Supertramp - Retrospectacle: The Supertramp Anthology
|
List Price: Our Price: $10.60 You Save: $9.38 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $8.49 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Retrospectacle: The Supertramp Anthology
Free Music Review: Best way for anyone to discover Supertramp's legacy of music
Hit: 5 Stars
Supertramp's 2-disc retrospective humorously titled Retrospectacle, released in October of 2005, is a must for all Supertramp fans.
Unlike the previous best ofs out there, Retrospectacle focuses on material from the band's entire career including songs from their poorly received (and sadly overlooked) first two albums to 2002's underappreciated Slow Motion and everything in between (including their classic 1974-83 period).
The 1970 self-titled debut album is represented by "Surely" in edited form (I would have loved to have seen "Try Again" here as well but they wanted 2-CDs not 3). 1971's follow-up Indeliably Stamped is represented by "Your Poppa Don't Mind" which marked keyboard player/co-songwriter Rick Davies' vocal debut as guitarist/keyboard player/co-songwriter Roger Hodgson was the main singer on the first album and switched from bass guitar to guitar after original guitarist Richard Palmer quit. What I also like about this collection is that it finally includes the single they released prior to Crime of the Century which was Roger's "Land Ho" coupled with Rick's "Summer Romance" and was the first two tracks Davies and Hodgson recorded with saxophonist/woodwind player/occasional keyboard player John Helliwell, drummer Bob C. Benberg (later spelled Siebenberg) and bass player Dougie Thomson. The Land Ho and Summer Romance mixes here are not the 1974 UK single mix but the mix intended for Crisis What Crisis in 1975 but was left off due to time constraints. Nice to have those two tracks on CD FINALLY! The 1974 classic debut of Supertramp's classic lineup Crime of the Century rightfully gets represented by five tracks ("School", "Bloody Well Right", "Dreamer", "Rudy" and Crime's title cut. Hide in Your Shell is not here but gives one a reason to own Crime of the Century). 1975's Crisis? What Crisis? has four tracks (technically five if you count "Another Man's Woman" (although its live version) represented from that underrated album ("Sister Moonshine", "Ain't Nobody But Me", "Lady" and "Two of Us"). 1977's Top 20 charting Gold selling Even in the Quietest Moments also features four tracks including the hit single "Give a Little Bit" plus "Downstream", Even's title cut and "From Now On" although a shame "Babaji" and/or "Fool's Overture" is missing but c'est la vie!
The second disc features six tracks from the 1979 chart-topping Breakfast in America ("Gone Hollywood", The Top 10 hit "The Logical Song", the Top 20 hit "Goodbye Stranger", Breakfast's title cut, "Oh Darling" and the Top 10 hit "Take the Long Way Home". "Just Another Nervous Wreck" and/or "Child of Vision" should also have been included but nevermind). From the 1980 double live album Paris we get "You Started Laughing" (a studio version was only released as a B-side in 1975 and still remains unreleased)). We then have three tracks from the most popular line up's swan song 1982's Famous Last Words (the Top 20 hit "It's Raining Again", the Top 40 hit "My Kind of Lady" and "Don't Leave Me Now". "Waiting So Long" should have appeared but c'est la vie). The second disc goes on to document the post-Hodgson line up including the marvelous Top 30 hit "Cannonball" from 1985's Brother Where You Bound (that album's title cut which featured Pink Floyd's David Gilmour on guitar should have been included but then would have been a 3 or 4 CD set which is nothing wrong with that), then 1987's flop Free as a Bird is represented by the album's best song which is its title cut. "You Win I Lose" is from 1997's Some Things Never Change which was originally supposed to be a reunion album featuring Thomson and Hodgson but the old tensions proved otherwise (Thomson is now a publisher and Hodgson is still a solo artist). 1999's It Was the Best of Times Live has Another Man's Woman which was a great, spirited version although some prefer the studio version or the Hammersmith 1975 version. 2002's Slow Motion is represented by "Over You".
If you don't know where to start with Supertramp, scoop this 2-disc set up and then work your way through the catalog (especially the live album Paris from 1980).
RECOMMENDED!
Free Music Review: The best Supertramp anthology so far
Hit: 5 Stars
Unlike the previous releases, "Retrospectacle" focuses on material from the band's entire career including their poor selling first two albums and the single they released prior to "Crime of the Century". The first disc takes 1 track each from the band's first two albums. We get a rare single the band released prior to "Crime of the Century". "Crime" deservedly gets five tracks while "Crisis? What Crisis?" has four from this fine album. "Even in the Quietest Moment" also features four strong tracks including the hit single "Give a Little Bit". For fans of the band the real highlight here is the release on CD of the band's virtually unheard single "Land Ho"/"Summer Romance". This was the first single recorded by the band's most successful line up and the same one that would record every album from "Crime of the Century" to "Famous Last Words". If you've leard Roger Hodgson's solo album "Hai Hai" you've heard "Land Ho" as Hodgson did a virtually identical remake of the original version but with different production touches. A note to fans who may have purchased the single--this is not the original 1973 mix of the song but, instead, a previously unreleased 1975 remix when the song was being considered for inclusion on "Crisis? What Crisis?". The flip side of the single features Rick Davies on lead vocals on the R&B inflected "Summer Romance".
The second disc opens with six tracks from "Breakfast in America" ("Another Nervous Wreck" should also have been included but that's just my personal opinion). We get "You Started Laughing" the only new song on "Paris" and then three tracks from the most popular line up's swan song "Famous Last Words". The second disc goes on to document the post-Hodgson line up including the marvelous "Cannonball", overlooked "Free as a Bird" (the best song on the weak "Free as a Bird" album even if it had too much of a techno element to it), "You Win, I Lose" (which was originally supposed to be a reunion album featuring Roger Hodgson. It didn't work out) from the band's first studio recording in a decade "Some Things Never Change" and the big bandish "Over You" from the last release by the current line up "Slow Motion". While "Over You" is a marvelous song I would have gone for the marvelous jazz inflected "Tenth Avenue Breakdown".
The booklet has comments from Davies as well as a discography for the band and which songs were culled from which albums. It's not a complete discography though as there's nothing mentioned about "Extremes" a soundtrack the band did in 1973 which I've never heard. A very nice job all around this is the anthology to get if you want all the hits and some additional pleasant stuff as well.
Davies and co-producer Bill Levenson (who has done some marvelous reissues by the way. My hat's off to Bill who has continued to be a guiding force behind a series of excellent remastered/reissued albums and new compilations/boxed sets) have picked the cream of the crop for the band's albums. Sure, you could argue about songs NOT being included but just about every song on this anthology DESERVES to be here.
Free Music Review: You're Bloody Well Right This is a Great Anthology!
Hit: 5 Stars
I am not a diehard fan of Supertramp, but enough that I own a few albums and compilations. All in all, I would have to say that this is the best of the latter so far. In fact Retrospectacle is quite a spectacle, and if you are a beginner--or simply want the meat of most of Supertramp's best body of work--then this is an excellent compilation. Not unlike their very British counterparts, the Moody Blues and Squeeze, Supertramp is what I refer to as a "spinach" band; that is, their sound can quite often be an acquired taste, whereas other British groups such as the Beatles and the Zombies are easier to digest.
What is truly great about this 2-disc collection is that it brilliantly showcases most of the band's strongest material in chronological order according to album releases, thus making it beginner friendly. Somebody here has overdone it by listing every track and the corresponding albums like others here are babies and we can't explore other releases by the band on our own. Rather than insult your intelligence, I would just like to say that I only have a few minor complaints about this collection: as someone said, "Hide in Your Shell" is missing, but you can get that elsewhere, and I also was disappointed not to see "Lord is it Mine" on here as well. One other gripe: "Another Man's Woman" live goes on too long, and is weak compared to the other choices on the disc.
Personal faves that don't include singles? By a landslide, "School" is a major masterpiece of progressive rock, and that piano solo is outstanding in every single way. I love "Bloody Well Right," the sweet epic sadness of "Rudy," and had forgotten completely about catchy, poppy "Sister Moonshine" for years until I bought this compilation. It is true that the band had a style change from progressive to mainstream pop, but it was so gradual that everything from beginning to end, with or without Roger Hodgson on board, still sounds uniquely and timelessly like them. Through it all, you still have the same unique vocals of Davies and Hodgson, well crafted melodic songs laced with intelligent and often cynical lyrics, and strong experimental keyboard-driven instrumentation that never keeps you bored or thinking the band is lightweight. Even beautiful ballads like "Downstream," lovely, catch pop tunes like "My Kind of Lady" and "It's Raining Again" seem right at home beside fusion heavy tracks like "Cannonball."
Supertramp is a band that can provide a little something for everyone without ever seeming to compromise their trademark sound, and this is a factor that makes them a timeless classic rock unit. If you decide to indulge yourself with this compilation, I believe you will become a constant fan "From Now On."
Free Music Review: The Whole Supertramp Story
Hit: 5 Stars
The way Supertramp has been depicted in recent years gives an indication that they were some sort of embarrassment in pop music history. Case in point is Homer Simpson's affection of the group. This compilation proves that though Supertramp did have some art-rock tendencies, they produced some great tunes.
This compilation is very complete; basically anything Supertramp did of any worth, with the possible exception of Hide in Your Shell, is here. Personally I would have preferred the live version of Dreamer that became a hit in the US, but overall, the song selection is perfect. The six tunes from Breakfast in America are for example the obvious choices from that album.
The music is, well, mostly good in mine opinion. There are a few tracks I don't care that much about, especially post It's Raining Again. I did, however, re-discover some ones again. Special mention goes to Take the Long Way Home, with its majestic opening and incredible harmonies. The craft of the production is faultless, these guys and the studio were a match made in heaven. Most music produced today, 30 years later, lacks the great production in most aspects as Supertramp did in their heyday. Despite being studio wizards, the creative aspect of making music enjoyable was yet in place. Listen to Goodbye Stranger, with the organ intro, the drums added and the snapping sound into the second verse. Give a Little Bit on the other hand is pure bright guitars driving the song.
I have another Supertramp collection called Classics - 25th A&M Anniversary. That compilation has some edited tracks which appear here in their full length editions. The sound quality is also vastly better on this new compilation, as if a carpet was put over the speaker whilst listening to the old version. The inner booklet is also fine on this compilation which can't be said about the Classics compilation.
To sum it up, this is a fantastic compilation and although some tracks are not my cup of tea, they all deserve being included on a Supertramp anthology. The sound re-mastering is great with full length tracks. This is the one CD for most Supertramp fans, excluding the most hard core ones, to buy.
Free Music Review: Retrospectacular!
Hit: 5 Stars
Sometimes I bemoan the quality of rock music produced in the post-Beatles era of the late 70s and early 80s. Then I remember Supertramp, enough so recently purchase their latest compilation, "Retrospectacle". A spectacle it is, including almost all the best songs I remembered from almost 30 years ago and a few others, most of which are among my favorites now. As noted by another reviewer, a major omission is "Hide in Your Shell", but given that the 2 CD set includes almost 2-1/2 hours of great music, I've forgiven the producers already and picked up the mp3 for a less than a buck.
"New" highlights for me were Your Poppa Don't Mind, and the rollicking Land Ho. From their first hit LP "Crime of the Century" we get School, Bloody Well Right, Dreamer, Rudy and the title song.
The title of the album providing the next set of songs, "Crisis, What Crisis?" comes from the pressure of following a first hit album. Sister Moonshine, Two Of Us, and Ain't Nobody But Me make the compilation. I missed this album the first time through.
I didn't miss "Even in the Quietest Moments", there first Gold record, which included my favorites "Give a Little Bit", the title track, and "From Now On".
The boys from the UK via Los Angeles hit the charts big time with "Breakfast In America" - with Gone Hollywood, The Logical Song, Goodbye Stranger, the title song, and Take the Long Way Home and Oh Darling all here.
If that's not enough Supertramp, there nine tracks from their last seven original albums -- more education and good music in this section.
Great lyrics, great harmonies, great arrangements from lone acoustic guitar (Little Bit) to blues (Ain't Nobody But Me) to rock guitar and piano, to full orchestration with lots of horns, it's all there.
My big dilemma with this two-disk set is deciding whether to start with CD 1 or CD 2 - because of my new love for Land Ho, I usually start there and know that lots of great music will follow.
My 15-year-old daughter listened to a few tracks of "Retrospectacle" and decided she needed it for her Ipod. Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies would love to hear that.