Supertramp - Famous Last Words

...Sounds great, except...

As with the rest of the Supertramp remasters - long overdue, even in 2002 - the sound quality here is fantastic. Supertramp always took care in the studio to record and construct their albums with fantastic sound and lots of dynamic range. Given this was Hodgson's last album (and subsequent tour), the lyrics become tinged with sadness and meta-meaning beyond their context in the songs.

However... I don't know the specifics of the how or why, but the beginning of "Bonnie" is glitched up. To my ear, it sounds as if someone with a razor blade or some digital editing software tried to recreate the beginning of the track, but used the later repetition when the xylophone came in over the piano to replay the opening phrase. Anyway, the result is just wrong, and bugged me until I pulled out my old copy of the CD and (there's that digital editing software again) took the beinning of the track from the old CD and 'pasted' it over the offending phrase. I felt better after that. ;) November 18, 2008

Famous Last Line-up

Supertramp have nearly always delivered the goods with their unique style of music, some albums fantastic, the others probably just good. This one sits in the good category but their music is always thoughtful and doesn't change too much, so this CD will round out your collection. The later albums without Roger Hodgson are still pretty good but in my opinion just lack a bit of spark of earlier efforts. Worth getting. August 29, 2008

OK, but not their best

There are a few decent songs here, but the special energy that Supertramp had on all their classic albums is gone here, and this is becoming a bit annoying at times, particularly Rick's writing which by now has gotten lazy. With a title like "Put On Your Own Brown Shoes", you just KNOW it's going to be some lame pseudo-jazz uptempo thing by Rick. Hodgson's stuff is starting to get whiny rather than positive - "Crazy" and "C'est Le Bon" are decent songs with nice melodies and hooks, though less original than his offerings on previous albums. The only song that was even a moderate hit, "It's Raining Again" is a decent song, but compared to previous albums, it's more of a jingle than anything else, with not-so-great lyrics (come on you little fighter / no need to get up-tighter). Overall, the lyrics are dark and despairing, and point the way to Roger's departure from the band, which goes out with a whimper not a bang.
May 12, 2008

Fantástico resultado da remasterização!

Depois de ouvir muito esse álbum em vinil, adquiri, recentemente o CD lançado aqui no Brasil, acreditando tratar-se de versão atual, pois a versão remasterizada fora lançada em 2002. Insatisfeito com a qualidade do CD brasileiro, resolvi adquirir essa versão "REMASTERED", e ela é simplesmente FANTÁSTICA, infinitamente superior, deliciosa de se ouvir.
Só não entendo porque a mesma gravadora continua a produzir a pobre versão antiga, depois de haver remasterizado tão perfeitamente esse e outros álbuns. March 30, 2008

Famous Last 70s Music Work...

The title of this album could have been, at no doubt, "Famous Last 70s Music Work"... There were a lot of things that changed in the Music world at the end of that decade.

This Supertramp album, certainly is a sample of what happened... After the smashing success they had with "Crime Of The Century" and even more with "Breakfast in America", it was quite hard for the creative couple Hodgson/Davies to reach the same peak of success with this "Famous...".

In spite of it, the album has some nice tunes. The 50s-styled ballad "My Kind Of Lady" (one of the best Supertramp songs in my opinion), the long-airplay "It's Raining Again", but also to be mentioned "Know Who You Are ", "C'est Le Bon" and even the ignored Hit "Put On Your Old Brown Shoes". February 15, 2008

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