Wer ist online?

von **Susi** » Do Aug 19, 2004 8:38 pm

an excerpt of the liner notes of the promo CD:

SAGA Network

It must be their unique mix of years of experience, a never-ending supply of new ideas and their typical overall sounds that accounts for the fact that Saga have been at the very top of the rock music scene for over 25 years. Whenever Messrs. Sadler, Crichton, Crichton and Gilmour get together to play music, the result is always unmistakeably SAGA. These four experienced musicians even know how to use a line-up change - like the one that took place before the recording of their new album, Network - to their advantage, making the most of the energy surge it provides. Drummer Steve Negus is currently taking time out, and Canadian Christian Simpson was enlisted to fill in for him. "Steve asked for a sabbatical," keyboarder Jim Crichton explains. "He simply needed more time for himself and his private life. We won't put any obstacles in his way. Steve knows that he can return any time and will be greeted with open arms." In Simpson, SAGA have enlisted a new drummer who immediately made his presence felt. "I think that Network sounds rawer, more lively and more spontaneous thab our previous albums. No doubt that's also thanks to Christian. He came to Toronto for an audition and impressed us so much that we hired him on the spot."

Saga's sound and particularly their songwriting takes up where their previous success albums left off. "Listening to the material on Network, I frequently feel reminded of releases like Silent Knight or Worlds Apart," Crichton points out. "Call it retro, I call it the continuation of typical tried-and-tested SAGA elements, combined with fresh ideas and sounds." In terms of content, about half of the new material deals with TV as a medium and its effect on people. 'Live At Five' for example criticises the excesses of sensational journalism. "Some programmes are all about how to shock the audience in front of the box," Crichton grumbles. "Their motto is: 'By the end of this programme we'll have shown you 55 reasons why you should feel permanently afraid.' What a load of bullshit!" 'On The Air' (Crichton: "Definitely one of the most important songs on Network; it sounds very abstract.") with over six minutes playing time is about people from whom the TV is their only purpose in life. "They live in a fantasy world, never leave the house and completely lose touch with reality." Crichton is particularly looking forward to performing 'On The Air' live. The unusually tough 'Don't Say A Word' with its references to the band's early classics should thoroughly delight their many fans.

The five musicians have worked on Network since January 2004, initially on the compositions, each of them in the comfort of their own home, and in spring 2004 they came together to collaborate on the ideas. "There were probably around sixty to seventy vague suggestions," says Crichton, a little surprised at his band's creative surge. "Twenty song fragments were so good that we put them on the short-list. Ten of them made it onto Network." The album was produced by Jim Crichton again, the band's mastermind when it comes to studio technology. He has more exciting news up his sleeve for Saga's large fan community: "I don't want to give too much away, but next to our new material and greatest hits we're thinking about performing one of our early album successes all the way through in one go." What an announcement to make in view of the European tour which is scheduled to kick off at the end of October 2004!
...