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| Supertramp - The Supertramp Remasters - Paris, ...Famous Last Words..., Brother Where You Bound, Free As A Bird |
    Released: P:1980, FLW: 1982, BWYB:1985, FAAB:1987 Label: Universal Cat. No.: Total Time: 86:26 (2-discs) / 44:31 / 42:01 / 42:54 | |
Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, December 2002 Supertramp Resissues Part II Paris - After the huge success of Breakfast In America it seemed like a good time to release a live album. It may have been good timing considering the success of several studio albums; the only problem was that they had the difficult task of duplicating all of the sounds produced in the studio. Unfortunately, they could not reproduce all those wonderful layers of sound in a live setting and the result was that they did not sound like the authoritative progressive rock band that they once were. It was more like a stripped down bare bones rock band missing their pomp and flair. This is a flat performance; although the remastered sound always makes things better, it did not help this recording. ...Famous Last Words... - You would think that Rodger Hodgson would want to go out with a bang before his solo career began but it didn't happen, instead a hit single is what came of this album and that was the extent of this effort. "It's Raining Again" was a sleek pop production with all the hooks. No doubt it is one of the bands most memorable songs, alas this is surely not one their better albums. They abandoned their progressive sound for a straight-ahead, perhaps over produced, pop and rock format. This album has some strengths but very few, hardly anything nearly as consistent as previous studio efforts. Brother Where You Bound - With Rick Davies left in control of the group and Rodger Hodgson leaving big shoes to fill, the group moved forward, undaunted by that challenge. All Davies needed to do was bring in someone like David Gilmour to play a few licks on guitar and let his own creativity blossom without another strong influence to compete with, and then a fantastic slice of progressive rock reached its fruition. The title track is a classic rendering of a potent progressive multi-staged song. It runs nearly 17 minutes, making the price of admission for this CD worth every dime. The entire project showed a consistency and cohesion that was missing on the previous two albums. It was a welcome return to form for the band. Free As A Bird - This one is a total throwaway. What a disastrous outing for a once great band. A listless and uninspired recording with no substance or meaning was not what typified their work. With nothing left to offer their listeners, it seemed they had reached the end of the road. Ratings: P: 2/5, FLW: 3/5, BWYB: 4/5, FAAB: .5 (that is, 1/2)/5 [Keith covers the first four remasters in part 1 - ed.] More about The Supertramp Remasters - Paris, ...Famous Last Words..., Brother Where You Bound, Free As A Bird: Track Listing: P: School (5:41) / Ain't Nobody But Me (5:24) / The Logical Song (3:56) / Bloody Well Right (7:23) / Breakfast In America (2:57) / You Started Laughing (4:02) / Hide In Your Shell (6:54) / From Now On (7:05) / Dreamer (3:44) / Rudy (7:08) / A Soapbox Opera (4:51) / Asylum (6:51) / Take The Long Way Home (4:57) / Fool's Overture (10:57) / Two Of Us (1:25) / Crime Of The Century (6:31) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.supertramp.com Discography
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