A perfect example of that special 80s sound Like late-eighties bands Femme Fatale, Siren, and Transvision Vamp, Saraya was another all-male group with a female singer. Unlike those groups, however, Sandi Saraya's band had a powerful sound and a punchy, hook-driven hit song: "Love Has Taken Its Toll" (a perfect example of the eighties sound I love so much). A close friend of mine was so taken with the group's name that she christened her daughter Saraya.
get it if you can... i remember the first time i heard love has taken it's toll on the radio back in '89. i bought the cassette a few days later and was hooked. i still, to this day, have it. i picked up the cd about two years ago off of ebay for about $25 or $30, while trying to get some "hard to find's" on disc. reasonable, for something nearly unavailable. it is one of three or four that i treasure in my collection! i don't understand why they came and went so quickly. another poor job by record company big-wigs would be my guess. if you can stomach the price, get this rockin' gem while you can.
A Timeless Love I discovered Saraya in 1989 when I was a junior in high school. I originally had the cassette which I eventually wore out. I then spent near 3-4 years searching every used CD store I came across for this gem. I eventually found a copy all the way across the country in San Francisco. This of course was before online auctions really took off. Suffice it to say, this CD is that good! I never expected to love this CD as much as I would over time, but it's just one of those rare albums that you can listen to for a while and then put away only to come back to several months later and have it be fresh. Sandi's vocals are amazing, the lyrics are heart-felt ("Love Has Taken Its Toll" is a permenant fixture in the soundtrack of my life), and the instrumentation is moving (I especially love the instrumental part at the end of "St. Christopher Medal"). Get this CD! They just don't make music like this anymore.
Unforgettable. I first heard Saraya late one night in 1989 (spring?)on the radio, and was at the record store the very next day to buy this album. The other reviews here all have something important to say about the experience of hearing this band and the way you can become very attached to both the music and the memories attached to it. They really were a very "solid" band in every way, and Sandi's vocals were my idea of perfection in that style of music. It's just too bad they didn't last longer than they did. I don't know what happened, but I've always guessed they just came out at the wrong time. As someone else mentioned, the Seattle grunge sound got really big around that time, and I guess the music companies just went in another direction. Whatever the reason though, I think we all missed a lot of potentially great music with the loss of this band.
If you've never heard Saraya, but like '80's style hard rock along the lines of Heart, Pat Benatar and believe it or not, Dokken (the guitar is a little "George Lynch-ish" at times in my opinion), don't hesitate to check this CD out. It's worth every penny.
Best Female AOR/Melodic Rock!! Saraya is the best female AOR/Melodic Rock band in music. They released two vey solid albums but for some reason could not get support from the record labels. They should have been huge selling out arenas. But unfortunately this cd came out in 1989. And as we know, Grunge killed any hopes of success for AOR/Melodic Rock Bands. If you do not have this cd get it, you will not regret it.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
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