CRIME OF THE CENTURY

Crime of the century is sure some unique album for me. For the first time in my life i was able to listen a album that really is able to combine elements of progressive rock and pop rock with such perfection that this album does not sound as dated as regular pop albums. Of course that every song produced is a product of the time that it was produced and will represent that time, but good albums seem to never grow as old as regular albums (in this case pop albums) do. For pop that is even a bigger accomplish, because it is usually made for instant sale and consume and then to be discarded or be forgotten in the depths of the people's mind. Maybe the band once known as Genesis and today known as Phill Collins and friends could learn a thing or two about good pop with progressive rock influences with these guys from supertramp, but that is another story.

Anyway, about the songs, musicianship and other features there are some thing i would like to state.
Both sides have a very proggy song, a good pop song and 2 songs in between: proggy songs are School (this is the song that caught me on the 1st time i listened the album; great starting, great developing of musical ideas, ends pretty well and have just the right size) and the album titled song Crime of the Century (best song of the album, ending it just the way it should; here there are more ideas then on school, but they are very well put here, so it doesn't looks like being a song with a lot of ideas just putted together, they really fit in pretty well). The good pop songs are Bloody Well Right (good, pero no mucho) and Dreamer (nice song to be listened; silly but not dumb, it does the job of entertaining quite well). The four song in between are Asylum (very balanced song), Hide in your Shell (just like Asylum, a very balanced song), Rudy (not very balanced, since it tends to pop) and If Everyone was Listening (also not very balanced, since it tends to be more prog than pop, but that makes the song even better!!!!!).

The whole album is piano driven, giving it a classic, cool feeling which is increased by the saxophones and clarinets. Another interesting feature here is that are two official singers that keep changing from one song to another: one songs the first song and the other sings the next one, besides the unison parts when the whole band sings.

Another interesting thing i have noticed is that the album somewhat seems to have a storyline, at least on each side, like Aqualung. Maybe i am just being delusional and seeing things where there is nothing (just like Ian Anderson said to those who think that Aqualung was a concept album), but it just feels that there is something that links the songs that i can't just put my finger on.

Grade and final considerations:
Being the only album that can fit pop and prog so well and still sound so great, i think Crime of the Century deserves the masterpiece grade not for a terrific song or incredible musicianship, but for the whole and its final product.

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