Supertramp Sadly Forgotten
 

In my opinion Supertramp is perhaps the best band ever to record music. Their albums Crime of the Century, Crisis? What Crisis?, Even in the Quietest Moments and their most well known album Breakfast in America are their finest by far. In fact the work they did before and after these 4 albums are nothing to write home about (or post on a forum about). Every single song on each of these four albums is perfection and there I can not think of a four album streak nearly as good aside from possibly the Beatles. It is unfortuante that only 3 or so of their songs get any radio play and that they are basically known for these songs. The arrangemts, drum fills, passionate vocals and inventive experimentation both lyrically and musically are absolutly incredible. The duel lead vocals of Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies is sublime with each of the two lending a different characteristic to the songs they perform on. I can listen to these four albums connsecutively on my ipod without even thinking about skipping a track while being fully engaged and interested even after hearing every song dozens of times. Some fairly unknown songs I urge anyone reading this to listen to are "Just Another Nervous Wreck", "Rudy" and "School". These three tracks while each very different give an accurate depiction of just how varied and inventive the songs this group produced are. In fact I urge you to listen to every song on each of these albums my favorite being Crime of the Century. Honestly in a discussions of band among people i rarely hear Supertramp mentioned and that is a shame in my opinion.

I feel Supertramp died when Roger left, and indeed, the last album to feature him, appropriately titled "Famous last words" is, in my opinion, one of the shining examples of their best work. Though I agree that the four you mention are tremendous albums, and it is indeed a pity that they're known for the "hit singles", when there are songs like "Downstream", "Lord is it mine", "Fool's overture" and the wonderful, epoch-ending "Don't leave me now".
Roger's second and third solo albums were not, for me, all that great (though still good), but his debut, "In the eye of the storm", deserved to be a classic. Flawless throughout.
All in all, a wonderful and yes, very underappreciated band.
And I would point you to tracks like "Surely" from the first album, also "It's a long road" and "Rosie had everything planned." The genesis (!) of a true supergroup, and hints there of what they were to achieve.
A sad ending to a wonderful band that made thoughtful, intelligent music that was, I guess, not "pop" enough for the mainstream and perhaps not "progressive" enough for the avant-garde, leaving them sadly falling between two stools, and down into the cracks of music history.

Has anyone else ever noticed how the singing duties were split on the band? Roger always sang the "happy" or "up" songs (Dreamer, It's raining again, Breakfast in America" etc), while Rick took care of the more serious, "down" songs (Just another nervous wreck, Bloody well right, and so on) --- not really that surprising then that when Roger left, the next four albums were, for the most part, devoid of any fun (or hit singles).
I did like parts of "Some things never change", but I hated "Slow motion", was more or less indifferent to "Brother where you bound", and the less said, really, about "Free as a bird", the better...

Its funny you posted this because I was just talking to a friend a few days ago about how they're an incredibly underrated band. Totally agree with all of the statements above.

I remember when punk and new wave were making headwaves at the end of the 70's and early 80's. A lot of younger music fans were calling Supertramp garbage. I will take Supertramp any day over any punk or new wave band. School and Even In The Quietest Moment have to be 2 of the best songs ever recorded

Bump!
 

Supertramp played a major role in the 70s. The single "Bloody Well Right" is a 70s rock classic and one of my favorite songs by Supertramp.

"Give A Little Bit", "Fools Overture".

I used to go on about how great Supertramp were on here...........but people used to laugh!!!

Without doubt they were as good and talented as any of the prog and soft rock contemporaries throughout the 1970s. The vocals of Roger Hodgson were always something very special and one of rocks most unique singers.

Supertramp were one of those groups along with Jethro Tull etc that got a huge backlash from the snotty nosed punk brigade in the late 1970s.

I (personally) categorize/compare them with bands like Styx, Cheep Trick, and Electric Light Orchestra to name a few.

Supertramp was always on the radio during the 70s. So they were not really unrecognized or unpopular during that era.

I wouldn`t put Cheap Trick in with those groups at all, have you heard their early material?

Styx were very different to ELO but also could easily appeal to an ELO fan. Supertramp again different and a fan a Supertramp fan may not really dig the style of music that Styx put out.

Styx>Supertramp>>>>>>>ELO (I`m actually about to give all of ELOs albums a listen again soon)

I only have Breakfast in America, and only like about half the songs on it, but the ones I like, I like a lot.

Ive not listened to Cheap Trick for a long time, I will make it a point to eventually give them a listen.

My above band categorization was only a personal one, so..

I personally prefer Supertramp over Styx.

Thats ironic, I just obtained ELO's (Strange Magic) The Best Of ELO album today. I Will be listening to them as well. ;)

Listen to their third album, as its real cutting edge for its time. After that the band steered in a very commercial direction of which Breakfast in America is the ultimate conclusion of that sound.

Cheap Trick-First 5 studio albums plus the live at the Budokan are a must. Its on these albums that the Trick mix up their in your face rock with their overdriven amps plus combining their melodic prowess. I always liken Cheap Trick on these albums as The Beatles, the Move and the Who all thrown into a liquidizer and out comes Cheap Trick, only that Cheap Trick sound far more instant, heavier and also gimmicky. Their debut album is one of the best ever recorded and it was hard edged for its time, harder than any punk album that came out around the same time 1977-1978.

ELO-Maybe we can exchange notes on ELO probably the most hated band on this forum:laughing:

I think you can see how Supertramp have deteriorated though without Roger (and I don't want to be accused of being a fanboy: I loved Rick Davies' work too, but it needed them both to work the magic) --- "Free as a bird" had one or two good songs on it, but was largely disappointing, "Some things never change" was a little better (though not too much --- very "Brother where you bound" for my tastes) and as for the last one, well I listened to "Slow motion" once, thought it was well named and put it away. I may revisit it soon, perhaps I didn't give it a chance.

However, Roger's solo albums have almost been the continuation from "Famous last words", with my favourite being his debut "In the eye of the storm" (reviewed in my journal section) --- real classy, prog but chartworthy songs, great lyrics and a real zest for life. Supertramp, on the other hand, come across to me as being a little bored, lost, down and perhaps lacking both direction and purpose. It's sad to see how they've fared after the split.

Famous Last Words was the big comeback album by Supertramp in the early 1980s and despite having some good material was never quite upto the level of their best stuff in the 1970s. After Roger Hodgson left it was all over really, as the rest of their discography without him was mostly forgettable. Both Hodgson and Davies needed each other to get the best out of one another, much like the McCartney and Lennon partnership. The only songs I like by Davies post Hodgson were from the next album Cannonball and they were "Cannonball" and "Brother Where You Bound"

The closer to Breakfast in America, Child of Vision, is ****ing awesome. I wish I could play keyboard like that

I would strongly disagree that FLW was not up to the standard of previous albums. I in fact see it as one of their very best, and an example of what perhaps they could have achieved had they stayed together (though maybe it's so good BECAUSE they knew they were splitting --- swan song?)

My preferences would be, in order best to worst, as follows:-
Crime of the century
Breakfast in America
Famous last words
Crisis? What crisis?
Even in the quietest moments
Supertramp
Some things never change
Free as a bird
Brother where you bound
Indelibly stamped
Slow motion

Not forgetting of course the excellent live "Paris"

I agree there are only two good songs on "Brother where you bound", those being Cannonball and the title track, and as for "Free as a bird", I only like "I'm beggin' you", though perhaps I need to relisten to the whole album. "Some things never change" upped the game a little, with great tracks like "It's a hard world", "You win I lose", "Listen to me please", "And the light" and the closer "Where there's a will there's a way", but I really can't think of anything --- anything --- I like on "Slow motion".

Have you listened to Hodgson's solo work?

Your list is very similiar to mine:

Crime of the Century
Breakfast in America
Crisis? What Crisis?
Even in the Quietest Moments
Famous Last Words
Brother Where You Bound
Supertramp

The rest of the albums, I find to be very poor so the order is pretty much not important.

Despite being a Hodgson fan, I`ve only ever listened to a best of compilation, which I know is not always the best way to appreciate somebody`s work. If you want to recommend his best solo album, I`ll give it a listen.

I`m a huge fan of 1970s live albums and there are so many in that decade which are great, to be honest though I didn`t think Paris was up to say the same level as Fleetwood Macs live album which came out around the same time, I mentioned Mac as they put out a sound that appealed to the same type of listener. Saying that though, maybe I should give Paris another listen.

There's no question, Hodgson's debut "In the eye of the storm" is just about his best ever --- even including his work with Supertramp. There are only seven tracks on it, but every one is a classic. Check my Member's Journal for a review if you're interested.

"Paris" I mention because it was the first time I heard "Fool's overture", and I thought it was absolutely amazing. Also, it contains "You started laughing", which to my knowledge is not on any Supertramp album, and the version of "Crime of the century" that closes it is tremendous.

As far as 70s live albums go, I do have a few, but I would probably put Genesis "Seconds out" at the top, if only for the stunning version of "Supper's ready" and "Firth of Fifth".

my favorite supertramp album is crisis? what crisis?

I had a brief conversation about them with someone at the rest:

Me: (as Supertramp start playing on radio station) Well, you know it is time to leave when Supertramp comes on. I am out of here.

Him: What? Supertramp is awesome!

Me: Yeah...... they are just so much more awesome when I am far away from them at all times.



at that point I walked out and decided to end that conversation. Pleased I did not have to sit through a shit song like "Dreamer" for the 18,000,000th+ time.

In closing: Fuck Supertramp and their boring AOR based "rock".

Their decent album was playing in HMV today.

All you have to do is see Roger once & you will be forever changed... you'll find yourself dreaming of his next show & even the one after that! Very few artists have an unchanged voice after all these years, and I promise you Roger *never* disappoints. He is the genius behind the many hits of Supertramp and this is the Breakfast In America World Tour with a full band! The audience will soon become your friends, sharing in all of the joy and the beautiful, ethereal music. Just imagine him, with his twelve-string guitar... "Even in the quietest moments, I wish I knew..." From one heart to another, go see him. You will leave glowing from the inside, your soul uplifted & a guaranteed smile on your face. :) "You find your way," & "I'll meet you when you're there!" :)

Roger’s official sites:

Official: RogerHodgson(dot)com
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Visit the Tour Page at www(dot)rogerhodgson(dot)com/documents/tour(dot)html
for the latest up to the minute news about added tour dates or changes.
There you will find Roger’s complete schedule of shows, including ticket links,
fan presale & on-sale information, maps, reviews, and more...

Message from Roger to All Who Came to His Recent Shows
“Thank you for welcoming me back to America so enthusiastically. I’m really
happy to be back touring and singing my songs that have meant so much to
you for many years. I often tell people that I have the greatest fans in the world - and I look forward to playing for many more of you this year.”

Um... you don't work for Roger, do you? :)
Just kidding: I love him too. His debut solo album is amazing, and though "Hai hai" has some great moments, it doesn't really touch "In the eye of the storm". I was always a big Supertramp fan: one of my first ever records to own was "Crime of the century", and originally I only had "Breakfast in America" on a cassette tape, which I practically wore out!

However, in recent times (since Roger left really) their output has been very hit-and-miss. "Brother where you bound" is frankly awful, whereas "Some things never change" is almost back to the quality of albums like "Crisis? What crisis?" and "Crime of the century". "Free as a bird" did not impress me much and I was totally bored with the aptly-titled "Slow motion". Seems like Roger was the heart of the band, after all...

Who has forgotten Supertramp......... there are many of us who have NOT
 

I only have Breakfast in America but this thread reminded me I need to listen to some more Supertramp albums.

I'm a very devoted fan simply wishing to spread the good word & news about Roger :)

Working for him doesn't sound like a bad idea, though! :)

Supertramp
 

If you want to experience a magical evening, then run to the next Roger Hodgson Breakfast in America tour date! The signature voice of Supertramp is a must concert to attend! Please read review for the ultimate concert experience.

Phenomenal show Roger Hodgson put on last night at the Semnole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL! He and his band were incredible as they went through an emotionally charged set of songs. My Canadian friends told me over the years when we saw Roger up at Casino Rama that they wish Roger would play with a band because his songs would be even more powerful. Were they ever! This I believe was the best display of music yet from Roger! Aaron McDonald his multi-instrument Sax player was amazing as well. The rest of the band were up to the high standards of a Roger Hodgson concert. As I waited for my wife to meet me at the venue, I felt almost like I was back in Canada. I couldn't get enough of Roger talk with my friend Bill, my new fan buddy Tom, and his sweet girlfriend Mariana. Great time with them at the Hard Rock Cafe!

Here was the setlist:

1. Take the Long Way Home - Even more amazing with the band!
2. School - This song was so emotional and intense. Best version yet!
3. In Jeapordy - Great to hear this wonderful deep message song. Brilliantly performed.
4. Lovers in the Wind - Sweet and beautiful version.
5. Hide in Your Shell - So emotinally powerpacked. I felt filled up and could have ended this as the encore and left. Amazing with the band adding the intensity even further.
6. Sister Moonshine - Sweet song with a deep message treading lightly.
7. Breakfast in America - I was again amazed how much the band added to this song! It had me rocking as hard as School, In Jeopardy and Hide in Your Shell before it. His story of his dreaming of coming to America was entertaining as was his stories and banter on other songs.
8. Along Came Mary - A beauiful song that Roger sung and played to perfection.
9. Logical Song - Great version with Roger's story of searching for meaning.
10. Lord is it Mine? - An emotionally spiritual song played in full without the deep spiritual song Only Because of You.
11. Child of Vision - Finally after 11 Roger concerts of not hearing this song, the wait is now over! Incredible song and version! Roger and band were terrific!
12. Fool's Overture - Song is always incredible, but extra special with a band!
13. Dreamer - This song made me a Supertramp/Roger fan. Great song that closed the show. Roger encouraged fans to come up to the stage.
14. Give a Little Bit - Encore that let everone leave with a smile on their faces.

Roger also added a lot of sound effects and overdubs of his vocals to this electrified high volume emotionally powerpacked concert!
After the concert that we really enjoyed, I was able to go backstage with my wife and friends thanks to Roger's amazing managers Linda and Shakti. It was great to see and talk to Roger. I was happy to tell Roger finally how much Hide In Your Shell song has meant to me. He is such a gracious and loving person. We hugged and had pictures taken. Incredible evening!





Reply to:

I've never forgotten them. Especially when my first wife and I were dating, and we decided to 'take the long way home' due to that song being on. My truck quit on a dark road. She about killed me. Thank God then for CB's. I like a lot of their stuff.

Hi! Supertramp is not forgotten! In fact, Roger Hodgson, co-founder of Supertramp, has been touring for years! He is currently on his Breakfast in America Tour and selling out shows all over the globe in addition to receiving fantastic reviews from media and fans alike. In fact, Roger is in the midst of his largest US tour in 30 years - 34 dates at last count!

Roger was the voice, soul, and spirit of the band. It is Roger who gave us the greatest hits to include Give a Little Bit, Take the Long Way Home, Breakfast in America, The Logical Song, Dreamer, School, It's Raining Again, Fool's Overture, and so many more! Many people don't realize that although Roger and Supertramp's other co-founder shared writing credit, they actually wrote and composed separately with each singing their own respective songs.

If you were or are a Supertramp fan, you've got to see Roger Hodgson in concert. I saw him in Rhode Island this week and I still have a smile. Absolutely the best concert I have ever been to and I have seen everyone. What a show and what a voice! Roger performs all of his classics and amazing material from his solo albums. I can't wait to see his show again. Check out his tour dates at facebook(dot)com/RogerHodgsonOfficial and his YouTube channel at youtube(dot)com/MrRogerHodgson.

I don't think Supertramp is forgotten because I just got back from one of Roger Hodgson's, co-founder & songwriter of Supertramp, shows in New Jersey and as always I am left absolutely speechless! Roger grabs a hold of you from the very first moment he steps onto the stage, engaging you in an energizing, uplifting musical journey filled with wonderful memories and deep emotions. It was great seeing him with a very talented 4-piece band. I absolutely can't wait to see Roger perform all of his amazing compositions with an orchestra in January, I can imagine it's the kind of night that will shake your soul to the core! Fool's Overture is just the perfect masterpiece to hear live with an orchestra as it was written for, in addition to other fantastic favorites like Dreamer, School, Hide in Your Shell, Logical Song, Breakfast in America-- there are so many songs to love :) If you didn't get the chance to see Supertramp in the 70s and early 80s then this is your chance to see Roger, I promise you'll have a great time! I'll let you in on a little secret, you can get exclusive presale information through Roger's website at RogerHodgson.com... don't tell anyone or you won't have the better seats for yourself! :)