EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS ...

This album is the 2nd of Supertramp's masterpieces. Though it is not as amazing as "Crime of the Century", it is still great, but this time, instead of Rick Davies having the best songs, it's Roger Hodgson that carries the greatness of this album. Not to say that Rick's songs are bad, they are just not as well created and composed as Roger's are this time. That is strange in and of itself because Rick is usually the better composer especially when it comes to level of progressive rock.

This album is a lot more subdued and quiet than any of their other albums, as is hinted at by the title of the album. "Downstream" is Rick's beautiful ballad and is simply an amazing dynamic song with just him and a piano. Simple, yet beautiful and emotional. "Even in the Quietest Moments" is Roger at his best, even though this is the only song on the album that is written by both Roger and Rick, it is helmed at the vocals by Roger and it is a very original song with an amazing build up, climax and cool down. The centerpiece of the album, even though it is the last song, is "Fool's Overture" which is excellent song of multiple movements all sewn together by sound effects and etc. This is a rather dramatic song which utilizes Roger's amazing range to it's utmost effectiveness. It has a long double introduction before it even gets into the vocals and when it does, you are already at the point that you know this is a masterpiece of a song.

The rhythms and meters throughout the album are pretty much straightforward, but the genius in this album lies in the use of dynamics, orchestration, emotion and originality in the songwriting, and the beauty of the songs. I've only mentioned 3 of the 7 songs, and in reality, there is only one song on here that doesn't really click with me and that is Davies' "Lover Boy", which reportedly took him a long time to get put together to the point that he was satisfied with it. In my opinion, it is out of context here and just goes on way too long. It has a false fade out and then suddenly comes back at full volume when I wish it would just stay away. It's too bad Rick couldn't add another beautiful ballad in place of that return. But the other songs on this album are so well done, that this song just becomes forgotten when the entire album is over.

Supertramp was my favorite band at one time. I still love the music and they still hold that place in my heart, but I have other favorites now, so now they are more of a sentimental favorite. But I still hear the musicianship in their music, especially in their masterpieces I have mentioned before and including "Brother Where You Bound?" which was without Roger. I still consider those 3 their best albums and also complete masterpieces of progressive rock. I love the fact that they are piano/keyboard based, which is something that is usually rare. Being a keyboardist myself, I appreciate the talent and musicianship that is present in this band. The most amazing thing is how they were able to write music that is still relevant, that it doesn't sound outdated even with the emphasis on keys. None of the sounds are outdated, even (at least for the most part) in their earliest albums "Supertramp" and "Indelibly Stamped".

The music of Supertramp is still some of the best. Even the slower, darker songs are uplifting and make me happy when I hear it. It is extremely emotional, dynamic and complex at it's best and still enjoyable when it isn't. This is an album of beauty and emotion and should not be dismissed by any means. So many bands could learn a lot by listening to their music and learn how to better incorporate originality together with dynamics and emotion.

The album is a definite masterpiece, even with the song "Lover Boy" and even if it isn't as progressive and amazing as "Crime of the Century" or "Brother Where You Bound?" The songs on here are amazing compositions with the genius being in the production, delivery and emotion rather than in the complexity of the music, though it does have more complexity than most standard music. Beautiful album deserving of 5 stars.