FREE AS A BIRD

Definitely their weakest album overall. Here the band took a decidedly wrong direction, as they tried to update their sound to be more 'modern' and incorporated liberal use of synthesized dance beats and drum machines and other slick '80's era production tricks, giving many of the songs a cheesy, superficial pop feel. Nevertheless, despite the poor arrangements and production, there are still some pretty good songs here, catchy hooks and melodies, so it is still not a bad album, just certainly not the album we want from Supertramp. Best tracks: You Never Can Tell With Friends, An Awful Thing to Waste, It Doesn't Matter, It's Alright. Weakest tracks: Free as a Bird, Where I Stand, I'm Beggin' You, Thing For You. Rating: 2.5 stars