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Just to reiterate once more how the now distant sixties and seventies were unparalleled (also) in music, it is enough to focus on the pop sector: the sixties gave us the Beatles with Stones in tow, the Beach Boys and the Mama’s & Papa’s, Simon & Garfunkel… in the seventies, however, we enjoyed and still enjoy the memory of people like 10cc, the young Elton John, the Sparks, the best Bowie and many others among whom, in full right, are these Supertramp.
This record, however, is from 1985, chronologically the eighth in a career that began at the dawn of the previous decade and is especially the first without Roger Hodgson, guitarist, pianist, and singer, the true pop heart of the group, who unexpectedly bid farewell to the band the year before to go solo (without much luck). Without him, leadership is concentrated in the hands of pianist, organist, and singer Rick Davies, a type more inclined to American rhythm & blues, or at least London British blues, earthy and ironic as much as his alter ego Hodgson was mystical and "hippy-like".
It was precisely the mix of their two very different souls and expressions that provided Supertramp with the fuel for a tasty and multifaceted repertoire. In the manner of Lennon and McCartney with the Beatles, the friendship/rivalry between the two very different types of men and musicians benefited the band. Without Hodgson's support, Davies manages to hold his own fairly well on this album, while the subsequent ones, on the contrary, will invariably falter, progressively sliding Supertramp into the background of success and popularity.
The album starts fantastically with the perfect white soul groove of “Cannonball”. Biographies narrate that composers Davies and especially Hodgson would impose already fully developed arrangements on their rhythm section even for their instruments, note by note for the bass and down to every single tom strike for the drums… Nonetheless, it remains the case that both Bob Siebemberg, the group's American behind the drums, and Scottish bassist Dougie Thomson are excellent musicians, and this rolling riff is their career apotheosis. The only problem with “Cannonball” is that it's stretched too long: it lasts almost eight minutes and, considering it develops entirely on the single chord of G minor… This leads back to the more general fact that the album only contains six tracks, a bit more than Davies used to include in Supertramp's albums in the past, but this time there aren't as many from Hodgson!
So this work travels very much in the progressive manner, with several tracks drawn (too) long, foremost the self-titled suite (decent, nothing groundbreaking) lasting over sixteen minutes, which forms the grand finale. With historical settings, the lyrics of this ambitious song take on the still looming Cold War, but the highlight is provided by David Gilmour's contribution, who, accepting the group's invitation, one fine day crosses the threshold of Davies’s studio bringing one of his Fenders and his usual cabinet of effects and amplifications. At that time, Pink Floyd was on stand-down, and their guitarist had time to collaborate on other people's music he liked, so here are the typical long sounds and the masterful touch of David on a Supertramp record (however, it is frankly far from groundbreaking, being objective).
A final observation must be made for the quality of the recording and production by David Kershenbaum: it is almost perfect, exhilarating. This record is worthy of serving as a demonstrator for stereo systems… the spectacular rolling of “Cannonball”, with Siebemberg's drums and cymbals captured as best as possible, and the bass and piano without a Hertz out of place, manages to convey complete physical pleasure, beyond any possible strictly musical taste.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Cannonball (07:38)
You're tellin' lies, so don't you criticize
Yeah I got used, all messed up and abused
You let me down, with all your runnin' round
Still you pretend and try to call me friend
don't say a word, I know just what I heard
Yeah you've been loose, you just go no excuse
Just feel my rage, why can't you come of age?
I felt it all, just like a cannonball
Then you got mad, you said that I'm all bad
So what's the use, you lied and that's the truth
You took the key and drove right out on me
I never knew, put all my trust in you
OK that's it, I'm leaving now, I quit
I was unwise, so don't apologize
I paid the price, for taking your advice
I felt it all, just like a cannonball
You can say what you want all day
But I've never been so outraged
I'm washing my hands of you
How could you be so untrue
You know I can't stand no more
You know I can't stand no more
05 Brother Where You Bound (16:31)
There's a red cloud hanging over us
And it's so big and it's gonna burst
All you people with your heads in the ground
Hey brother, where you bound?
And they're no good and they're everywhere
Try to tell you, but you just don't care
Try to hear you but you don't make a sound
Hey brother, where you bound?
Hey brother, where you bound?
And you don't know what they're gonna do
And you don't know how they feel
And you don't know what they're tellin' you
Is it a lie or is it real
And the next thing that you know is
That they walk out on the deal
And the message that they're giving you
Is the same old alibi
If you don't quite see their point of view
Then they treat you like a spy
And the phone rings and you disappear
In the middle of the night
Can't you see they're on the move
Don't know what you're trying to prove
But you sit there oh so cool
Like they never broke no rules
And the cat flies and the crow walks
And the ghost dies and the sow talks
And they tell us that they'll be good as gold
B'lieve nothing that you're told
Hey brother, where's your soul?
Make a move in one direction
Try to make some compromise
But they greet you with rejection
Makin' out you're tellin' lies
Then they turn around and tell you
Better get down from the sky
For the sake of all that's holy
Listen good to what I say
I can feel them all around me
They could be here any day
But you act like you don't know me
Why d' you look at me that way
If there's one thing that is clear
We gotta get away from here
We've gotta leave this place
It's just a hopeless case
Ain't no one else to blame
We're gonna lose this game
Hey brother get off my back
I gotta tell you, you're way off the track
They got a hatred deep down inside
Ain't gonna let them take me alive
I'm gonna burn them down, just wait and see
Ain't gonna let them walk over me
Boy you ain't got no heart and soul
And your mind is weak and your blood's runnin' cold
You better move, you better hide
They're gettin' in, they're gettin' inside
If you get caught you better know
They're gonna reap, you're gonna sow
Don't be a fool, we gotta go
Ain't no place safe for us to stay
We better move on, we better move on
06 Ever Open Door (03:02)
Sharing's good, sharing's fine
But no one wants to share this world of mine
Is dull, dark and grey
And no one wants to find the way
To my front door is always open to you
Hey now life, give me a break
For much more of this I cannot
Take me to a far off place
Where there's no rich or poor
And every house has got an ever open door
I want to find my direction
I want my love and affection
Yes I'm needing it more and more
I want to find my own answers
It's time I knew what my plans were
I'm going to find what I'm looking for
I'm gonna take all my chances
Gonna make my advances
Gonna see what my life has in store
I've got a feeling inside me
I'll put the past way behind me
Pick myself up from the floor
I want my sun in the morning
Want my friends to come calling
I'll keep a welcome outside my door
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