. And sometimes it’s a whole section, and you go, “Oh, you know what? That lick that Ian wrote, that one in E Flat for whatever, that could sit really nicely in that song.” So, yeah, and then we just take it from there, and we decide on which 10, 11 or 12 … depending on how many tracks are on the record. Then, the next process, obviously, is honing those 10 or 12 songs to the best possible recording level and off we go. 
Was there a song on the record that was most challenging vocally?
MS: I consider them all a challenge, because I kept trying to do my style every time I opened my mouth (laughs). It is always challenging to me, fresh and whatever – a particular track? A couple of them are challenging in the sense of trying to achieve a certain thing I heard in my head, and it ended up being not as challenging as I thought. In the ballad, when the chorus hits, the choir-like voices that you hear …
“Lost for Words”?
MS: Yeah, “Lost for Words,” in the chorus, the choir there, I explained to the engineer what I was hearing in my head, and as we were doing it, we did a rough, and he listened to it, and he goes, “That’s giving me a 10cc ‘I’m Not in Love’ vibe.” And I said, “Really?” And I said, “That’s really weird, because as I was driving here, that’s what I was thinking I’d really like to achieve here,” that kind of airiness you heard in that song “I’m Not in Love” by 10cc, those voices you hear. I said, “I really wanted to get that kind of effect,” and he said, “Well, I think that’s what we’re building here.” But it was challenging to get it just right, without it sounding obvious like I stole it from that, or got the idea from there. I wanted it more to give that kind of feeling, you know what I mean? And apparently, it came across, because one journalist, unprompted, mentioned that, so I immediately said to the engineer, “Guess what? Remember ‘Lost for Words’ and that feeling? Someone picked up on it (laughs).” Someone knows where we stole that from (laughs). It was cool. But it was challenging in terms of achieving something you hear in your head is always a challenge, and when it works out, it’s great.
I want to get your feelings about a few of the songs on 20/20 and perhaps some description of how they came about, starting with “Six Feet Under.”
MS: Yeah, that was a fun song. I’m glad you picked that one. “Six Feet Under” was one of those tracks where even when I heard just the basic track with no vocals on it, it was screaming to be the first track, because you write the songs, you record the songs, and then you’ve got them all sitting there – almost the hardest part is getting the correct running order, because it’s so crucial. For example, there’s this rule that you don’t start a record with a ballad, unless it’s an album of all ballads. Then, you just pick the strongest one. But in a rock band setting, for my comeback album … yeah, let’s start with a ballad (laughs). That’ll go over well. But, yeah, it was one of those tracks, and then when I put the vocals on and I heard all the mixes, I tried about three or four different running orders, and each one of them started with “Six Feet Under.” Nothing else wanted to start the record, because to me, it was just that signature Saga – pounding bass, synth starting the song, and you put it on and you let the needle drop and you say, “Oh yeah. That’s Saga.” But, it’s funny. There’s some play on words in that song, and the title tends to make people … I guess their first impression is, “Ooooo, ‘Six Feet Under’ – that’s about being buried. This must be a really negative song.” But that couldn’t be further from the truth – it’s more like, “Six feet under? Not while I’m still breathing. Nothing’s going to hold me down” … that kind of thing. The whole record is … well, 80 percent of it is about that. It’s like, get over things and move on, move forward, be positive and reinforcing someone’s drive, and that kind of thing. There’s one line that says, “What a price to pay” or that’s what it sounds like. But actually, if you look at the lyrics, it’s “What a prize toupee.” I’m referring to someone laying on the couch, and they dress him all up and they put a nice toupee on him – little things like that are all throughout the record. Yeah, “Six Feet Under” was the undeniable opening track for sure. 
How about “Anywhere You Wanna Go”?
MS: “Anywhere You Wanna Go,” with the chorus, again it wrote itself. It just wanted to be that … in fact, I was up in Canada, not here where I am now, but up at Jim’s house, actually going through the tracks with him. It was the first chance I had to do it with him sitting down before I’d done any vocals, and he had a couple of melody ideas in one or two of the songs that he wanted to pass along to me, and one of them was the approach to the chorus in “Anywhere You Wanna Go.” And from the get-go, it sounded right to me. We refined it a tiny bit, and actually, the chorus for “Anywhere You Wanna Go,” specifically the choir chorus, was recorded in Port Stanley, Ontario, in his house … or actually, I’m sorry, his brother’s house, just down the street. We recorded those big vocals there, and when I got to L.A. to do all of the vocals, essentially, we brought up those tracks – I mean, they were sitting there as a guide, so that I would know what parts I’d duplicated. When we brought up the tracks, we realized they were strong enough that those are the original tracks you hear. I may have added one voice on each … I think there are four voices on each of the parts, but I may have added one. I don’t know. I don’t rightly remember. I just remember bringing up the tracks and going, “You know what? That sounds strong enough to me. Let’s not touch it.” Like I said, that chorus was just bursting to get out; it just wanted to do that. If nothing’s wrong, don’t fix it.  
I love the blend of heaviness and melody on “Spin It Again,” too.
MS: That takes some people by surprise, ‘cause they’re expecting [that heaviness] – especially when the verse hits, after the lick starts the song that way – but I think that’s a very quirky thing, again a signature thing that Saga does – when you least suspect something is going to happen. Yeah, we tend to do that. I like surprises, because we always have them.
How about “Till the Well Runs Dry”?
MS: That’s purely about drive – purely about passion and drive. And it can apply to … because I’ve been asked so many times – as one will, being in a band that has longevity such as Saga, going 30, 35 years – “How long are you going to keep doing this?” “Do you ever run out of ideas?” And essentially, the answer has always been the same. As long as it’s still, first of all, fun to do, as long as the creative juices are still flowing, as long as there is still something new to be done, as long as you’re still feeling creative, then forever. I’ll keep going onstage until it’s embarrassing, for example, for myself and the audience (laughs). And there will come a day, unless you don’t know when your cut-off is. Unfortunately, some entertainers don’t. It’s really about that, and I’ll keep going to the well till the well runs dry. I will never leave my sense of drive and passion, as long as there is still something to be had emotionally from what I do for a living. And I will keep going to the well and looking, and if one day I go there and I run out of ideas … if I attempt to write something and it sounds like it’s all been done before, then it’s time to go, “Okay.” I don’t foresee that actually ever happening. For me, I’ve always been in the creative arts, one way or the other. It will probably just translate to another genre or field in the entertainment business, but certainly, if songwriting dries up, then yeah, I’ll stop going to the well. I think that’s true of anybody who has that passion and drive. You keep going there and whatever it is that keeps you going, whatever strengths, whatever you need to get that strength to keep going or the passion or the drive to do it, if it’s not there anymore, then it’s time to move on or curl up and die or something.
Is “Ellery” a continuation of the story in “The Perfectionist”?
MS: It’s not really a continuation of the story, no. It’s unrelated to the story in “The Perfectionist.” It’s more a nod to Ellery and that song, and just using his name as a little “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” to the earlier fans. I mean, you could vaguely transfer it over, like, “How are you doing now? How did things work out?”… that kind of thing, but not specifically. It was left fairly vague.
What was it ultimately that made you want to be a singer and what was it that brought Saga together at the beginning?
MS: Well, Jim Crichton and I, when we formed the band, we had been in other bands, as well as another band together. I mean, personally, I had always sung. I went into a church choir when I was 8 years old, left the church choir when I was 15, as well as leaving school and home, and moved into a blues band, all of whom were a good eight or nine years older than me (laughs). This 16-year-old white kid from Oakville, Ontario, singing authentic Chicago blues – just imagine how much passion I was throwing into those tracks (laughs). I mean, I’d love to hear some recordings of that, but yeah, that was where it started. We actually progressed into kind of a more rock-y, and then rock-jazz fusion-y kind of thing. And then one day the drummer came back from the big city, came back from Toronto, and he had been to an actual record store – they still had vinyl; remember, this was the ‘70s – and came back with a record from a British band, it was an import, and it was called Three Friends by Gentle Giant. And I remember, I was home and he walked in, and he said, “Michael, I have to play something for you.”
And he put it on, and the first side went through, and I just looked at him, didn’t say a word. Then, he put on the other side, we listened to it, and then my first words were, “I don’t know what that is, but I want to play music like that.” It was my first exposure to, not just progressive-rock but also to probably one of the more ultimate progressive-rock bands on the planet. I thought, “What the …” and the funny thing is, we didn’t make the switch instantly, but it was a logical transition from what we were doing to that jazz-rock fusion thing. It lent itself to do it. And then I found out that the core of Gentle Giant was formed out of a band called Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, which was kind of a fusion-y thing. So, really, it was taking jazz fusion and adding more of a rock element to it, and it ended up being the Gentle Giant sound, if I try and dissect that.
Anyway, that pretty much put me on the road to the progressive thing, and then that band, we broke up. We did four different shows in our entire lifetime. That’s because our songs were 25 minutes long (laughs). Jim and I were in a band called Truck, which was pretty much a bar cover band, although our choice of material was Gentle Giant – anywhere from Steely Dan to Led Zeppelin to Gentle Giant. So it was a very eclectic bar band. That one broke up. I got out of the business for a year and a half – drove taxi, was a graphic artist, which just left a bad taste in my mouth because it had to do with management and being a sort of music purist, a prog snob, I hated the business side of the business and when that reared its ugly head, I ran. I said, “I don’t want to know about this.” He continued in another Toronto band called Fludd, which you may have heard of from the Toronto scene. They had two brothers – Ed Piling and Steve Piling. [Jim Crichton] was the bass player in that band in its last incarnation, and then the band broke up, and he called me one day and said, “I’ve written some songs, and I hate the sound of my own voice. Would you mind coming over with your wife? And we’ll have dinner and go into the living room and you can put your voice onto these songs for me.” I said, “Sure.” I was doing the graphic arts thing at the time and drove over, with the wife, and we had dinner, and then we left the dining room and went out into the living room, sang on a couple of songs, and I thought, “Well, that was a lot of fun …” blah, blah, blah, went home, couldn’t get it out of my head the next day during work, and halfway through the afternoon, I was going, “Yeah, I don’t know.” And I came home, and I was wearing a three-piece suit, and I said, “Who are you?” And I was thinking about the night before, and I said, “Who is this person?” And I’m looking and saying, “This is not me.” And I quit the job and I called Jim, and I said, “You want to go ahead with this, because if you do, I’m in.” He said, “C’mon down.”
So, from that, I started writing the next day, and we were using literally cardboard boxes to create the drum tracks on a reel-to-reel machine, to make sure we had drum parts. There was no such thing as polyphonic synthesizers at that time. There was only the mini-Moog. So, to create chords, pad chords, we would record one note on the mini-Moog at a time, and then figure out the chords, so we’d do the C, and then the E and then the G, and then you’d get a C Major, but we had to do it on separate tracks and then balance it all together so we’d have chords. So it took quite a long time to get the chords (laughs), but yeah, that’s where it all began. We took it from there and never looked back. We just said, I think it was unspoken at that point, but we were just going to do what made us happy for of all to play and try never to sound like anybody else, if at all possible. In fact, still to this day, if we doing any writing, we look at each other and someone says, “Oh, that reminds me of such and such,” we’ll go, “Fine, trash that part,” because we go out of our way not to try and sound like anybody else. I know that it’s going to come through every once in a while, because you cannot help but be strongly influenced by somebody and it’s going to come up. But that’s all part of your sound.
There’s a great story about Rupert Hine making you crawl up on the barn where Worlds Apart was being recorded to inspire you to sing a certain way for “On the Loose.” Talk about what led up to that and what you remember about being up there and singing.
MS: Oh, I’ll tell you a number of things Rupert did (laughs). He was so eccentric in terms of … I don’t know if you’ve ever heard his solo records, but my gosh, it’s pretty much whatever it takes to get what he’s hearing in his head. There were two stories regarding the vocals: one was “On the Loose,” and the studio itself, Farmyard Studios, the old barn is the live room, with the beams and it’s great for drum sounds obviously, and any ambient sounds, it’s fantastic. But, it had the beams and the roof and he wanted a sense of angst in that song, which you can put on like an actor does, when they play a role or whatever – “Sing this with angst.” Fine. But, you know what? To really get it right I want to put you in a precarious position, so he had me balanced on one of the beams, and they rigged the microphone up there, and you can see the picture on the inside of the vinyl sleeve – me in my beard and hanging onto a beam and singing “On the Loose” from up there.
The other thing he did on the complete reverse of that was in the middle of “Wind Him Up,” when the song breaks down and it gets very, very quiet, and there’s some very quiet singing, signing the chorus in a very low key. It just knocks it down, but it’s sung in very low-key in terms of delivery, he wanted a very intimate, “just woke up,” smoky … whatever kind of voice, not even thinking about it either – almost like humming to yourself but you’re singing the words. He wanted to get that effect across, so we did a few, and it was getting near the end of the day, and we tried a few, and then he said, “Okay, that’ll do for today. We’ll review it in the morning.” So, I went to bed, and the living quarters were across from the driveway – I guess they were the old stables, for the horses – but across the driveway, I’d say a good 50, 60 yards from the main building. And in the morning, I heard this slight tapping on the door, the kind where you’re not even sure someone is there or not. I didn’t say anything, and the door creaked open a tiny bit and in came the tape operator with a mic stand and boom. And he just looked at me and said, “Don’t move.” And down came the microphone to my face, head still on the pillow, he put the headphones on my head, closed the door, and immediately upon the door closing, I heard, “Good morning, Michael.” So, I tried coming up and he said, “Just sing when you know where you are. Here we go.” And I went, “Uh.” So it was like an eight-bar lead up, and then the tape op came in and I sang it, and then [Rupert] said, “Thanks very much. See you in a minute.” And I went, “Uh, huh.” And then the tape op came back in, took the headphones off, took the microphone away, closed the door, and I went, “What just happened?” Put my housecoat on, walked across to the studio, and there was Steve [Tayler], the engineer, and Rupert, and he said, “Morning, Michael. Listen to this.” And he played it back, and I said, “Oh my God, that’s exactly what you wanted, isn’t it?” And he said, “Yep.” And of course, preparing for it is not the same. That’s why they said absolutely nothing to me. That’s exactly what they wanted, and that’s exactly what they got. In fact, it was one take.      
It’s like you needed a stunt man for that album.
MS: (laughs) Among other things, yeah.
Was there a moment during the making of Worlds Apart where it became apparent that you were working on something special?
MS: You know what? It did have a vibe to it. I think what sealed the deal in terms of what you’re talking about is, we were sitting around working on … well, let’s put it this way: “On the Loose” was finished, except for the chorus … everything. The verses were sung, and I was still not quite happy with what I saying in the chorus. The melody was set in stone. I still wasn’t quite happy with it. So, we were actually sitting around in the lounge area and just kind of bouncing around ideas, just throwing these phrases out. And I remember the manager, at that moment … it was one of those things where he is not strictly a musical person, in terms of knowing how to play or understanding what it takes to play or anything like that. He’s not like that. He’s just one of these people, like most of the people on the planet, who just knows what he likes, knows what he likes coming out of the speakers, and it’s a pretty good gauge of what other people like. And he’s looking at it that way. And I remember he turned to us, he knew we were working on “On the Loose,” trying to get it right, and he said …and he, in fact, looked at us and said, “You know gentlemen, I know …” – he didn’t say, “I think”; he said, “I know” – “… if you get the chorus for this right, you’re going to have a hit.” And he said the whole record is starting to lean this way. “I know if you get the chorus right, this will be it.”
And he was right. We weren’t thinking, during the process of making the record that, “Oh my God, we’re working on a hit record here.” But by the same token, in retrospect, when I think back there was a definite vibe around that studio. There was some fairy dust flying around that … there was something intangible that was being attached to this record as we were making it that you can’t describe, that you can’t plan, that you can’t manufacture. There are millions of records like that … well, not millions. But there are lots of hit records through history like that that were not … a person or persons, or a band, didn’t set out to make a hit record, but it just clicked. And those are classic records. And each one of those people will probably tell you that something was going on in the studio that was beyond their control. It became an entity of itself. It takes on a life of its own, and everything you’re doing is feeding it, and you’re doing it naturally. It’s undeniable. So, yes, there was a degree of that going on, but do you think you’re working on a hit record? No, because it’s almost like you don’t want to … it’s almost as if that word were mentioned it would take away the magic. Then it becomes a thing, where “Oh, yeah, we’re working on a hit.” No, you’re just being taken in and then going along for the ride with this thing. You have no control over it anymore. 
How do you remember hearing that your debut album had really taken off in Puerto Rico?
MS: Here’s the thing … well, Germany was the first. We released the debut album, and you know what it’s like: you put out a record, you cross your fingers, and you hope somebody likes it. In fact, I remember going into Sam the Record Man on Yonge Street in Toronto. I just wanted to see it in the bin. I knew for sure that it wouldn’t have its own section yet, because it was only one record, so it was going to be in the miscellaneous “S.” I went in there to have a look at it, just to see it sitting there and be really proud. Some guy came in, walked straight past me and walked up to the S’s, found it, walked to the desk, and I watched him put down his money and walk out the door with the record, and I was like, “Wow! It works!” (laughs)
But, we were in a meeting or something and we were being told that it was beginning to sell a “significant” – that’s the word that was used – number of import copies in Germany – specifically, Germany. And we thought, “Wow!” I know that seemed very, very exotic to us – a different country, somewhere in Europe … I knew a little bit about Germany, but not a lot. And we’re like, “Wow, cool.” You know, you go where your market is. You don’t try to understand it until maybe you get there, and then you try to figure it out, and you go where the market is. You find that it’s not happening at home first, but hey, you go. At the same time, very close to us starting to cultivate over there and starting to think about physically going over there and making an appearance, we found out the same thing was happening in Puerto Rico. And, okay. The same reaction – “Whoa, that’s really exotic, too.” And then we go, “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Why …?” Over the years, we’ve been asked many times why those two countries? What could those two cultures possibly have in common? And still for the life of me, I don’t really completely understand it. My best theory is I guess the orchestral side of the band and the use of strings, the chord changes, and the orchestral feelings of some of the tracks appeal somehow to the rich history of classical music that is just completely inbred in people, that you’re surrounded by in Europe, especially in Germany. Perhaps, that takes care of that element of the story, that’s what makes it that appealing. And because Saga is not your typical ethereal prog band – in fact, sometimes I don’t even consider us prog, per se, in the purest sense; we’re far too rock-y for some peoples’ tastes in the prog world – maybe the rhythmic side of the band is what appeals in Puerto Rico.
I remember the first time going down there, we went down there to do a concert – that was already a shocker, that we were selling enough records to do a concert on a tiny island in the Caribbean – and I remember sitting around on the beach with one of the guys from the crew, and we’re just sitting there, minding our own business. I’m trying to take it all in and makes sense of the whole thing in this Caribbean climate. And I start hearing some familiar music happening and it’s starting to sound more and more familiar. I’m trying to figure out where it’s coming from. And this young Puerto Rican, probably 16 or 17 years old, has a huge ghetto blaster on his shoulder, and he’s getting closer and closer, just bopping down the beach, and it’s “Humble Stance” from the first album. And I’m like, “What’s wrong with this picture?” It was the most confusing image (laughs), but his head is bobbing, and I’m going, “Oh, okay. It does have quite a bounce to it.” I’m not going to say it’s because of the rhythm, but you’ve got to understand, imagine you’re being told that you’re selling a lot of records in Germany and in a Caribbean island, basically a holiday vacation spot … “Okay.” That’s my best guess, but culturally, they have nothing to do with each other at all. 
What album in the Saga catalog do you think deserves more attention than it’s received and why?
MS: Well, obviously, everybody talks about Worlds Apart. In North America and in the U.S., specifically, it was big, the biggest seller in terms of profile and presence of the band. My personal favorite is an album called Behavior that we did in Munich and Switzerland, half and half. For me, it’s just one of those records … now this is a personal thing. It has to do I think with how I was feeling at the time, what was happening in my life, the sound of the record, and the vocal performance, the nature of the songs – that’s just one of those records for me that … it did fairly well, but I think it deserves a second look. The funny thing about Behavior is, I went on Amazon.ca, just to have a quick look to see what was happening with 20/20, which was hovering very nicely between Nos. 1 and 3 a couple of weeks ago, which is a very positive sign. Anyway, I went to the music selection of Amazon in Canada and found, in the progressive-metal category of AllMusic, that Behavior was No. 2. I thought, “You know what? Something is going on here,” and it was confirming a kind of groundswell that is happening for the band right now, and the nice thing about it was the strength of 20/20.
It is reminding a lot of people that we still exist … you know what? Americans are completely forgiven for thinking that we had broken up a long time ago, and rightly so. Why would they think otherwise? Thank God for the Internet. Thank God for anything that can explain that (laughs) and the strength of the new record. It’s reminding people like that that we’re still around and [it’s] directing people to older material, stuff that they may not be familiar with. And anyone picking up Saga for the first time because of 20/20 now has this wealth of older material to play catch-up on. And they’re finding, “Wow! This is great. I didn’t know about this.” Blah, blah, blah … so, it’s great. It’s really, really great. I actually think Behavior is a very, very, very, very strong record.
Now that you’re back in Saga, where do you see the band going?
MS: Oh, you know, I don’t look too far ahead. More than something that’s there right now, this record, I mentioned there’s a groundswell and momentum for the record that we’re still feeling that is fresh. Unless something drastic happens, I don’t see this new energy and newfound … I don’t want to say new life in the band. It’s just perhaps my return and the strength of the new record has sparked something that’s been quiet for a while. But, I don’t know. I don’t foresee any stoppage in the near future. I see one … at least one, two records of this nature and of this caliber. I know that it’s in us. Live, I’m having way too much fun to slow down anymore. I’m having more fun now than I did in my twenties. And I’m looking at a calendar now going, “Okay, I just turned 58. Okay.” I think there’s at least a decade in this band before it starts to become embarrassing from a live point of view (laughs).

Lightning strikes again for Loudness


Japan's metal legends return with 'Eve to Dawn'
By Peter Lindblad
Loudness in 2012
Unaccustomed to the – shall we say – “enthusiasm” of American audiences, Loudness singer Minoru Niihara was greatly taken aback by the uninhibited behavior of rowdy crowds they encountered in the U.S. As the support act for Motley Crue on their 1985 American tour, Japan’s biggest heavy-metal export experienced all the insanity the road has to offer, and then some.
“They were crazy,” laughs Niihara, referring to the U.S. concertgoers they encountered back then. “I remember one night, we opened for Motley Crue and it was some big arena and there was underwear flying at us. I was surprised by that.”
Coming off the unparalleled – at least by Japanese metal standards – success of their initial introduction to the world at large, Thunder in the East, Niihara and Loudness had already established a beachhead on these shores. Put out in January of’85, the LP had scratched and clawed its way to No. 74 on the American Billboard album charts and fought like hell to stay there 19 weeks, a feat no Japanese act has ever accomplished. They’d even played Madison Square Garden, another first for a Japanese rock band, on Aug. 14, 1985.
A far cry from the wilder and less polished work of Loudness’s early Japan-only releases, Thunder in the East was the product of Los Angeles studio sessions with Ozzy Osbourne producer Max Norman and it kicked down doors that may never have opened for them had they done it any other way. Having signed to an international record label in 1984, becoming the first Japanese metal band to do so, Loudness had been slowly building momentum, and Thunder in the East was an attempt to harness it and propel the band forward.
“We thought it sounded different from our older albums,” says Niihara, “and we really enjoyed it. It was the sound we were going for, and we were happy about that. I love ‘Crazy Nights’ and I like ‘Run for Your Life’ and ‘Like Hell.’ They are very great pieces of the album.”
Loudness - Eve to Dawn 2012
Still beloved in their homeland, Loudness would be hard pressed to duplicate those sales these days, but with their scorching new album, Eve to Daw – their 26th LP overall, amazingly enough – kicking and screaming violently against those who would doubt them, the band and its country of origin had bigger issues to grapple with during the making of it – namely, trying to deal with unimaginable destruction, human loss and even nuclear danger.
“I was trying to make songs to help the people of Japan, because when we recorded this album, it was right after the earthquakes [in 2011], so I wanted to help those people,” said Niihara.
With defiant, life-affirming tracks like “Come Alive Again,” “Survivor,” “Hang Tough” and “Comes the Dawn,” Loudness certainly has given their countrymen hope for a better tomorrow. And for the rest of the world, Eve to Dawn offers Niihara’s demonic, live-wire vocals, furious, bone-crushing rhythms, and the maniacal fretwork of guitar savant Akira Takasaki. Niihara says Eve to Dawn combines the raw energy and reckless abandon of Loudness’s early creations with the intense focus of 2010’s King of Pain, the follow-up to 2009’s The Everlasting, which wound up being the final recording of the classic Loudness lineup. Drummer Munetaka Higuchi, one of the founding members, died of liver cancer in 2008
“The music did remind me of our older music and how it felt, and some of it reminded me of the last album, but it is very loud,” said Niihara. “The album is very loud.”
No one could ever accuse Loudness of being too quiet or soft. From the start, Loudness intended to push their amplifiers to the limits. Together in the more pop-oriented rock band Lazy, Higuchi and Takasaki broke off to form Loudness in 1981. Niihara, formerly of Earthshaker, gravitated to the newly created outfit, even though soul was his mistress back then, and a childhood friend of Takasaki’s, Masayoshi Yamashita, joined up on bass. Assuming a bunker mentality in August of that year, Loudness hunkered down and spent three months creating their debut, The Birthday Eve – a riotous showcase for the dazzling guitar shredding of Takasaki.
As it turned out, The Birthday Eve would become an important record in the history of Japanese rock and roll, especially in light of Loudness’s first concert. Held at Asakusa International Theater, the show drew around 2,700 people, a number that stunned the country’s music industry.
Of that gig, Niihara said, “I was extremely nervous. Actually, I don’t remember it, but I remember there were many people and they went crazy. Yeah, that was scary.”
The match was struck, and word of Loudness spread like wildfire. Feverishly, audiences in Japan waited for another Loudness record, and in July, 1982, they delivered Devil Soldier, another step up on the band’s evolutionary ladder. Hot on the heels of that effort, Loudness detonated The Law of the Devil’s Land in January, 1983. By that time, with the help of American Daniel McClendon, Loudness had won over Japan with a triumvirate of high-quality, high-impact recordings, but they had grander ambitions.
Since there was a dearth of experienced heavy-metal studio hands in Japan, Loudness’s wanted desperately to record with an English producer. Their 1983 tours of the U.S. and Europe had attracted a great deal of attention, and they were able to go outside Japan for help, securing Julian Mendelsohn – in demand due to his work on Yes’s 90125 – as sound engineer for their fourth album, Disillusion. For the first time, Loudness left Japan to make an album.
“We had a name producer, who was English,” said Niihara. “I thought it wouldn’t be that different, but the recording was very different from Japanese studios. I thought we were good in Japan, but I was surprised. I was shocked by how clean [Disillusion] sounded and how heavy sounding they made it. We were very happy with it, and we had a good time, but we didn’t like the food,” he laughed.
Culinary disappointments aside, Britain offered Loudness a plethora of options when it came to producers and recording engineers. With an international record deal under their belts courtesy of Atlantic Records, Loudness headed into the studio with Norman to create Thunder in the East. Released in January 1985, Thunder in the East rose all the way to #4 in Japan, and it made significant inroads in the U.S. While the iron was hot, Loudness decided to strike, returning to the studio to tear through Shadows of War, again with Norman. Released in March 1986, the American version of the LP, titled Lightning Strikes, outdid Thunder in the East, vaulting all the way to #64 on the Billboard charts.
With the help of Norman, and then the legendary producer Eddie Kramer for 1987’s Hurricane Eyes, Loudness had refined their sound to gain broader appeal. Some felt that Loudness had lost some of the aggression and fury that powered their early work. That was by design.
Asked if there were pressures from the label to make more accessible recordings, Niihara replied, “We wanted to make our albums more commercial than they used to be, but we played what we wanted to, and we liked it.”
So did their countrymen. In Japan, Loudness was revered, as tourists would return from America with glowing reports from U.S. heavy metal fans of the band’s growing fandom. As a way of rewarding the loyalty of their Japanese audiences that had supported them through thick and thin, Loudness put out the 1988 mini-album Jealousy in Japan only – this after recording every album since Thunder in the East with lyrics in English.
From an outsider’s perspective, it seemed everything was going swimmingly for Loudness, but all was not well within the Loudness camp, and by December 1988, Niihara was out of the band. There are varying reports as to what led to Niihara’s departure, with some saying he left of his own volition. Niihara has a different point of view.
“I knew something was very wrong in the band,” said Niihara. “Then, one day, Akira said I was leaving because they wanted another singer who could be very good with English lyrics. I was shocked, and I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t understand, but I just realized it was time to go.”
To fill Niihara’s shoes, after a lengthy period of frustrating auditions, Loudness picked former Obsession vocalist Mike Vescera in 1989, who debuted on the Soldier of Fortune album. He remained with Loudness through the 1991 LP Slap in the Face, after which Vescera left. Loudness carried on through the 1990s, establishing itself as one of the biggest bands in Japan with a flood of albums despite various lineup changes.
Around the time of the dawn of the new millennium, Takasaki started thinking seriously about getting the old band back together. With designs on reforming the original Loudness lineup, Niihara was approached about re-enlisting. Letting bygones be bygones, Niihara accepted, and a new chapter in the life of Loudness began. “Time heals everything, and I was happy to be with Loudness again,” said Niihara. “When the band reformed, we wanted to play again, we wanted to make whatever we wanted, and we wanted to play outside Japan.”
Rejoicing at the return of their heroes, Japan welcomed Loudness’s comeback LP Spiritual Canoe with open arms. A live DVD, “The Soldiers Just Came Back 2001,” spoke volumes of the band’s massive popularity in the country, and in September, Loudness blazed while on tour with Annihilator. Feeling their creative juices flowing, Loudness released Pandemonium in November 2001.
Working harder than ever, Loudness hit the road for the “20th Anniversary Pandemonium Tour,” some of which was documented in another live DVD released in February 2002. Later that year, Loudness let Biosphere off the chain, again followed by a live DVD, “Live Biosphere.” Slowing down wasn’t an option for Loudness, as they produced the “Loud Fest” concert, featuring many of the bands they’d influenced. 2004 saw the release of Terror, the band’s 18th album, and a performance at the annual “Sonic Mania” in Osaka and Tokyo, where they shared the stage with newer acts like Korn and Evanescence.
More live DVDs, records and tours were to come, including the albums Rockshocks and the Japanese version of Racing. All this led up to the Japanese release of the Loudness Box Set in 2007 – including the remastered albums The Birthday Eve, Devil Soldier, The Law of the Devil’s Land, Disillusion, Thunder in the East, plus Takasaki’s solo LP Tusk of Jaguar, Higuchi’s solo record Haiki Gaisen Roku, a pair of DVDs , and a singles compilation with unreleased tracks.
In 2008, however, joy over the reunion turned to sadness as liver cancer took the life of Higuchi. Before he passed, though, Loudness finished a new record called The Everlasting. Even after such a devastating blow, Loudness had no intention of going away, and after hiring new drummer Masayuki Suzuki, they returned with King of Pain in 2010. European festivals and a tour followed, setting the stage for Eve to Dawn, Loudness’s newest slab of molten metal – a prime example of the kind of serious rock ‘n’ roll firepower Loudness has at its command, and a showcase for Takasaki’s sublime fretwork, a mix of Eddie Van Halen’s dazzling speed and the more tortured artistry of an old master.
“He’s great. He’s like Jimi Hendrix. He’s very fast, very technical, and he can sometimes be an asshole,” laughs Niihara, who believes that Takasaki is a bit easier to deal with nowadays. “But, you have to be sometimes. He’s got lots of ideas, but you know, he’s 50 years old now, so he’s very different.”
It helps to have a little distance from each other. Niihara says does vocals at his house and then sends tapes of his work to the others. So, Loudness’s writing and recording processes have changed somewhat. As for Eve to Dawn, Loudness has high expectations for this beast of a record.
“I hope people like it,” said Niihara, now 51 years of age. “We have come a long way.”

Strange tales from Saga's 'Worlds Apart'


On the farm with Canadian prog-rockers' singer Michael Sadler
By Peter Lindblad
Saga - Worlds Apart 1981
A bit of an odd duck, famed producer Rupert Hine has a well-deserved reputation for going to extremes to gather the sounds he wants. One of the artists most affected in the past by Hine’s unorthodox recording methods was Saga vocalist Michael Sadler.
While working on Saga’s 1981 magnum opus, Worlds Apart, Hine put Sadler through the ringer. The man, whose producing credits include The Fixx’s Reach the Beach, Phantoms and Shuttered Room, Thompson Twins’ Close to the Bone, Rush’s Presto and Roll The Bones, and Tina Turner’s Break Every Rule, among others, was keen on having the singer express a wide range of emotions and moods in songs like the AOR radio staple “On the Loose” or “Wind Him Up.”
To accomplish this, Hine placed him in situations designed to capture exactly what he was looking for from Sadler – even if they were somewhat dangerous, or at the very least, completely unexpected.
“He was so eccentric in terms of … I don’t know if you’ve ever heard his solo records, but my gosh, it’s pretty much whatever it takes to get what he’s hearing in his head,” said Sadler.
Worlds Apart, Saga’s most commercially successful LP, was birthed at The Farmyard studio in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England. Hine made good use of the environment.
“Oh, I’ll tell you a number of things Rupert did,” laughed Sadler. “There were two stories regarding the vocals. One was related to ‘On the Loose,’ and the studio itself, Farmyard Studios. The old barn is the live room – with the beams and it’s great for drum sounds obviously, and for any ambient sounds, it’s fantastic. But, it had the beams and the roof and he wanted a sense of angst in that song, which you can put on like an actor does, when they play a role or whatever – ‘Sing this with angst,’ fine. But, you know what? To really get it right I want to put you in a precarious position, so he had me balanced on one of the beams, and they rigged the microphone up there. And you can see the picture on the inside of the vinyl sleeve – me in my beard and hanging onto a beam and singing ‘On the Loose’ from up there.”
That’s the story most people know about, as Sadler related it on the Saga DVD “Silhouette.” But, Hine didn’t stop there.
“The other thing he did on the complete reverse of that was in the middle of ‘Wind Him Up,’ when the song breaks down and it gets very, very quiet, and there’s some very quiet singing, signing the chorus in a very low key,” explains Sadler. “It just knocks it down, but it’s sung very low-key in terms of delivery. He wanted a very intimate, ‘just woke up,’ smoky … whatever kind of voice, where you’re not even thinking about it either – almost like humming to yourself but you’re singing the words. He wanted to get that effect across, so we did a few. It was getting near the end of the day, and we tried a few, and then he said, ‘Okay, that’ll do for today. We’ll review it in the morning.’ So, I went to bed, and the living quarters were across from the driveway – I guess they were the old stables, for the horses – but across the driveway I’d say a good 50, 60 yards from the main building. And in the morning, I heard this slight tapping on the door, the kind where you’re not even sure someone is there or not. I didn’t say anything, and the door creaked open a tiny bit and in came the tape operator with a mic stand and boom. And he just looked at me and said, ‘Don’t move.’ And down came the microphone to my face, head still on the pillow, he put the headphones on my head, closed the door, and immediately upon the door closing, I heard, ‘Good morning, Michael.’”
As unsettling as it is to be woken up in such a manner, Sadler, groggy and barely cognizant of what was going on, went along with it.
“So, I tried coming up and he said, ‘Just sing when you know where you are. Here we go,’” recalls Sadler. “And I went, ‘Uh.’ So it was like an eight-bar lead up, and then the tape op came in and I sang it, and then he said, ‘Thanks very much. See you in a minute.’ And I went, ‘Uh, huh.’ And then the tape op came back in, took the headphones off, took the microphone away, closed the door, and I went, ‘What just happened?’”
Still in a fog, Sadler went to try to make sense of it all.
“Put my housecoat on, walked across to the studio, and there was Steve [Tayler], the engineer, and Rupert, and he said, ‘Morning, Michael. Listen to this,’” said Sadler. “And he played it back, and I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s exactly what you wanted, isn’t it?’ And he said, ‘Yep.’ And of course, preparing for it is not the same. That’s why they said absolutely nothing to me. That’s exactly what they wanted, and that’s exactly what they got. In fact, it was one take.”
For Saga’s latest record, 20/20, due out Tuesday on Eagle Records, Sadler’s experience was much more mundane. Still, it wasn’t business as usual for Sadler, who left the band when Saga’s tour ended in 2007 and then returned in January of 2011.
“When it was decided that I was coming back, and when we decided to make the announcement, I was basically handed pretty much a finished record, which was odd for me because I’d always been, since the beginning, a fairly integral part of the writing,” said Sadler. “For me to be handed music that I couldn’t touch was, ‘Oh, really …’ (laughs) Every once in a while, I’d go, ‘Oh, I think that part should have been six bars instead of four,’ or ‘maybe that should have been …’ So, on one hand it was slightly frustrating; on the other, as a singer, being handed a blank slate like that and just being able to do whatever I wanted on top of it, it was very inspiring actually, because I was hearing the record like someone in the audience would hear it or one of the fans would hear it for the first time.”
We’ll have more from Sadler in the coming days.

CD Review: Saga - 20/20


CD Review: Saga – 20/20
Eagle Rock Entertainment/earMusic (edel)
All Access Review: A-
Saga - 20/20 2012
A signifier of perfect eyesight, the designation “20/20” holds special meaning for the long-running Canadian progressive-rock institution Saga. For one thing, 20/20 just happens to be their 20th album, and for another, it also refers to the eye operation keyboardist/vocalist Jim Gilmour had that has restored his vision to – you guessed it – 20/20.
More than that, however, the title is emblematic of Saga’s ability to visualize so clearly and with such detailed definition what it is they want to accomplish every time they step foot in a studio. Nothing, it seems, is ever left to chance for a group that has always been meticulous about sound clarity, even as they designed some of the most grandiose sonic architecture in the realm of prog-rock with Worlds Apart and other marvels. Cleanliness is next to godliness for Saga, and with the successful Lasik surgery conducted on 20/20, due to be released by Eagle Rock Entertainment, it appears there is nothing clouding their focus.
With Michael Sadler, one of the most distinctive and crystalline vocalists in all of prog, back in the fold, Saga seems re-energized on the futuristic 20/20, even if the music was almost entirely finished before his return. Between the breathless urgency and racing pulse of 20/20’s opener “Six Feet Under,” the wah-wah radiation burns of “Anywhere You Wanna Go” and the crunching, switchback guitar grooves of a particularly metallic “Spin It Again,” so reminiscent of early King’s X, 20/20 finds Saga adding some edginess and heft to what are often airy melodic passages – the likes of which are found in the breezy mix of light acoustic guitar strum and gently ruffling synthesizers that is “Ellery,” which checks in on the psychopathic main character of fan favorite “The Perfectionist.”
A defiant optimism pervades 20/20, as the pain and frustration of a life of unrealized potential vented in the chorus of sharp vocals and angry riffs in “One of These Days” give way to dizzying whirls of synthesizer and inspiring lyrical self-affirmations. Fighting against the erosion of imagination, “Till the Well Runs Dry” – featuring a deceivingly simple, but wonderfully executed Ian Crichton guitar solo and touches of jazz fusion – is swept up in a gushing geyser of a chorus of soaring, faith-healing keyboard swells and arpeggios and Sadler’s almost evangelical fervor for the subject matter. Tested again in the gorgeous ballad “Lost for Words,” Sadler’s expansive range and rare gift for expertly navigating melodies swim through an ocean of lovely piano figures, crystals of synth and acoustic guitar gold, before the surging electric rock – blanketed in dreamy vocals and pinwheel keyboards – of “Show and Tell” crash the reverie.
One of the most emotionally powerful and heartfelt records of the band’s history, 20/20 is, nevertheless, pretty typical of Saga the easy marriage of synthesizers and keyboards with diverse guitar forays allowing each entity enough room to make their mark.Though more muscular than past efforts, the utterly transcendent 20/20 is full of altered moods, dynamic shifts in tempos and guided tours of epic, byzantine instrumental citadels. In much the same way that countrymen Rush combine their adventurous inclinations with a grounding in solid rock riffing, Saga forges strong song structures and flowing, shapely melodies that can withstand experimentation and the occasional odd time signature. There is nothing wrong with Saga’s vision, even after all these years.
-            Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Loverboy - Rock 'N' Roll Revival


CD Review: Loverboy - Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival
Fontiers Records
All Access Review: B-
Loverboy - Rock 'N' Roll Revival 2012
The critics are going to have a field day with this one –not that Loverboy has ever been a real favorite of theirs. So often in their history the multi-platinum Canadian rockers have been blithely dismissed as “middle of the road,” “lacking substance” … blah, blah, blah. Their legions of fans, of course, have a much different opinion. This time around, their detractors are going to be merciless – quite possibly for all the wrong reasons.
Predictably, they will characterize Rock ‘N’ Revival as a pointless exercise, 75 percent of the record being unnecessary live versions of Loverboy’s greatest hits. After all, what does anyone need of another Loverboy concert album when there’s Live, Loud and Loose (1982-1986) to turn to when only balls-out, karate-kicking, pump-action rock and roll shot full of adrenaline will make everything all right? Evidently, Loverboy felt everyone needed a refresher course on how to kick ass onstage.
An odd album, though, Rock ‘N’ Revival consists of three new original tracks and nine live cuts – a strange juxtaposition of Loverboy again flogging its past glories while offering just a tiny glimpse of where they’re at today. It’s those in-concert recordings that had many scratching their heads. For whatever reason, Loverboy chose to remove all traces of crowd noise, leaving some to wonder whether they were songs the band reworked live in the studio or played out in front of actual people. The answer: they are concert recordings. Some might ask, “What’s the difference?” Well, in the end, nothing really, except that once you hear them, you want some context, some explanation of just what in God’s name it is you’re listening to. Or, to put a finer point on it, there must discernible reasons why Loverboy felt the need to put this out.
Forgive the confusion, because ultimately the Bob Rock-produced Rock ‘N’ Revival sets out to do what its title demands of the record. Heard in their naked form, live versions of beloved tracks like “Turn Me Loose,” with its increasingly gnarled guitars, Mike Reno’s primal screams and delicious slow-burning build-up, are transformed, even if the difference is only slight and they do seem occasionally ponderous. “The Kid is Hot Tonite” grows more potent as an anthem, the unexpectedly wild guitars and soaring synthesizers charged with electricity, as they are on the high-flying anthems “Working for the Weekend” and “Lovin’ Every Minute of It,” both of which have a nastier edge than they ever did before. The same goes for “Lucky Ones,” which is unexpectedly heavy and caught up in snarls of razor-wire guitar riffs and leads, even if the intro seems awkward and a bit out of tune. The excitement fades a little down the stretch, though, with Loverboy playing the more pop-minded “Always on My Mind” and “Queen of the Broken Hearts” almost strictly by the book.
So what about the new stuff? Does any of it contain that same spark of hot-blooded, hormonal drive and hard-working ethos that powered a younger, hungrier Loverboy to the top? Well, one out of three isn’t … great. A stirring reminder of how Loverboy could rally the masses, the title track is a stomping, rousing call-to-arms that takes aim at the current state of the music industry and pulls the trigger, with Mike Reno passionately advocating for a return to rock and roll values and those irresistible Loverboy hooks grabbing you by the shirt. More of a transcendent ballad, the melodic “No Tomorrow” wouldn’t be a fish out of water in modern-day Nashville, and that’s both a blessing and a curse for Loverboy in that it sounds exactly like what’s on the radio these days, which flies directly in the face of their thesis statement for Rock ‘N’ Revival. And although “Heartbreaker” is undeniably catchy, it also feels as lightweight as aluminum, even if there are moments in the choruses when it grows hair on its chest.
Loverboy has the right idea. Rock and roll needs to take a good look in the mirror and remember what made it fun and exciting in the first place. If only Loverboy would heed its own advice, they might just be able to start that Rock ‘N’ Revival they so desperately want to see.

-            Peter Lindblad

News: Deep Purple 'Machine Head' tribute LP gets release date


September 25 is the drop date for ‘Re-Machined’
'Re-Machined' Deep Purple Tribute 2012
In the wake of Jon Lord’s sad passing comes news of a September 25 release date for the much-anticipated Re-Machined – A Tribute to Deep Purple’s Machine Head.
Compiled to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the one of the truly groundbreaking albums in rock history, Re-Machined has taken on special meaning in light of Lord’s death, the virtuoso keyboardist having contributed greatly to the influential sound of Deep Purple.
Among the more interesting tracks on Re-Machined is a version of “Space Truckin’” by Iron Maiden that was actually recorded in 2006. It’s been on the shelf gathering dust ever since.
“Initially we didn’t think we’d be able to contribute anything due to our touring commitments,” explained Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson in a press release related to Re-Machined. “Then we remembered ‘Space Truckin’ which we’d recorded as a single B-side during our A Matter of Life and Death album session, but never used. However now, thanks to Kevin Shirley’s remixing skills, we’re able to include it on Re-Machined.”
Of course, “Smoke on the Water” is represented – two different re-imagined versions being put forth, one by indie-rock favorites Flaming Lips and the other a collaboration between Carlos Santana and Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix. And what Deep Purple tribute album would be complete without participation from Metallica, who rework “When A Blind Man Cries,” a song Deep Purple recorded during the Machine Head sessions but which actually appeared on the B-side to “Never Before.”
Due out on Eagle Records, Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple’s Machine Head will be included initially as a limited edition Classic Rock “fanpack” on September 3.
Track Listing
1) Smoke On the Water - Carlos Santana & Jacoby Shaddix
2) Highway Star - Chickenfoot
3) Maybe I'm a Leo - Glenn Hughes & Chad Smith
4) Pictures of Home - Black Label Society
5) Never Before - Kings of Chaos (Joe Elliott, Steve Stevens, Duff McKagen, Matt Sorum)
6) Smoke on the Water - The Flaming Lips
7) Lazy - Jimmy Barnes with Joe Bonamassa
8) Space Truckin' - Iron Maiden
9) When a Blind Man Cries - Metallica
10) Highway Star - Glenn Hughes/Steve Vai/Chad Smith

CD Review: Loudness - Eve to Dawn


CD Review: Loudness – Eve to Dawn
FrostByte Media
All Access Review: B+
Loudness - Eve to Dawn 2012
Unlike their English counterparts, Loudness did not have the benefit of riding any “New Wave of Japanese Heavy Metal” to glory overseas. Until high-voltage guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi left their old band Lazy and unleashed Loudness in the East – the Far East that is – in 1981, relatively few Japanese music observers gave hard rock and heavy metal a second thought. To them, such noxious noise held little potential for commercial gain. If the scene wasn’t dead, it was at the very least comatose and in dire need of resuscitation.
Into this power vacuum stepped Loudness, not cautiously but rather with all the smoldering, pent-up intensity and commanding authority of a deposed emperor looking to avenge a palace coup. By way of introduction, Loudness’s sizzling debut album, The Birthday Eve, rained down torrents of Takasaki’s sulfuric riffs and molten solos down upon a nation that didn’t know it was thirsting for the hard stuff. Like a shot of grain alcohol, it didn’t go down smoothly, but it did pack quite a wallop. On top of that, Loudness’s first live appearance was a sellout, and each succeeding record brought increasing sales – leading some to think that Loudness, despite the obvious obstacles of language, cultural differences and an ocean of distance, could repeat that success in America.
And they did – to some extent. Thunder in the East, the band’s initial U.S. release, crawled its way onto the Billboard charts and camped out for 19 straight weeks, topping out at No. 74. Loudness then went on the attack with Lightning Strikes, which surged as high as No. 64 before hitting a plateau; by that time, so had Loudness. The American invasion that held so much promise had fizzled. In the aftermath, there was a sense that Loudness could have been bigger worldwide, that for some reason they’d succumbed to commercial pressure and pulled their punches on their U.S. recordings.
Free of such crass concerns today, Loudness holds nothing back on the hot-wired new FrostByte Media LP Eve to Dawn, an album that toggles between furious thrash, melodic power metal and traditional chrome-plated metal – see the Judas Priest-like charge of “Hang Tough” – with wild abandon. It’s not garage rock, but Eve to Dawn, so full of vitality, feels as if it was birthed in one, brought into this world kicking and screaming from the top of its lungs. Far from polished, it would be unduly harsh to call Eve to Dawn sloppy, but it is an untidy recording. Still, warts and all, Eve to Dawn is compelling, zapping “Come Alive Again” with a TASER full of electricity and landing a flurry of devastatingly heavy, teeth-rattling haymakers like the stampeding “Survivor,” the grinding “Pandra” and “The Power of Truth,” an absolute wrecking ball of a song caught in a hurricane of drums. Going for the knockout every time, singer Minoru Niihara – that raw, banshee-like wail of his raising the hair on the back of necks from Tokyo to Tallahassee – goes looking for a fight on the bruising rumble “Gonna Do It My Way” and defiantly scratches out a list of society’s ills on the nasty, hook-happy closer “Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!”
But the man everybody pays to hear is Takasaki, and he is in rare form. A supremely skilled craftsman, Takasaki specializes in the kind of flashy, spectacularly frenzied and diverse shredding heard everywhere on Eve to Dawn, with special consideration given to the dazzling solos in “Keep You Burning,” “Pandra” and the ambitious “Comes the Dawn,” mostly a seven-minute riff orgy with cutting violins and sinister bass lines that bow to Takasaki’s fleet-fingered fretwork. The thunder in the East is louder than ever.   
-            Peter Lindblad

DVD Review: Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live

DVD Review: Peter Gabriel – Secret World Live
Eagle Vision/Eagle Rock Entertainment
All Access Review: B+
Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live 2012
Shaken to the very core of his being by a gut-wrenching divorce, Peter Gabriel tried to figure out what it all meant on 1992’s somewhat glum and dispirited Us, the deeply introspective and long-awaited follow-up to Gabriel’s vibrant, sexually expressive solo breakthrough album So. Six years in the making, Us meticulously explored the emotional jungles of human relationships with naked honesty and a confused, exposed vulnerability, and Gabriel, searching for answers that were probably never there to begin with, came out the other end none the wiser.
Frustrated perhaps by his inability to find resolution, Gabriel seems to retreat into the secret sound world and experimental bubble of Us, living amongst its layers and layers of exotic textural sediment and its rich, immersive tonal environments as a reclusive artist who has broken off communication with outsiders. At the same time, Gabriel is an open book on Us, unabashedly baring his soul in descriptive lyrics so uncomfortably personal that they read like the notes of therapy sessions, Gabriel having apparently waived any invocation of doctor-patient privilege. Given all this, it’s understandable then that Us – despite the propulsive funk of “Steam” and the organic throbbing of “Digging in the Dirt” – couldn’t possibly rise to the mega-smash hit status of So. Us required too much of its audience – too much of an investment of time and patience, and even too much of their own damaged hearts
Out of this miasma of pain, guilt and intense self-reflection emerged Gabriel, somewhat healed and ready to face the world again with his ambitious “Secret World Live” tour. A spectacular staging of Gabriel’s hard-won perspective on gender relations – with two stages symbolizing male and female sensibilities and a visual bombardment of multi-media adventures – “Secret World Live” set up shop in Modena, Italy for two nights in November 1993, and the arty, uplifting performances were captured for a much-beloved 1996 Grammy Award-winning film. All gussied up for the new millennium, “Secret World Live” is being re-released this summer on Eagle Vision, and it looks as if it hasn’t aged a day, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Visually, this new and improved version is magnificent, revitalizing the multi-camera shoot and enhancing the already vivid imagery of the original film with gorgeous color and a well-rounded sonic remastering that adds power and energy to the sound. Bulging with extras, the newly-packaged “Secret World Live” includes a time-lapse movie of the elaborate stage set-up process, a revealing making-of featurette with exclusive period interviews – Gabriel doing most of the talking – and interesting behind-the-scenes footage, a beautiful still photo gallery from the tour set to an unsettlingly quiet version of “Steam” and a captivating 2011 performance of “The Rhythm of the Heat” featuring Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.
Truly a transcendent concert experience, the mostly joyful and celebratory “Secret World Live” finds Gabriel’s theatricality taking on more meaning and metaphorical significance. As the sensual, slow-moving melodic currents of “Across the River” and “Slow Marimbas” gently drift, Gabriel paddles an imaginary skiff up river on the conveyer belt that connects the two stages, with his band in tow, all gazing upward in wonderment. A makeshift oasis – complete with a tree of life – provides the setting for a wounded, yearning version of “Blood of Eden,” a song of disconnection, suspicion, self-loathing and rebirth beautifully rendered by Gabriel and singer Paula Cole. Needing no stage props, Gabriel and his team of handpicked musicians dance with a relaxed, whimsical choreography as they strut their way through the sweaty push of “Steam” and the chunky, dynamic grooves of “Sledgehammer,” before skipping and hopping around the life-affirming, uplifting cheeriness of “Solsbury Hill,” “Shaking the Tree” and “In Your Eyes” like carefree children in a playground.
That bounce in Gabriel’s step is nowhere to be found on the “Come Talk to Me,” where Gabriel, stuck in one of those typically British red phone booths, pleads with Cole to reopen negotiations to salvage whatever the song’s characters once had together. Heavy-handed and interminably drawn out, this particular scene, which opens the movie, is a wet blanket and lacks the subtle, if obscure, drama Gabriel once employed to jarring effect, like when he famously donned the old fox head and dress in concert for Genesis. Worse yet are the distracting and off-putting close-ups from the small camera mounted on Gabriel’s head for “Digging in the Dirt.” The self-indulgent stagecraft used in both instances seems uninspired and hopelessly dated as if Gabriel didn’t care that the expiration date on such hackneyed devices had long since passed.
All is forgiven, however, when “Secret World” arrives, with upside-down camera shots and flashing lights heightening the tension and excitement of its more aggressive parts and Gabriel handling the tender, more meditative spots with warm humanity. As a bonus, the new edition of “Secret World Live” features the cascading “Red Rain,” not included on the original version. And, of course, this dark waterfall of emotions and melody is as affecting as ever, its mood penitent and heartfelt.
An orgy for the senses, if a tad melodramatic in spots, “Secret World Live” – accompanied by a booklet packed with gorgeous photography – is a spiritual awakening of sorts, with Gabriel’s charisma and refreshing openness bonding audience and cast in ways that language cannot explain. Helping Gabriel make this stirring journey is a backing band that is without peer, as Tony Levin’s agile, sinewy bass movements, David Rhodes’ unassuming guitar figures, and Manu Katche’s splashy drumming – not to mention the flood of keyboards, Shankar’s violins and other strange instrumentation that washes over it all – craft a sublime vehicle for Gabriel’s meditations. Even though his musings have an insular quality on Us, there is a universality to Gabriel’s lyrics that connects with people of all creeds and colors. Never has that been more apparent than on “Secret World Live.”

-            Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Testament - Dark Roots of the Earth


CD Review: Testament - Dark Roots of the Earth
Nuclear Blast
All Access Review: A-
Testament - Dark Roots of the Earth 2012
Forget the kerfuffle over Testament’s use of blast beats on Dark Roots of the Earth. Such concerns are small potatoes when measured against the enormity of the Bay Area bashers’ latest sonic blitzkrieg on a metal community still dazed by the fire-bombing wrought by Formation of Damnation, unleashed by Testament in 2008. Utilizing a drumming technique associated more with death metal than thrash on “Native Blood” and the unremittingly hostile “True American Hate” – both of these clean-running machines riddled by head-spinning fusillade of fiery riffs and saber-rattling twin-guitar leads – Testament willingly violates a long-held taboo to forge steely, sharp broadswords of battle-scarred aural barbarism that could cut through armor as if it were butter.
Recorded and engineered by Andy Sneap, who seemingly can do no wrong lately, Dark Roots of the Earth, out now on Nuclear Blast, is a somewhat less ferocious animal than its predecessor, despite its full-bodied, high-impact sound. That’s only because Testament chooses to occasionally indulge its more refined progressive inclinations on such complex, tempo-shifting pieces as the tightly-woven, seven-minute descent into madness that is “Throne of Thrones.” The lengthy melodic ballad in “Cold Embrace” – veering cringingly close to power-balladry – cycles through a hoary underworld of intricate acoustic passages and gentle tendrils of electric-guitar arpeggios before periods of crushing heaviness swoop in to lay waste to anything resembling song structure, while the title track initiates a deliciously slow, tantalizing burn that eventually becomes a bonfire.
Not to worry, Testament hasn’t turned into Rush, as the clawing, growling riffage and monstrous brutality of “Rise Up” so violently attests. As defiant as ever, powerhouse singer Chuck Billy seems to detonate land mines every time he opens that raging mouth of his to speak gruffly of war, freedom, death and the end of days – not to mention the oppressed Native American experience that Billy confronts head on in the explosive, deliriously infectious “Native Blood.” Always mindful of maintaining an exhilarating pace and planting hooks with the teeth of bear traps – always biting right through the bone – guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson fluidly wield their axes with impressive precision, rich tonality and diabolically diverse dynamics on such rugged earth-movers as “A Day in the Death” and “Man Kills Mankind.” Sneap and Testament take all of those elements, including the blizzard of beats pouring out of Gene Hoglan’s drums and the thick, gripping bass undertow of Greg Christian, and shape tracks into chugging, monolithic thrash-metal war ships.
This is not your father’s thrash, the raw and sometimes hairy character of old-school recordings sanded smooth on Dark Roots of the Earth. Incredibly detailed, the album’s rigorous attention paid to raising dark melodies and the complex, artistic soloing of Skolnick and Peterson – apparently born of jazz and King Crimson studies – out of the usual Testament tumult strengthens and boosts the force with which Testament attacks. Experiencing almost every song on Dark Roots of the Earth is like getting gored by a bull and then shot by a hunting rifle. Physically, it slams into the body and boggles the senses. Having medical personnel nearby ready to lend aid might not be a bad idea.

-            Peter Lindblad