Customer Reviews

Crisis? What Crisis?

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ex-`Tramp Roger Hodgson calls "Crisis? What Crisis?" the Supertramp album he listens to most often, because of it's "rawness," at Hodgson puts it. The album was indeed devised while the band was under pressure to put forth another album and tour in the wake of their breakthrough third album "Crime of the Century," which may be why the ex-vocalist finds the finished product more raw when compared to other Supertramp albums. But for an album that was planned and recorded while the band was under stress to keep the momentum going, "Crisis? What Crisis?" is an elaborate suite of songs, making it a crushing shame that the album will almost never appear on any big-time 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll lists.
The dignified pop of Supertramp always sounded clinical and studio-polished, but not because of any Steely Dan-like studio isolation. That's just the way it was (ironically it translated well onto stage, as captured on the 1980 live album "Paris"). This album isn't exactly "raw" but it is certainly a bit more freewheeling and often less tightly wound as Supertramp's other albums. The album also allows a bit more space for Hodgson's guitars, which he often replaced with keyboards. Even though the quintet was under pressure to release another album, many spots on the album suggest that the band was having some fun, shown in the positive opener `Easy Does It,' `Lady,' and `Another Man's Woman.' There is however at least one genuinely raw song, the heavy schizophrenic `Ain't Nobody But Me.' But there are also plenty of tracks to confirm Supertramp's ability to create pure, flawless, and sophisticated pop songs like `Sister Moonshine' and `A Soapbox Opera.'. The world-weary `Just A Normal Day' is balanced by the more optimistic and catchy `The Meaning.' The innocent `Poor Boy' is a delight, and speaking of innocent, the closing `Two Of Us' is as elegant a three-and-a-half-minutes as any `Tramp fan could ask for.
"Crisis? What Crisis?" connected perfectly with "Crime of the Century," and though its chart peak in the US was just a few spots below its predecessor, many of its songs were becoming staples of FM radio, establishing Supertramp as a serious, dignified attraction. And there was more where this came from; maybe it wasn't such a "Crisis" after all.

Most Supertramp fans point to "Breakfast In America" as the group's masterpiece. Well, "Breakfast" IS a classic Tramp album, and it is without question their biggest seller, but I've always leaned more toward "Crisis? What Crisis?" as the band's best album from their days with Roger Hodgson. This is such an uplifting album to play, containing arguably the best material from the Hodgson/Rick Davies singing/songwriting team. Hodgson's "Sister Moonshine," "Lady," and the jig-inducing "The Meaning" are such incredible songs, "Another Soapbox Opera" has great mood to it, and Hodgson's album bookends "Easy Does It" & "Two Of Us" are both very lovely. The man has a classic falsetto voice, and is terrific on guitar & keyboards, too. Meanwhile, Davies, no slouch on vocals or piano either, steps up to the plate with the instant Tramp classics "Ain't Nobody But Me" & "Another Man's Woman," while "Poor Boy" is a wonderfully light, breezy number guaranteed to make you smile. And the two men come together for the excellent dramatic piece, "Just A Normal Day." Both Hodgson & Davies truly shine on this album, and they're brilliantly augmented by sax man John Helliwell, drummer Bob Seibenberg and bassist Dougie Thomson. And to top it off, the album has been remastered for superior sound quality, which makes this CD all the more sweeter."Crisis? What Crisis?" is a superb Supertramp album, one that I can't recommend enough. "Breakfast In America" may have the popular vote, but for me, THIS album is The Big One from the Roger Hodgson era. :-)

"Crisis? What Crisis? is the second in a line of four, what I call, masterpieces from Supertramp. It's a work dominated by Roger Hodgson, who does vocals on seven of the ten songs.

The remaster is crisp and clean, with songs such as "Sister Moonshine," and "The Meaning" ringing sweet out to my ears.

But what I want to mention is that this package finally contains the long lost lyrics to the album. In the past releases I owned, they were never included. I had to go out and find the actual "Crisis? What Crisis?" song book to get them. And to all you Supertramp fans out there....the lyrics on this remaster contain many mistakes. "A Soapbox Opera" was always hard to figure out, and the key lyric at the bridge is wrong. (The correct lyric is "But rather than a reason, there's a smog in my head") So all you Supertramp fans take note!

When discussing Supertramp, "Breakfast in America" and "Crime of the Century" are usually mentioned as this group's best efforts -- "Breakfast" certainly wins by virtue of sales, while "Crime" gets the nod for its rich, dense, art-rock sound. It's a shame that "Crisis" doesn't get more attention. Sure, it lacked a radio hit, but it's a great listen from start to finish, continuing (and perhaps even exceeding at times) where "Crime" left off. There's a full range of emotions here, marred perhaps by "The Meaning" which was positioned right at the climax of the album. Standouts include "Ain't Nobody But Me," which builds wonderfully and dissolves into "A Soapbox Opera;" "Lady," sounding very much like the album's hit single with its similarity to "Dreamer" from "Crime;" and "Poor Boy." There really isn't a dull moment here. If you own and enjoy any Supertramp albums, you should own this one as well -- it stands head-and-shoulders among their best and keeps rewarding after repeated listenings. It's a personal favorite as well.

this album is perfect. all songs are five stars and 'two of us' and 'another's man woman' are six stars.Is a album for listen come on,again and again.

This album is just as strong as the "BIG 3" (Crime of the century, Even the quietest moments & Breakfast in America). In fact, It's my favourite! How can you not be hooked in by "Easy does/Sister Moonshine?" The rest of the album flows very well. There may be no big hits but that dosen't mean there isn't great tunes througout this cd. How "Another man's woman" or "Lady" didn't become hits is beyond me! Just get it. You won't regret it.

This is the most musically dense of the Supertramp releases. The complexity of the arrangements and Ken Scott's production give Supertramp more muscle than is evidenced elsewhere. There is also a greater emphasis placed on guitar work and Rick Davies proves to be quite adept on the instrument. Some of the band's finest and more fully realised compositions are present as well. A Soapbox Opera, Sister Moonshine, Another Man's Woman are particularly strong. After this recording the band began to assume production responsibilities themselves resulting in a softer, more pop-styled sound. Highly recommended...Simon

You either hate Supertramp or love them. There really hasn't been an inbetween for folks. From their solid, keyboard based hooks to their falsetto Viv Stanshall like backing vocals, Supertramp managed to craft an amazing series of singles and albums during their brief rein at the top of the charts. Crisis is really the second album by the band. At this stage, the only remaining members after the break up of the earlier more prog based version were songwriters Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson (who moved from bass to guitar to augment the new band's sound).

The newcomers recruited to the band fleshed out the sound and managed to do a great job of embelishing the prog pop sound that Davies & Hodgson had developed. Hodgson's interest in spiritual themes comes to the fore with this album (although it was hinted at previously). Sister Moonbeam is the great sequel to Here Comes The Sun that George Harrison never wrote (although he tried). All the material has punch, strong melodies and shorter running times. All three of these elements made the album a success with both AM & FM radio in parts of America. After the success of Crime, SUpertramp had finally broken the largest market in the world. In the UK Crisis also found success as well with the album breaking the top twenty.

Davies crafted one of his strongest, most witty compositions to date Ain't Nobody But Me became the first in a long string of Davies sung songs that played with the traditional pop love song in new and surprising ways. The playing on this particular track emphasized the strengths of the band's new approach; while the song is quirky (and has an instrumental arrangement that matches the quirky, anti-love song sentiments)but doesn't try to coast on just that single merit.

Crisis sounds stunning. Ken Scott's production expands the band's sound considerably. The remastering ranks as one of the best I've heard recently. Although there aren't any liner notes, critical assessments or bonus tracks, the album still sounds richer than before making it essential for fans. Still,these bare bones reissues are getting tiresome. Considering that fans are having to pony up for something they already have, it couldn't have been too difficult for A&M or the band to add some extras to make it worthwhile.

Although viewed as "prog lite" or AOR during their rein at the top, Supetramp managed to create a series of thoughtful, tuneful albums packed with wit and hooks. At the dawn of new wave and the decline of punk, the band held the high ground for the best qualities of the 60's and early 70's.

This is their 4th release, from 1975. It's not my favorite Supertramp albums (my fave is Even in the Quietest Moments) but it's still a near-masterpiece. The vocals and instrumentation sound magnificent on this digitally remastered release. Ken Scott was an incredible producer and this CD deserves to be listened to with headphones to truly appreciate all its nuances. Unfortunately this re-issue doesn't contain any additional tracks or liner notes but it's still well worth replacing your original copy due to its impeccable sound. Favorite songs are the minor hit, "Sister Moonshine" and the ambitious "Another Man's Woman". Hodson and Davies made great music & I wish they would get back together.

I first bought this album when it came out on vinyl in the 70's. I became a Supertramp fan back then and am still so now nearly 30 odd years on. I guess soft rock is one of my favourite music genres and "Crisis? What Crisis?" fills the bill admirably. I'm happy that I was able to obtain a copy on CD.