EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS ...

Supertramp continues to produce high quality albums... They needed a bit of time for this one (two years) but who can blame them since this one is another great piece of music !

The piano from the cover was hauled up a mountain side and left out over night to become covered in snow. It's not a trick shot.

In this album, Tramp will investigate more into pop directions ("Give A Little Bit"). Still, the harmonies (vocals and piano) are superb. Only one weak track here : "Downstream" which sounds as a hotel lobby song. Just average.

A few highlights like the wonderful "Lover Boy" : great melody (Jeff Lynne could have wrote it), probably too long to make a hit single, but what a great song. Emotion at its peak. The band performs really well.

I like quite a lot "Babaji" for its harmonized vocals and great background keyboards. Sax solo is also very pleasant. Hodgson is, as always, very convincing and emotional. Another poppy highlight. Babaji is an Indian "Saint" who will influence a lot of Indian philosophers throughout the ages. Maybe Rodger was under his influence while he wrote : "I can see it's not too good to me, To be afloat in the sea of glory, Babaji, Oh how you comfort me, By showing me it's a different story"

"From Now On" is a nice and mellow ballad : full of keys and sax. A great Davies song and a good way to reach the last number.

"Fool's Overture". This is a true epic (forget about "Try Again" from their first album). Long keyboard intro (raise the level of your audio system to capture all the elements) !). This is a pure British (prog) song : Big Ben and Churchill on the same track ("we will never surrender") ! The song really kicks after this three minutes quiet intro. The beat goes on you are transported into another dimension from then on : glorious bass and keys work. Vocals start after 5' minutes 20" : probably the most beautiful 'Tramp vocal session. So delicate, intimate : one has the impression Hodgson sings just for you. I was lucky to see him live (in solo) and the emotional feeling one gets in his concert is HUGE. It is perfectly rendered here in this song.

After those wonderful three minutes, the song goes quietly to its end and the only remark I would make is that the finale should have been of an extra level : more generous, more pompous, more ... ?

Four stars.

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