BREAKFAST IN AMERICA

Wow! I Love this album! Ok, there is very little real prog music here (only the long Child Of Vision could be labeled as that), but this a superb work anyway. Of course they would never make another Crime Of The Century. And from the prog-pop of Crime... they went for the pop rock with some prog influences. This transition was done with some ups (Even At The Quietest Moments) and downs (Crisis? What Crisis?). But now they had reached the big time. Breakfast In America may be their album where they took a definitly turn to pop, but it was sophisticated, well crafted pop. And, in that field , they were highly successful. So, if you don´t like the mix of pop with prog, forget this CD and look elsewhere.

The main reason this album is so satisfying is that one of the good, inspired songwriting. Those guys did know how to pen some fine and catchy tunes while retaining insightful, intelligent lyrics that were still accessible, something that the even the casual listener could relate to. And everything was packed by some outstading perfomances both in terms of the playing and arragements. The right production also helped a lot, since the band was now a tight, very well oiled music machine, after years on the road and an studios with the same line up. Their unique sound and deliverance of the words in the songs (they were serious, but also witty and humorous about those subjects, a rare case of good balance) did place them at the heart of many. Like them or hate them, you have to respect Supertramp for their talent.

For all those reasons, this is a pop/prog record that stood the test of time quite well. With no fillers and a very good tracklist, this is one of the best late 70´s CDs in my collection (and those times were not exactly the best in the music scene of the last decades, you know...). Although it had some overplayed hits (The Logical Song, the title track) this is an album to hear as a whole. Besides, Take The Long Way Home and Child Of vision are among of their greatest songs ever. Four stars.