CRIME OF THE CENTURY

Supertramp's Crime of the Century is an excessively accessible concept album. Along with 2112 and Fragile, this is one of the best starter prog albums. It's really, really fun. There's great writing, some catchy tunes, lyrics that one can relate to, fantastic vocals and a very cosmic atmosphere. It's very piano led, which leads to a very beautiful and symphonic sound. The album art is also a tad thought-provoking (or at least, I find so). Some of the tunes have been abused by the radio (Dreamer, Bloody Well Right), but that can't be blamed on the band. Unfortunately, being fun and 'beginner friendly' makes this album somewhat trivial in nature, and although many of the songs are great, they aren't profoundly touching. Musically, the originality that is a hallmark of prog, and the experimental spirit are painfully lacking. As far as pop prog albums go, this might as well be a masterpiece: but when being scrutinized as a prog album, it is lacking in some departments, but phenomenally abundant in others.