EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS ...

"Even In The Quietest Moments?" is the fifth studio album of Supertramp and was released in 1977. The album was recorded mainly at Caribou Ranch Studios, in Colorado with vocals, overdubs and mixing completed at The Record Plant, in Los Angeles. "Even In The Quietest Moments" was the third of four consecutive great albums produced by Supertramp in the mid of the late 70's. However, this album was unique in many ways, especially in terms of music. The album includes a couple of acoustic-fueled songs by co-songwriter and vocalist Roger Hodgson, both of which would climb the pop charts. Released three years after the band's breakthrough album "Crime Of The Century", in 1974, and two years prior to their popular and commercial smash success "Breakfast In America", in 1979, "Even In The Quietest Moments", in 1977, acts as a nice and interesting bridge between the two corners of the band's evolving music sound.

The album cover shows a photograph of a real grand piano covered with real snow on the top of a mountain at Eldora Mountain Resort, a ski area near the Caribou Ranch Studios, in Colorado, U.S.A. The sheet music on the piano, thought titled "Fool's Overture", actually plays the Star-Spangled Banner, which is curiously the national anthem of U.S.A.

"Even In The Quietest Moments?" has seven tracks. All songs were written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson. The first track "Give A Little Bit" which has lead vocals by Roger Hodgson is a song that was released as a single in that same year. It became a great international big hit for the group and helped them to promote the album very well. This is a very simple and catchy song. Basically, it's a song commanded by acoustic guitar with a good and impressive saxophone work by John Helliwell. The second track "Lover Boy" which has lead vocals by Rick Davies is a song where the vocals and the piano lead it. It's a song with great melody, very well composed with several musical developments along it, very emotional and where also the band performs very well. This is really a great Rick Davies' composition. The third track is the title track "Even In The Quietest Moments". It has lead vocals by Roger Hodgson. This is, without any doubt, one of the highest points on the album and it's one of my favourites too. It's also one of the most progressive songs on the album and is, in my humble opinion, one of their best musical compositions. Again, the acoustic guitar and the piano combine perfectly well and were able to do this melodic, idyllic and nostalgic sound, for which the band is so well known, even in our days. The fourth track "Downstream" which has lead vocals by Rick Davies is an acoustic beautiful and melodic ballad only performed by the vocals and the piano. This is basically a song with a very simple musical structure but with a great charm. It's interesting to note that there isn't any kind of participation from the other members of the band. This is a very good and surprising song. The fifth track "Babaji" which has lead vocals by Roger Hodgson is a song also released as a single in the same year of the album. This is a song with spiritual lyrics, very melodic and powerful, and with very good musical arrangements. I think this song reflects very well the both sides of Supertramp's songs. We may say that it reflects the perfect combination of two styles, the progressive music and the pop music. The sixth track "From Now On" which has lead vocals by Rick Davies was the song chosen to be released as the second single from the album. It's a kind of a similar song to "Downstream" but more complex, and this time, with the performance of all members of the band. It's also a nice and mellow ballad full of great keyboard and saxophone works. This is another great Rick Davies' song. The seventh and last track "Fool's Overture" which has lead vocals by Roger Hodgson is, without any doubt, the great magnum opus of the album. It's my favourite song on the album and it's also, for me, one of the best musical compositions made by the band. This is a lengthy song with almost 11 minutes, a truly progressive song and it's also, probably, their most progressive song in their entire musical career. It's a song about England in the World War II with collage of sound samples like excerpts of Winston Churchill's famous speech in the House of Commons, and sounds of police cars and church bells. This is a great song with a very intense musical ambient, absolutely unforgettable and definitely a gem in Supertramp's career.

Conclusion: "Even In The Quietest Moments?" is a great album and a real landmark inside the career of Supertramp. I even can agree that isn't as good and balanced as "Crime Of The Century", but nevertheless it remains, in my humble opinion, an album with the same quality level. As I said and wrote before about Van Der Graaf Generator, "Pawn Hearts" is for me better than "Godbluff", but I always said that "Godbluff" is my favourite Van Der Graaf Generator's studio album. With Supertramp it's for me the same thing. "Crime Of The Century" is better than "Even In The Quietest Moments.?" but, this is my favourite studio album of the band. Concluding, this is an amazing album which has, for my taste, two of the best songs composed by them, "Even In The Quietest Moments" and especially "Fool's Overture".

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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