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50 years ago: Crime of the Century
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cstack3 View Drop Down
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    Posted: November 27 2024 at 08:54
Remarkable musicianship, the bass player is amazing!  Almost symphonic.
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This has been up for a month now, and I wanted to say thanks to everyone who contributed and shared your stories. At 50 years old, Crime of the Century remains a perfect example of how music can transcend time, cultures, and even languages. All 5 band members are still with us today, but I haven't seen any write-ups/articles/interviews commemorating the anniversary.

The first Supertramp song I ever heard was "Give a Little Bit", which was a huge hit in 1977. Two years later, Breakfast in America became one of those defining albums that was "everywhere", and I became a fan. After buying the most recent albums, I slowly worked my way back through the older albums before finally encountering Crime of the Century in its entirety. I had already heard "Bloody Well Right" and "Dreamer" many times, and songs like "School", "Rudy", and the title track received occasional late-night FM radio play. But to hear the entire album all at once elicited emotions that were almost spooky. While the band has denied it, I'm mostly convinced there is a veiled concept (thematic if not literal) that links the entire program together. Musically, the Beatles/Pink Floyd/Beach Boys/jazz/gospel influences gave them a sound unlike any other band I've ever heard. Most of Supertramp's albums receive regular playing time with me, but Crime of the Century remains "unique" among the band's oeuvre.
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Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

...
BTW back in 1974-5 the phrase 'progressive rock' was in usage and the punks of 76-77 coined the phrase 'prog rock' as a put down , but it stuck!

Hi,

I kinda thought that the "put down" was more about what was considered "art rock" than anything else, since at the time, and for hundreds of years, street music (which so much of punk was) was not considered serious music, thus the put down was a way to suggest that "we belong too!"

Nowadays, this line is blurred so badly as to prevent a proper look and definition of the majority of works ... but I honestly feel that we should make a harder separation of what was originally "progressive rock (or art rock)" and "prog rock". However, I think this will bring up so many disagreements that I think everyone will give it up!


Edited by moshkito - October 26 2024 at 01:30
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Originally posted by Sean Trane Sean Trane wrote:

First album bought with my own money age 11 (newspaper delivery) 

saw the astounding sleeve in the record shop next to our school, and the next day, I had money to tale it home

I played it transparent. Still one of my faves, and I spin it in the car during the holiday trip for my GF.


Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

It's certainly the perfect 'art rock' album but not at all 'progressive rock' it was a million miles away from ELP, Yes and Genesis and no one would have positioned them with those bands. This was the era of bombast and Supertramp were not that BUT it was changing. Dark Side Of The Moon a year earlier had shown that the bombastic approach was not necessary to win over fans and perhaps a band that concentrated on the 'song' was more welcome.

To each his own, but back then, in Central Canada (and North Am in general) COTC was certainly lumped in with all of those albums you mention.

Us kids/teens didn't feel the need to see what was pegged as "art rock" ("prog rock" was not really in our language back in those years) or not.


.

I don't get that hung up on labels, good music is good music whatever but I still hear a clear distinction between the rock scene in general and a more art school approach that was not about turning the volume up and occasionally (at least) rocking out. 10cc, Roxy Music, Steely Dan (although early days they were 'classic rock' before becoming something else) and Supertramp were a different breed. For starters they were often predicated on writing music and not so much about the personalities involved. There were loads of crossover, as musicians (in those days at least) were interested what the other guys were doing and learnt from it. Genesis were perhaps almost halfway between an 'art rock' band and a 'progressive rock band' when Gabriel was in the line up. He had that art school mentality but after he went on to his solo career, Genesis were much more a traditional 'progressive rock' band as I see it.
BTW back in 1974-5 the phrase 'progressive rock' was in usage and the punks of 76-77 coined the phrase 'prog rock' as a put down , but it stuck!


Edited by richardh - October 25 2024 at 21:47
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Originally posted by Catcher10 Catcher10 wrote:

Another reason it remains a popular album 50 yrs after the fact, it is one of the best produced, engineered and recorded albums. It has been reissued in several audiophile formats (LP and CD) including MFSL 4yrs after release.
My OG LP copy still sounds NM condition and sounds spectacular, the beginning with the kids playing is scary real.......I've heard this record on a system that is uber expensive and its mind-blowing.

I spin it regularly.....


All of this. One of my all-time favorite albums. Every song is a keeper.
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Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

It's certainly the perfect 'art rock' album but not at all 'progressive rock' it was a million miles away from ELP, Yes and Genesis and no one would have positioned them with those bands.

Crime of the Century has some Progressive elements, but to me it's also definitely mostly an Art Rock album. So indicates the coverart too, and so has it mostly been considered over the years.


Edited by David_D - October 25 2024 at 12:25
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Originally posted by Catcher10 Catcher10 wrote:

Another reason it remains a popular album 50 yrs after the fact, it is one of the best produced, engineered and recorded albums. It has been reissued in several audiophile formats (LP and CD) including MFSL 4yrs after release.
...

Hi,

Good work, will always be good work.

But part of the problem, TODAY, is that the listing of things monthly, or yearly, while far out and helpful, in the end, really hurts ... no one can tell anymore what is good or better and will survive 50 years ... and to me that is a sad event. The idea/fact that many bands sound the same is another problem ... and at that point your favorite, or preference takes the podium, and ignores the rest.

I would love to see a bit more emphasis on the music itself, than the numbers and preferences, but the folks that are getting the most attention are the ones with numbers and choices on their posts. 

In those days, you DID NOT HAVE that kind of thing blowing you out, and it took someone special to showcase an album that no one else played ... (years back on Guy Guden's blog he posted the many fights over 30 years with radio station maniacs and dirt holes.) ...but at the very least his show survived 50+ years, though he has not been on for a month (hopefully well ... he's a year on me at 75).

The sad side of it, was hearing some folks at the station make fun of the album, and then when the next album made a "hit", those same folks changed their tune but they would not play COTC.


Edited by moshkito - October 25 2024 at 08:38
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Originally posted by Catcher10 Catcher10 wrote:

Another reason it remains a popular album 50 yrs after the fact, it is one of the best produced, engineered and recorded albums. It has been reissued in several audiophile formats (LP and CD) including MFSL 4yrs after release.
My OG LP copy still sounds NM condition and sounds spectacular, the beginning with the kids playing is scary real.......I've heard this record on a system that is uber expensive and its mind-blowing.

I spin it regularly.....

yesss, it's mind-blowing and I take it around with DSOTM (along with a couple other jazz albums) to check new audiophile material
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Another reason it remains a popular album 50 yrs after the fact, it is one of the best produced, engineered and recorded albums. It has been reissued in several audiophile formats (LP and CD) including MFSL 4yrs after release.
My OG LP copy still sounds NM condition and sounds spectacular, the beginning with the kids playing is scary real.......I've heard this record on a system that is uber expensive and its mind-blowing.

I spin it regularly.....
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Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:


In the end, it is all about your desire to hear something new that you have not heard before ... nothing else ... it's the only, and best way, to learn and appreciate new music.

Oh ok. I hear something new every day. Always. For years. It's never been easier. You just have to want to hear something new. And I do.
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I continue to discover music that is new-to-me and awesome for me from many decades. The internet is a wonderful thing and there are many paths to discovery. It's not about right ways or wrong ways, it's hopefully finding ways that work for the individual.
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Originally posted by Saperlipopette! Saperlipopette! wrote:

 
...
It's great that you could tune in to Guy Guden playing endless lists of music we/I can only dream of hearing on on any kind of radio station in this millennia. But I wasn't around back then. Even if I was I would have lived in the wrong country and wrong continent to experience it. So you're right; outside the "oh, wow cool, he played a full Gentle Giant album... that would never happen now" - I don't "care".

Hi,

I think you missed the idea ... at the time, and it is getting to be exactly the same thing on PA and most "progressive" websites, the idea of something new and different is not going far enough for folks to get a decent ear to it.

I like it when so many folks post on PA in the new materials ... however, ... look at the bands that post links further down, and asking for comments ... AND NO ONE IS THERE!!!! That is the issue for me ... the newer folks don't have a chance ... and here we are saying that because one person played a whole album, that you have never heard on radio ... well, I know there are folks out there that do so ... but FOR ME the discovery is what makes it far out ... and I think that many folks don't know where to look, or find new sites ... and end up coming to PA, RYM or other places for ideas ... you must realize that in those days, we did not have the toob, and no one knew anything about anything new whatsoever ... so the discovery was far out ... but now ... everyone wants it sugar coated with a ranking, and then say that it would not happen now ... I am not sure you are correct on this, as I have been on the air on the Internet, and I not only played whole albums, I also played several hours of one band ... Caravan, Roxy Music, Man, Hawkwind, over 3 hours of ECM, Gong, gong Family and solos, Groundhogs, Can, Amon Duul 2, Guru Guru, Ange, Banco, PFM ... and I can't even remember them all ... somehow I lost a copy of those shows and even the web pages I made for them ... sadly enough!

In the end, it is all about your desire to hear something new that you have not heard before ... nothing else ... it's the only, and best way, to learn and appreciate new music.
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Jeremy Clarkson:- "Hide in Your Shell is the finest piece of music ever written by a group of human beings."
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^Agree , Sp is not a prog band per se.
Note that I never used the words 'prog rock' before about 20 years. probably like everyone here and who belongs to my generation
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I’ve heard the whole of Crime of the Century played on commercial radio in the 80s. My brother was a big fan of the album. I like Supertramp and this album but I have not listened to it much since the 80s into 90s. I do have it on CD in storage. This is one of those albums that I might have thought that every older brother would have in their collection at one time. Not that it matters, but I don’t think of it as Prog either. Art Rock or what I most likely would call classic rock. By the way, I considered myself lucky to have programs on UBC radio that played all sorts of unusual and quirky music. A lot of post-punk, first heard Pere Ubu there, some Henry Cow, Cardicas, maybe Slapp Happy.., I think Univers Zero,

Edited by Logan - October 24 2024 at 10:01
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Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

Hi,

This is one of the albums that Guy Guden played non-stop in his early days, because the station was more tuned into the hits and well known things than they were new bands and material ... he played the whole album more than once. 

It wasn't the only time guy did that ... same thing with Average White Band (at least one person called it trash !!!), Golden Earring (it's not rock'n'roll -- and Guy slowed the song and said ... who cares ... it's great music and re-started on the same spot -- song? Are You Receiving me? ... the same issue here all the time!!!), Gentle Giant, Gryphon, Fairport Convention, Manfred Mann's Earth Band ... his list is endless ... and no one here cares, anyway!
It's great that you could tune in to Guy Guden playing endless lists of music we/I can only dream of hearing on on any kind of radio station in this millennia. But I wasn't around back then. Even if I was I would have lived in the wrong country and wrong continent to experience it. So you're right; outside the "oh, wow cool, he played a full Gentle Giant album... that would never happen now" - I don't "care".
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It's a decent album. I heard "Bloody Well Right" on the radio a lot. "School" is my favorite tune from the album. I haven't heard the entire album in decades.
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Hi,

This is one of the albums that Guy Guden played non-stop in his early days, because the station was more tuned into the hits and well known things than they were new bands and material ... he played the whole album more than once. 

It wasn't the only time guy did that ... same thing with Average White Band (at least one person called it trash !!!), Golden Earring (it's not rock'n'roll -- and Guy slowed the song and said ... who cares ... it's great music and re-started on the same spot -- song? Are You Receiving me? ... the same issue here all the time!!!), Gentle Giant, Gryphon, Fairport Convention, Manfred Mann's Earth Band ... his list is endless ... and no one here cares, anyway!
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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I began to love it when I first heard School on the radio, never stop since.
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I became an instant fan of this album and it still resists the test of time.
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