"Retrospectacle: The Supertramp Anthology" by SUPERTRAMP – Album Tracks Released Between July 1970 and March 2002 on A&M and EMI Records featuring Rick Davies, Rodger Hodgson, John Helliwell, Mark Hart, Dougie Thomson, Bob Siebenberg, Frank Farrell, Dave Winthrop, Cliff Hugo, Lee Thornburg and more (October 2005 UK A&M Records 2CD 35-Track Compilation with Two Previously Unreleased Period Outtakes and Greg Calbi and Jay Messina Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry....

 

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This Review and 317 Others Like It 

Are Available in My Amazon e-Book

GOODY TWO SHOES

2CD Deluxe Editions (Occasional Threesome), Expanded Reissues and Compilations 

All Info From The Discs Themselves 

No Cut and Paste Crap

Amazon Hall of Fame Reviewer 6 Times

 

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"…I Really Have Enjoyed My Stay…"

 

In 2023, England's Supertramp is 53-years burning down the Prog and Rock piano road. Five decades (plus) since their stumbling self-titled July 1970 debut album on A&M Records - their spiritual label home throughout the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties until they signed a new deal with EMI in 1997.

 

Amazingly, October 2005's "Retrospectacle: The Supertramp Anthology" was their first half-decent career overhaul and came in a Single CD Edition – and this – the better and more comprehensive double. Centurion Crimes, Stateside Breakfasts, English Dreamers, Multiple Crisis Scenarios, Free Birds, Indelible Stamps, Moonshine Sisters and the occasional quiet moment with a Cannonball – they're all here. And it sounds the oozemefling in the audio department too. Here are the Bloody Well Rights, and none of it Logical...

 

UK released October 2005 - "Retrospectacle: The Supertramp Anthology" by SUPERTRAMP on A&M 0602498869284 (Barcode 602498869284) is a 2CD 35-Track Compilation of Remasters that plays out as follows:

 

CD1 (77:39 minutes):

1. Surely (Edit, 1:03 minutes)

2. Your Poppa Don't Mind (3:00 minutes)

3. Land Ho (3:54 minutes)

4. Summer Romance (2:51 minutes)

5. School (5:34 minutes)

6. Bloody Well Right (4:32 minutes)

7. Dreamer (3:32 minutes)

8. Rudy (7:18 minutes)

9. Crime Of The Century (5:34 minutes)

10. Sister Moonshine (5:18 mnutes)

11. Ain't Nobody But Me (5:10 minutes)

12. Lady (5:23 minutes)

13. Two Of Us (3:26 minutes)

14. Give A Little Bit (4:08 minutes)

15. Downstream (4:01 minutes)

16. Even In The Quietest Moments (6:27 minutes)

17. From Now On (6:20 minutes)

NOTES on CD1:

Track 1 is an Edit taken from their debut album "Supertramp", the LP released July 1970 in the UK on A&M Records AMLS 981. The a 30-second clip of the song "Surely" opened Side 1, but the version used here is edited from the full 3:08 minute song that ends Side 2

Track 2 is from their second studio album "Indelibly Stamped" released June 1971 in the UK on A&M Records AMLH 64306

Tracks 3 and 4 are Rick Davies and Rodger Hodgson songs and were the Non-LP A&B-sides of a British single. "Land Ho" was issued 1 March 1974 as their debut UK 45-single on A&M Records AMS 7101. However, the "Land Ho" single variant that was remixed by Ken Scott in November 1973 and issued as their first seven-inch in March 1974 – is not the version on offer here. It is a June 1975 Ken Scott remix that was considered for the 1975 "Crisis? What Crisis?" album but left unreleased. This compilation marks the first appearance of this Previously Unreleased mix and the 1974 single B-side "Summer Romance". Rodger Hodgson re-rerecorded "Land Ho" for his September 1987 second solo album "Hai Hai" also issued on A&M Records

Tracks 5 to 9 are from their third studio album "Crime Of The Century" released September 1974 in the UK on A&M Records AMLS 68258

Tracks 10 to 13 are from their fourth studio album "Crisis? What Crisis?" released November 1975 on A&M Records AMLH 68347

Tracks 14 to 17 from their fifth studio album "Even In The Quietest Moments" released April 1977 in the UK on A&M Records AMLK 64634

 

CD2 (76:30 minutes):

1. Gone Hollywood (5:21 minutes)

2. The Logical Song (4:08 minutes)

3. Goodbye Stranger (5:48 minutes)

4. Breakfast In America (2:38 minutes)

5. Oh Darling (3:49 minutes)

6. Take The Long Way Home (5:00 minutes)

7. You Started Laughing (Live) (4:02 minutes)

8. It's Raining Again (4:24 minutes)

9. My Kind Of Lady (5:14 minutes)

10. Don't Leave Me Now (6:20 minutes)

11. Cannonball (7:39 minutes)

12. Free As A Bird (4:21 minutes)

13. You Win, I Lose (4:33 minutes)

14. Another Man's Woman (9:35 minutes)

15. Over You (3:31 minutes)

NOTES on CD2:

Tracks 1 to 6 from their sixth studio album "Breakfast In America" released March 1979 in the UK on A&M Records AMLK 63708

Track 7 was a new song and exclusive to the live double-album "Paris" released September 1980 in the UK on A&M Records AMLM 66702

Tracks 8 to 10 are from their seventh studio album "...Famous Last Words..." released September 1982 in the UK on A&M Records AMLK 63732

Track 11 is from their eighth studio album "Brother Where You Bound" released June 1985 in the UK on A&M Records 395 014-1 (LP) -2 (CD)

Track 12 is from their ninth studio album "Free as A Bird" released October 1987 in the UK on A&M Records 395 181-1 (LP) -2 (CD)

Track 13 is from their tenth studio album "Some Things Never Change" released March 1997 on EMI Records 7243 4 89989 2 7 (CD)

Track 14 is from their second live album "It Was The Best Of Times" released April 1999 in the UK on EMI Records 7243 4 99389 2 2 (CD)

Track 15 is from their twelfth studio album "Slow Motion" released March 2002 on EMI Records 7243 5 38624 2 8 (CD)

 

The 24-page booklet is pleasingly in-depth and tastefully laid out – each album pictured – band named – playing times – occasional guests. The discography info is preceded by SCOTT SCHNIDER liner-notes penned in New York in September 2005. Bolstered up with album-by-album recollections in between the text from mainman Singer and Writer Roger Davies – the info is good and covers the whole. Davies rightly waxes proud about their achievements and the fierce loyalty of fans that have stayed with the British Group most of their adult lives. It's nicely done.

 

But the real meat is the new sound. Audio Engineer GREG CALBI (assisted by JAY MESSINA) is important to Supertramp’s highly polished audiophile sound because he mastered both "Crime Of The Century" and "Breakfast In America" in 1974 and 1979 – and therefore has an intimate knowledge of the tapes. And with a staggering 2,300 mastering and remastering credits to his name across four decades (including huge names like Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and even Television) – CALBI knows his way around a console and a tape box or two.

 

It will come as no surprise to any Supertramp fan to see that their two big landmark albums are well serviced here. "Crime Of The Century" from September 1974 gets five of its eight tracks Remastered while the March 1979 mega-hit and global breakthrough album "Breakfast In America" gets six of its ten explored.

 

After the tentative and frankly less than impressive two LP start in 1970 and 1971 – Supertramp regrouped – got together with the Bowie Producer Ken Scott and decided to spend time going for a winner. In 2024 - "Crime Of The Century" will be an astonishing 50 years young – and even now its aural sophistication and crafted songmanship improves and moves. I am always taken aback by the sad beauty in the very Prog tempos of "Rudy", the echoed Harmonica opener "School" with that Guitar and Piano break at 2:15 minutes (fabulous power in the Remaster) and the Tubular Bells-type piano genius of the title track "Crime Of The Century". The album also showcased the voices of Ray Davies and Rodger Hodgson as duel lead vocalists – a theme the band would repeat on every album thereafter.

 

The follow-up LP had big boots to fill and as I recall, the November 1975 set "Crisis? What Crisis?" disappointed. But having said that "Sister Moonshine" and "Lady" are Supertramp tunes I return more to than others. The send-a-smile lead off single "Give A Little Bit" was and still is lovely – a huge jangling acoustic guitar winner like "Sister Moonshine" while the took-a-boat-on-Sunday "Downstream" has a fantastic lead vocal from Rick Davies and is about as moving a love song as they ever achieved. The Remastered Audio for both "Even in The Quietest Moments" (Roger Hodgson on Lead) and the piano-whack of "From Now On" (Davies on Lead) is truly fabulous and might even make you reassess the "Even in The Quietest Moments" album as one of the lost gems from the turbulence of 1977.

 

CD2 weighs in with the big guns. And frankly after some of the lesser cuts from the earlier years - you thank the good 1979 Lord for it. In fact you could have included the whole "Breakfast In America" LP - especially brilliance like the keyboard marathon that is "Child Of Vision" that ended Side 2 in such stunning style. But if you are A&M - you don't give everything away. The "Breakfast In America" album was also serious Audiophile territory so standout songs like the keyboard-chugging guitar-soloing "Goodbye Stranger" (lyrics above, Roger Hodgson killing on that final geetar solo), the lesser-heard keyboard-funk of "Oh Darling" and the stunning Harmonica warbler "Take The Long Way Home" sound huge – but without being overblown or over trebled (I can even forgive the truly dreadful "Logical Song" and its cringing lyrics). Must be moving on.

 

But then it all feels like a rather sad downhill slope thereafter with only intermittent moments of relief. One such forgotten touchstone is "You Started Laughing" - the lone live cut from the September 1980 double album "Paris" (recorded 29 November 1979) – a really good song that you long to hear a studio version of. But then we get the plinky-ploppy AOR Pop of the awful "It's Raining Again" with the once-proud Supertramp chart chasing with the equally hammy "My Kind Of Lady". Things get Saxophone worse with "Don't Leave Me Now"- an early 80ts love song you can't wait to leave as soon as is possible.

 

At last relief comes by way of a fantastic seven and half minutes of keyboard workouts from 1985 - "Cannonball" showing that "Child Of Vision" magic again – even if the lyrics are a tad cheesy and obvious. It is a great discovery too for those who do not know their catalogue – a Rock-Soul-Funk workout worthy of any CD-R highlighting Funky Funky (Lee Thornburg playing a blinder on Trumpet). "Free As A Bird" is lightweight for them, but worse is weighed down with a horrible wall of 1987 production values that makes even a Remaster feel odd and strained. They go back to the "Breakfast in America" song formula for the simple but effective “You Win, I Lose” – a 1997 song that just about passes muster for a good one. Second last is one more live song recorded and released in 1999 – a dusted-of so-so tune from the 1975 album  "Crisis? What Crisis?" called "Another Man's Woman" But why someone thought this was worthy of inclusion is any man's guess? "Retrospectacle: The Supertramp Anthology" ends on the blatant waltz-tempo rip-off that is "Over You" – not bad – sort of good – but nothing like the greatness of old.

 

For sure there are clunkers and the 2CD set suffers from having to touch base with every album when more from the masterpieces would have been the smarter and braver choice. But – the good stuff and that audio – man oh man when Supertramp was good – they were the business.

 

If you've been on the fence about SUPERTRAMP and their lengthy back-catalogue - then this dirt-cheap brilliant sounding twofer remaster is where to dive in and wallow…