Customer Reviews

Even in the Quietest Moments

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The header of this review may seem a bit trite, but I can't help but express my sheer love of Supertramp's music. Roger Hodgson's sensual, reflective upper-register vocals happen to be seductive in a spellbindingly indescribable way, not to mention that his talents as a songwriter were quite nifty as well. And, on the whole, each contribution from the other members blended harmoniously to create highly enjoyable, poignant and memorable music.

1977's _Even In The Quietest Moments..._ hasn't a single dud on the album - each track is memorable, well-executed, melodic and poignant, not to mention in simple terms, the music is just excellent ear-candy from start to finish. Main songwriters Roger Hodgson (vocals/guitar) and Rick Davies (keyboards/vocals) are in fine form, as to be expected, delivering convincing ear-candy for anyone willing to listen. In typical Supertramp fashion, each trade lead vocals on respective tracks.

"Give A Little Bit" opens up with those wispy strums from an acoustic guitar, with Roger giving the listener a charming introduction with a vocal improvisation, before letting his own wispy singing float atop the atmospheric acoustic strums. Such a charming beauty that's really hard not to fall in love with. An amazing track that has aged well, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

"Lover Boy" switches things up, as Roger takes a backseat on the lead vocals, and lets Rick Davies take on that responsibility. Roger himself offers a brief vocal appearance in the middle section of the track. Features elegant, quirky piano tapping, along with slight whimsical characteristics in the vocal delivery which lend most of this song an atmosphere of a theater musical selection. The track on the whole switches from Gilbert & Sullivanesque whimsy to rocker quite effortlessly, which gives the whole thing a sense of drama and utter excitement.

The title track is a wispy, subdued, atmospheric and ethereal number, exhibiting a predominance in acoustic instruments. It bears a heavy resemblance to Led Zeppelin, particularly such Zeppelin tracks as "Battle of Evermore" and "Going To California." Roger's vocal mannerisms recall to mind those of Robert Plant, and the rhythmic mannerisms of the acoustic strumming alongside the ethereal backdrops brought on by the combination of keyboards and certain wind instruments contribute to this Zeppelinesque atmosphere as well. A very beautiful, pleasant track.

"Downstream" features a lovely major 7th piano lick, while Rick Davies' unique vocals float atop the whole thing. Speaking of Davies' voice, it's not the best voice in the world, especially in comparison to Hodgson's voice, but it seems like an unique instrument within itself, which compliments the music very well. This track on the whole, seems like just a duet between Rick's voice and his piano.

"Babaji" features Roger Hogdson performing at his usual best, with those romantic, sensual vocals of his. He has always reminded me of a Jon Anderson (Yes) with a slight hint of Freddie Mercury (Queen) in his voice. I possibly adore the man's vocals so much because the two vocalists that he remind me of most are, in fact, two of my favorite vocalists - one of them being my absolute favorite. Not surprisingly, Supertramp's music seems to have quite a bit in common with the two said bands in which the aforementioned vocalists originate. As for the track, the rhythm is bouncy, the piano tapping is quirky and playful, and added touches of flavor are added from saxaphonist John Helliwel in spots necessary for the extra ornamentation.

"From Now On" has a bluesy, New Orleansesque tint in it's atmosphere. Rick Davies' vocals work especially well with this track: a mid-tempo, poignant number with John Helliwel adding larger touches of saxaphone to enhance the flavor of the track. The climactic point of the song, which ends in a gospel-like choral fashion is quite moving, and was an excellent addition to conclude the track.

"Fool's Overture" is the grand 11-minute closer of the album. The elaborate arrangements and literary themes featured here harken back to the glory days of the progressive rock epic: in the vein of Yes or Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but not necessarily sounding derivative of either. Starts off quietly and smoothly before a brief voice sample appears, which eventually gives way to the bombastic, anthemic main keyboard sweep of the song. From there, Roger's sensual upper register issues out these dramatic vocal lines for a brief period, which are followed by windy sound effects. Then, the bombastic, anthemic main keyboard sweep reappears, and Roger comes in with these Jon Andersonesque vocal mannerisms, which swap with these sci-fi-meets-reggae vocal overdubs twice. After that, part of the main bombastic lick returns, and the track ends quite unexpectedly. It seemed as if the track had one more movement to go before it had ended - a recapitulation, so to speak, but, as mentioned above, it ended unexpectedly.

The 70s produced such wonderful, artistic, imaginative, and original music, which for the most part, is sorely lacking in most of today's artistic output. I probably lean toward a schmaltzy disposition in general, which is almost indefinitely reflected in my tastes. If there's any truth to that, I bear no shame about it. Supertramp were such a glorious band, and their music is recommended to fans of 70s music, particularly for fans of such artists as Queen, Roxy Music, Electric Light Orchestra, Yes, Todd Rundgren, Elton John and the like, or for music fans who are romantics in general.

In Supertramp's heyday back in the 1970's and early 1980's, there was nobody else quite like them. Their music was, and still is, unique. On Even in the Quietest Moments, this band has done what they always did best: they play intelligent music with complex musical compositions, variable textures, and thoughtful lyrics. This album is a masterpiece.

"Fool's Overture" is an unforgettable epic song, taking eleven minutes to wind through a masterfully crafted musical landscape until reaching an intense crescendo led by Roger Hodgson's soaring vocals. The title track is of similar magnanimity; it's just as enthralling, but it's only six minutes long. "Give A Little Bit" proved to be a hit single and is Supertramp's most widely known song on the album. "Lover Boy" is a lighthearted affair, and "Downstream" is a quaint voyage on the water with nothing more than Rick Davies and his piano. "Babaji" is another intense and entertaining ride, and "From Now On" has an almost jazz-like sound to it highlighted by John Anthony Helliwell's saxophone.

That covers the album... Seven outstanding songs from a talented group of seven musicians. It's a shame Roger Hodgson left Supertramp, as he was half of the band's creative genius (the other half being Rick Davies, of course). But Even in the Quietest Moments captures Supertramp's majestic sound, and I highly recommend the album to you!

...they kicked out this very cool album featuring a strong crossover orchestral rock/accoustical piano flavored gem. This album spent most of freshman year on my turntable, and on that of the guy across the hall, and the guy down the hall....

It's terrific to hear it again, and even if the CD seems a bit more "juiced" than the old LP...well it isn't too scratchy either! Yep, Who, Floyd, Zep, Yes fans will appreciate Hodgson and Davies. And any album with Winston Churchill on it can't be all bad. "Never surrender!"

Love the piano on the mountaintop!

First, let me say that the 2 stars are not for the musical contents of the CD. That would have been 5-plus stars of course.
No, the 2 stars are for the terrible job the folks at A&M have done digitally remastering this album. Or should I say de-analogizing? The sound is much too harsh, and too loud. Just compare the first minute of "Give a little bit" with the original (LP or CD) release and you'll know what I mean.
I had the entire remastered collection in my "save for later" basket, but decided to delete them all after listening to this
one. I'll stick to the more analog sounding (and still very defined) first releases.
For the record: I listened to this CD on my Electrocompaniet EMC1 with 24/192 upsampling, with the Rogers E40a and a pair of
LS3A's with AB1 subwoofers.

Although slightly overlooked in the face of "Crime Of The Century" or "Breakfast In America", this album is my favorite
Supertramp effort. Although they were only one album away from
the streamlined pop of "Breakfast In America", "Even In The Quietest Moments" contains some of their most progressive work,
along with the pop stuff. The listener will most likely recognize the opening "Give A Little Bit", a lightweight, catchy
number dominated (unusually for Supertramp) by guitars, which remains one of their finest singles. The closing "Fool's Overture", on the other hand, is a quasi-symphonic epic with
a grand, majesterial sound; divided into several sections, it is sure to prick the ears of prog-rock fans. The masterpiece, however, is the title track, which starts out somewhat unassumingly before it evolves into one of the most drone-like, hypnotic efforts in their canon. Very unusual for a mainstream rock band in the late 70s. The rest of the tracks, like "Lover Boy" and "Babaji", are all very competent keyboard-dominated studio rock from the period, well-composed and sung, although Supertramp were always a tad too slick in these moments for my tastes (a problem that would worsen considerably with "Breakfast In America"). Still, all seven tracks are worthwhile, and in the case of "Give A Little Bit", the title track and "Fool's Overture", must-hear classics. There is enough diversity here in terms of style and instrumentation to mark the band as one of the more creative of the mid-to-late 70s.

1977's "Even In The Quietest Moments" finds Supertramp going for a more piano & acoustic-guitar based, orchestral sound (hinted at by the snow-covered grand piano on the album cover), and putting aside their trademark Wurlitzer keyboard entirely. But don't worry, the band still leave room for rock as well. "Even In The Quietest Moments" is another wonderful, classic disc from Roger Hodgson, Rick Davies and the Trampers, with such classic tunes as the Hodgson signature "Give A Little Bit," the totally gorgeous title song, the equally-gorgeous "Downstream" (a great solo showcase for Davies), "From Now On," and the stunning finale, the 11-minute suite, "Fool's Overture," a true rock masterwork."Even In The Quietest Moments" is yet another winner from Supertramp. What more can I say about it---just buy it! :-)

Hardly a duff track on this record, which makes a welcome change from the band's other works. I used to listen to Supertramp at college many many years ago and this is about the only album which has stood the test of time. The title track is a superb song

I was surprised when I discovered some of the Supertramp albums had been remastered. I thought A@M did a great job on their material way back then. However, this being my favourite Supertramp album, I decided to buy it and compare to my origional copy. Well...the mid range is improved and the volume output has been increased but other than that I don't see much difference. I don't think I'd replace any more of their albums for the remastered copies. Would like to see a boxed set of their music.

I've probably said this about every 'Tramp album I've reviewed, but this time I mean it: This album is perfect, and is possibly only bettered by "Crime of the Century". 'Give A Little Bit' is a great song, and has some of the best acoustic I've ever heard; 'Lover Boy' actually makes me laugh (the whole 'He used to have a problem/But he got it fixed!' just makes me giggle); the title track is one of Supertramp's best; 'Downstream' is the weakest song on here, but that's not saying much, because it's still a great song; 'Babaji' reminds me of 'The Logical Song', and it's a good song in it's own right; 'From Now On' is a crisp Davies tune; and 'Fool's Overture' is the perfect closer, and is THE reason anyone should get this CD. Each song stands alone, and the album couldn't've been better if it was teamed up with "Crime of the Century". Highly recommended!

This cd is just an awesome 70s album. Each track is very detailed, and although there are only 7 tracks, the cd clocks in at a generous 44 minutes. The opener, Give A Little Bit, was the bands hit song, and deservedly so. It's extremely catchy and has a spirited and uplifting vibe to it. Lover boy starts off like a broadway theme song, but there's a progressive Yes-like feel towards the latter half of the extravagance. The title track, Even In The Quietest Moments, brings Pink Floyd to mind with its meandering psychedelia and nebulous charm. Downstream sounds similar to early Elton John recordings, with heartfelt lyrics and lilting piano. Babaji is a dramatic ballad sounding like a precursor to a lot of other 80s songs that would sound very similar to this authentic track. Track 6, From Now On, is my favorite on the cd. It reminds me of Billy Joel, but is much longer and more intricate than any of his songs. The entire song is great, but around the 2 minute mark, the refrain "Living in a fantasy, that's the way its got to be, from now on" resounds gloriously with a choir of backround vocals in an ebullient, timeless fashion. The lengthy Fool's Overture provides a wonderful closing to a classic recording. This song has elements of just about every band imaginable from their era. At times, it sounds a bit like Kraftwerk, and at other's, like the Beatles experimental track from the White Album, #9. The track is also comparable to some Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Tarkus). To sum things up, this is just a beautiful, florid album, coalescing brilliant originality with popular musical elements of the time, offering an incredible, unique album that I recommend to everyone.