BROTHER WHERE YOU BOUND

While Hodgson was in the band, it would be easy to write off Rick Davies' contributions (at least composition-wise) as vestigial. Hodgson was the one generating the most hits ("The Logical Song", "Give a Little Bit") and the one wooing progressive crowds ("Child of Vision", "Fool's Overture"). Thus, when Hodgson jumped ship after the disappointing Famous Last Words, Supertramp looked doomed.

Yet somehow Davies pulled off the impossible. He avoided not only disaster but also "forgery" (a la A Momentary Lapse of Reason) and created one of Supertramp's freshest and most ambitious albums. Whereas Roger Hodgson's concurrent solo album "In The Eye of the Storm" was tumor-ed and uneven, Brother Where You Bound is remarkably consistent. It's almost as if Davies had been hiding all of his best tracks to spite Roger!

The opening number, the angry jazz workout "Cannonball", was a surprising hit single that is even more effective in the full album version. "Still in Love" is a great upbeat ballad with terrific sax (what else would you expect from Supertramp?) that would fit well (musically, not lyrically) on Breakfast in America and "No Inbetween" is burner in the same style as Dire Straits' "Your Latest Trick". Side One ends with "Better Days", a paranoid rocker with a great flute solo.

The title track forms the bulk of side two and is the longest track in Supertramp's repertoire. This dark, twisted and schizophrenic epic is easily Rick Davies' crowning achievement and perhaps even Supertramp's most enthralling offering. Davies' panicked singing and artful piano playing have never been better. The icing on the cake of course is a stunning appearance by none of than a Mr David Gilmour credited only for "guitar solos" - but hey, that's what the folks want to hear. The album ends with Ever Open Door", a light piano number that lets the power of the preceding track sink in.

Masterpiece. The title track is the most "prog" track Supertramp has recorded, so this album may sway those who write them off as a pop/rock act.