10.000 DAYS

1999 to 2009 was a really prolific and consistent period for Saga with no less than seven good studio albums in a row, starting with the backward-looking Full Circle and ending with the non- Michael Sadler-led The Human Condition (and who knows what will be next?). I have been familiar with most of these albums for several years, but I have not reviewed them until now as on the first few listens some of these albums admittedly sounded much the same to me. The sheer wealth of recent Saga releases probably hindered me from fully appreciating all of these albums individually in their own rights. I did however like 10.000 Days from the very start and it has since grown into one of my favourites out of the 00's Saga albums. What makes it stand out from the rest is admittedly rather subtle and it was not immediately obvious to me just how good this album actually is. But compared to the previous albums from the same period, 10.000 Days is perhaps slightly more refined and intelligent overall. The songs feature slightly more quirks and subtle twists and turns than your average Saga album; there is a little bit less focus on catchy choruses than usual and there are no cheesy lyrics; the sound is slightly heavier and harder-edged than many others and the album is slightly darker in both tone and subject matter. And with only nine tracks on the album, the compositions are slightly longer than usual and more room is thus left for instrumental workouts. The album's longest track - the weirdly titled, seven minute plus, Corkentellis - is actually an instrumental!

The album's first four tracks are among the strongest recent Saga material and the aforementioned instrumental adds diversity and excitement to the whole. More Than I Deserve is a nice ballad and the title-track is a real anthem. Some of these songs immediately sound like "classics" to me. There are a couple of less strong tracks towards the end, including the closer It Never Ends, but there are thankfully no embarrassments this time around and the album remains consistently enjoyable over many listens.

10.000 Days does not (like Generation 13) stand head and shoulders above other Saga albums, but constituting the culmination of a long string of good Saga albums of the new millennium, made me push it up to four stars. A very fitting swansong of Micheal Sadler.

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