DON'T LEAVE ME NOW / WAITING SO LONG

Famous Last Words, SUPERTRAMP's last studio album featuring Roger Hodgson, is doubtlessly weaker as a whole compared to the preceding Breakfast in America (1979) or other albums starting from the excellent Crime of the Century (1974). But it sure contains some great songs, and this single happens to include exactly the two best ones if you ask me.

'Don't Leave Me Now' by Hodgson is one of my favourites from the whole discography. It's a very emotional and dramatic song, one to bring you goosebumps. It's also respectable that there's no abridged single version (according to discogs.com where I copied it here) but the whole six and half minutes of this marvelous and relatively progressive song. The fantastic instrumental section features a beautiful female vocalise part.

The equally long B-sider 'Waiting So Long' is also from the album, written and sung by Rick Davies. It's a perfect companion to Hodgson's song, sharing some of its emotional intensity. Both of these songs are from the darker side of Supertramp's output. This was a fine way to put an end to the classic era of this unique band.