Which Supertramp should I get?

Which Supertramp shoud I get?

I know this was probably done before, and I did search the archives (there is a lot to read), but while listening to Breakfast in America tonight, it occurred to me that I've never bothered to buy Crime of the Century or Even in the Quietest Moments... by Supertramp. I love those albums and heard them many times at friends homes, but when I was a poor college student it seemed like I never had the scratch. Anyhow, what is the consensus here on the forum for the best editions to get? I've checked out Red Trumpet and they have 4 different remasterings (3 on LP) available for Crime, I also found an Argentinian remaster on the WWW and was curious about that as well. Are the standard CD remasters available at CC or BB worth having?

BTW, my 18 year old son came into the room while Breakfast was playing on the TT and said "Wow! That sounds so much better than the CD: it's like being there!" so I'm leaning toward picking up a vinyl copy of the others, if you all think it's worthwhile. Thanks for your comments.

 

Tom Port highly recommends the Speakers Corner vinyl edition of Crime of the Century:

http://betterrecords.com/rock.php?section=speakers

 

I bought it on Tom's recommendation. And, boy, was he right.

 

I have Breakfast.. and Crime... on MFSL CD's. While I am more fond of Breakfast in terms of music, I must say that Crime.. sounds sensational. I would rank it with best produced pop/rock albums that I have heard. OK, the drums come off through both speakers, but who cares. The CD cost quite a bit, but it was worth it. Incredibly sweet sounding recording.

I imagine Even In The Quitest Moments must be quite a thrill for you TT people.

Goran

 

Crisis' and Even in Quietest....' are both worth getting. Also try get hold of 'Is everybody Listening' a good live recording from '76. Rodger Hodgson's first two solo albums are good too, much better than the weaker Supertramp stuff.

 

I agree with both Goran and snowman. The MFSL's on CD are worth every penny. The original of "Even In The Quietest Moments" on CD is good and the Rodger Hodgson first 2 solo albums are incredible and have never been given the proper respect they deserve in the media. Highly underrated and equal to Supertramp.

 

Dave, this is very interesting. Would that be the CD from 1990?

If so, I'll go for it. Seems to be available from Amazon.com. And I am stuck with low rez for years to come anyway...

Goran

 

I just wish Universal would get their thumb out of their butts and get Supertramp on hi rez!

 

Try to find an A&M half speed LP of Crisis What Crisis if you can. Tom's recommended Crime is great as well. The latest remastered Cds are also very good.

 

Overlooked...

I put in my vote for "Crisis, What Crisis?" as the overlooked gem in Supertramp's catalogue. I can listen to this album start to finish, no clunkers at all...Although "Crime of the Century" contains classic Supertramp, I have never be as thrilled with this one as others have...

 

Original A&M vinyl of Even in the Quietest Moments sounds very good.

 

I have the Euro Remasters, (except Breakfast which I have on Mofi Gold) which I prefered to the original CD's. Never heard the USA remasters which came out recently.

 

My favorite Supertramp disc is "Supertramp." The music isn't as polished as most of the later stuff (which is probably why I like it so much) but there are some great tunes on there, especially "Surely," "Try Again" and "Aubade (I Am Not Like Other Birds of Prey)." Played this disc for my girlfriend the other night and she was blown away. Made me play it three times. Best sound is from the original import vinyl, but the import CD is acceptable, if a bit thinner. Definitely a recommended disc.

 

By the way, the original British vinyl of Crime really IS fantastic. Picked one up through JEM Records the day it showed up in Houston. If you can find one mint, BUY IT! My second choice for this would be the MFSL UDI. I haven't heard the Speakers Corner vinyl.

 

"Crisis" is a such a great album, but it's overlooked by most casual Supertramp fans. They really had a streak going from "Crime of the century" all the way through "Breakfast in America". I have the MFSL cd version of "Breakfast" but I actually listen to the new remaster most of the time. I was very impressed with the sound quality of the remasters of Crime, Crisis, EITQM, Breakfast, and Paris. You won't find any bonus tracks or improved packaging though.

 

Has anyone else noticed that the most recent remaster of EITQM trims a few seconds off of "Lover Boy," but by cutting the false fade short by maybe two bars of the piano figure? I like the sound of the new master, but this re-edit seemed to bother me even before I realized why. Guess I finally noticed that the music wasn't fading out completely before the music returned with a crash. I believe all versions prior to the Greg Calbi remaster are not "tampered" with...

 

Wow! That's what's so great about this forum: ask a question and get great answers. I'm going to order the "Crime" Speakers Corners vinyl tonight, and I'm considering bidding on a UK pressing on eBay as well. I can't wait to give it a listen. Also, I'll be ordering the EITQM vinyl or CD as soon as I decide which way to go. Thanks guys for your advice!

 

Oops! Sorry Goran and everyone. I was actually talking about the original A&M "Crisis? What Crisis?" on CD. Sounds pretty decent to me.

 

Agreed - this is a good one. I've read on various Supertramp fan-sites the source is actually a BBC broadcast from the Hammersmith Odeon, London, on March 9 1975.

The sound quality is excellent (stereo), with a few drop-outs/flaws that the label did not try to repair or edit. The concert starts with Side 1 of "Crime of the Century", followed by four "Crisis What Crisis" tracks (which the band announces as the album they're still working on). The show concludes with Side 2 of the "Crime..." album.

Although the back cover states "Licensed from A&M inc./Universal. (P) Supertramp Ltd 2001, I've read that this might be an unauthorized release. There is no mention of the BBC anywhere in the packaging. Legalities aside, it's an excellent performance - and more complete than other "bootlegs" of the show that have appeared up to now.

I don't know if we'll ever get a Supertramp rarities package or box set, so a release like this one is worth looking for...

 

I listened to the remastered 'Breakfast' last night for the first time. It is good - dynamic and detailed with a sense of coherence (you can everything playing in the mix).
It is a little bright - not harsh at all - but it does become very noticeable after a few tracks. Recommended, though I'd like to hear the MoFi version.

I have a vinyl copy that was pressed by Nimbus as part of series released by Practical Hi-Fi magazine in the UK back in the eighties. I don't know the history of the master tape but that sounds excellent - I just don't spin the turntable up very often these days.

Regards
13th Duke of Wymbourne

 

I agree with those who say that "Crisis" is a somewhat neglected gem. It's my favourite Supertramp album, simply because it has more winning songs overall. I wish Mofi had done a version of it - all CD versions I have had sound overly bright, including the European remaster from about 4 years ago ( which I think was also a Calbi job).

The most recent US edition of "Quietest Moments" is the only one that I have from that set of remasters. I don't know if it's the best CD version out there - it certainly is quite revealing, but once again is bright to the point of aggravation after a while. I guess I'm used to my old German LP, which is very laid back in comparison.

 

Hey guys,

Well, when I went to order Crime from Better Records they were out-of-stock , so, while I'm waiting for it to come back in (I hope), I decided to try eBay. I found a seller in the UK, and I'm pleased to say I won the auction today.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2579832521&category=16138&rd=1

I will let you all know how it sounds when it arrives.

 

All this talk about Supertramp inspired me to listen to some music. My feeling is that this group sounds best on vinyl - I particularly like the Speakers Corner Crime, the A&M 1/2 speed of Crisis and the MFSL Breakfast. On CD, I prefer the cuts on the German Imports of "The Very Best of Supertramp" over the latest domestic remasters. I do not have Breakfsat on MFSL CD.

 

Well, no one has mentioned the MFSL regular vinyl pressing of Crime. I know there's a lot of mofi bashing here (some of it deserved) but my copy has always floored me. Dynamics galore! I understand that in some ways the regular pressing is better than the UHQR, depending on which pressing you have.

 

I just picked this up on eBay for $20.50 -- can't wait to give it a listen!