Famous Last Words [Original recording remastered]

Supertramp | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 30, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B000069HJI
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,397 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Farewell, Roger Hodgson, August 2, 2002

By 

Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Famous Last Words (Audio CD)

How does a band follow up a mega-smash album? Simple: they just follow it up. 1979's "Breakfast In America" was such a gargantuan success all over the place for Supertramp, that, after the world tour in support of the album, the band took some well-deserved rest for a couple of years before re-grouping for their next disc. However, one of the band's key members, singer/songwriter Roger Hodgson, wasn't so sure about his future with the group, and the next album, 1982's "Famous Last Words," would be his last album with the band (hence the title?). As Hodgson's swan song with the group, "Famous Last Words" certainly has an element of sadness attached to it, and although the album did not signal the end of Supertramp, it did signal the end of an era. It was nowhere near as commercially successful as "Breakfast In America" (how could it have been?), but "Famous Last Words" is still an excellent, heartfelt album filled with the high quality mix of pop, jazz, & rock that this great band are famous for. Hodgson's opener, "Crazy," is a great piano-thumper, while co-leader Rick Davies' "Put On Your Old Brown Shoes" is an excellent shuffler to clap along to. Hodgson's "It's Raining Again" is a very nice, uplifting song (and a Top 20 hit single), and "Bonnie" is a great showcase number for Davies. Next up is Hodgson's haunting, achingly beautiful "Know Who You Are," one of the very best songs he has ever written. If this gorgeous number doesn't bring a tear to your eye, then there must be something wrong with you. Davies then picks things up with the great 50's fun of "My Kind Of Lady," followed by Hodgson's majestic "C'est Le Bon" (featuring Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart on background vocals), and finally, for a powerful one-two punch of dramatic Supertramp rock, there's the double-header of Davies' "Waiting So Long," and Hodgson's grand finale---and, judging by the lyrics, his farewell to the band---"Don't Leave Me Now."After the tour for "Famous Last Words," Roger Hodgson left Supertramp, apparently because he & Davies could no longer agree on the band's musical direction (Hodgson wanted the group to stay more pop, Davies wanted the group to be more jazzy). Since then, Rick Davies continues to helm Supertramp on his own, and the band has since recorded four great albums, starting with 1985's "Brother Where You Bound," and continues to tour. Hodgson has also recorded four fine solo albums since his departure from the group, and he recently went on tour with Ringo Starr, so both camps are doing just fine. While Hodgson may not be interested in returning to Supertramp (and he has said as such), we can be grateful of the terrific music he did make with the band---seven albums worth, in fact, as well as the live double-album, "Paris." "Famous Last Words" is a fond farewell to Roger Hodgson, and a lovely album to close out his time with Supertramp. A definite must-buy. :-)

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars simply brilliant, April 21, 2006

By 

C. A. Armstrong "Charlie" (Perth, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Famous Last Words (Audio CD)

I remember first playing ...Famous Last Words..., around the pool table one cold, dark night at boarding school as a teenager. I clearly recall my initial thoughts, that Put on your old brown shoes was the only Supertramp track that I didn't like, out of every track of every album to date. A good few listens later, it became one of my favourite tracks of one of my all time favourite albums. This album is simply brilliant, with the last two songs, Waiting so long, and the prophetic Don't leave me now finishing off a complete masterpiece with total awe. I literally come out in goose bumps as I turn up the volume to appreciate, particularly these last two tracks, it to their full glory.
If Roger Hodgson had to leave Supertramp, as he unfortunately did, he could not have left on a higher note.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shadow of Breakfast, August 9, 2006

By 

Kid A (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Famous Last Words (Audio CD)

"Breakfast In America" is without a doubt one of the all-time classic albums. Beyond that and "Crime Of The Century", it's easy to let the rest of Supertramp's work go unnoticed. That's what happened with me. I've been listening to Crime and Breakfast for years while neglecting the rest of their catalog. My bad! I've recently picked up several other Supertramp albums, including "Famous Last Words".

Clearly, Supertramp were trying to distinguish FLW as something other than simply a follow-up to the blockbuster Breakfast. Although the sound is unmistakably Supertramp, it's obvious there was an effort to strike out in different directions to accomplish something that could build upon their previous success.

Check out "Waiting So Long" for some foreshadowing of the following Supertramp album, "Brother Where You Bound" with it's rich orchestration and trademark build-ups and the '50s doo-wop influenced "My Kind of Lady" for an indication of these changes. Of course, there is still the classic Supertramp with songs like "It's Raining Again" and "Crazy" (which could easily have ended up on Breakfast In America based on its sound).

Despite hiding in the shadow of Breakfast In America, Famous Last Words is still a great album in the Supertramp tradition. Consider it essential for the Supertramp fan.