LAND HO / SUMMER ROMANCE

The major line up changes between Supertramp's second ("Indelibly stamped") and third ("Crime of the century") albums transformed the band from an unknown and struggling outfit into a global success story. There was however a substantial time gap between those albums, the band only starting work on "Crime.." in 1974.

It is a lesser known fact that the classic line up's first release in March 1974 was actually this non-album single. By this time producer Ken Scott, who would produce "Crime.." was already on board. The A side, "Land ho" is a Roger Hodgson song which is almost identical to the following single "Dreamer", complete with jaunty piano and "Dreaming (dreamer)" references. Perhaps surprisingly, given the success of "Dreamer", the song was a commercial flop. It is however worth seeking out by those who enjoy the music of Supertramp (it was made available on CD for the first time on "the "Retrospectacle" compilation).

The B side is a Rick Davies blues number called "Summer romance", which is more representative of the preceding "Indelibly stamped" than of the superb album which was to follow.