10.000 DAYS

Studio album number 18 for Saga was supposed to be the last album that vocalist Michael Sadler would sing for the band. As such, it was treated as an important album. It also followed up one of their best albums in a long time, "Trust", which was one of their best "comeback" albums. This one would also turn out to not disappoint, and would have been a great career ending album for the band, one that would have been a respected epilogue.

Lifeline - A return to the form of "Worlds Apart" and "Heads or Tails" with the plucky guitar runs and running keyboard riff. The instrumental break stops the beat for several seconds before it returns to a nice guitar/synth play-off. It's a great, upbeat starter for the album.

Book of Lies - The beat is solider and the guitar is hard and heavy, the vocal melody sound a bit more progressive switching back and forth between tempo/meters. It's another solid track. This one treats you to a longer and blistering guitar solo during the instrumental break.

Sideways - Starts with only a guitar and piano playing a joyful riff before the band kicks in with a somewhat smoother song than the previous two. The staccato playing gives in to obvious over-phrasing, and it makes for a nice dynamic change up. Guitar and marimba mirror each other playing the same riff at one point.

Can't You See Me Now - This is the first of several songs that break the 6 minute mark. The intro almost sounds like an electronic track, but the guitar cuts in quickly and a steady beat begins. Again, the phrasing is important in this one like on the last track. But that clanky electronic/guitar riff contradicts the smoothness of everything else. This one kind of cools off the excitement of the first 3 tracks and it brings the album down a notch. But, in the instrumental break, the guitar picks up the crazy synth riff and runs away with it turning it into a complex passage. The vocal sections take the steam out of the track though. I remember Tapfret mentioning that a badly placed track can end up ruining an entire album, and this track (at least the vocal sections) runs the risk of doing that here. Except for the fact that the next track more than makes up for any ground lost.

Corkentellis - A 7 minute instrumental. By this time in the Saga timeline, it is something I never thought I would say in regards to one of the more recent Saga albums. And it could very well be the best thing Saga has done for a very long time. This one soars through moods and styles effortlessly and is definitely a much needed homage to the instrumentalists of the band. This one is on fire!

More Than I Deserve - After that wild track, this is the ballad of the album, and it is an effective cooling off song after such a showcase of instrumental prowess. This is now Sadler's time to show off his tender side. It's a nice ballad, not the band's best, but good enough.

Sound Advice - This one is a pretty typical Saga track, a good track that is enjoyable, but doesn't stand out among their best tracks. It could be a good single as it is a bit more accessible, but is also catchy enough to not be completely forgotten. However, it would easily fit on one of their lesser albums.

10,000 Days - A song that sees Sadler reflecting on his tenure (at the time) with Saga. It's a nice nostalgic song with a flowing melody and is appropriate for the album considering what it was originally supposed to represent (Sadler's retirement from the band). 10,000 days is representative of the time Sadler spent with the band. Pretty nice for a ballad-style track.

It Never Ends - Probably the best track to end on. It gives the main players a chance to shine in vocals and instrumental sections. A nice way to end any album and musical career on.

As we all know, Sadler did retire for only one album. Saga immediately started looking for a vocalist to take Sadler's place, and they found a suitable replacement in Rob Moratti, who had his own style, yet could also belt out the Sadler songs respectfully enough. However, by the time the album "20/20" was released, Sadler had announced his return to the band, making the album that would follow up this one, "The Human Condition", the only album that Sadler was not a part of. So, it was a false retirement, but that still doesn't take away from the fact that "10,000 Days" is one of Saga's better latter-day albums.