Supertramp

Supertramp is a British group of progressive Rock created in 1969 by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson. It carried out its larger sales in the Années 1970.

Initially, the music of Supertramp is made up of ambitious album-concepts, but the group will be more known thereafter for its beatlesques songs “” like Dreamer , Give has Little Bit , The Logical Song and Goodbye Stranger . In spite of its business success, the group forever started the fanaticism of the public; thus, even with the apogee of their popularity, the members of the group could still leave without fear to be recognized.

Members of the group

List of the members of the group between 1969 and 1970 for the album Supertramp :

List of the members of the group in 1971 for the album Indelibly Stamped :

List of the members of the group between 1974 and 1982:

List of the members of the group between 1997 and 2002:

(*) After the exit of the album Some things Never Changes into 1997, the Percussionniste Tom Walsh will not want to take part in the round of the group It' S About Time Tour and will leave its place to Jesse Siebenberg, the son of Bob, the beater.

History of the group

Before Supertramp

Supertramp is created in 1969 following the hearing of Roger Hodgson by Rick Davies. These two musicians will compose then the major part of the songs of the group, of which they will be to some extent the leaders.

Rick Davies was born in 1944 in a family from Ouvrier S. It discovers the battery at 12 years, and discovers in same time Gene Krupa and its piece Drummin' Man , which exerts on him a strong influence. At the 15 years age, it enters a brass band, then in an rock group, Vince and the Vigilantes . He listens to then Rythm and blues, in particular Little Richard, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry. To the Swindom Art School, it assembles a group of Blues with Raymond O' Sullivan (who will take later the name of Gilbert O' Sullivan and will be an international success), Rick' S Blues , which it dissolves to go to work as welder when his/her father falls seriously sick. It joined the Lonely Ones , a group of Soul carried out by No5el Redding (future bass player of Jimi Hendrix Experience), in September 1966. The Lonely Ones leave in round in Europe and settle with Geneva in 1967, where they rename The Joint .

Roger Hodgson was born in 1950 in an easy family. He starts to play of the Guitare at 12 years, age to which he is sent in a boarding school for boys by his mother. He leaves the school at 18 years and founds a group, People Like Us , with which he will record a 45 turns entitled Duck Pond , which leaves in May 1968. The group is quickly dissolves but, in particular thanks to the assistance of a roadie of Traffic, Hodgson records a few pieces in studios, of which Mr. Boyd with Elton John, unknown at the time.

Creation (1969-1973)

Initial constitution of the group: Genuine Opportunity

In 1969, Rick Davies occurs with the P.N. Club of Munich with its group The Joint . This service is noticed by a millionaire Dutch, Stanley August Miesagæs (Sam). David Llywelyn, then to manage group, succeeds in convincing Miesagæs to finance the group.

But Sam decides after some month to stop helping The Joint . The group dissolves then. However, Sam, impressed by the talent of Rick Davies, proposes a financial support to him if it creates a new group. Davies then places an advertisement in the musical Journal Melody Maker for a baptized hearing “Genuine Opportunity”.

Roger Hodgson, pushed by his/her mother, is presented to hearing with a acoustic Guitare, and plays Dear Mister Fantasy of Traffic. Rick Davies, fascinated by the voice of Hodgson, chooses it. The first version of Supertramp is then made up of Rick Davies, of the singer, Guitariste and Claviériste Roger Hodgson, as well as Richard Palmer (guitar, Balalaïka, Chant S), one impassioned of The Band and Traffic who already wrote some songs of King Crimson, and of Robert Millar (percussions, Harmonica), sometimes called Bob Millar. At that time, the members of the group get along very badly.

The group briefly will choose the name of Daddy during a few months before becoming, on the councils of Richard Palmer, Supertramp , according to the name of a Romance writes by William Henry Davies in 1908, entitled Autobiography off has Supertramp (literally, the Autobiography of a super-tramp ).

Sam thus finances the group, but this one is far from living in opulence. So Sam Miesagæs pays the material and advances time with other a little money when that proves to be essential. The group thus turns over to occur with the P. NR. Club of Munich, at intervals from five to seven concerts per day.

First albums

Of return to the the United Kingdom, Supertramp emits the wish to leave a 33 turns. Sam then will use his address book and speaking in Bill Wills, to manage Peter Sellers. With the wire of the contacts, the group obtains a Contrat at A&M Records.

Supertramp repeats with the Morgan Sound Studios of London and decides, like Spooky Tooth and Traffic, to work only during the night between midnight and six hours of the morning approximately, and autoproduire.

Their first album, Supertramp , leaves in August 1970. The pieces were written overall by Hodgson, Davies and Palmer, the two first writing the music, and Micrometer caliper the words. The small pocket of this album represents a face enclosed in a pink, on black bottom. Although interesting musicalement, he is not business success.

Dave Winthrop (Flute and Saxophone) joined the group for its first concert with the Festival of the island of Wight. End 1970, Richard Palmer leaves the group, follow-up of Robert Miller, beginning 1971.

Eager to find success, Davies and Hodgson try to change musical style and to recruit other members for their next album. Frank Farrel (low) and Kevin Currie (percussions) replace Millar and Palmer. Roger Hodgson passes to the guitar.

Their new album, Indelibly Stamped , presents a sound more Rock, resembling the tubes of the Beatles, a more commercial approach and a small pocket plus streetwalker representing a chest of woman tattooed. In spite of that, the sales do not increase, and one speaks more small pocket of the album than about the album itself.

Dissolution of the first version of the group

Sam Miesegæs must refund 60  000 £ with 150  000  £ of debts for the material and the recordings. He does not support any more the group but leaves them the instruments. Supertramp dissolves, and Hodgson and Davies set out again of zero. It is during this period that Hodgson is tested for the first time at LSD, it will say that this experiment changed its life and its vision of the things and to be disappointed by the fact that Davies refused to take some.

In 1973, they take part in the album You and Me with Chick Churchill, the Claviériste of Ten Years After.

Success (1974-1983)

Arrival of novel members

During the be 1973, an important search for substitutes leads on the recruitment of Dougie Thomson (low), Bob Siebenberg (battery) and John Anthony Helliwell (Saxophone and others instruments wind, occasionally keyboards and chorus).

Dougie Thomson was born in 1951 with Glasgow, in Scotland. Recruited by hearing, he already played before in a group of Jazz, the Alan Bown Set , with John Anthony Helliwell.

Bob Siebenberg is an American of Los Angeles born in 1949, fan of Procol Harum. He appreciates Levon Helm particularly (beater of The Band), B.J. Wilson (of Procol Harum), Art Blakey, Sandy Nelson, Jim Capaldi (of Traffic). He was noticed by Davies and Hodgson whereas he played with the Bees Make Honey , a group of Pub rock'n'roll.

John Anthony Helliwell was born in 1945 with Todmorden (in the West Yorkshire). He started to learn the Piano at 9 years, and the Clarinette at 13 years. At the 15 years age it starts to be interested in the modern Jazz, in particular with Julian Cannonball Adderley and Sony Rollins. Without to give up the music, he studies the Informatique and becomes programmer for the company International Computers Ltd . In parallel of its work, he plays with The Dicemen , an rock group, then in a group of blues called Jugs O' Henry . Little time before joining Supertramp, it played in a formation of the name of Pete Lancaster , which turned in American military bases in Germany. After this round, of return to the United Kingdom, his/her friend Dougie Thomson telephones to him so that it comes to attend a repetition of Supertramp, and it is following this repetition that it will play a piece and will enter the group.

The group thus supplemented can then write a new album. Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson start to write and compose each one on their side.

But Supertramp still has financial problems, and Roger Hodgson plans all then to give up to leave in India. Dave Margereson, which works at A&M Records, is allured by the new models of the group. A&M Records takes to some extent the battery charger and rents a farm close to Southcombe in the county of Somerset (in England), so that they can repeat, and asks Ken Scott, the producer of David Bowie, to work with them. The group is insulated then to work during several months, of November 1973 at February 1974, certain members of the group having brought with them them family. This insulation poses sometimes some problems but overall, the members of the group learn how to know each other and work together on their new project.

This new formation leaves in March 1974 individual the Land Ho/Summer Romance , which passes almost unperceived.

Crime off the Century : a turning

The group records its project with the Trident Studios of London, and off leaves in 1974 Crime the Century , which marks the beginning of the success of the group, so much on the level criticisms than at the commercial level. All the songs Co-are signed by Davies and Hodgson, except two pieces written collectively by the group: Crime off the Century and School . The topics approached are, as a whole, rather dark and sour, energy of the critic of the School system and the education ( School , Bloody Well Right ) to an introspection of Hodgson ( Dreamer ). The small pocket of the album represents the bars of the window of a cell of Prison, to which two arms cling, floating in space.

This album becomes Disque of gold to the beginning of the year 1975. It is classified first with the the United Kingdom, where individual the Dreamer enters to Signal 10. The face B, Bloody Well Right , goes up in May 1975 to Signal 40 of the the United States, where the album becomes gold disc the same year. Siebenberg thinks that the group reached a top Art istic with this third album, but their greater business successes will come later. The most known pieces of this album are Dreamer (13e with the British hit-parade), Crime off the Century , Bloody Well Right (these two titles are classified 35e in the United Kingdom) and School .

Supertramp off accompanies Crime the Century by a round in concerts “its and light” in the United Kingdom and the United States. The group is not however yet known in the whole world. Indeed, only eight tickets are sold at the time of a concert with the Bataclan with Paris: the Manager will acknowledge even later (in 1979, at the time of an other concert in Paris) to have bought six of the eight tickets so that the members of the group are not demoralized too much.

Supertramp is success

Supertramp stops off its Crime Turn America because of a wound to the arm of Roger Hodgson. The members of the group settle separately in apartments of Venice Beach with Los Angeles. They record part of Crisis? What Crisis? with the studios of A&M Records to Los Angeles, and finishes the recording with the Scopio Studios and Rampart Studios of London. In same time, Ken Scott remixe Land Ho for its possible integration in the next album (in fact, this remix will be published only in 2005 on compilation Retrospectacle ) whereas Hodgson records it since 1987 on its album Hai Hai. At the time to begin the recording with the studios of Los Angeles, the group did not have yet a model nor of well defined project: the album was in fact worked out gradually in studio. The beaches of California not being favourable with the concentration, Supertramp decides to regain London. Crisis, What Crisis? leaves in November 1975. This album approaches in the whole of the topics lighter than Crime off the Century (the love, daily life, the family) and leaves more place to the saxophone of Helliwell. The small pocket of the album represents a man, out of shorts on a long chair under a yellow parasol, with the right in the middle of a gray Ville industrial and polluted.

The group starts a eight month world tour, Lady Tower , while starting with the United Kingdom with the end of the year 1975 to continue in Europe, to return to the United Kingdom for a concert to the Royal Albert Hall, to continue towards the United States (in particular with Las Vegas, rare enough passage for an rock group), the Canada, the Japan, the New Zealand and the Australia in 1976. This round is more important than the preceding one, with more light effects. With the end of the year 1976, the members of the group settle in California.

In 1977, for Even in the Quietest Moments the group engages Geoff Emerick, the sound engineer of Beatles, and is isolated in the mountains from the Colorado, with the Caribou Ranch , for the recording. This one, initially envisaged for two weeks, will actually last between two and three months, which will cause some tensions within the group, had mainly with insulation.

Then Supertramp goes back to Los Angeles to mix the album with the Peter Henderson and Geoff Emerick sound engineers, at Record Seedling. Photographers turn over in Colorado to carry out the small pocket of the album: a piano in snow. In July 1977, Even in the Quietest Moments is already disc of gold. Give has Little Bit is diffused with large scales on the radio S of the whole world. Whereas the movement Punk starts to take rise, this album treats positive topics as personal blooming by the feelings ( Give has Little Bit ), the love ( Lover Servant boy ) and fraternity.

In 1978, Supertramp , the first album of the group, are republished. The group starts a round of 130 dates in the United States, in Canada, in Europe and in the United Kingdom. Their concerts are looked after more and more, leaving less place to the improvisation, the light effects being fixed on the pieces with a high degree of accuracy.

Breakfast in America

In April 1978, after this round and a little Supertramp rest starts to work at Rick Davies, with Los Angeles, on a new album. Then the group leaves to record with the studios Village To retie with the producer Peter Henderson. The recording, which was initially to last two months, finishes at the end of 1978. Indeed the album was to have as a main theme the differences and disagreements between Davies and Hodgson but the group changes idea in the course of road and decides to make a criticism of America and American Rêve.

Initially named Working Title , then Hello Stranger (undoubtedly a reference to the song Goodbye Stranger ) according to the topics chosen, Breakfast in America leaves finally in March 1979, with much of delay on what was initially envisaged. On the small pocket, one sees the Statue of Freedom replaced by a waitress, holding the menu and an orange juice on a plate; at the bottom, one distinguishes Manhattan where the Immeuble S are replaced by pots of Condiment S. the album comprises many tubes like Take the Long Way Home , Goodbye Stranger , The Logical Song and Breakfast in America .

Rick Davies had doubts as for the artistic quality of this album, while Bob Siebenberg bet 100 dollars to him which they would at the head assemble of the sales. The history gave reason to Siebenberg: Breakfast in America was indeed sold with 16  million specimens throughout the world, in 1980. The album becomes Disque of gold and Disque of platinum in several countries, and even Disque of diamond to the Canada. It is rewarded by a Grammy Award and the Coupe Narm, which rewards the album more sold in the United States. The May 31st, at the time of a concert to the Madison Square Garden of New York, Davies gives to Siebenberg a ticket of 100 dollars framed under glass, being marked: “You' D better not spend it, you rat! ” ( You would make better not spend it, species of bastard! ). During this same concert, A&M Records gives to the group a platinum disc. Little time after, the republication of Supertramp becomes gold disc.

The exit of the album is supplied with large a world tour, the Breakfast Turn , which is accompanied by many special effects, a sum of material impressive (52 tons of material of a value of 5000000 dollars), and a team of 40 people. It is during this round that the Live in Paris is recorded (1980), an double album live, with the Pavillon of Paris. Rather than to center the concert on the songs of their album more known, Breakfast in America , the group grants also an important place to older titles, like Crime off the Century .

… Famous Last Words… and separation

In 1980, lassitude settled and the members of the group decide to make a pause and to engage more for rounds, or recordings, if long and tiring. Rumors start to circulate on a possible separation, the group, and in particular Roger Hodgson contradict. During their period of 18 months rest the members of the group find their family in Los Angeles. Roger Hodgson decides to move away and buys a property with Nevada City, a hundred kilometers in the north of Los Angeles, and made there build a studio of recording ( Unicorn Studios ).

At the time to find itself to record Famous Last Words , Davies and Hodgson do not succeed in agreeing concerning the place of recording and mixing. They arrive finally at a compromise: they repeat at Davies in Los Angeles and record at Hodgson. The album, coproduit by Supertramp and Peter Henderson, leave in October 1982, approaching the topic of the rupture especially. The compositions of Davies and Hodgson are very different here. The group records its first Clip for My Kind Of Lady . In this clip, the members of the group are in costume of the Années 1950, without barb and the hair smoothed backwards. It' S Raining Again obtains an enormous success (6e with the the United Kingdom and 11e with the the United States). The March 9th 1983, Hodgson announces during a press conference that it will leave the group after the promotional tour of the album. He explains little time after, in an interview for the magazine Rolling Stone that him and Davies had taken ways too different in particular following its catches from acid. He starts a career solo then: its first album, In the Eye off the Storm (1984), is classified only 75e in the American charts. It leaves to the other members the use of the name Supertramp , since the group is not dissolves and that it is the only one to leave. About fifteen years later, it will say its regrets on this subject, because the moral contract signed with Rick Davies was the following: it left the name of Supertramp to the group and, in exchange, it asked that none the songs that it had interpreted be taken again in concert by another singer. What was not the case indeed thereafter.

The promotional tour of the album is despite everything a success: Supertramp will have approximately 1,5  million spectators.

Supertramp without Roger Hodgson after 1983

1983-1987

The four members remaining of Supertramp decide to record a new album. Brother Where You Bound leaves in May 1985. All the songs are signed Rick Davies, the compositions more serious, are rythmées and more rock'n'roll, finding the sound of Crime off the Century . This album includes/understands success Cannonball , as well as the piece éponyme, Brother Where You Bound , a Pamphlet anti Maccarthisme sixteen minutes when David Gilmour, guitarist of the Pink Floyd, plays of the solos of guitar. The album reaches the 21e place in the American charts. This album is followed of a promotional tour which will be an enormous success even if the songs of Hodgson are not played. The concerts comprise even more plays of lights using last technologies of the time (in particular a mobile lighting system), and film projections fixed on each song.

In 1987, the group is joined by the guitarist and singer Mark Binder, and leaves Free As has Bird in October. The album is much less success than the precedents, as well at the critical level as commercial. For this album Rick Davies wanted to test novel methods of recording: to record each instrument separately others, to use boxes with ryhtme and to place the voices in the last on top. During the first quarter 1988, this album is followed of a world tour, The World Migration Tower , which carries out for the first time the group to the Brésil: 75  000 people with Rio de Janeiro and 125  000 in the stage of Sao Paulo. It is during this round that Live  is recorded; '88 , which will leave in October 1988, on a Magnétophone two bands, for the stereo. Supertramp dissolves at the end of this round.

1988-1997

It is one rather hollow period in the history of Supertramp. Some projects without a future take shape, of the rumors of a reformation of the group with Roger Hodgson circulate with the liking of the interviews.

July 22nd 1990 Hodgson organizes a commemoration in the honor of Stanley August Misiegæs, dead in April, in its property of Nevada City. Davies is invited there and seems to reconcile himself with Hodgson. They find in October for some repetitions and Davies in November evokes the possibility of off reforming Supertramp with Hodgson during an interview for the radio RTL given at the time of the exit of compilation The Very Best vol.1 left the previous month (in October).

In January 1993 leaves The Very Best off vol.2 . Two compilations are a great business success and become gold disc and platinum disc in several countries.

The April 14th 1993, Roger Hodgson, Rick Davies and John Helliwell play Hilton hotel of Beverly Hills at the time of a ceremony in the honor of the one of the creators of A&M Records, Jerry Moss. Thereafter Hodgson and Davies work to two, during four months, on a project of album. But Hodgson is shown particularly demanding on the writing of the pieces, it wishes to sign only the compositions which it writes, and refuses that the woman of Davies manages the future recomposed group: it gives up the project then.

Supertramp is reformed

In 1995, Rick Davies always wishes to off reform the group, encouraged by the sales of the Very Best vol.1 and vol.2 . He contacts then John Helliwell, the saxophonist of the group which had resumed studies of music in the United Kingdom, Bob Siebenberg, the beater, and Mark Binder, which replaced Roger Hodgson with the guitar and with the song for Free ace has Bird . He engages for the occasion Lee Thornburg, which had already played of the trumpet on Free ace has Bird , Carl Verheyen, guitarist, Cliff Hugo, bass player and Tom Walsh, Percussionniste. These musicians then leave to work in the studio of Rick Davies on their new project.

The contract at A&M Records having arrived at its end little time after the exit of compilations, Davies proposes the new model of the group to them but A&M Records refuses to sign an new agreement thinking that the group will not sell any more discs. Davies presents his model to other recording companies. EMI France is allured and signs in 1996 with Supertramp a contract for three albums. The group leaves to record in Los Angeles. The producer is then Douglas Jack, which also produced John Lennon and Aerosmith. The March 24th 1997 leaves Some Things Never Change , this album does not convince criticism but is sold well, in particular in France where 250  000 specimens run out in ten days. The disc presents a rather traditional music, without innovation, taking again the stereotypes which made the success of the group. The album is followed by the round It' S About Time Tour , with concerts especially to America and Europe. In 1999, leaves off It was Best Time , album live of this round, recorded with the Royal Albert Hall of London September 19th and 20th 1997.

Slow fox trot Motion , which leaves in 2002, produced by Rick Davies, is followed of a world tour, One More For The Road , of 86 dates. Retrospectacle , a compilation, leaves in 2005.

Discography

All the discs left before 1997 are at A&M Records, the following are at EMI.

Albums studio

Supertramp

Roger Hodgson

Bob Siebenberg

  • 1985 - Giants In Our Own Room
  • 1989 - Heads Up - The Long Shot

Live albums

Supertramp

Roger Hodgson

  • 1997 - Rites off Passage
  • 2006 - long Take the way home DVD Live in Montreal

Individual

  • 1974 - Land Ho/Summer Lovesong

Compilations

  • 1990 - Best off Volume 1

  • 1993 - Best off Volume 2
  • 2005 - Retrospectacle - The Supertramp Anthology

Nonofficial albums

  • 1976 - Soap Box Operated

  • 1976 - Live the USA
  • 1991 - Dreamer (in concert)
  • Montreal Seventy Seven (Live)
  • Queen' S Mary College (Concert of 1977)
  • Alien (Concert of 1976)
  • One More For The Road - Mannheim (Concert of 2002)
  • The Story So Far (Live & Untold) (2 concerts of 1983)
  • 1977 King Cookie Flower Hour

DVD

  • 2002 - Supertramp - The Story So Far

  • 2004 - Inside Supertramp has Critical Review 1974 - 1978 Classic Rock Production CRL 1589
  • 2006 - Inside Supertramp has Critical Review 1974 - 1980 Classic Rock Production - Double box taking again the preceding DVD (period 1974-1980), plus a new bearing DVD over the period 1978-1980
  • 2006 - Roger Hodgson - long Take the way home - Live in Montreal

Music of film

Sources and references

Various sources

  • Music Atlas

  • Official site of Bob Siebenberg
  • The logical Web by Juan Lago and Abel Fuentes
  • Supertramp on letsingit.com
  • Database of the magazine Rolling Stone
  • Fan Brazilian site by Russo Walter
  • Booklet of compilation Retrospectacle

References

Random links:Frederic-Guillaume of Brunswick | Giovanni Battista Benaschi | Angri | Madignano | Crater of Lonar | 1_³_d'E+1_m