CRIME OF THE CENTURY

A classic album that I did not quite pay enough attention by the time it was released because there were many other challenging albums that worth listening than this one like Yes "Relayer" or Genesis "Selling England" even though the years were different a bit. At that time the prog music was quite dominated by symphonic prog so Supertramp was considered too poppy and not considered into prog scene. I have to admit that almost all tracks - except the boring one "Dreamer" - are well crafted compositions combining good melody, harmony, change of style and structural integrity.

I think the strongest point of the album is on its melody ' i.e. the degree to which the main melody of the song is constructed from a combination of notes. You will find that each track has a well-crafted notes that make you enjoy each song. I like the way the opening track "School" moves its segments with a very nice melody. The album title track "Crime of The Century" is also having a solid melody. The solid melody moves in good harmonies ie. how each instrument contributes in creating sounds and notes. The most appealing thing is the unique piano work and great vocal quality Hodgson. In some segments of the tracks there are also string section that blend nicely into the music, combined also with the saxophone work.

I don't think this album offers complexity as most of track are quite simple composed and easily digested by the listeners Third is the complexity of the arrangement i.e. the degree in which the instrument (including vocal) being played by the musicians and how they generate a piece of music stream or segment of the music. There were also changes of style as the music flows but they do not move quite offensive so that the changes do not seem to exist. Tht also represents how the band compose the music beautifully.

Despite its solid melody this album has another strong point: structural integrity i.e. the degree to which all musical segments, including changes of style, form a cohesiveness of the music as a whole from start to end.

Overall, this is an excellent album and it deserves a four star rating. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW