Supertramp - Even in the Quietest Moments

supertramp is a good band

Supertramp is basically a band that likes to focus their music on writing excellent songs, sort of like Elton John or Billy Joel. Supertramp's style, however, is more laid back and they like to extend their songs a bit further than most. As a songwriting band, they're pretty good at what they do, and I recommend this album in particular for its overall consistency and enjoyable value. "Fool's Overture" steps away from the other songs with its big, bombastic style, and it's over 10 minutes of memorable music. April 8, 2008

A fine musical work... As good as "Breakfast In America"!

The headmasters of Supertramp, Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, made a new masterwork with "Even In the Quietest Moments".

This album has some heavyweight tunes: "Give A Little Bit", "From Now On", and an ignored supersong: "Downstream"... This tune is magnificent, very romantic and with a neat vocal and piano work. Then why so ignored by radio DJs???... Luckily, as it happens with "Breakfast in America" and "Crime Of The Century", the remastered version has an outstanding sound quality. February 14, 2008

An alternative to this: The German 1997 import AM/Universal AM+ series

I just got the 1997 AM/Universal Import version used. It sounds wonderful! (label on mine says Audio Master+ series 394634-2 made in Germany) It is very clear and UN-digital /ungrating /unharsh (no "volume wars") - and cheaper too! Musically it's a great album, there is a fond place in my heart for this ...record. : ) January 9, 2008

Best of Supertramp

Supertramp is great and out of all their albums, this is my favorite. When most artists step up to the microphone, they are inspired. They see the world in a different way and share it so the listener can glimpse their viewpoint. But somewhere along the road, they lose their way and pump out a couple of songs about phone numbers, and losing girls to their buddies to get their stuff on the shelves. Crowds roar, music sells, but in the end, the fluff is forgotten (Except By Guitar Hero) and the real lives on. Supertramp is no exception. They have their fluff songs, and I like them too. But, this album is that inspired step to the microphone,a work of art, a unique look at life - from the studies of love in "Give a Little Bit" and "Lover Boy" to the unique angst and peace interplay in "Even In The Quietest Moments." Then "Downstream", "Babaji", and "From Now On", keep up that RUSH-like odd way of looking at life in a melodious melancholic way. Yes, I compared Supertramp to Rush. My favorite, "Fools Overture" tells a story with instruments emphasizing the parts in a way I rarely hear from other artists. Good group, good album.

December 13, 2007

Supertramp's greatest hour IMHO 30 years on!

Supertramp's fifth album Even in the Quietest Moments was released in April of 1977.
In July of 2002, I took a gamble by buying this remastered CD and all I can say is that it is the best disc the band ever recorded.
Guitarist/singer/keyboard player Roger Hodgson dominates on this album as witnessed on the album's opening classic track "Give a Little Bit" (which became Supertramp's first Top 20 hit in the U.S. and had a classic 12-string acoustic guitar riff from Hodgson), the atmospheric title track (which featured another memorable 12-string acoustic guitar riff), the mystical second half opener "Babaji" (which had Hodgson on piano and guitar and I liked the solo section where it was Roger's guitar and saxophonist John Helliwell's saxophone playing in unison with one another) and the classic epic album closer "Fool's Overture" (which was almost like listening to a classical work by Mozart or Beethoven and is powerful and rivals other great epic songs from 1977 such as Yes' Awaken, Rush's Xanadu, ELP's Pirates and Pink Floyd's Dogs and also has one of John's best saxophone performances ever).
Keyboard player/singer Rick Davies contributed the shuffling whimsical "Lover Boy" (which was one of the best songs he ever wrote for the band and featured excellent guitar work from Roger), the piano and voice piece "Downstream" (which ended the first side of the album) and the album's other hit "From Now On" (which is about someone wanting to escape the dull routine of daily life to go in a fantasy world).
I can see why Even in the Quietest Moments was Supertramp's first album to go Gold (500,000 plus copies in US sales) and broke the US Top 20 for the first time in the summer of 1977 peaking at #16, and it is because all of the songs are timeless classics and have withstood the test of time unlike some of the other albums that came out that year (musical mediocrity like Barry Manillow, Thelma Houston, David Soul and Glen Campbell anybody) and sounds just as fresh today as it did then, especially with the remastering job that Greg Calbi and Jay Messina did with this and all of the other A&M albums that were reissued in 2002.
Highly recommended! November 9, 2007

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