Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Saga
Label: SPV Records
Release: 1999
Rating: 4/5
With “Full Circle”, the legendary Canadian art rockers Saga went back to the progressive rock of their best years and finally got their rebirth, which also kicked off what is most likely the most prolific period of their career. After the catastrophic techno/industrial metal experiment “Pleasure And The Pain” (1997), a nightmare that seriously let down the vast majority of their fans, they decided it was time to get serious, wash the mud off and return to the musical elements they’d always been best at and had scored their biggest hits with. The great cover art, showing the return and rebirth of the cybernetic grasshopper (their trademark from the glory days) shedding its old skin, couldn’t symbolize this big return to progressive rock any better, or the tense sci-fi concept they’d dropped after their most commercially successful album, “Worlds Apart” (1981). “Full Circle” brought back the famous “chapters”, which made up the mysterious, back then still unfinished, story about Einstein’s stolen brain and the cybernetic grasshoppers that decided to save humanity from self-destruction. From “Full Circle” on, these strange grasshoppers showed up again on every new album (as a permanent logo, too), and the band successfully built on the artistic standard this album set. Consistent quality in every respect (musically and lyrically) became their main virtue with this record. Through the “chapters” Saga could finally carry on again, the musical roots got a fresh watering, and “Full Circle” even delivered some of the best work of their career.
Drummer Steve Negus, who had wanted nothing to do with the previous album, came back to the other four. Saga hadn’t sounded this convincing, energetic, fresh and even rejuvenated in a long time. Their sound here ends up as an effective mix of the somewhat dark, mysterious atmosphere and punchy passages defined by the excellent “Generation 13” (1995) and those classic Saga who delighted listeners on their first four albums. I’m thinking mainly of the combination of Ian’s bouncy guitar riffs, witty solos and hard-hitting passages interwoven with the symphonic layers of Gilmour’s keyboards (he hasn’t been this active in ages), plus Sadler’s dramatic, epic vocals, all backed up by the killer Jim Crichton/Steve Negus rhythm section. As it should be, “Full Circle” is stuffed with complex time changes, epic melodic choruses, loads of layered vocals and instrumental fireworks along the way, and it doesn’t lack for excellent, soothing acoustic moments that tone down the hyper-voltage energy dominating most of the songs. Bassist Jim Crichton’s production is dreamy, and no wonder he’s become their permanent producer over the years.
The big comeback starts with the energy charger “Remember When (Chapter 9)”, which tells listeners right away that the band is back from the dead. After a mysterious intro drenched in effects comes a superb transition, the kind only these guys can pull off, where they suddenly hit you with a great guitar riff, witty keyboard arrangements, a jazzy rhythm and dramatic, mysterious vocals. Ian doesn’t hold back on the energetic arpeggios on guitar while Michael’s dramatic vocals add epic scope. The keyboards haven’t sounded this virtuosic in ages. The instrumental section also surprises with a delicious, baroque-flavored solo on Gilmour’s keyboards, joined by a delicate slide guitar solo. It’s a superb opener that speaks of their past and the opening of a “new chapter”, revealed in the verse where Michael sings “remember when I said don’t be late”, a nod to their classic “Don’t Be Late” (Silent Knight, 1980). “The One” has a pretty punchy, almost metal intro on a powerful, distorted riff and raging drums, until they slide into a calmer, more symphonic section with tender vocals and an ambient layer of keyboards (that motif then comes back a few more times). The wound-up guitar passages and just-raw-enough riffing weave beautifully into spacey keyboard layers, which over a bouncy rhythm keep flowing into a great, epic chorus. It’s another splendid track that recalls some of the work from their best days.
“Follow Me” has a gorgeous Celtic-flavored motif on acoustic guitar and keyboards. Michael’s vocals, backed by Jim Gilmour, who complements him wonderfully here, make for a superb mix of mystique and drama. When the building choir harmonies come in on the chorus, the feeling of dark mystery is at its peak. The middle section also has a lovely symphonic motif with a short synthesizer solo. Next comes the excellent “Uncle Albert’s Eyes (Chapter 13)”, the epic high point of the album and one of its most majestic moments. It’s also the chapter where the queen grasshopper realizes her brain once sat in the body of good old Uncle Albert (I especially love the line “see the tears in uncle Albert’s eyes”). The composition is marked by excellent keyboard textures, which together with the guitar riff form a very effective, slightly schizoid motif. The result is an incredibly dramatic atmosphere, helped along even more by Michael’s melody and poetic vocals telling the story of a disillusioned scientist. The drama builds all the way to the peak, where a superb epic chorus comes in and sends goosebumps down your spine with its vocal expression. Besides the great epic chorus, there are a few excellent instrumental bits that tie drama and epic together very effectively. With this bow to Uncle Albert’s lost memories, Saga made, in my opinion, one of the best things they’ve ever done and a true art rock classic. “Home” is another very good piece with an interesting folk-rock-flavored acoustic intro built on a gorgeous acoustic guitar motif. The song stands out for its lovely acoustic melody, energetic transitions with strong vocal expression and tasteful symphonic arrangements.
“Don’t Say Goodbye” glides very effectively between a dark and a romantic mood. The tense, rather gloomy intro with a bristling guitar riff, building rhythm and dramatic keyboard curtains is followed by an incredibly beautiful, original motif with heart-wrenching, melancholic vocals and wonderful symphonic arrangements. The chorus is once again hugely dramatic, stuffed with an energetic riff and harmonic vocal layers. Another great track that stirs up enormous nostalgia and a sad sense of final farewell. “Time Bomb” is an energy bomb in the true sense of its title, as it’s one of their hardest-hitting songs ever. An obscure intro full of effects and Jim’s rattling bass is followed by a transition with a slightly creepy, mysterious motif made up of vocals, backing vocals, guitar and a special keyboard effect. In the chorus, the sawing guitar riff crashing in is a thrill, and combined with the vocal drama it creates an explosive effect. This track has plenty of very interesting symphonic keyboard motifs and vocal harmonies, and an effective atmosphere somewhere between creepy tension, brutality and epic grandeur.
“Not This Way (Chapter 10)” is an excellent ballad with a beautiful intro on acoustic guitar and keyboards. This time the lead vocals are sung by keyboardist Jim Gilmour, who has proven himself a few times in the past with his angelic soprano. The song is graced by a wonderful Celtic mood, the result of an effective combination of the acoustic guitars of both Crichton brothers, symphonic arrangements and melodramatic vocals. Of course, there’s no shortage of excellent instrumental passages this time either, stuffed with lovely symphonic arrangements and witty solos. In that instrumental part, the song’s atmosphere even reminds me a bit of some later Pink Floyd. As a whole it also recalls their classic ballad “Scratching The Surface” (Heads Or Tales, 1983), though the mood is totally different this time. Yet another huge highlight of the album.
“A Night To Remember” is one more all-out wound-up energy charger, where guitar arpeggios fly like crazy over raw drum transitions and rattling bass. The dramatic vocals, where Michael’s and Jim’s voices meet again, are one of its main attractions. The epic chorus is built on varied time changes and metal-flavored guitar passages. In the middle section they also throw in some interesting sound samples on keyboards. What I like most, though, is the great contrast created by the two vocalists. This time they more than succeeded in merging their traditional art rock finesse with more modern elements, typical mainly of progressive metal. The closing “Goodbye”, despite being the simplest, is one of the most interesting pieces on the album. An ambient intro with synthesizer sounds and guitar effects, from which an excellent solo gradually emerges, is followed by a gorgeous layer of symphonic arrangements. The biggest impact, though, comes when Michael’s melancholic-dramatic vocals kick in, and his performance simply takes your breath away. Here Saga also noticeably moved closer to Queen, one of the greatest masters of this kind of heart-tearing ballad.
“Full Circle” is a thoroughly classic Saga album, the kind their fans, after the total betrayal of the “system”, could only have wished for in their dreams. In my view it even marks the key moment in their story, when they decided that instead of experimenting with current, popular musical trends that might have brought them easy money, they’d rather follow their hearts and go back to their roots. “Full Circle” proved this was a very wise decision, one that went on to bear plenty of juicy fruit in the years ahead. Without a doubt one of the best returns to the right path by any band after hitting rock bottom artistically. It might be a bit of a stretch to call “Full Circle” a masterpiece, given that it was followed by some even more accomplished and refined albums, but it’s the album on which their later sound was built and the key point of the final turn back to their roots. The circle of regeneration was finally closed, and the cybernetic grasshoppers could once again soar high into the sky from the sea where they’d long lain forgotten.
Lineup
Michael Sadler vocals
Ian Crichton – guitar
Jim Crichton – bass guitar, bass keyboards
Jim Gilmour – keyboards, backing vocals, vocals (8)
Steve Negus – drums
Production
Jim Crichton
Track list
1. Remember When (Chapter 9) (5:20)
2. The One (4:21)
3. Follow Me (5:07)
4. Uncle Albert’s Eyes (Chapter 13) (5:22)
5. Home (5:06)
6. Don’t Say Goodbye (5:33)
7. Time Bomb (4:05)
8. Not This Way (Chapter 10) (5:04)
9. A Night To Remember (5:44)
10. Goodbye (3:59)
Album length: 49:43
