Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Saga
Label: SPV Records
Release: 1982
Rating: 4/5
Canadian art rockers Saga really couldn’t have picked a better moment to release “In Transit”, their first live album. After the breakthrough “Worlds Apart” (1981), they hit the peak of their commercial success and popularity, especially on home turf and in Central Europe, which is still where they’re most revered today. That success obviously needed to be backed up and cashed in on, and what better way to do it than with a live album showing off the band’s many stage talents? In that department they were always among the most respected prog rock acts, and they still enjoy that status among music connoisseurs today.
“In Transit” was recorded in Denmark on the “Worlds Apart” tour in 1981. The live set pulls together some of the most beloved material from their first four albums, which many fans consider classics, and which were also known for their mysterious sci-fi “chapters”. For the most part, Saga stay faithful to the studio originals in concert, so don’t expect any big improvisations or long solo excursions (apart from a drum solo near the end of the recording). For a band that always put heavy emphasis on the melodic structure of its songs, that’s a pretty wise approach. The individual members sound supremely confident throughout, and the recording practically crackles with high-voltage energy. When the multi-part lines of Gilmour’s keyboards (especially clavinet and synthesizers), Ian Crichton’s hard rock guitar passages, his brother Jim’s rumbling bass, Negus’s massive drumming and Sadler’s melancholic vocals all collide, the Saga magic is complete. The really rich keyboard sound is especially impressive, and it comes from the fact that three members of the band, Gilmour, Jim Crichton and Sadler, all take turns on keys. The crowd’s enthusiasm shows just how popular they were in Europe at the time, as they eagerly help Sadler out on the choruses.
“In Transit” opens with “Careful Where You Step”, an art rock masterpiece from “Silent Knight” (1980), whose dramatic cyber-apocalyptic atmosphere, built from sprawling layers of synths and punchy guitar riffs, heats up the room in an instant and whets the appetite for more treats to come. Next comes “Don’t Be Late”, still hugely popular today and also from that album, which, as expected, is one of the highlights of this live recording and fully on par with its studio version. “Humble Stance”, from their self-titled debut, with its playful marching rhythm and baroque keyboard flourishes, lets some of the charge out and sets a more “sing-along” mood. Meanwhile, Ian Crichton throws in a few wildly tasteful arpeggios and a solo that takes an already excellent performance into almost “outer space” territory. Another highlight is the epic “Wind Him Up” (Worlds Apart, 1981), with a hypnotic chorus. With its lyrics and video about an addicted card gambler, it was their biggest hit that year and, to this day, their highest-charting song ever. The cult classic “How Long”, the opening track of the debut, with its “Baba O’ Riley”-style keyboard intro and its alternating energetic and dreamy passages, is another treat for all lovers of late-’70s art rock nostalgia. Next up is the gorgeous ballad “No Regrets” (Worlds Apart), with Jim Gilmour’s melancholic vocals and clavinet. In my view, Gilmour’s voice was always for Saga what Brian May or Roger Taylor were for Queen: an effective source of vocal contrast to the charismatic frontman, without whom most of the performances would have been unthinkable. Then comes the short solo spot “A Brief Case”, conducted by drummer Steve Negus, whom I’ve always considered the best fit for their sound, despite the noticeable technical edge of his current successor Brian Doerner. I’ve got nothing against solo showcases when a recording has plenty of songs, but on “In Transit”, which was supposed to present a first collection of the band’s work, I’d have preferred another Saga classic in its place. That craving is more than satisfied, though, by the superb “You’re Not Alone” (Silent Knight), where you can clearly hear how energetically the crowd sings along with the band on the choruses. The recording wraps up with “On The Loose”, the opening track of “Worlds Apart”, where the band and the crowd, on the choruses, truly become the “kings of the night”.
“In Transit” is a very good live document from the band’s peak popularity, and they always knew how to reward their audience on stage. The performances are excellent, fully on par with the studio originals, the band breathes with the crowd the whole way through, and the production is very solid too, and the reissue improves it even further. The only downside is its brevity (just eight songs is really a bit thin). The recording is over in the blink of an eye, and as a result several favorites are missing, like “It’s Time”, “See Them Smile”, “Hot To Cold”, “Too Much To Lose”, “Amnesia”, etc. If I can forget about that, “In Transit” is one of the better live albums of the early ’80s and a must for every fan of the band, while newcomers to their music wouldn’t go far wrong starting with this recording either.
Lineup
Michael Sadler – vocals, keyboards
Ian Crichton – guitar
Jim Crichton – bass guitar, keyboards
Jim Gilmour – keyboards, clavinet, backing vocals, lead vocals (6)
Steve Negus – drums, percussion
Production
Jim Crichton
Tracklist
1. Careful Where You Step
2. Don’t Be Late
3. Humble Stance
4. Wind Him Up
5. How Long
6. No Regrets
7. Brief Case, A
8. You’re Not Alone
9. On The Loose
