ALIVE IN AMERICA

I've never been a huge fan of Supertramp live albums, with the exception of Paris, which I enjoyed for the most part. They've just always seemed like a band who performed like gods in the studio but doesn't play the songs correctly when they're in front of an audience. When I found out that they played in 2014 in the US for that matter, I was totally hooked and ran to check out the recording. I was not at all disappointed.

They play all of their songs from their 1974 magnum opus Crime of the Century, but there was always one track I'm hesitant to listen to when it's live: 'Bloody Well Right'. The studio version is so carefully put together that it's INCREDIBLY hard to match it's pace. That's why it's the most messed up song when played live. On this, not at all. In fact, they match the studio version almost flawlessly, and even add a few more parts in there to give it more of an effect. Quite exquisite. They also play the rarely played 'Hide in Your Shell', another one of my favorites, and even though the singing is a little weak on this one, it's still great.

Let's get to the spectacular part of this album: Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson going at it at the mic. It's absolutely spectacular, almost like a vocal fireworks show. From them doing the usual Rick on low and Roger on insanely high a Capella, from Roger joining Rick on the famous vocals performed mostly by Rick on Bloody Well Right. They are fantastic in every sense, and although they are a little fainter than in the past, they hold up themselves extremely well. Especially on 'Dreamer', even though it's a song I don't like, Hodgson shines especially with his vocal chords. Davies does equally well on his signature songs, Crime of the Century and Asylum. It's all really amazing, and mostly because of this the album is great to check out.

The songs they did play not from Crime of the Century are pretty forgettable except for 'Sister Moonshine', which is a pretty fun bouncy track. 'Crime of the Century', one of my favorite tracks from the album, was an amazing album finisher, and almost reminded me of an arena-style performed Pink Floyd song.

This is a wonderful release from Supertramp, and still shows that they mean business. I would highly recommend you check this out, especially if you are a fan of the band.