Over the years, charismatic Canadian legends
Saga have produced some of the most memorable opuses, keeping that musical stance beyond the eighties and into new phases in their career where they have performed neo-progressive rock on their own terms. Whether hits or "should be hits," the band has released a series of cuts throughout the years, spanning their catalog, and when taken out of these albums and pieced together, there is sort of a concept involved.
Hence this live performance of
Chapters, sort of a live concept album if you must, that showcases the songs in the form, where there is a flow to all these songs when put together, nearly creating a whole new album unto itself, bringing the same vibe forth as alums such as
Physical Graffiti and
Dark Side of the Moon, where all the songs fit together, even if there is not a complete concrete concept; where songs can stand out on their own or fit right in.
Beginning on an eased back note with "
Images," the record flows towards heavier and quicker paced tracks; kind of building up tension with "
It's Time," then releasing it with the harder grind of "
Will it be You," eventually leading into the complex material with both "
Tired World" and "
No Stranger." They even slip in a ballad titled
No regrets to act as a segue way between all the compositional alchemy involved.
The second half begins with the synthesizer heavy "
Remember When" where there is this anthem vibe that pertains to the analog keyboard sounds and the upbeat tempo, which sheds a little action onto the scope of the performance. Balladry with "
Not this Way" and "
Ashes to Ashes" is followed by more technical approaches with "
Uncle Albert's Eyes" and "
Worlds Apart" where the performance as a whole is a mixture of the prog metal of Dream Theater, the technical marksmanship of Rush, and the stance for song driven alchemy similar to IQ.
Who knows how this record would have been perceived had it not been a series of previously released tracks. Regardless, Chapters breathes new life into these songs. The performance is flawless; there couldn't have been a better way to perform this extended piece of music.
Written by
Hashman Saturday, November 12, 2005
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