Supertramp - Breakfast in America

Blast from the Past

This album originally came out in 1979 when I graduated from college. It's wonderful to hear these songs again! Of course, "the Logical Song" was a big hit and brings back lots of memories. Highly recommended. September 2, 2008

a great carnival-like album

although being supertramp's most commercially successful album (#1 in uk & US), breakfast in america is also very intellectual & musically aggressive. By the time they recorded this album, hogdson & davies were at odds about the material & album name. As each of them shared arranging, writing, & lead vocal duties, they were beginning to want more control. Davies did not like the song breakfast in america or the name of the album. Davies liked working title or hello stranger as album title & wanted to leave BIA off the album. Obviously there was a consensus & hodgson won the battle. That's music... it not only challenges the listener but the artists as well. as they look for their role in the band with ideas & control, a great piece of art is produced through argument & consensus. The album is much more pop oriented with 4/4 patterns than previous albums but still retains aspects of their symphonic/progressive rock roots. The album opens with gone hollywood & reveals strong high-octave backing vocals by hodgson which remains the trend throughout. The song contains the tempo changing & heavy piano playing characteristic of the previous tramp efforts. The logical song follows & uses a rock/jazz electric organ/piano which would remain a staple in the album as well. Hodgson's vocals are incredible here showing an edgier & more aggressive singing style. Goodbye stranger is my favorite davies song besides school & has a great organic groove accompanied by more hodgson vocals. Breakfast in america follows & has unique carnival-like sound that has great vocals as well. Then the epic take the long way home starts with its eerie synth srings & more carnival-like stuff. 2 overlooked songs are nervous wreck & child of vision as they possess the same power-charged vocals & heavy keyboards. Although less progressive the album is quite consistent & almost conceptual with pessimistic social undertones which was a common theme in the late 70s in music (rush/genesis/elp/queen). Supertramp also mimics pink floyd in a way with their alternating vocals within songs. It is also very ahead of its time from a production standpoint. Also clarinet became a rock 'n roll instrument after this thanx to helliwell. Sibenberg's drumming is also quite aggressive & inventive. The drumming, though, is partially harmed by the low tuned toms which produces a muffled sound. All in all a great album that closes the seventies & welcomes the 80s. September 1, 2008

Excellent Audio Quality

If you like "Breakfast In America", this 2002 version labeled "Newly Digitally Remastered from the Original Master Tales" is the best digital version available. Better than the MFSL UD1 Made In Japan, catalog UDCD 534 or any other version. This is a wonderful flat transfer.

This recording was remastered by Greg Calbi and Jay Messina at Sterling Sound, New York. The two gentlemen achieved results similar to the Car Stevens Limited Editions Digi-Pak series also remastered at Sterling Sound (Ted Jensen performed that remarkable transfer).

If you take the time and effort to properly EAC this disc and then burn the results onto the best possible media (Green Tunes mastering CD), the playback on a high end audio system is truly amazing. August 30, 2008

Why Should You Care If You're Feeling Good?

Personally, I would characterize (i.e. oversimplify) Supertramp as a late-70s hybrid of Steely Dan and the Beatles. They resemble Steely Dan in their spotless production and tight, finely-honed pop arrangements; the Beatles in their English wit and effortlessly melodic songcraft; and both their core of a formidable songwriting duo, in this case Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies. For their earlier work I might throw in a dash of Pink Floyd to account for the proggy atmospherics, but on BREAKFAST IN AMERICA the band is mostly concerned with making a great pop album

And regardless of how accurate or effectual all these comparisons are, BREAKFAST IN AMERICA is indeed a great pop album, a ship of gooey vocal harmonies afloat on a sea of cascading electric piano, buoyed onward by howling harp nor'easters and waves of screaming sax. (And yes, laboured as it is, I'm proud of that metaphor.) You've probably heard the hits: the delightful "The Logical Song", the propulsive "Goodbye Stranger", the airy "Take the Long Way Home", and the bouncy, vaguely Klezmer-ish title cut. But you probably haven't heard great album cuts like "Just Another Nervous Wreck", which is as anxious as its title would suggest, or the closing epic "Child of Vision". And if you like catchy, well-constructed pop music, you really should, because it doesn't get much better than this. August 13, 2008

What's for supper?

This album takes me back to the beach in the long, hot summer of 1979. Wouldn't that be reason enough to own it and play it frequently? But I don't.
Here's why. It's the title track. 'Breakfast' contains some good songs with reasonable lyrics (Take the long way home, Lord is it mine, Casual conversations) but it's the title track that stinks. And not just a little bit, but with such force that owning this CD is an embarrasment. Let me be a little more specific.
The song itself is a filler. Anybody could have written this dumb, nondescript little melody. The arrangement is not worth mentioning. And now for the words:
'Take a look at my girlfriend, she's the only one I've got'. Are we supposed to praise him for his fidelity, or mourn the lack of other girlfriends?
'Not much of a grilfriend, I never seem to get a lot'. Therapy might help.
'Take a Jumbo cross the water, like to see America.' Is that escapism, or just a holiday?
'See the girls in California' ... Good idea.
'Hoping it's going to come true, 'cause there's not a lot I can do.' What must come true? And why is it that there's not a lot you can do?
'Lalalala, lalala lalalaladida.' Gimme a break ...

I simply don't understand why anybody in his right mind would allow this childish scribble to be published all over the world.

I think I'll skip breakfast. What's for supper?
April 21, 2008

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