Strangely enough, considering my love of all things Yes, Genesis and Hackett, Squackett seem to have eluded me. Sure I was aware of their existence but I had never listened to A Life Within A Day until this reissue fell in my lap. Like most others, prior to its original release in 2012 I was intrigued to find out what the coming together of two such iconic musicians as bass player Chris Squire from Yes and former Genesis and noted solo artist, guitar player Steve Hackett would bring to the table. The album arose as the result of a meeting while Squire was putting together a between jobs solo album. A Life Within A Day actually took four years to reach fruition and to put the album into some context, the previous year had seen, Yes releasing Fly From Here (there only album with Benoît David on vocals) and Hackett had put out Beyond The Shrouded Horizon (featuring Squire on three tracks) both of which had received fairly positive responses from both the public and critics alike. So what happens when these two solid musical objects collide?
Things seem rosy as the title track, ‘A Life Within a Day’ comes in with an all out epic prog crescendo, its Zep undertones reminiscent of some of Hackett’s Wolflight era solo output. Squire’s bass rumbles below ‘Tall Ships’ giving it the air of later day Floyd rather than either of the protagonist’s “other” bands, before ‘Divided Self’ throws in a curveball with jangly pop beats inspired by The Beatles. It is at this point that (for me) the wheels fall off the Squackett wagon a little, as the output falls into a bit of an AOR pothole. Ballad ‘Aliens’ has some great BJH style vocal harmonies and supplies the most (gentle) Yes atmosphere with a sprinkle of bass pixie dust supplied by Sqiure, but despite opening in a similar mood ‘Sea of Smiles’ and the acoustic moments of ‘The Summer Backwards’ just don’t stretch the progressive elements enough considering the cast members involved and it isn’t until ‘Storm Chaser’ that Hackett is let loose while Jeremy Stacey (The Lemon Trees, Denzil) assaults his kit in response. Although ‘Can’t Stop the Rain’ is once again a little light weight, the album closes with ‘Perfect Love Song’ which is an emotionally strong track and provides last minute redemption following the mid album lull. Overall then A Life Within A Day is not the prog rock masterpiece that I was hoping to find but that doesn’t make it a poor album as at its heart there are many quality performances and varying lyrical moods to take on board amongst the nine tracks on offer. As far as the coming together of these two musical mountains… as with the name, one third Squire and two thirds Hackett would be my assessment.
There was a lot of the hype around its original release and it was never going to stand up against any of the classic releases from either Yes or Genesis. What it does do in spades is add an interesting side-bar to Squire and Hackett’s solo efforts and collaborative work, therefore whether you are long term fan looking for the ultimate audiophile edition of A Life Within A Day to complete your collection, or maybe (like me) you just missed the boat the first time around, now is your chance to own this coming together of these two mighty forces and to continue your Yes, Genesis or Hackett hoarding. If you enjoyed Squire’s Fish Out Of Water and the large majority of Hackett’s solo output then Squackett’s A Life Within A Day is definitely worth checking out.
- Reviewed by Peter Brockwell.
- A Life Within A Day is released via Esoteric Antenna/ Cherry Red Records on 31st May 2024.
Track List:
Disc One – A Life Within A Day (CD)
1. A Life Within a Day
2. Tall Ships
3. Divided Self
4. Aliens
5. Sea of Smiles
6. The Summer Backwards
7. Storm Chaser
8. Can’t Stop the Rain
9. Perfect Love Song
Disc Two – A Life Within A Day (Blu-Ray 5.1 Surround Sound mix)
1. A Life Within a Day
2. Tall Ships
3. Divided Self
4. Aliens
5. Sea of Smiles
6. The Summer Backwards
7. Storm Chaser
8. Can’t Stop the Rain
9. Perfect Love Song
