New Releases: June 2009

Saga is revamped and, to use a Crimso term, "highly thrakked" on their new release, The Human Condition. You can hear 4 tracks in their entirety on the Official Saga site. Great stuff! Whether you're a veteran Saga fan or just like intelligent, melodic rock, you'll love The Human Condition. As some of you know, this is Saga's first album to feature the new lead singer, Rob Moratti. While his vocals are significantly different from Mike Sadler's, I think Saga made a great choice for a new front man. They certainly could have done worse. For instance, I don't know what Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford (of Genesis) were thinking when they chose Ray Wilson. While not a bad vocalist overall, he wasn't a great fit for Genesis. Hence, their disbanding shortly after the Calling All Stations tour. Anyway, in short, Saga is back --and with renewed energy!






Once down to just 2 official band members with the 2002 release of Cry, Simple Minds came back with a vengeance with Black And White 050505. As the title implies, the album was released in 2005. This album marked the return of Mel Gaynor (drums) and the addition of the best basist they've had since Derek Forbes . . . Eddy Duffy. Now, Simple Minds is back again with some strong material and the June 2009 release of Graffiti Soul. This album features the same lineup as Black and White 050505. Thus, the band still has a solid rhythm section and Andy Gillespie adding keyboard atmospheres. Currently, Graffity Soul is only available as an import. However, they are planning a US release on the Decca label in the fall. I've been a Simple Minds fan since their 1985 release, Once Upon A Time. Since then, I've bought nearly their entire catalog and collected quite a few (read 3 CDs worth of mp3 audio) "rarities". That said, I think the latest 2 Simple Minds albums have their strongest material since Good News From the Next World (released in 1995).