FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Has this artwork inspired Dream Theater's A Dramatic Turn of Events or Saga's Heads or Tails? I don't know but they are in similar context, I think. ...Famous Last Words was the last album that Roger Hodgson made with Supertramp before seeking a solo career, and he made sure that radio would take kindly to his last appreciation with the band. The album put two singles on the charts, with the poignant "My Kind of Lady" peaking at number 31 and the effervescent smile of "It's Raining Again" going to number 11. The album itself went Top Ten both in the U.S. and in the U.K., eventually going gold in America. The songs contained in the album were purposely positioned for Top 40 radio, delicately textured and built around overly bland and urbane choruses. It's of course not a good one for those who compare it with the debut album. The band was actually under tension to produce something as successful as its predecessor Breakfast in America but it failed to paint the elements of complexity or progressive music style.

The album was written under difficult circumstances: 1. at the height of personal tension between Roger and Rick (and reportedly their respective wives who were not best of friends). It's the first time they wrote and recorded their own songs in separate studios without any face to face collaboration, 2. It was a typical under pressure follow up album to the chart topping Breakfast in America.

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW