I've followed an album by album thread recently and I have learned a lot of knowledge about the artist and his albums. I have recently been listening to a lot of Supertramp and have been liking the albums I've listened to and would like to learn more about the albums than the average Wikipedia page can give me. I would also really love to hear other members' opinions on the albums. Let's take a week to discuss an album starting on Friday the thirteenth (I don't know what time, but probably before Noon, Eastern-standard time) with the self-titled and go from there. Thanks in advance to anyone who participates! PS: I don't know if this has been done before. The search didn't show me any threads like this. Also, this is my first time managing a long term thread. Sorry if I miss a day or two. I'll stay on top of this as best as I can.
I've been getting into Supertramp lately too. This will be an interesting thread - great idea. You can do it!
Nice. I'll check back for 'breakfast in america', and 'famous last word'. i think i heard some of 'brother where you bound', but never listened to anything after that. later -1
Here is the schedule for the albums: August 13- Supertramp August 20- Indelibly Stamped August 27- Crime Of The Century September 3- Crisis? What Crisis? September 10- Even In The Quietest Moments September 17- Breakfast In America September 24- Paris/Live In Paris '79 October 1- Famous Last Words... October 8- Brother Where You Bound October 15- Live '88 October 22- Some Things Never Change October 29- It Was The Best Of Times/Live, 1997 November 5- Slow Motion We can also discuss Hodgson's solo works afterward if you'd like and what the 70-10 Tour album(s) are. I don't know much about them. (Then again, I know absolutely nothing of post-Brother Where You Bound Supertramp)
Sorry, I must've forgot it. Thanks for pointing it out! Here's an amended list: August 13- Supertramp August 20- Indelibly Stamped August 27- Crime Of The Century September 3- Crisis? What Crisis? September 10- Even In The Quietest Moments September 17- Breakfast In America September 24- Paris/Live In Paris '79 October 1- Famous Last Words... October 8- Brother Where You Bound October 15- Free Bird October 22- Live '88 October 29- Some Things Never Change November 5- It Was The Best Of Time/ Live, 1997 November 12- Slow Motion
Alrighty! Let's start down the long road with their first album, Supertramp! Supertramp, also known by a few other names, was the group's first album. Roger Hodgson does all lead vocals on it. I shall begin my review: 1. Surely My take: A neat little poem. Doesn't do much for me, but it makes a nice bookend. 2. It's A Long Road My take: One of my favorites. Not just off this, but in general Supertramp. 3. Au Bade/ I'm Not Like Any Other Birds Of Prey My take: I'm not a big fan of it. 4. Words Unspoken My take: Again, don't like it as much as some others. 5. Maybe I'm A Beggar My take: I really like this. My only complaint is that it may be a minute or so too long but I like the fade out into 6. Home Again My take: Another poem. I don't like this as much as Surely however. 7. Nothing To Show My take: Another one of my favorites. Great rocker. 8. Shadow Song My take: It's good, but not that good. Too slow and quiet for my tastes. 9. Try Again My take: The best off of here. I've always liked Supertramp's epics (Fool's Overture, Brother Where You Bound) and this one is no exception. After the last set of vocals end, I hear a guy say 'Oh Yeah!'. Has anyone else heard this? 10. Surely (Reprise) My take: I prefer this to the first Surely. It has the complete poem and I really like the outro. Davies writes really good outros and even Hodgson sometimes. My take as a whole: Really strong. Some lows, but the highs make up for them. What are your thoughts?
I look forward to hearing the comments and responses on the first two Supertramp releases as I have never heard them. I didn’t get into them until Crime of the Century (which I love) up until Famous Last Words (where they lost me). But the core four (Crime, Crisis, Quietest Moments, Breakfast) are some the best stuff this band ever pumped out. So I will follow with particular interest to see if others here with knowledge of the first two can sway me into adding them to my collection. A bump for the thread. Thanks MrJerry1876 for this thread. I’m happy to take the long way home and read along!
Supertramp are one of those bands I don't listen to for long stretches of time and then when I do, can't believe I haven't because they are just so good. I have specific albums I particularly love and play often, and we can go through that when we get to them in the thread. I think it's also an obvious thing to say but Roger has one of the most uniquely distinctive voices in modern music. With the band, a special sound for sure. Good luck with the thread!
The eponymous first album is a far cry from what the band would ultimately sound like. Yet the sound is very intriguing, extremely chill and nearly pastoral at times. The songs almost fit together like one long suite with various tempo and mood changes along the way. It's sometimes difficult to separate one song from another since there is a lack of distinction between them. However, that similarity is what creates the incredible mood of the album. It's a quiet, introspective piece of aural art. It livens up just often enough to keep from being sleepy. I really enjoy it. Those who were raised on later albums, or who haven't listened much past Breakfast In America, will not recognize the group heard here, other than familiarity with the vocalists. But I think this is a terrific debut, and one that I'll seek out more often.
A lovely album which I feel is underrated (to use an overrated word) maybe because it's so different than anything else they ever did. A light, breezy early prog-ish, psych-ish album which always puts me in a pleasant mood when I listen to it. I've written before that I've always thought "Nothing To Show" is an astounding song which, with a bit of editing and a proper promotional push, had the potential to be a hit single. I would imagine that the free-form section of "Try Again" is too much for lots of people, like the similar section in King Crimson's "Moonchild". But I like that sort of thing in moderation, so it doesn't hurt the album for me. OK then, so yes, this is one of my favorite Supertramp albums.
they never made a bad album, the first, like many firsts, is a wee bit on the weak side, and each subsequent album gets better and better. a very very under-rated band worthy of hall of fame consideration that they will never ever get.
While the lead vocals are mainly by Roger, on Maybe I'm A Beggar and Try Again, Richard Palmer-James takes the co-lead, as does Rick on Nothing To Show and Shadow Song. Underrated, solid debut, more in a soft prog vein, not as commercial as the following ones since it lacks a catchy Top 40 song, even with some beautiful ballads on it, like Aubade / And I Am Not Like Other Birds Of Prey, Words Unspoken, Maybe I'm A Beggar and Shadow Song. Fine prog-rock material, with very good instrumental work from this early line-up, with the core 1969-82 team of Rick and Roger (playing bass), also Richard Palmer-James as their lyricist/lead guitarist and Robert Millar on drums. Quite different from their classic sound, but fans of early Yes (1969/70) may enjoy this one.
Song by Song thoughts: Surely - Just a snippet that introduces the overarching mood of the album. Nothing to see here. It's A Long Road - Really nice up tempo jam that mellows out towards the end and sets the stage for subsequent tracks Aubade - Mellow with a languid shuffling beat and a lovely vocal. It's amazing how Hodgson's tone evolved over time, this is very understated compared to what would come later. Words Unspoken - This feels like a natural follow-on to Aubade. Another beautiful vocal with a beneath the surface rhythm that propels the song forward. It's kind of catchy, though it never would have worked a single. Maybe I'm A Beggar - This one is a bit too pretentious. The vocal in the first section is forced and the backing instrumentation tries to shove it forward, it doesn't flow naturally. Then when it explodes into an electric jam, the effect is jarring. The ongoing back and forth between quiet and loud doesn't work at all here. Home Again - This is rather slight. Short and doesn't overstay its welcome, but nothing I'd seek out. Nothing To Show - Doesn't fit with the other songs on the album very well. Feels like an early attempt to craft something that is radio ready. It's decent but definitely not ready for prime time. The jam in the back half is fun, though. Shadow Song - This is a very pretty ballad, with vocals that are a bit ragged, but serve the song very well. It's nice to hear their vocals in a form that's not overproduced and polished. One of my favorites on the album. Try Again - A stretched out epic that works terrifically. All the pieces fit together, and it feels like it's heading towards a destination rather than simply existing as an instrumental and vocal showcase. The noodling in the back half disrupts the momentum somewhat, and I'm not sure why it needs to be there. Surely (reprise) - The song would have been better served to end in a similar fashion as it did at the album open. The additional instrumental outro adds nothing, and kind of disrupts the gentle flow of the ending.
