I was first introduced to Saga by seeing their video of “Don't Be Late (Chapter 2)” from their sophomore release, Silent Knight, on MTV of all places!  Hailing from Canada, they were in the company of a few of my favorite bands of the era (crest of the ‘80s): April Wine, Rush, Pat Travers Band and Triumph.  With three keyboardists, a left-handed drummer, a tasty/controlled staccato guitarist and a singer with a handlebar moustache, I knew they meant serious business; as in progressive rock.  This “Chapter 2” stuff was intriguing; eight songs, out of order, spread over their first four albums.  What could it mean?  Turns out to be inspired by the life and work of Albert Einstein (the subject of “Portrait (He Knew)” by another of my favorite bands, Kansas! 

The band’s core players began here: bothers guitarist Ian and bassist/keyboardist Jim Crichton and singer/keyboardist (and sometimes bassist) Michael Sadler.  Drummer Steve Negus served two-decade long stints in the band.  Keyboardist Peter Rochon plays on this album only.  Sadler was away from 2008-2011 for personal reasons, but is currently back on the microphone, sans moustache (and hair!).  This album is a great introduction to an often overlooked band.  For newcomers, I’d recommend buying and listening to their albums in order.  You will find a natural progression and development of a band that should be more successful than their primarily Canadian and European fan base.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2012  Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Starting off sounding a bit like a Pac-Man game before going into more of a Supertramp groove, this song has remained a favorite of Saga’s live set for decades. It’s a catchy tune with tight instrumentation – like most of Saga’s output through the decades.  Lyrically, it sets the tone for many of their songs – second- or third-person observations about human nature: “You thought you had it in the bag / Thought you had it all figured out / But now you're having second thoughts / You don’t really know your ins from outs.”