Back in the 70s, fusion was king, meaning bands could mix jazz, classical and rock without thinking twice about it. Some bands obviously leaned more one way than another, but that was the joy of it. One of the shining and surprising stars was the group Supertramp, whose 1974 album (the first one we Americans really heard) was a masterpiece of sorts in a couple of standards. First, the music by Richard Davies/voc-key, Dougie Thomson/b, John Anthony Helliwell/reeds, Roger Hodgson/voc-g-key and Bob C. Benberg/dr a first rate combo of pop, jazz and thoroughly British humor and cleverness, but the recording itself became a paradigm shift and standard setter for sonic clarity and warmth. Both qualities hold up well 2 score years later.
There are some catchy and unforgettable tunes such as “Bloody Well Right” and “Dreamer,” and the lyrics throughout are thoughtful and worth pondering. The messages about our human frailties and weaknesses hold up well in this age in which we are reaping the whirlwind from what we sewed in the last generation. (The lyric “Who are these men of lust, greed and glory; rip off their masks and let’s see” is still poignant). The band knows how to jam as well, as noted on the title track and “School,” while “Rudy” is a grooving tour de force. Every song here is a well crafted gem, not unlike The Beatles, or at least 10CC, and when they initially performed it in concert, as demonstrated on the second disc with a 1975 Hammersmith show, they essentially did the album in conceptual order, with a couple tunes like from their subsequent album, the infectious “Lady” and the enjoyable “Sister Moonshine”(with Helliwell delivering his alto a la cart on a smoking solo) thrown in for pleasure. Hodgson and Davies are on a par with Cole Porter on tunes like “Another Man’s Woman” and the cute “A-You’re Adorable” with these tunes (at least) begging to be covered by today’s crooners.
On the heels of this highly successful initial salvo, the band made a good run of it for a number of years, but this is definitely the one to keep going back to.
A&M Records
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