This was the first Supertramp album I bought way back in the mists of time while I was at school. My interest had been aroused by Dreamer. Supertramp are an unusual band as they write great pop songs that they hide, or strategically placed, in extended musical workouts verging on prog with complex arrangements. This is why I love them. It’s not necessarily the catchy chorus and harmonies, but it’s the instrumentation and the way they add really groovy pieces in each tune.
Opener, Easy Does It, is a really short peace that leads into Sister Moonshine. This emphasizes the point I was making perfectly, super catchy chorus, great melody and great groove. Ain’t Nobody But Me kicks in with the big Hammond and guitar – it feels really heavy, then we change to the doo wop chorus and the very heavy outro. Next up is A Soapbox Opera, the very familiar fender piano and Hodgson’s voice complete with orchestra. Side 1 closes with Another Mans Woman, a great up-tempo tune with a killer melody and a fantastic instrumental section that really grooves – this is what I love most about the band.
Side 2 starts with Lady and that Fender piano from Dreamer feels so familiar, as with a lot of Hodgson’s songs, there is that old rock and roll reference with the ooh-lalala’s. Poor Boy follows and has that simple, almost Motown, feel to it until the middle section that is all ragtime jazz. Just A Normal Day is up next and has a very singer songwriter vibe – it’s very Elton in its execution. One of the band’s most well known tunes follows with The Meaning. It begins with a very middle eastern feel with Hodgson’s wailing vocal style, before the song settles into a more familiar groove with the repetitive singing which feels like a mantra. Two Of Us closes out the record and it feels quite a melancholic musical ending, and the lyrics are quite uplifting. A great album by a band that took Prog to the masses and made a boat load of cash.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
