Canadian Prog masters Saga have been around for what seems like my whole lifetime. When I just a young rock fan in London in the mid-late 70s, the Toronto quintet were heavily tipped by the British media to be the next “big thing,” following in the footsteps of that rock behemoth Rush.

Now while they didn’t exactly pull up any trees, apart from, for some strange reason, in Germany and Puerto Rico, Saga have gone on to release some of the most influential Prog musings ever released (check out the superb albums ‘Silent Knight’ and ‘Heads Or Tales’ and you’ll see what I mean).

Now with 30 years behind them, comes ’10,000 Days.’ With singer/founding member Michael Sadler calling it a day after the tour that’s supporting this album, whether Saga will continue is anybody’s guess, but now they’re asking potential new singers to drop off audition performances on You Tube, it seems likely they will push on. Whatever the situation, ’10,000 Days’ is an album of great songs, great playing and crisp, clear production.

So let’s have a look at the album’s nine tracks and see what’s going on here…

1. Lifeline: After the opening of a repeated, speeding up keyboard figure, the band crash into a lively starter. As is usual with Saga, it’s a fine song embellished with some fine rhythm section interplay and crowned with some wonderful Ian Crichton lead guitar work. Nice start.
A-

2. Book of Lies: Nice understated guitar picking at the beginning followed by a trademark Saga “medieval funk” trot around the block. Keeps up the rhythmic pace all the way through and again, not unusually for Saga, a wonderful hookline. A-

3. Sideways: A brief piece of Kansas-type piano/guitar interplay at the beginning of this one, gives way to another piece of Saga song-craftiness. Again, dipped in rhythmic control and typically dance-like, this song features a nice mid-section full of dips and curves. B+

4. Can’t You See Me Now? : On the evidence of the first four tracks, this is turning into one of the best albums the band has delivered in some time, at least since ‘99’s ‘Full Circle.’ This is another hook-laden, rhythm monster. Saga was always the Prog band you could dance to, this song proves it. A-

5. Corkentellis: It’s not often Saga produce an instrumental, in fact I can’t remember the last one, but this is a spectacular effort. Drummer Brian Doerner really puts in a great performance here and delivers some wonderfully precise and beautifully executed playing. Amazing that an instrumental could be the best track this far, but there it is. A+

6. More Than I Deserve: Saga has never really mastered the art of balladering, although some would thank God for that in many cases. This is the only real downer so far. It has a few nice melodic moments, but it seems shoehorned in somehow. C

7. Sound Advice: A nice pick-up in pace and decent groove, but there’s not the quality here of the songs that go before it. Nothing to write home about here… B-

8. 10,000 Days: A poignant lyric about the band’s 30 year tenure, accompanied by an equally poignant musical arrangement. I take back what I wrote earlier about Saga and their lack of ballad-writing skills. This is a terrific piece of writing. A

9. It Never Ends: If only this were true. A great way to sign off. Typical Saga groove, guitar/synth interplay, the band as tight as a snare drum. A celebration of sorts. A
Saga have delivered some excellent albums recently (‘Marathon’ and ‘Network’ in particular), but following the rather disappointing water-treading exercise of ‘Trust’, this album is a real winner.
It’s sad to see Michael Sadler departing, but he and the band leave a massive legacy behind of great songwriting and exemplary musicianship. A swan-song of one of the truly unheralded great bands of the last 30 years.

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