The Supertramp split

I just got a rare copy of Free As a Bird on vinyl. Sorry that I have to agree with you...not a good album at all imo. Brother isn't my cup of tea, but I love Cannonball and I can see why others find it an enjoyable album, I'm just in the camp that I like Rodger's material and voice better. But he was only good for one really good solo album imo as well.

 

While it's the weakest album of theirs I've heard so far, some tracks did grow on me. "It Doesn't Matter" is classic Supertramp, and "Thing for You" shows what direction they would take on the next album.

 

Does anyone know about this below?

Q: How aware were you of Roger's struggles between 1987 and 1996?

DT: "We used to talk all the time. He went through so many things. I wasn't there every day for him, but we talked."

 

Yeah, can't blame the band for the radio! I never cared for "Dreamer" "It's Raining Again" "Bloody Well, Right", but I LOVE everything they did together (Rick and Roger - even a few songs from Chick Churchill's album "You and Me")

 

Anagram for Supertramp - Purse Tramp

 

Argosy - Mr. Boyd (quite a good song, they did another called "Imagine" as well)

 

Or Pure Tramps. That could be for hard core fans I guess.

 

Probably this am9ng other things-
In 1987, after his second solo album was released, Hodgson fell and shattered both of his wrists. Doctors said he would never play music again, but his strong faith, positive thinking, self healing efforts and physical therapy would prove the medical profession wrong. Within a year and a half, Roger was playing his music once again.

 

Crazy considering he broke his wrist after "Crime of the Century" (just heard Helliwell talk about this in an interview).

 

He needs to stop sleeping in the top bunk (he fell from a bunk bed).

 

Totally agree. Look what happened the late, great Cliff Burton.

 

Wow, didn't know that (I shouldn't be laughing inside)! When I turned 13, I moved to the bottom bunk and got consent from above (lol) when he resisted.

 

I think he was sleeping in his son's room or something like that when he was younger and decided to the do the top bunk, slipped and fell when he got out and landed on his arms which broke his fall but broke his wrists at the same time. That'll teach him!

 

I always think that Child of Vision summed up the differences between them. Amazing that they managed to put it down on a recording too.

 

Indeed. What I also find interesting is that, while Roger would largely write on his own later, he also would point out that Rick would come up with counter melodies (as he did for "The Logical Song" for the backing vocals) without truly seeing that as collaborative. I doubt that Roger brought in his songs fully formed (although I suspect they were closer to that than Rick's for example) and, until we actually hear his demos, we will never know but they would, like Lennon and McCartney and Jagger/Richards, tidy up each other's contribution essentially acting as quality control for each other. When they completely stopped doing that on albums like "Famous Last Words", as good as the songs were, they were less compelling than came before.

 

I thought In the eye of the storm was a great album .... I too found famous last words to be a bit dull

 

Loved that (almost) solo Dvd he had out. I didn't know about the wrists

 

"Crazy" too.. (Here's a little song to make you feel right, [sic] the blues away...
"nobody listens when you singin' the blues
something's the matter, but nothing gets done...." etc.

 

I enjoy it but I feel it suffered with songs like "Hooked On A Problem" and that a balance with the best material from "Brother Where You Bound" would have made a great Supertramp album. In fact, the songs for both albums were written for a Supertramp album but, for some reason, they elected to write totally NEW songs (which resulted in "Famous Last Words"). My understanding was that they couldn't come up with an agreement for the theme for both set of songs.

 

that's interesting, I never knew that

 

Love both those tracks. Respites before more serious musical business picks up.

It took me years to fully appreciate the record. Yes, it sounds fragmented and maybe a tad too poppy in places for some folks, but how can you lose with that amazing second side. "Don't Leave Me Now" tears my heart out every time. Just wish there was a decent-sounding CD pressing of this under-appreciated album.

I find the first (and second) albums rather snoozy and all over the map musically. The first LP gets all proggy in spots but it's a tough listen imo. They were just finding their way on those records. Their lack of success must have truly irked their millionaire investor.

As one might imagine, I agree.

 

"Hooked on a Problem" sounds so much like "Ain't Nobody But Me" (listen again)

 

"Cannonball" was a good single ... but that was well after the split.

Otherwise, I never got into 'em. I was into the music of ten years
hence at the time and winced at the twee vocals of Supertramp.
To me, it was prog gone wrong. I lump 'em in the pile with the
likes of Styx, which only had one good tune to my ears: "Lady".

As far as Hodgson, the interwebs says he wasn't invited to the
40th anniversary tour. Hardly amicable.

 

So good, I sometimes forget that "Cannonball" was a post-breakup tune.

 

Much of "Brother Where You Bound" was written (if not finished) before the break up. Originally, Roger and Rick were going to select from the songs from "In The Eye of the Storm" and "Brother" for the next album. it would have been a really good album, too--certainly better than "Famous Last Words".

As to the 40th, well Rick and Roger tried to mend fences and both brought material for the album "Some Things Never Change" (which I felt was an ironic comment on their working relationship if not their personal one but have no proof of that) but the two still disagreed on management and other issues (Rick's wife had managed the band since just before the split and I can understand that Roger wasn't comfortable with that. However, supposedly Roger also demanded that they get rid of the rest of the band and start over like they had done before. Roger felt that they couldn't deliver on his music--this info came, as I recall, from bassist Dougie Thompson. I don't know if they got past that issue though. I do know that Doug left--as I recall--when Rick started playing some of Roger's songs and had Mark Hart sing them) so each took their songs to their respective corners and moved on.