SLOW MOTION

At the time this album was released in 2002, I visited SUPERTRAMP`s Official Website. There was the announcement of the release of this album, with some quotes from Rick Davies (not available anymore in that website, an official website which I don`t like very much). I remember that Davies said in those quotes that this album was really planned by him as an album recorded with the band, with him writing all the songs (with the exception of 'Gold Rush', with was written with guitarist Richard Palmer-James in 1970, an old song that the original line-up of the band played in concert in the early seventies and which was not previously recorded for an album by the band), doing all the arrangements, and also singing all the lead vocals. In previous studio albums recorded without Roger Hodgson (in 'Free as a Bird' from 1987, and in 'Some Things Never Change' from 1997) he gave a chance to Mark Hart to collaborate a bit in the songwriting and also to sing some lead vocals. But for 'Slow Motion' Davies wanted to do all by himself, with the other members of the band only recording the songs and being directed by him. He only let Hart and recording engineer Jay Messina to co-produce the album with him. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and in New York, with Davies, who lived in Los Angeles since the mid-seventies, going to live to New York during the recording of this album.

At that time, in 2002, I was not very interested to listen to this album, which with Davies now almost directing everything, being the only remaining original member of the band and the founder of the band, I considered more as a solo album and not as a 'real' album by SUPERTRAMP. Anyway, recently I finally decided to listen to this album. This album was recorded with the same line-up of the band which recorded the 'It Was the Best of Times' live album in 1997 and which was released until 1999 (Rick Davies, John Helliwell, Bob Siebenberg, Mark Hart, Jesse Siebenberg, Carl Verheyen, Cliff Hugo, Lee Thornburg).

I also remember that some years ago I read in an interview done with John Helliwell on which he said that Davies really planned this album to be the last album which the band was going to record. The band went to tour for this album in 2002, and after this, there was silence from the band until 2010, when the band (with some changes in the line-up, with Hart not being in the band, and with the addition of two new members, and with some rumors of Roger Hodgson re-joining the band to play some concerts, a thing that did not happen) did their 40th anniversary tour. After that, there was silence again for five years, until some months ago in this year there was the announcement of a new tour, with Hart again in the band. Unfortunately, the tour was recently canceled due to Davies being ill with multiple myeloma and with him being treated for this illness. I hope that he is going to recover from this illness.

Despite this album was not really done as a real collaboration from Davies with all the other members of the band, I think that being their last studio album is really good. Anyway, Davies had the desire to direct the band in all things to record this album, and he did a very good job, with the other members of the band also playing the songs very well. But it really sounds to me that at least Davies gave them some freedom to play their solos. This album as a whole is an enjoyable mixture of Pop Rock songs with some Big Band, Jazz, Blues and Progressive Rock influences. The playing from all the members of the band is very good and very professional. I particularly like more the songs 'Slow Motion', 'Little by Little', 'Broken Hearted', 'Over You' (with very good Big Band / Jazz brass arrangements, and a fifties-like Rock and Roll piano arrangement, similar in musical style to the song 'My Kind of Lady' from their ''famous last words'' album from 1982 ), and 'Gold Rush' (which without doubt sounds to me like an old song from the band, a thing which it really is, being originally composed in 1970).

I like the cover design very much, which still is very relevant to today`s 'modern life'.