SUPERTRAMP

"Supertramp" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by UK music act Supertramp. The album was released through A&M Records in August 1970. Supertramp formed in London in 1969 and initially consisted of main composers Richard Davies (keyboards/backing- and lead vocals) and Roger Hodgson (lead vocals/bass), lyricists and guitarist Richard Palmer, and drummer Keith Baker. The latter left in January 1970 and was replaced by Robert Millar. Supertramp weren´t initially commercially successful, but they were backed financially by Dutch millionaire Stanley "Sam" August Miesegaes, who kept the ship afloat until after the release of Supertramp´s second full-length studio album "Indelibly Stamped" (June 1971). The second album was even less successful than the debut album, and at that point Miesegaes probably lost interest in the band.

Stylistically the material on the 10 tracks, 47:31 minutes long album is a subtle, mellow, and well performed progressive rock style. It reminds me slightly of the early releases from Procol Harum, although the organ isn´t quite as dominant here (it´s pretty much omnipresent though, just not dominant in the soundscape) and Supertramp at this point didn´t write quite as memorable or catchy music as Procol Harum did. The focus is very much on the vocals, while the instrumental part of the music predominantly provides backing for said vocals. So this is not progressive rock featuring a lot of intricate instrumental parts or symphonic moments. This is much more down to earth rock music with a few progressive rock leanings. Tracks like the 6:44 minutes long "Maybe I'm a Beggar" and the 12:02 minutes long "Try Again" however feature sections which could be described as progressive rock.

The album features an organic sounding and detailed production job. Sometimes the dynamics feels like they are too far apart in terms of the the volume of the loud parts and the more quiet parts. The latter are often at a very low volume and you have really listen to pick up what´s going on during those parts of the album (or play the album really loud). It´s overall a well sounding album, but the volume differences/dynamics of the mix do make it a bit hard to listen to. Upon conclusion Supertramp may not have hit the ground running, but this debut album is still a good quality rock album with a few progressive rock leanings, and a 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.

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