SUPERTRAMP

I love this. Supertramp's debut album was very different to the mid-late 70's/ 80's stuff which the band did later. Here in their early days they focused more on improvisation with various influences. 'It's a long road' is a top track near the beginning, with rapid bass playing, and I think it's Roger Hodgson playing Hammond B3 in one hand and Fender Rhodes in the other. Very nice work indeed. There are a lot of moody jazzy tinges throughout as well as some ever so light blues touches. 'And I Am Not Like Other Birds Of Prey', 'Words Unspoken' and 'Maybe I'm a beggar' are simply wonderful and best described as soft, dreamy and mellow with touching melancholic melodies. These sounds are interspersed by some rockier songs such as 'Nothing to show'. 'Try again', is the epic 12 minute beast, and it's very cool, especially for its work from the lead guitar. I wish Supertramp had done more stuff like this. As I said, it is different to the classic albums that came later but is among this reviewer's favourites. If you want more Breakfast In America etc, it may not be for you but if you like proper playing in a hippyish-rock kind of way then you should get this! I'd suggest this for anyone who likes a mixture of dream-pop and long progressive jam sections in alot of 60's/ early 70's stuff. Four solid stars.