Saga
Generation 13

Within the span of two years, between 1993 and 1995, Saga released three very different works. Following the almost hard rock of "The Security of Illusion," inspired and captivating in its refined power, came the almost synth-pop of "Steel Umbrellas," which was nothing more than the soundtrack of a TV series and thus a somewhat unambitious work by nature. Less than a year later, it's time for this ornamented, intense, demanding, conscious immersion in the realm of the rock opera.

Introducing intuitive Pink Floyd-like analogies, if their previous album could be equated to "Soundtrack from the Film More" by the famous English colleagues, the album in question should then be compared to the titanic "The Wall." Through "Generation 13" the Canadian quintet thus indulges in a complete involvement in the progressive taste, with no commercial hesitations or artistic restraints, decisively embarking on the classic stereotypes, as well as the predictable annexed and connected elements, of any respectable concept album.

That means: a strong and solid basic concept developed in ambitious lyrics and, needless to say, rather pessimistic and depressive – heavy division into subtitles, no fewer than 25 and for a total length of almost seventy minutes – the typical coming and going of some main melodic themes, repeated several times and with different arrangements throughout the story – the presence of a large orchestra to enrich and sometimes dominate certain passages – the ample and continuous intersection of dialogues, ambient noises, announcements, and various effects as a complement to the music and lyrics (the former definitely serving the latter, partly sacrificing the band's proverbial instrumental exuberance).

The deus ex-machina of the project is bassist and producer Jim Chricton: one of the main composers and lyricists of the group, the blond and accomplished musician had a good hand in imposing this ponderous and more or less autobiographical work on his companions, dealing with the problems and disillusions of a generation. His inspiration came from an obscure book by two American authors, titled "13th Generation: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail?", not even translated in Italy due to its distinctly American social setting. The thirteenth American generation is the one born between the sixties and seventies, seriously struggling in those nineties to find placement, ideals, and decent prospects (then came the 2000s, even worse, with Bush succeeding Clinton... but that’s another story).

The result of Jim's common development of the basic idea is an album that is intense, rich with ideas and endless sonic nuances, demanding in its requiring several listens before it can be fully appreciated. The best thing, as is always right for this type of work, is to listen to it all in one go, from start to finish, preferably with decent familiarity with English that allows good access to the lyrics. With "Generation 13," Saga leaves no doubt for their supporters about the fundamental essence of their inspiration: they are a progressive group, absolutely one of the good ones, even excellent. Had they been ten years older, they would have flooded the seventies with a substantial series of records like this one.

The already mentioned suitability to consider and enjoy the work as a whole doesn't prevent extracting and mentioning some of its most successful passages, which are not few: for starters, the thrilling instrumental turn of track number two "Theme #1", which sets the work on an almost progressive metal level, with Ian Chricton's powerful guitar filled with vibrant echoes. Surely, the worldwide success of Dream Theater during those years convinced Saga to dare in this direction.

The fourth track "The Cross (Home #3)" however tells that, more than towards the five fortunate New Yorkers, the more appropriate comparison is with Queensrÿche, specifically with singer Michael Sadler who gives his all to scream the dramatic refrain (uhm, without obviously reaching the effectiveness of the exceptional Geoff Tate), after keyboardist Jim Gilmour has offered his ultra-progressive touch to the unsettling verses.

Excellent is Chricton's moody riff, in fourteen eighth notes, which supports the tough and captivating "The Learning Tree". The adaptability to various music genres, while maintaining rich personality and effectiveness, of this guitarist is relentless: wherever you put him, from hard rock to pop to progressive metal, he kicks hard and stands out with his creamy and agile sound, his unpredictable and dynamic phrasing, in accompaniment as well as solos.

Track number fourteen "We Hope You Feeling Better" is fattened by a liturgical organ (in Sadler's hands), in the Yes style and thus pure progressive. "My Name is Sam" a bit further on is instead tainted with techno, with heavily distorted voices, with a delightful electric piano with Leslie in the Gentle Giant style that brings tears of nostalgia to the eyes.

The sixteenth track "Screw-em" is my favorite: again lots of Gentle Giant in the taste for the guitar + keyboard riff in counterpoint, then a glaringly Van der Graaf Generator-like organ emerges, inaugurating a fabulous instrumental section, with a magnificent guitar solo by... Saga! Great piece, crazy drive, sounds that pop, guaranteed progressive enjoyment.

The intro of "Tie Victim" is once again entrusted to an organ very close to Rick Wakeman's thinking, then the lead guitar starts to frolic uncontrollably once more, giving rise to a final crescendo without respite: three or four very intense pieces back-to-back, before the precious calming conclusion towards the same pianistic theme as the prologue.

For enthusiasts convinced of progressive music "Generation 13" cannot fail to be revealed as the favorite Saga album, or the first to listen to if this noble group is not yet part of one's cultural baggage. This does not detract from the fact that it is considered a career anomaly, despite how deeply it resonates with the musicians involved. In other words, an isolated and precious digression towards a very specific musical genre, for a formation that instead makes incredible and unprecedented crossover between various genres (rock, disco pop, electronic, even British folk besides, naturally, progressive) an element of admirable peculiarity and, as far as I'm concerned, venerable effectiveness.