BROTHER WHERE YOU BOUND

Sister, I'm bound inside you

With Hodgson now gone, the remaining quartet forged ahead although the future outcome wasn't certain, since Roger was the main "hit" writer, one of the most recognizable ion radio and wrote at least half the tracks of Supertramp. But Davies soldiered on and surprisingly enough wrote their most progressive album since Crime. The average songwriting is so high on this album that one almost doesn't miss Hodgson's presence, as he's not replaced on vocals surprisingly enough Helliwell didn't get a shot at it, despite often doubling Roger's voice; while the only place where there is some guitars (the epic title track), Floyd's Gilmour and Lizzy's Gorham are taking care of it. However, whatever few other guitars are handled guest marty walsh. With an evocative evolution artwork enhancing the album title, the most amazing feat of Brother Where You Bound is its release date: 1985.

A shock awaits the listener the first time he hears this album: Cannonball is a very unlikely Supertramp song with its infernal groove and a very 80's-ish rhythm, but that track got a lot of airtime on FM radios and I believe an abridged version was released as a single. After an average Still In Love, Davies hits the right spot with the poignant No In-Between, a song where Rick bares it all with plenty of emotions. The highlight of the A-side is definitely the very progressive Better Days featuring Scott page's flute, a track that could rank just behind Rudy and Fools Overture.

The flipside is mostly occupied by the superb16-mins+ title track epic divided in four or five movements (not specified on the sleeve, though), with an incredible Gilmour doing a not-too-Gilmouresque intervention. Although this is probably the most difficult Supertramp track to listen to, this gains to be heard a few times before it sinks in your brains and remain in there. The album closes on the unremarkable Ever Open Door, maybe a call for Roger.

THIS CAME OUT IN 85, DUDE. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?

This is a very atmospheric album, full of subtle modern keyboards; some are delicately floating, like on the delightful "No inbetween", others are percussive and melodic, like on the rhythmic "Cannonball ". There is an omnipresent catchy rhythmic piano. The sound is fresh and crystal clean. Sometimes, the album slightly reminds me the ambience on Dire Straits' "Love over gold", at least the piano and keyboards; the guitar parts played by Marty Walsh here are quite less prominent and spectacular than Mark Knopfler's one. The sax parts are not timid. "Still in love" is a bit more conventional easy listening pop song, certainly being better than bad. The epic "Brother were you bound" is VERY progressive: sometimes rhythmic, sometimes ambient, very echoed and crystal clear, sometimes experimental (nearly film music), this excellent track is not representative of Supertramp's usual tendency; it contains a long & OUTSTANDING guitar solo, very expressive, echoed, sustained and melodic, played by David Gilmour. The album ends with "Ever open door", containing poignant lead vocals through floating modern keyboards and piano.

Rating: 4.5 stars

All songs in this album are very good. This album is more "serious" than "Free as a Bird". It has a mixture of pop songs for the Radio to please the record label ("Cannonball", "Still in Love") and songs which have more "serious" and interesting lyrics, and I think that some of them reflect Rick Davies`personal thoughts and feelings at that time. These serious songs are: --No Inbetween: I think that the lyrics are about some musicians that in the beginning enjoyed a lot being in the music business,but as years passed, being in the music bussiness became contractual obligations and some of the musicians are tired because playing music it`s more a job than something to enjoy. Lyrics similar as other bands`songs ("Many too Many", "Heathaze" and "Down and Out" by Genesis, "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd, "Blood from a Clone" by George Harrison, etc.). -"Better Days": I think that it is about promises made in campaigns by politicians. -"Brother where you bound": the "cold war" still existing in the mid-eighties.David Gilmour appears in this song as he did in many albums as session musician between 1984 and 1986. -"Even open door":a person looking for new goals in life. The recording of this album is very good. The keyboard sounds are very clear, maybe because they used the Fairlight and the Synclavier. This is a very good album and proved that Supertramp could exist without Roger Hodgson.

I breathed a big sigh of relief when I heard this for the first time. It is indicative that most reviews find this album uplifting, solid and generally top drawer material. Well it is ,and it is hard to fault the album in any way.' Canonball' for me the best commercial song Supertramp did. This song demonstrates the rich side of their music still to come like ' Sooner or later' from Somethings never Change in 1997.I would give this album a five star but for the whimsical ' Ever Open Door'. The title track is another epic long set from Supertramp and ' No Inbetween' is a gem too. Goodbye Hodgson hello renewed inspiration!

My favorite 80's Supertramp album. Hands down!

"Brother Where You Bound" was the first Supertramp album without Roger Hodgson. You can clearly hear a difference between this one and earlier Supertramp albums because of that. But even without Hodgson, Supartramp knew how to write great songs, though they are a bit more hit-n-miss sometimes. The sound is clear; production is perfect. The mood is always changing, from serious and dark to light and cheerful. A very varied and balanced album overall.

"Cannonball" opens the album with a bang! This track is extremely catchy, though serious and straight musically. It's among my favorite Supertramp tracks, actually. "Still In Love" is a catchy love song, with a very uplifting mood. Though im not very found of love songs, I think this one's a very good song, actually. "No Inbetween" is an atmospheric and beautiful ballad and "Better Days" is like "Cannonball" serious and musically great. The outro is really good too.

The title track is one of Supertramp's very best songs. A 16-minute progressive masterpiece epic, with a very creepy intro and an experimental middle section. Excellent song otherwise too! Better than most 80's songs I've heard, I say.

"Ever Open Door" is a weaker ballad that closes the album. The first 90 seconds are OK, but then it turns rather poor.

Overall: a Supertramp album not to be missed, In my opinion. The only realy weak spot is "Ever Open Door" The rest is top-notch stuff that should please fans of Supertramp's 70's era too, even without Hodgson, this one proves that Supertramp still can write good stuff.

4.5/5

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.

The earthquake of Hodgson's departure will lead the band to organize something rather special to draw the attention of the rock press : Supertramp rent the Orient Express for them and fifty press people as part of the publicity for the album. Tickets cost $600 a head! On board the new material was premiered to the press who were lavishly wined and dined. The train left from Paris eventually depositing the party in Venice (at the Excelsior Hotel, not the cheapest one either) !

I usually prefer Hodgson's song and voice than Davies'one. So, an album without him was rather suspicious to me.

When I listened to the poor disco/funky and repetitive "Cannonball" I was expecting the worse from the Tramp.

I was a bit relieved with "Still In Love" : a song coming straight from the "Crime" era. Great sax, good keyboards and the so special rythm of the band.

The pleasant surprise goes on with "No In Between" : no pop, no disco (is this heaven) ? Another very good classic Tramp ballad with a very good backing band and very nice arrangements.

The intro for "Better Days" (which is a six minute song) has some flavour of "Fool's" : a voice on the radio sounding (you know, like the Churchill one...), but when Davies starts the vocal, it turns a bit like "Cannonball" : disco and quite uninspired for most of it. It features voices of Presidents Regan, Bush Sr., and some of their advisors (Mondale and Ferraro). A video was planned to feature their lifesize puppets miming to their rhetorical double-talk.

"Brother Were You Bound". Starts quite dark and scary (with some radio reporters' voices in the background, "Fool's..." is not very far away). Then Davies starts his vocal parts for about a minute. After this, the track really lifts off and develops like a kaleidoscope of the Tramp at its best (it reminds me again a lot the "Crime" period). Great sax and piano combination (so classic and nice of course). Then a bit of "weird" sounds for about one minute or so (a la King Crimson) which lead to the finale. Hard guitar from Gilmour (a guest musician). This is a very good track. The longest Tramp one.

There was an 18 minutes video realized to promote the track (by Rene Daalder, a Dutch director). "The first long form narrative music video for MTV" (it will be nominated for the Grammy Awards). Budget was 500, 000 US $ (remember we are in 1985).

According to Rick it was obvious that he had used most of the budget in the opening shots and it all went downhill from there! When the film ended, a stunned executive stood up and said "Well... that's given us all something to think about!"

The closing number won't be remembered for long, I'm afraid.

Basically, this album is far much better than I had ever expected. Davies confirms that he can hold the band on his own (even if this quality level won't last for long unfortunately). Thanks to the title track, I will rate it three stars.

Roger Hodgson, wherever you bound, please come back

The departure of Roger Hodgson from Supertramp was a crippling blow to the band, whether they admit it or not. While he was there, Rick Davies jazz influence and gutsy blues voice were kept in check by Roger's pop and rock sensibilities. With the shackles off, the days of melodic singles such as "Dreamer" and "The logical song", along with more progressive songs like "Hide in your shell" and "A soapbox opera" were gone. In their place came a pronounced move into the heavily jazz influenced preferences of Davies. Many fans therefore lost interest with the departure of Hodgson, the band failing to replace such followers with new ones in sufficient numbers to prolong their early success.

All the songs on this album are written by Davies alone. The line up, which is now reduced to a quartet, does not include a permanent guitarist or second vocalist, Marty Walsh being brought in to provide guitar parts as required. The music here is not bad, but the concentration on one style of music throughout is at odds with the band's previous output. It is surprising (to me at least) how tedious Davies work can become when it is not interspersed with the more melodic rock offerings of Hodgson.

With just six tracks, including a 16+ minute epic, this is arguably Supertramp's most progressive release in their entire catalogue. Add to that the presence of David Gilmour on that 16 minute track, and you would expect prog fans to be falling over themselves to get hold of the album. The reality is though that the album bears comparison to Dire Straits "Love over gold", with most of the prog being confined to that one track.

The Dire Straits comparison is actually appropriate for the opening "Cannonball", an up tempo DS type song. The track, which was released as a single in edited form, features a variety of lead instruments on the solos, the overall feel being rather funky. It is that generally funky direction which is the main reason I tend to have an aversion to this album. "Still in love" is slower, but continues in a very similar fashion, the jazzy sax leaving me quite cold.

"No in-between" is lyrically a sort of "Comfortably Numb" telling the tale of a rock star (Hendrix maybe?) who is struggling to keep things going. The song changes the mood of the album completely, being much darker with a sparse arrangement. "Better days" seems to be inspired by the unfulfilled promises of our politicians. Scott Page adds some nice flute to this mid-paced, once again quite funky, song. The call and response between the vocals and the keyboards emphasises again the funky feel of the song which also includes extracts of political speeches.

The title track dominates the second side of the album. There is not just one lead guitarist here, but three, Scott Gorham (Thin Lizzy) and Marty Walsh providing the rhythm while David Gilmour plays the solos. The song tells a disturbing story of the perceived threat from the communist east, with lyrics such as "I can feel them all around me, they could be here any day" and "they got a hatred deep down inside, Ain't gonna let them take me alive" displaying a morbid obsession. As with the aforementioned "Telegraph road" by Dire Straits, the vocal part of the song occupies the first part of the track. After this, the music breaks down completely into a phase of random piano and cymbals. As order is restored, a fine instrumental passage develops with Gilmour's guitar playing out the track. While you have to admire Rick Davies for putting together such a well constructed and arranged piece, I cannot in all honesty put it up there with the best Supertramp material.

The closing "Ever open door" sounds a little like a Billy Joel song. Davies gives his best vocal performance here, the song being a powerful ballad. The lyrics could be Rick reflecting on the break-up of his professional partnership with Roger, and the challenges he faces running the band on his own, while putting a positive spin on the situation. "I'm gonna take all my chances, gonna make my advances, gonna see what my life has in store."

In all, while I can find a lot to admire in the spirit and composition of this album, I have difficulty in recommending it. For me, the direction Rick Davies takes the band in is not entirely to my taste, leaving me frustrated by an album with a lot of unfulfilled potential.

The sleeve design is rather disappointing and unimaginative, the band photo on the inner sleeve appearing to have inspired Genesis' "We can't dance".

Roger Hodgson now admits all too readily that he regrets giving up the band name so easily. At the time he did so, he was very much in the minority, the remaining four members being keen to carry on. When three further members later quit though, Davies was left in sole charge of the "Supertramp" name. I cannot help but feel that had Hodgson inherited the name, it would have gone on to find far greater commercial success than it has under Davies stewardship.

Warning: Adding David Gilmour to your album may make it awesome.

Supertramp loses their key member and still manages one of their best works. This is the rare case of a progressive band somehow managing to bear such burdens as the loss of a member and the arrival of the 80s right after a flopped album and do it with such grace. This is likely Supertramp's most progressive outing to date, and it may not be as fluffy as their previous albums, but that's a welcome change in a band such as this. All of the songs are fantastic, the album hosts no weak tracks, synthesizers run rampant, but the 80s seem to have actually given these synths shape and structure instead of making it sound like... well, the 80s. It's too bad that Supertramp wouldn't ever follow up on this sound, because that would have been one tough force to reckon with.

This album still meets with controversy. This is likely due to the lack of Hodgeson, and therefor the lack of fluffyness and high-pitched vocals. This is not the Supertramp we once knew. Listen with an open ear, and be prepared for the darkness, because this new Supertramp delivers the same punch in a different guise.

The album starts with the saxophone driven Cannonball. A great track that shows that Davies can still handle the vocals all by himself. A good piano bit opens the song and sets the pace for the rest of the album. Throughout the song the piano and sax mix nicely and produce something truly magnificent. The song is a bit faster than Supertramp is used to, and features a great keyboard solo right smack dab in the middle that always manages to run a chill down the listener's spine. This is a great track and a great way to start kick off the album.

Still in Love was obviously the prime choice for the album's single. Good saxxy intro leads into the nice drum beat and vocal melody that's still catchy even nowadays. The sax's a little bit more in the background for this track, but that's made up for with a great sax solo at about the 1:55 mark. good backing vocals on the chorus that could have been cheesy but really aren't. This is the single that other bands wish they could do.

A lullaby-like intro opens the beautiful track that is No Inbetween. Great piano accompanies Davies for a couple of minutes, and beautiful, both of them. It's near the end of the song where the track really picks up, and really it's still low-key, but there's a nice little sax solo right at the end after the piano melodies swish and swirl around for a bit and right at the end the track comes full-circle and we're right where we started. Then, at the echo of Davies voice, the song ends as peacefully as it began. Beautiful.

Piano accompanied by a crowd cheering and the entrance of some harsh synths... Supertramp has rarely opened a song better. Better Days is a miliatry-paced song that is one of the album's highlights, with a harsh synth and a harsh beat with some harsh vocals this is definitely a different side of the Tramp than we're used to. 2:27 even sees a Tull like flute solo that fits surprisingly well into the mix as well as some radio-spoken word at 4:30-ish that only further betters the song (and this is during a great sax solo no doubt). The song ends shortly thereafter, but the theme is carried on into the next track.

The Supertramp epic, Brother Where You Bound, is a track that shows the band (successfully) exploring ground they had not yet charted. This song shows the band performing better, writing sharper and being generally darker than ever before. Davies does a great job on vocals, and delivers some truly great performances. The guitar is also brought more forward than Supertramp ever has, with some great crunches near the beginning until the song turns into a mechanically-driven statement from the band. And so it goes, up and down, human to machine, sax to piano to guitar. Add in some truly puzzling lyrics that really make one think until we're delivered to the incredibly capable hands of David Gilmour who makes his appearance after the song apocalypses itself and goes almost silent for a couple of seconds. Enter a very very well done Floyd-esque solo as Gilmour makes his very anticipated appearance. This goes on for a couple of minutes as Gilmour proceeds to lull the audience with some very ambient music and then hands them back to Davies to finish off the song just as powerfully, if not more, than the song started as some quick and dark sax/guitar take the song away. If you've ever doubted Supertramp's progressive power, you've never heard this song.

Every Open Door codas the album, almost in an anthemy kind of way. Definitely not the album's highpoint, but a nice outro that's not too long one the less. Some great delivery by Davies makes this otherwise average song pretty good.

Conclusion:

And so comes to close the next best thing to Crime of the Century. Definitely an overlooked album, and this may be due to it's lack of Hodgeson, iffy cover art, or simply the fact that it was made in the 80s. Let none of these things fool you, this is one amazing album, and after a couple unbiased listens maybe you'll think so too. Recommended to all, 5 stars, and Supertamp definitely deserves it.

I don't know what was going through Davies' mind after Hodgson parted ways with the rest of the Supertramp guys, but one thing is for certain, his state of mind and determination led him to write some of his finest songs ever, and in fact, Brother Where You Bound is arguably the best Supertramp album in the 80s (this despite the fact that Hodgson's melodic genius was still present in some of Famous Last Words best moments, overall an uneven album). In fact, if earlier davis songs such as 'From Now On', 'Asylum' or 'Rudy' had not been enough proof that Hodgson's portrait of Davies as mainly a love song writer was inaccurate, this album will provide the ultimate argument against this portarit. The band's sound is now exclusively focused on davies' leanings toward R'n'B and jazz with added touches of art-rock. And yes, this time his emphasis on the art-rock element was explored thoroughly. And that's not the only positive item for this album: the musicianship is as tight as ever, not revealing any hints of exhaustion or post-Hodgson crisis. The addition of guest musicians helps to fill the hole, but you can tell that the guests are here not to copy Hodgson's approach but to offer a tighter factor in harmonies, riffs and solos. While Helliwell is still the most featured soloist, as refined and dynamic as he has ever been, the augmentation of flute and reeds brought in by other guests helps Supertramp to enhance their sonic possibilities. And let's not skip the fact tha Davies applies his enthusiastic discovery of digital keyboards (Kurzweil, PPG, Fairlight) very wisely, mostly as background orchestrations, complementations to the piano phrases, or stylish atmospheres (mostly on the namesake epic). The album kicks off in a very catchy fashion: 'Cannonball', the first song, was also the first single. It is an appealing R'n'B song set on a funky- rock groove, incorporating vigorous variations in the instrumentla bridges: the band didn't rely on the main motif's easy catchiness, but enriched it with cleverly crafted interludes that never get to break the groove. Track 2 was the third single, and we find yet another obviously catchy tune, this time, a heir of 'My Kind of Lady' but less corny and with a more muscular vibe. 'No inbetween' is a delicious ballad, better than any of those Davies-penned in the Breakfast and Famoues albums, arguably as majestic as the ones included in the Moments album and backwards. The sad atmosphere provided by the lyrics is provided by Davies in his reflective-yet-distant singing style, and Helliwell's solo is the perfect companion to that. The only way to conclude a vinyl album's A-side after such a moving song is with an amazing rock piece, and that's exactly what we get - 'Better Days' is an uptempo sarcastic criticism of presidential campaigns. You may suspect that this song bears progressive similarities to late-70s Kansas and Genesis, but all in all, the fact is that this song comprises inspired motifs and clever arrangements. The jamming closure is really great, with those gradually augmented keyboard textures and jazz-rock dynamics building the perfect shelter for the sax solo. The 16+ minute namesake epic is a progressive zenith in Supertramps 'history. Comprising distinct sections which alternate rocking, orchestrated and cinematographic atmospheres, plus weird ideas (read portions of Orwell's 1984, a quote from l'Internacionale, a free-jazz jam and a referee's whistle, etc.), this one will bring comfort to those Supertramp admirers who thought that the spirit of 'Fool's Overture' was like a lost harvest on a barren land. No, it wasn't. The lyrics reflect Davies' skeptical glance at the usual Cold War topics as adressed by the powers-that-be, and you can feel some of his anger at his sung parts, but the best reflection is provided instrumentally by Gilmour's solos. For this guest appearance, you can tell that Dave Gilmour found a wider room to express himself than he had found in the Final Cut album a few years earlier. After this epic fades out, the sund of footsteps entering a room serve as a prelude to the closing ballad 'Ever Open Door' - being as emotional as 'No Inbetween', this is more candid at portraying the writer's vulnerability, a poignant climax in itself and for the album as a whole. This is an appropriate, compelling closure for an album that took most Supertramp skeptics by surprise (me included - I think I will listen to this record at lunch, 1 hour after I post this review).

I'll be the first to admit that I lost track of a whole slew of my preferred bands during the MTV-infected 80s as that mind-numbing phenomenon made me gradually become disgusted and cause me to lose interest in what was going on in the world of music. One of those groups was Supertramp so I'm methodically gathering up the albums I somehow misplaced along the way or never heard in the first place. "Brother Where You Bound" belongs in the latter category and I'm very pleased to tell you that it's surprisingly fresh and invigorating from beginning to end. The fact that it was released in 1985 (the middle of the dark ages for prog) and that it was their first outing following the departure of long-time co-writing icon Roger Hodgson makes it even more impressive.

Having an infectious dance beat doesn't necessarily mean that a song shamelessly panders to the lowest common denominator and "Cannonball" is proof positive. It has a bright piano tone, several hot horn section breaks, a funky guitar roiling underneath that adds sizzle to the track and intriguing synthesizer settings that don't come off as dated in the least. It never leaves the key of G but the clever arrangement keeps it from getting stale. Plus, it's one of the best put-down tunes you'll ever find. "You can say what you want all day/but I've never been so outraged/I'm washing my hands of you/how could you be so untrue," Rick Davies snipes. Yet he croons a complete turnabout on the very next cut, "Still In Love." John Helliwell's lone saxophone wails soulfully just before the band enters with a rocking shuffle beat as Rick laments that his deceitful woman's got him "dancin' on a string/like I just don't mean a thing/'cause you know that in the end/I'll come runnin' back again." The poor sap is hopeless. Make no mistake, though, this tune is a fine showcase for John's gritty sax along with his expertly-layered horn tracks and it never droops for a moment.

A moody piano and deep synthesized strings provide a stunningly dark intro for "No Inbetween." Davies provides all the lead vocals on this album and his vocal chops are particularly striking here as he describes the dichotomy of being a big deal in the music biz for a decade and a half. "The simple fact is/there really ain't no inbetween/you're either up there/or scurryin' round and lookin' lean," he relates. Once again Helliwell's searing saxophone is superb throughout and I love the way the ambiguous ending leaves me hanging. "Better Days" features a giant, proggy start (especially for the mid 80s) and colorful spaces where drummer Bob Siebenberg's fills tastefully avoid overindulgence. As I write this we citizens of the USA are about to be inundated and thoroughly beaten down with empty campaign promises from both side of the ideological fence and the sarcastic lyrics of this song are as relevant now as they were when Rick penned them. "More food, higher wages/good schools, smiling faces/make way for the new way/better days, better days" he boldly preaches to the masses with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Beefy synthesizer lines lead to some exciting Latin percussion as the group jams out over sound-bite examples of candidates spouting empty phrases ad nauseum.

The album's title song answers the question of what would happen if Supertramp and Pink Floyd came together for a day. Sorta. Not only is "Brother Where You Bound" their longest track ever, it's also one of their most eclectic. It begins with a phonograph needle lowering onto a vinyl record before ominous synths approach from the horizon like looming storm clouds while undecipherable voices mumble phrases from Orwell's "1984" underneath. A rolling piano takes over for a verse, then the group comes in strong with a driving beat and unison, chanting vocals. The song is a sad commentary about world politics and the human condition. ".the message that they're giving you/is the same old alibi/if you don't quite see their point of view/then they treat you like a spy," he sings. It all leads to a half-time mid-section where guest guitarist David Gilmour steps in to alter the scenery as only he can while Davies delivers some of the most emotionally-charged vocals I've ever heard from him. After a false fadeout a somewhat psychedelic free-for-all ensues before a calm guitar riff brings things back into line. Having said that, it still doesn't take you where you expect it to as the tune's structure remains unpredictable until booming drum accents introduce a new segment with vocals mixed in with horns and they finally cut Mr. Gilmour loose to lay waste to the landscape with his piercing solo. Evidently prog had a pulse in '85 but who knew? This is great stuff.

After that wild excursion they wisely end the album with one of Rick's simple but exquisite piano and vocal numbers. "Ever Open Door" is a bit melancholy yet it carries a hopeful message. "I've got a feeling inside me/I'll put the past way behind me/pick myself up from the floor/I want my sun in the morning/want my friends to come calling/I'll keep a welcome outside my door," he adds. The dense synthesizer strings add a smooth texture to the song's reassuring atmosphere.

I didn't expect this to be even close to being this good but I'm glad to report that it ranks up there alongside "Even in the Quietest Moments." in my book. And, for the era it came out in, this album flew its prog banner proudly in the invisible war between the overwhelming throngs who thought Madonna, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson hung the moon and those of us who longed for a return to the days when musicians weren't afraid to take risks and push the envelope. 4.2 stars.

Does the album cover art symbolise the evolution of Supertramp? With the blue monkey to the left representing the debut album, and the fully evolved man to the right representing the Brother Where You Bound? album itself? If that is the case it does not seem to capture accurately the great evolutionary jump they did with this album. This album is indeed very different from any previous one. And it sounds like it was made by a more fully evolved species of Supertramp.

This album must have been a big surprise when it came out in 1985! Roger Hodgson had left the band and who would have thought that they would be able to make this good an album without him? This album must have been a surprise for prog fans as well, for the (few?) ones who heard it. Since, in 1985 progressive rock was not at the top of its game, as we all know. Yet, Brother Where You Bound? is in many ways Supertramp's most progressive album ever, at least since Crime Of The Century (but I'm inclined to say ever). (And not just because the title track is a 16+ minute piece; I wouldn't even necessarily say that the title track is the most progressive track here).

For me personally, this is also one of Supertramp's best albums. I did not think so when I first heard it, but this has grown a lot on me since I first heard it. While Breakfast In America, for example, has an immediate appeal, you can quickly grow tired of it. Brother Where You Bound certainly does not have any of the hit potential of Breakfast In America, but you don't grow tired of it. I can hear this album over and over.

I would also say that this album rocks harder than most Supertramp albums, perhaps not the whole album, but there are some heavy parts of the title track, for example. Further, this album could be said to be much jazzier than earlier albums. However, this should not mislead us. I mean this is miles away from Return To Forever, or Brand X, or something like that. This is still a rock album, and a Supertramp album. Surely, some fans felt alienated by this album because it is very different to what they were used to, but for me this is still Supertramp and the best that could happen to the band. You have to move with evolution!

The cover art could also symbolise the evolution of the album itself. Then the blue monkey to the left would be Still In Love With You, which I feel is the least good song here. While the fully evolved man to the right would be Better Days and the title-track which are the best tracks here. Better Days features a Jethro Tull-like flute solo and some great keyboard work. There are also the typical Supertramp sax solos, only a bit longer on some tracks here. No Inbetween and the closer Ever Open Door are the two tracks most similar to the earlier stages of Supertramp's evolution. They are good, but not very memorable songs.

David Gilmore guests on the title track, which is an interesting and very progressive piece. There is even a short free-jazz improvisation in this track that wouldn't be out of place on a King Crimson album. However, King Crimson never did know when enough was enough; Supertramp does certainly not overindulge themselves here. It was very brave and adventurous for them to do that sort of thing within the Supertramp context, and I would have to judge it very successful.

Brother Where You Bound? was, I would say, the best Supertramp album since Crime Of The Century, or at least since Even In The Quietest Moments. It will never be quite the classic those albums are, but there is much for the prog fan to enjoy here. However, I cannot call it essential, so three (and a half if it was possible) stars is what it gets from me.

Roger Hodgson leaves, Prog Returns....

Brother Where You Bound is Supertramp's 8th release, after the melancholic and poppy Famous Last Words dealing with the internal issues of the band(Roger Hodgson VS Rick Davies), Roger Hodgson decides to leave the band in pursue to his solo career, releasing In the Eyes of the Storm carrying the same old potential of the group, while this one(Brother Where You Bound) leaves almost for completely their old up-lifting mood and melodies, which were predictable because of the loss of Roger. This album shows Rick's complete abilities to create a Prog record of his own style:

Cannonball is the album's opener, a almost danceable song, having a typical, irresistible Supertramp piano leading the song. The song is kind of Pop Prog, with the obvious verse-chrous-verse-chorus formula on the first minutes of the song, showing the capability of Rick's singing alone. The song then develops to highly enjoyable instrumental passages(nothing complex) created by John's saxophone, until finalising with a splendid Moog solo by Rick. One of the best openers Supertramp's have ever made.

- Already by the first song of the album you notice a change on Supertramp's style: You got Moog! It has a dancing mood but still a sophisticated composition with instrumental passages! -

Still in Love is a bit more ''classic'' Supertramp, a Pop song in the style of Roger Hodgson's song-writing. You got a very catchy saxophone and piano to make entertaining the song, though there's really no 'great' moments. Overall a enjoyable pop song, though it doesn't do much to the album.

No Inbetween is classic Rick type of song. A song in which demonstrates the delightfulness of Rick's somber voice and capability of writing a soft(though dark mood) and emotional song, though by no means pop.

Better Days speeds-up the album's mood/tempo. The song opens up a with a dark and melodramatic 'false' intro, in which then dissapear, and the song soon to transform into a catchy piano/sax duo rythm, including a short catchy flute appearance. The 'false' intro would later re-appear as a instrumental passage and leading the song to the end, with a dark mood created by Rick's Moog and Bob's drumming/percussion, in which John's saxophone has the chance to shine.

Brother Where You Bound is a 16 minute 'epic', in which Supertramp takes their style of music to another level. From mysterious radio fragments to poweful guitar solos made by special guest, David Gilmour, to depressing sax solos, to noisy drumming and piano instrumental passages, and finally to the best ending Supertramp has ever made, with another guitar solo and the rest of the band giving a excellent back-up job.

The album ends with Even Open Door, a bit out of place song, and definitely not giving a accuarate vision/ending for the album. Yet you can find some very good delivery of Rick's vocals along with his 'low-noted' piano ''style''.

The album is definitely not everyone's cup-of-tea, yet you can't deny that this album is one of(if not the) Supertramp's most Proggy efforts, alongside Crime of the Century and Even in the Quitest Moments. Still, don't be confused, this album doesn't sound like those albums at all, they're totally different, yet masterpieces from the band.

Hodgson in or out, meh. You like Rick's voice? Don't consider Supertramp ''Prog''? If your answer for question 1 is 'yes' or for 2 is 'no', then you definitely must check this album.

When Roger Hodgson left the band in 1983, many were ready to write Supertramp off for good. After all, the interplay between his distinctive high-pitched vocals and Rick Davies' gruff, bluesy tones, as well as their respective, differing songwriting styles, had always been one of the main points of attraction for the many fans of the band. It was therefore quite a shock for the sceptics to be confronted with such a strong release as 1985's Brother Where You Bound - a still relatively underappreciated album that, however, can easily be put on a par with the band's renowned Seventies output.

Starting from the elegant, minimalistic cover, depicting the stages of man's evolution in five different colours on a pristine white background, Brother Where You Bound simply oozes class. Supertramp always had the uncanny knack of marrying catchy hooks with interesting, thought-provoking lyrics, and this album is no exception. Rick Davies, left alone to cope with vocal duties, unleashes a performance that is nothing short of awesome, especially on the album's pièce de resistance, the 16-minute title-track. Add a couple of prestigious guest musicians to the mix, and you have a near-masterpiece on your hands.

In the best tradition of a band known for strong opening tracks, Cannonball does not disappoint the listener. Backed by a steady, almost danceable beat, and introduced by Davies' scintillating piano, it is one of the vocalist/keyboardist's many songs about a broken relationship, where you can positively hear the anger in his voice, belying the mock-cheerfulness of the sudden bursts of horns and the almost singalong coda. However, while the horn-heavy Still in Love seems to reprise the apparently carefree mood of Breakfast in America, on the whole the songs come across as definitely more somber and less accessible. Both the slow, understated No Inbetween (featuring great keyboards and sax) and the relentless Better Days, with its frantic pace and splendid flute solo, convey an aura of almost claustrophobic pessimism and disillusion

Interestingly, it is mainly Davies' voice that makes Brother Where You Bound a markedly darker, less upbeat offering than Supertramp's 1979 mega-hit, Breakfast in America.The title-track, in particular, is anything but an easy, radio-friendly listen, made up as it is of various parts interspersed by recorded voices, odd noises and sudden silences, underpinning the oppressive atmosphere conjured up by lyrics imbued with all the paranoia of the Cold War years. Davies' stunning, highly dramatic vocal performance and David Gilmour's trademark, crystal-clear guitar tones link all the pieces together to create what is possibly the band's best epic. In comparison with such a wild, exhilarating ride, album closer Every Open Door, a slow, moody piece, is a bit of an anticlimax, also on account of its decidedly more optimistic message.

If you only know Supertramp for the likes of Dreamer and The Logical Song (which is as perfect a pop song as they come), you will probably be inclined to dismiss them as little more than 'prog-lite' for those who are disinclined to delve into the more demanding examples of the genre. While it is true that the band have a great feel for melody and memorable hooks, they are also outstanding musicians, and purveyors of above-average lyrics. Yes, they may represent the 'easier' side of prog, but they do so with inimitable style and class, displaying songwriting skills many celebrated bands can only dream of.

Brother Where You Bound is a prime example of Crossover Prog at its very best, and as such highly recommended to anyone but the most elitist of prog fans - those who think 'pop' is always a bad word. Even if it falls somewhat short of the top rating, it deserves at least a solid four stars with a virtual half-star thrown in for good measure. A wonderful listening experience.

I can read a kind of two different opinions on that Supertramp album: some like it a lot because of it's "proggy sound", another almost hate it, because of absent of Roger Hodgson. Both points of view are understandable, so let put some red line: I think ( and I am sure plenty of you will agree with me) that it is most proggiest Supertramp album ( in sense of 80's prog). When I first listened it (around 20 yrs ago), I was really surprised if this music is Supertramp at all. It sounded like Supertramp's side project for real art music conoisseurs - no airplay oriented songs, no sticky melodies, no open wish to be on the top of pop-charts. Just music.

To be honest, I like earlier Supertramp songs as well ( not pop-oriented "Breakfast In America", but briliant "Crime of The Century"). But there on "Brother Where You Bound" they first time were mature art-rock musicians, not talented and technicaly crafted sweet melody makers.

I'll take Davies over Hodgson any day

Brother Where You Bound proved a few things to me a quarter century ago when I first heard it. The first was that Rick Davies was the heart and soul of Supertramp for me, not Roger Hodgson. If you've any doubt about it listen to this album, then simply recall in your mind the track "It's Raining Again." Case closed. Second, the album proved that Supertramp were capable of quality progressive rock in 1985, something Genesis, Yes (in '83), and Floyd (in '87) were not able to do. Brother is a restless, unnerving album with a sound that in my speculation feels remarkably influenced by Dire Straits and Pink Floyd's "The Wall" album. I hear songs with a similar DNA make-up to "Love Over Gold" mixed with a Roger Waters' lyrical heaviness.

At a relatively low point in prog's timeline Davies delivered an album that left little doubt who was Mr. Tramp. A classy and high quality piece of prog rock with jazz and blues overtones delivered via cool conceptual themes, social commentary, political intrigue, and impending doom. I always thought some of these messages were meant for Hodgson while appearing to discuss other matters. The only dud on this album is the overly slick and repetitive opener "Cannonball" which is unlistenable to me....a skip every time. But after that it gets good and stays good. Davies has never been more on his game than here, vocally and at the keys. The keys alternate between a crisp piano sound and a more floating atmospheric sound, contrasting a certain spaciness with the direct production values. His singing is also superb, never more poignant than on "No Inbetween" with its longing sadness and introspection. The meat of the album lies in the darkness of "Better Days" and "Brother Where You Bound", the latter which features the lead guitar of David Gilmour. The two tracks combine into one epic track and I recall there being some ambitious video of these tracks released. The music is ominous and the lyrics Orwellian in nature with huge dramatic build-up on the 16-minute title track. Here the band actually attempts some less-than-predictable development which bands just weren't doing much of at this time. While it's not exactly "Relayer" it sure as hell beats "90125." After this chunk of material dealing with the darker side of humanity the album closes nicely with a bit of sunlight in "Ever Open Door," about a man looking forward with hope---although I'm guessing the "open door" he speaks of here is not meant for Mr. Hodgson.

Brother does suffer a bit from aspects of "that darn 80s sound" but not enough to outweigh the great performances and interesting songwriting. If you thought Supertramp died with Breakfast in America or when Roger left, if you've never bothered to try this one, you will be pleasantly surprised. Between 3 and 4 stars but closer to 4. One of my favorite 80s releases from a '70s giant.

A couple of friends of mine argued that this was the last great Supertramp release which made me interested in giving it a chance. Unfortunately, for me, I didn't find the album all that great. The most memorable moments here are the very '80s sounding Cannonball and the 17 minute multi-suite of a title track. Still neither of these moments can make me forget about Roger Hodgson's departure from the lineup, a few years prior. The songwriting just isn't as great as it used to be and the fact that Rick Davies didn't allow any new contributions in either the vocal or songwriting departments shrinks the potential of this album even more.

Having said that I still think that Brother Where You Bound is a mixed-bag of an album that manages to come up just above the fans only-material. The main reason for this has to do with a shift in style which, terrible '80s production aside, does make Supertramp sound almost as progressive as they were back on their debut release. The mere choice of incorporating a 17 minute song on an album released in 1985 was a huge risk on the part of Rick Davies' band, unfortunately they still had to settle for a compromise by adding a bunch off lesser short ballads which didn't really do much for me.

In retrospect, Brother Where You Bound was a minor creative comeback for Supertramp which was of course not what the main stream audience expected at the time. The only commercially passable song here is Cannonball and even though I should be supporting this decision I just can't help looking back at Crime Of The Century and recognizing that Supertramp were once masters at combining commercially feasible tracks with great Art Rock moments.

**** star songs: Cannonball (7:40) Brother Where You Bound (16:34)

*** star songs: Still In Love (4:28) No Inbetween (4:41) Better Days (6:12) Ever Open Door (3:05)

It's quite rare for a band to lose a member as integral as Roger Hodgson was to Supertramp and survive, never mind get better. Sure, losing Hodgson, the singer of a large number of their biggest hits, caused "the masses" (put the space where you want) to mostly ignore this album. But from an artistic standpoint, this album is much better than "Breakfast In America".

First, the production is every bit as good as the previous (okay, six years previous) album. But the songs are the key. Cannonball, the single that received airplay from this album, is a straightforward rocker. Not bad, but not outstanding. The next two tracks are a more familiar Rick Davies jazzy pop style. John Helliwell adds some nice sax work (I wonder why he abandoned the clarinet for this album).

The album steps up with Better Days, a slightly proggier piece. But the album earns it's spot with the title track, Brother Where You Bound (what else?), a sixteen minute epic, with some beautiful guitar work by some guests, most foremest one David Gilmour.

Ever Open Door seems to be an attempt to end the album on a soft note, but for my ears, it's too soft.

Anyway, if you dismissed the album for not being Supertramp without Hodgson, you should reconsider.

High 3.5 stars, rounded up.

I was never a fan of Supertramp as they seemed to epitomise the clichéd power ballad 80s sound that I avoided ('It's Raining Again', 'Dreamer') but this is definitely one of their better albums. Yes, the 80s sound is prevalent such as on 'Cannonball' but the song is catchy enough to endure, though too repetitious for its own good, built for radio airplay.

The album peaks later on into prog territory with 'Better days' one of the great Supertramp compositions. The synths are dynamic, the piano drives it headlong and even the melody captivates. The crispy drums are too 80s but this feels darker with the ominous vocals and searing guitars. When the flute chimes in and the sax solo is heard at the end, I am convinced that this is one of the most progressive Supertramp songs and delightfully so.

The real drawcard is especially the showpiece of the album is the 16 minute treasure 'Brother Where You Bound'. The saxophone is absolutely beautiful and there is great guitar from David Gilmour, always incredible to hear. This track has a bluesy feel with piano dominating and effective soulful vocals from Rick Davies. Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham also makes an appearance on guitar capping off a classic track. Midway through there is surprising dissonance with a jazz improvisation, almost free form RIO at one point, and it works brilliantly against all the 4/4 time sigs previous.

There are love songs as usual on a Supertramp album and mediocre moments, but this has enough to capture my interest beyond the standard power ballad album.

There was skepticism when this album came out as the band's eight album noting that what's Supertramp would look like without Hodgson? In fact their previous album 'Famous Last Words' was not that powerful at all even though that was the last album before parting ways between two original founders. Surprisingly this one is better than the previous one even though not that excellent. I would say this is the last great Supertramp album. I loved Breakfast, Paris, Crime of the Century. This album was a statement that the band could go on without Hodgson. Song like CannonBall is a good one with some jazzy style with excellent instrumental work. "Better Days" shows an extended fade-out with voice-overs by the four key players in the 1984 Presidential Campaign: quotes spoken by Geraldine Ferraro and Walter Mondale sounding from the left audio channel and those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan on the right, mixed with John Helliwell's extended saxophone solo. The album's sixteen-and-a-half-minute title track is an epic that features Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham on rhythm guitar and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour on the guitar solos. Also, the track had readings from Orwell's '1984'. For sure, I like the recording quality of this album. My record is actually in the media of cassette and it sounds incredible when I play it loud on Tandberg TCD 440A cassette deck. Wow!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

It was a sad thing to see Roger Hodgson leave Supertramp. Gone was that balance that was needed to soften up the raspyness of Rick Davies voice and together they were amazing. The fact that they proved to the world that piano rock was alive and well and also needed was amazing. At the time, Supertramp was my favorite band, so it was a sad day when I heard that that side of Supertramp was gone.

I was disappointed in the previous album "Famous Last Words" thinking that for the most part, Rick actually had the best songs and except for a few instances, Roger's songs were very boring. I still had high hopes for this album before I heard it, I loved Cannonball because the uptempo sound that Roger was best at was still there, so I was excited to hear all of it. However, I was very disappointed at first listen and it took me a while to appreciate this album. I bought both this album and Roger Hodgson's debut solo album and arranged them on a cassette so that the lead singers still traded off every other song and that helped this album grow on me. Now I can listen to this album all on it's own and appreciate everything about it.

This album is much more proggy than Roger Hodgson's solo album (even though it's still a favorite of mine also). The songs on this Supertramp album are amazingly written, smart, and in my opinion, among some of their best. Suddenly this album started to make a lot of sense to me, and to tell you the truth, has aged much better than Roger's solo albums. The trend to try to get some of the popularity back with Rick doing all the vocals made the subsequent albums suffer a lot. It makes me wish the song writing team could get back together to get that special mix that they used to have. But, if Supertramp had continued the path that this album had started, I don't know if I would have missed Roger so much.

This is an amazing album and just like most prog masterpieces, it takes a few listens to really appreciate it. So, forget that Roger was ever a member of the band while you listen to this, give it a chance, and maybe you'll see how great it is. I consider this essential because it only proves that even with a major loss in a band, it is still possible to deliver excellent quality music and progressiveness without needing to sell out. 5 stars people, 5 stars.

Ever since that Roger Hodgson left Supertramp I was never interested to listen to the group´s following works. Although some friends did praise Brother Where You Bond, no one did it afterwards. To me the combination of Hodger and Davies compositions and vocals were the key elements of Supertramp´s winning formula. And, to me at least, it was clear that Hodgson was both a better songwriter and better singer. Still tthe combination was great. And to know that Hodgson was not replaced only increased my fears that the band would become Davies backing group. So why bother? I just forgot about it all at the time. Through the years I only sometimes took a peek at Hodger´s solo work.

Only recently I´ve decided to listen to Brother Where You Bound, because the record was available through my brother in law and I was curious about it. Was it really good as some people claim?: So many four stars ratings and even a few 5 star too! But after repeated spinnings in the last weeks, I found out that my instincts about it were right from the start. It DOES sound like a Ricard Davies solo album backed by Supertramp, minus the guitar parts. Ok, there is a guest guitarist, but you´ll hardly notice him. The only noticeable guitar here is Gilmour´s appearance on the title track, the longest and most progressive track Supertramp ever recorded. Still, it´s hardly a good one. It´s more like a hodgepodge of bits of songs put together. Nice, like the album as a whole, but nothing compared to anything they recorded before. They´d be very good if intermixed with some tunes from Hodger, but on their own only shows who was the real force behind Supertramp´s success, both artistically and commercially. But on their own, they are just ok. Can you foresee a Supertramp´s greatest hits album with only Davies songs? Neither can I.

In the end I found nothing wrong with Brother Where You Bound. But nothing that excites me either. And I wonder what was so great about it that made so many reviewers give it a for star rating. Because this CD may have its moments, but in no way I can see it as an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. This is really for fans and collectors.

Ratng: 2.5 stars.

Review Nº 537

"Brother Where You Bound" is the eighth studio album of Supertramp and was released in 1985. It was their first album without the presence of their guitarist, vocalist, keyboardist, composer and founder member Roger Hodgson, who left the band due to profound musical divergences with Rick Davies, to pursue a solo career. That left the other composer, keyboardist, vocalist and founder member Rick Davies, to handle the song writing and the singing on his own hands.

So, the line up on "Brother Where You Bound" is Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), John Helliwell (saxophones), Dougie Thomson (bass) and Bob Siebenberg (drums). Beyond the traditional line up without Roger Hodgson, the album had also the participation of a handful of musicians, some of them very well known. So, the additional personnel to "Brother Where You Bound" is David Gilmour (guitar), Scott Gorham (guitar), Marty Walsh (guitar), Doug Wintz (trombone), Scott Page (flute) and Cha Cha (backing vocals).

"Brother Where You Bound" has six tracks. The first track "Cannonball" was the song chosen to be released as single, but in a much shorter version. It's a nice and enjoyable song to hear, reasonably well made, but I think that we are in presence of an overrated song. This is, in my humble opinion, a kind of a jazz song with a disco-funky style. It has a nice atmospheric ambient but, to my taste, it's repetitive and lengthy. And it's also a song without any kind of new ideas to develop it, and finally, I can't see any kind of progressivity on it, really. Sincerely, this is for me, a disappointing song and one of the weakest songs on the album. The second track "Still In Love" is, fortunately, a better song then the previous track. It isn't, in reality, a great song but, it's very nice and pleasant to hear, and it has also some very good musical moments that remind us the good old times of the band. This is a song with a great saxophone work, good keyboard work and it's also a song with a very good rhythm. The third track "No Inbetween" is a very pleasant surprise and fortunately the things improved on this album. This is, in reality, a very good song that can be considered a Supertramp's classic song. It's a sad ballad with very good and nice musical arrangements, with emotional piano and good lyrics, which makes of it as one of the best songs on the album. This is the kind of songs that can change totally the mood of the album, being a much darker and pleasant song to hear. The fourth track "Better Days" is a song with voices on the radio. The voices are taken from the 1984 USA Presidential Campaign and feature the voices of the presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush on the right audio channel and the voices of their advisors Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro on the left audio channel. It isn't a bad track, really, but it's a song more in the style of "Cannonball" than of the other songs. This is another uninspired and lengthy track without new ideas for developing, in the most of it. This track represents, is in my opinion, another low point on the album. The fifth track is the title track "Brother Where You Bound". This is the song the features Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham on rhythm guitar and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour on the guitar solos. The track has also readings from George Orwell's novel "1984". This is a song that remind me strongly "Fool's Overture" from "Even In The Quietest Moments...", due to the voices on the radio in the background and also because its musical structure. It's the lengthiest song on the album, with 16:30 minutes and it's also the lengthiest song released by the band ever. Only "Try Again" from "Supertramp" and "Fool's Overture" from "Even In The Quietest Moments?" have more than 10:00 minutes. This is a very good epic and one of the most progressive tracks released by them, in their entire catalogue, and represents, without any doubt, the best musical moment on the album too. The sixth track "Ever Open Door" is the shortest track on the album. It's a nice and pleasant way to end the album. This is a powerful ballad where Rick Davies gives to us his best vocal performance on the album.

Conclusion: I must confess that when I bought my vinyl version of this album, I didn't know that Roger Hodgson was no longer in the band. When I saw that, for many years I haven't heard the album. I always thought that Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies were one of the two best pairs of composers of the progressive rock music, and so, I couldn't see them separated because I was afraid of that, really. Unfortunately, I was right. As happened with Roger Waters and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, the slogan "united we stand, divided we fall" can also be perfectly used in both cases. In my humble opinion, like Roger Waters represented the soul, the irreverence and the creative force of Pink Floyd, Roger Hodgson represented the same on Supertramp. But, I've to admit that "Brother Where You Bound" isn't a bad album. It has even some really very good musical moments, especially its title track. However, it isn't, in my humble opinion, a great album, and it's far from being at the same quality level from their albums that comprises their golden musical era, "Crime Of The Century", "Crisis? What Crisis?", "Even In The Quietest Moments?", "Breakfast In America" and even "Famous Last Words". The excellence of the title track is very little for an album created by a band like Supertramp.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)