Wildest Dreams (Saga album)
Encyclopedia
Wildest Dreams is the seventh studio album by the Canadian progressive rock
band Saga
, originally released in 1987. It was their first album without original drummer Steve Negus and longtime keyboardist and vocalist Jim Gilmour.
after the Behaviour album and was seen as a promising act for Atlantic after having three solid and successful albums come out during the early and mid-1980s. The record label spent a great deal of money promoting the band in the United States, a market that Saga had yet to penetrate. Plans included a massive tour, a music video produced for the single "Only Time Will Tell" and on the production of the album itself. Despite all of this, the album went largely unnoticed in the U.S. and was only released in Saga's more successful markets like Europe and their native Canada.
Production:
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Saga
Saga (band)
Saga is a progressive rock quintet, formed in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Jim Crichton and Welsh-born vocalist Michael Sadler have been the principal songwriters for Saga. Ian Crichton is the band's guitarist; apart from his work with Saga, he has recorded several solo albums as well as sessions...
, originally released in 1987. It was their first album without original drummer Steve Negus and longtime keyboardist and vocalist Jim Gilmour.
Atlantic Records
The band signed with Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
after the Behaviour album and was seen as a promising act for Atlantic after having three solid and successful albums come out during the early and mid-1980s. The record label spent a great deal of money promoting the band in the United States, a market that Saga had yet to penetrate. Plans included a massive tour, a music video produced for the single "Only Time Will Tell" and on the production of the album itself. Despite all of this, the album went largely unnoticed in the U.S. and was only released in Saga's more successful markets like Europe and their native Canada.
Rarity
Because of the limited scope of the original release and an issue with Atlantic refusing to surrender the rights of this album to the band, Wildest Dreams is considered by many fans to be the rarest album of Saga's repertoire to this day. A re-release of the album was done around 2000 although this was before the band's remastering of all other albums in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and thus, made the album's release largely unnoticed by the fan base. While the band has mentioned many times their desire to see the album released again for the fans, the band members have cited Atlantic Record's demand for a prohibitively large rights fee for the album.Side one
- "Don't Put Out the Fire" (Ian Crichton, Jim Crichton, Michael Sadler) - 4:00
- "Only Time Will Tell" (I. Crichton, J. Crichton, M. Sadler) - 4:23
- "Wildest Dreams" (I. Crichton, J. Crichton, M. Sadler) - 4:59
- "Chase the Wind" (I. Crichton, J. Crichton, Robin Prior, M. Sadler) - 4:52
Side two
- "We've Been Here Before" (Curt Cress, I. Crichton, J. Crichton, M. Sadler) - 4:47
- "The Way of the World" (Ian Crichton, Jim Crichton, Michael Sadler) - 4:19
- "Angel" (Ian Crichton, Jim Crichton, Michael Sadler) - 4:21
- "Don't Look Down" (I. Crichton, J. Crichton, Julia Downes, M. Sadler) - 4:39
Personnel
Saga:- Michael Sadler - lead vocals, keyboardsElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
- Jim Crichton - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboards - Ian Crichton - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Curt Cress - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Production:
- Brian Foraker – engineer
- Greg Fulginiti – mastering
- Keith OlsenKeith OlsenKeith Olsen is one of the most prolific and successful music producers in the industry.-Career:With over 120 albums produced netting a 1 in 4 Gold or better ratio, of which more than 24 are Platinum or better, and more than 14 are multi-Platinum, sales from Keith Olsen’s work exceeds 110 million...
– producer