10.000 Days

Speculations were running wild before the release of the presumably final SAGA album with Michael Sadler as a leadsinger.

Here it is ! 10'000 Days ! and it rocks...

The result is as expected bombastic rock with catchy vocals, flying synth carpets, spinning drums as well as groovy riffs, and finally as a big surprise a longer instrumental track which knows how to enthuse. On "10'000 Days" SAGA again pull out all the stops of their skills and show that they still are the leading band in the domain of melodic progressive rock – or must we say 'were' from today on?

SAGA intentionally decided against a concept album despite the fact that the album's name could have implicated it."This album was never meant to be overly cerebral in nature," Sadler points out, adding "Although there are a few things to think about, it's meant to be entertaining more than anything else!" and this is exactly on what we dwell on with pleasure now...

Here it is! Period!

SAGA skillfully present on their new masterpiece their typical characteristics (keyboards, guitars, crispy drums, catchy refrains, godlike vocals of the master of his league and as always lots of enthusiasm), that one might think the SAGA will never end, but unfortunately we know better as leadsinger Michael Sadler already pronounced his retirement from SAGA for the end of 2007.

On SAGA's new masterwork sophisticated keyboard passages which became a trademark of SAGA meet great guitar solos as well as the drums of one of the best drummers. With Brian Doerner ("the animal") SAGA found a very powerful drummer who is for the band as well as for the huge and loyal following a real stroke of luck. Together with Jim Crichton (bass) he creates an outstanding and never boring rhythm. Upon this sound framework enthrones the euphonious voice of Michael Sadler who can be counted without a doubt as one of the best singers of the world – maybe even of the universe!
The balance between Gilmour's keyboards and Ian Crichton's guitar are harmonic and even-tempered. Ian Crichton contributes crispy riffs and precious guitar solos without eclipsing the keyboards into the background what unfortunately happened on some past productions of SAGA.

The only downside of this production: it has just a running time of approx. 50 minutes and contains not more than 9 songs. For a “farewell album” as well as the album on the occasion of SAGA's 30th anniversary it is definitively too little – the expectations of the fans may be higher.
But this remark is marginally and cannot interfere the entirety as well as the brilliancy of SAGA's new album. "There are a few moments on the album where we tried a couple of new things, but overall I think it's classic Saga à la 2007!" Sadler summarises this album.

So, let us get into the world of SAGA à la 2007:

The new album’s opener "Lifeline" is a wonderful song which leaves nothing to be desired for fans of progressive rock.
Everyone who likes guitar riffs combined with synth carpets and instrumental parts will be satisfied with this song. The always catchy melody and lyrics like "all set and done" or "Last time? First time? Deja-Vu!" transform this tune into a SAGAish ear-catcher.
For 5:36 Ian, Daryl, Jim, Brian and Michael pass the ball to each other, round and back. If you listen carefully to the song you can even recognize a short part from SAGA's hit "Don't be Late".
Both beginning and ending of this song has been shaped by keyboarder Daryl in a funny way. "Lifeline" is an opener as one knows from SAGA.

With "Book of Lies" follows a very groovy song, which unfolds its brilliancy after repeated listening.
Sadler's voice carries the listener precisely and in a punchy way through the song. Short keyboard and guitar passages as well as long instrumental parts are the main ingredients. Brian's drums give the direction and are not only powerfully dominant, but also rhythmical and discrete in the background.
SAGA remain true to their style of the past years and bestow the listener with a bombastic feast for the ears.
"Book of Lies" is a feast for fans of progressive rock.

No doubts – I am listening to SAGA!
With the song "Sideways" the listener get one's money worth.
Bombastic guitar and keyboard parts combined with Michael Sadler's prominent voice result in the ambitious and melodic SAGA sound. Noticeable: the keyboard parts which remind of an Irish folksong.
"Sideways" reflects the whole variety of SAGA's ingenious compositions of 30 years.

"Can't you see me now" reveals the whole repertoire of SAGA.
The mixture of Michael's singing and instrumental parts – which show again the inimitability of Jim, Ian, Daryl and Brian – melt seamlessly into each other. There are rock parts which alternate with sentimental passages as well as keyboard parts and Ian’s distinctive guitar solos. Brian's dynamic and groovy drumming provides this song with the cherry on the cake.

After "Conversation" from SAGA's classic "Worlds Apart" finally a new longer instrumental track named "Corkentellis" (one may be eager about the meaning – we didn’t figure it out). This song is not too catchy, but it demonstrates that SAGA are a musical class of their own. The song offers the unique trademarks of SAGA: groovy drums and dominant keyboards always in interaction with the guitars as well as surprising changes of tempo.

"More than I deserve" – even the name of this ballad leaves space for interpretations. This song is a classic sentimental SAGA ballad which lives from Michael's euphonious voice. In the face of Michael's retirement from SAGA this song may evoke some melancholy. It is without doubt the perfect farewell song on stage accompanied by the audience with sparklers, standing ovation and of course tears in the eyes of the fans.

The now following song "Sound Advice" shows perfectly how complex SAGA are together with their frontman Sadler. The song gets under one's skin, surprises with Sadler's manifold voice and even with a choir in the background. Changes of tempo and well tried combinations of guitars and keyboards are another wonderful ingredient of this song. Jim Crichton's bass tightens the groovy structure of the drums and keyboards. "Sound Advice" is an absolutely diverting song which makes lots of fun, but however with 5:17 it is one of the longer SAGA tracks.

"10.000 Days" is the title track of the album.
A more wonderful melody for a retrospect on 10'000 days of SAGA is barely imaginable. One remembers, bethinks, but regrets nothing and would do it all again in the same way. That is the message of this wonderful and sentimental song. Ian's acoustic guitar stays present until the bombastic refrain starts and the song finally ends gently."10.000 Days" – that is a song which is worthy of its name.

The name says it all! "It Never Ends" is the final track of this album and such a track makes SAGA fans to burst into tears. Brian, the "galactic", rushes Ian and Daryl literally through the song. The exceptional voice of Michael Sadler is always highlighted by Ian's riffs in the refrain part, whereas Daryl and Ian show again a perfect interaction. Michael sings the song in a way one may assume that he sang it every day for 20 years. In the middle part there is a really beautiful instrumental passage starting with Daryl's flying fingers, then fading into Ian's guitars and finally Brian hands over to Michael again. The song lasts 6:10 and it is an appropriate time to enjoy it!!! And then it is over. One desires more of this album, but there are not more songs on it.

Now, at the latest, one gets a strange feeling which has been in fact always there in the time we've written this review. Over and out??? For a band like SAGA and of course also for other bands the achieved successes in the past are over and mostly unreachable. It would have been presumptuous to expect those things today from a band after such a long time in the music business and on stage. We are sure that true SAGA fans will love this album and for those who didn't like SAGA in the beginning we recommend to have a look on it – it might possible that they missed something in the meanwhile.

We hope that our guys will have a big success with their new album and that it will be a kind of revival of the days with "Wind Him Up" and "The Flyer". "10.000 Days" has doubtless the potential to be such a success.
However, this album is not meant to be a farewell full of plaintiveness, but an album which shall please and delight the fans as it did for the band while the time in the studio. "It was mostly fun, but I have to say that it was a very strange feeling when I finished singing the final track,", SAGA's frontman confesses. "I just looked at Jim Crichton and said, 'I guess that's it!' and he said 'I guess so' and then – silence!" Not later then now - while reading it - this short dialogue must give SAGA fans goose bumps, hoping that this won't be the final chapter of the simpatico Canadians. We hope that the SAGA will still go on also without Michael Sadler. Only time will tell! So long, with tears in our eyes and goose bumps…

See you on tour and the SAGA must go on!!!

Carmen, Thomas, Susanne, Stefan, Harald, Ingrid, Juergen, Siggi, Andrea
Translation German to English by Andreas Heinz
(Please note that the above-mentioned text does not reflect the opinion of its translator)

©2007
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13 of 15 Points

Saga
10,000 Days

Tracklist

01. Lifeline
02. Book Of Lies
03. Sideways
04. Can't You See Me Now?
05. Corkentellis (instr.)
06. More Than I Deserve
07. Sound Advice
08. 10,000 Days
09. It Never Ends