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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…
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