Supertramp

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Biography

Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming themselves in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock , they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music. The band's work is marked by the inventive songwriting of Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson and the distinctive voice of Hodgson. Supertramp were also well known for their prominent use of the Wurlitzer electric piano and saxophone.

While the band's early work was mainstream progressive rock , they would enjoy greater critical Dave Marsh|Marsh, Dave . "Sez Who? Bands & Singers Critics Love to Hate". New Book of Rock Lists . Sidgwick & Jackson . 1994. and commercial success when they incorporated more conventional and radio-friendly elements into their work in the mid-1970s, going on to sell more than 60 million albums." The Times – London, Review from Royal Albert Concert". . VH1 . Retrieved 12 June 2011.. The Buffalo News . 25 May 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2011.Johnstone, Duncan. . Fairfax New Zealand|stuff.co.nz . 15 April 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2011.Wuensch, Yuri. . Canadian Online Explorer|CANOE . 21 November 2006. Retrieved 12 June 2011. They reached their peak of commercial success with 1979's Breakfast in America , which has sold more than 20 million copies.Doran, John. . BBC . 29 October 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2011.Todd, Ben. . Daily Mail . 8 October 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.

Though their albums were generally far more successful than their singles, Supertramp did enjoy a number of major hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including " Dreamer (Supertramp song)|Dreamer ", " Bloody Well Right ", " Give a Little Bit ", " The Logical Song ", " Breakfast in America (song)|Breakfast in America ", " Goodbye Stranger ", " Take the Long Way Home ", " It's Raining Again " and " Cannonball (Supertramp song)|Cannonball ". The band attained significant popularity in the United States, Canada, most of Europe, South Africa, Australia, and Brazil. Since Hodgson's departure in 1983, founder Rick Davies has led the band by himself.

History

1969–72: Early years

In 1969 Stanley 'Sam' August Miesegaes, a Dutch millionaire, became disappointed with the band he was financially supporting, The Joint. He dropped his support for the band and offered keyboardist Rick Davies, whose talent he felt had been "bogged down" by the group, an opportunity to form his own band, again with Miesegaes' financial backing. Davies assembled Roger Hodgson (bass and vocals), Richard Palmer-James|Richard Palmer (guitars), and Keith Baker (musician)|Keith Baker (percussion) after placing an advertisement in the weekly music newspaper, Melody Maker .

Davies and Hodgson had radically different backgrounds and musical inspirations: Davies was working class and fiercely devoted to blues and jazz , while Hodgson had gone straight from private school to the music business and was fond of pop music|pop and psychedelic music|psychedelia . Despite this, they hit it off during the auditions and began writing virtually all of their songs together, with Palmer as a third writer in the mix. Since none of the other band members were willing, Palmer penned all their lyrics., Elephant Talk.

The group initially dubbed themselves "Daddy". Baker was almost immediately replaced by former stage actor Robert Millar,, Tamworth Bands: History 1960 to 1990. Retrieved 13 August 2011. and after several months of rehearsal at a country house in West Hythe , Kent, the band flew to Munich for a series of concerts at the P. N. Club. The rehearsals had been less than productive, and their initial repertoire consisted of only four songs, two of which were covers. In response to the emergence of similarly named bands (such as Daddy Longlegs (band)|Daddy Longlegs ), the band changed names from Daddy to "Supertramp", a name inspired by The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp by William Henry Davies ., www.classicbands.com. Retrieved 26 September 2011.

Supertramp were one of the first groups to be signed to the UK branch of A& M Records and their first album, Supertramp (album)|Supertramp , was released on 14 July 1970 in the UK and Canada only (it would not be issued in the US until late 1977). Stylistically, the album was fairly typical of progressive rock of the era, and Supertramp's sound bore obvious similarity to their British prog rock predecessor Cressida (progressive rock band)|Cressida . Despite receiving a good deal of critical praise, the album did not attract a large audience. Dave Winthrop ( flute and saxophone) joined the group after the release of the first record and soon after Supertramp was able to earn a slot on the bill of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970|1970 Isle of Wight Festival . The membership continued to change as six months after the album's release, Palmer left the band due to personality conflicts with Davies and Hodgson, followed shortly afterwards by Millar, who had suffered a nervous breakdown following a disastrous tour of Norway.(8 March 2009). , Swindonweb.

For the next album, Indelibly Stamped , released in June 1971 (in both the UK and US), Frank Farrell (musician)|Frank Farrell (bass) and Kevin Currie (percussion) replaced Millar and Palmer, while Roger Hodgson switched to guitar. From this album forward, Hodgson and Davies were no longer able to use a lyricist, and Davies served as a second lead singer. Sales failed to improve, and the record sold even less than their debut. In the aftermath, all members gradually quit except Hodgson and DaviesErlewine, Stephen Thomas. . Allmusic . Retrieved 7 October 2010. and Miesegaes withdrew his financial support in October 1972.

1973–78: Initial success and commercial breakthrough

A search for new members brought aboard Dougie Thomson (bass), who had done stand-in gigs with the band for almost a year before auditions resumed. In 1973, auditions restarted and introduced Bob Siebenberg (drums & percussion) and John Helliwell (saxophone, other woodwind instrument|woodwinds , occasional keyboards, backing vocals), completing the line-up. Hodgson would also begin playing keyboards (particularly the Wurlitzer electric piano ) in the band in addition to guitar.

Meanwhile, the bond between Davies and Hodgson had begun weakening. In July of 1972 Hodgson had tried LSD for the first time, and offered some to Davies, who declined. Writing to Miesegaes in November 1972, Hodgson described taking LSD as "the happiest day of my life" and expressed his anxiety that Davies would not take it. He would later describe this divergence in their experiences as the root of the rift between them. Over Supertramp's history, their relationship would be amicable but increasingly distant as their lifestyles and musical inclinations saw less and less overlap. Their songwriting partnership gradually dissolved; though all of Supertramp's songs would continue to be officially credited as "written by Rick Davies and Rodger Hodgson", most of them were written by Davies or Hodgson individually.

Supertramp needed a hit record to continue working, and finally got one with Crime of the Century (album)|Crime of the Century . Released in September 1974, it began the group's run of critical and commercial successes, hitting number 4 in Britain, number 38 in the USA, and number 1 in Canada. The album underlined its ambitiousness: many of its songs were heavily orchestrated, and some even featured Davies and Hodgson singing in dialogue, such as the 1975 UK Top 20 single " Dreamer (Supertramp song)|Dreamer ". US listeners preferred its B-side , " Bloody Well Right ", which hit the US Top 40 in May 1975 and would be their only hit in the country for more than two years., Billboard.com. Retrieved 6 August 2011. Most of the band have said they feel they hit their artistic peak on this album, though their greatest commercial success would come later.

The band continued with Crisis? What Crisis? released in November 1975, which broke both the UK Top Twenty and the USA Top Fifty without even one hit single behind it. The following album, Even in the Quietest Moments... , released in April 1977, spawned a hit single with " Give a Little Bit " (no. 15 U.S., no. 29 U.K.). During this period, the band eventually relocated to the United States.

1979–88: Superstars

The band's switch to a more pop-oriented approach peaked with their most popular album, Breakfast in America , released in March 1979, which reached number 3 in the UK and number 1 in the United States and Canada and spawned four successful singles (songs)|singles : " The Logical Song " (no. 6 U.S., no. 7 U.K.), " Take the Long Way Home " (no. 10 U.S.), " Breakfast in America (song)|Breakfast in America " (no. 9 U.K.), and " Goodbye Stranger " (no. 15 U.S., no. 57 U.K.).

The run of successes was capped with 1980's Paris (Supertramp album)|Paris , a 2-LP live album, in which the band stated their goal of improving on the studio versions of their songs. It included nearly every song from Crime of the Century . Initially, it was supposed to be a show recorded in Quebec City, Canada, but A& M vetoed the idea for a "more mainstream city". The live version of "Dreamer" was released as a single in the U.S., where it reached no. 15, even though the studio version had failed to even chart there.

At this point, Hodgson moved his family from the Los Angeles area to the mountains of northern California where he built a home and studio and focused on his family and spiritual life, while recording a solo album which would never be released. This geographic separation widened the rift between him and the rest of the group; during the conceptualization and recording of their next album, ...Famous Last Words... , Davies and Hodgson found far greater difficulty in reconciling their musical ideas than they had before, and it was apparent to the rest of the band that Hodgson wanted out. ...Famous Last Words... was released in 1982, and scored two more hits with " It's Raining Again " and " My Kind of Lady ". A worldwide tour followed in 1983, during which Hodgson announced he would not be continuing with the band. Hodgson has stated that his departure was motivated by a desire to spend more time with his family and make solo recordings, and that there were never any real personal or professional problems between him and Davies, as some people thought.

The Davies-led Supertramp soldiered on to continued success, releasing Brother Where You Bound in 1985. This included the Top 30 hit single " Cannonball (Supertramp song)|Cannonball ", along with the title track, a 16-minute exposition on Cold War themes highlighted by guitar solos from Pink Floyd 's David Gilmour . The album reached no. 20 in the UK charts and no. 21 in the US charts. 1987 in music|1987's Free as a Bird (album)|Free as a Bird experimented in heavily synthesised music,Bollenberg, John "Bobo" (26 June 2000). , ProgressiveWorld.net. such as " I'm Beggin' You ", which reached number 1 on the Hot Dance Club Songs|US dance charts . The stylistic change was generally not well-received, however, and the album itself reached only no. 93 in the UK and 101 in the USA, breaking a streak of seven consecutive top 100 efforts on the American charts. After 1988's tour, Dougie Thomson left the band over a disagreement with Davies about the use of Hodgson-penned songs during live performances and the group fragmented.

1996–2009: Later years

In 1996 Davies re-formed Supertramp with Helliwell, Siebenberg and Hart. The result was Some Things Never Change , an album that echoed the earlier Supertramp sound, released in March 1997. It reached no. 74 in the UK., The Official Charts. Retrieved 6 August 2011. In 1999 Supertramp released the live It Was the Best of Times , followed by Slow Motion (Supertramp album)|Slow Motion in 2002 and a worldwide tour, after which the band went inactive once again. Another attempt to bring Hodgson back into the band failed in 2005.

In 2008 it was announced that Supertramp's music would be featured in the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh 's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance . In 2009 Hodgson said he could not see a Supertramp reunion ever happening: "We've looked at it and talked it over...I would never say never but Rick has pretty much retired right now and I'm in the prime of my life. The reaction I am getting from fans is 'please don’t reunite'."

2010–present: Re-formation

On 21 April 2010 it was announced that Supertramp would give 35 concerts in late 2010. Dates were announced for concerts in Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, France and other European countries. This tour called "70-10" was to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the group's first release. Roger Hodgson, who was not included in this tour, embarked on a solo 2010 tour to Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, Canada, and the US.

In 2011 both Hodgson and Supertramp continued to tour separately. When asked whether Roger Hodgson might appear on some of the 2011 dates Davies replied, “I know there are some fans out there who would like that to happen. There was a time when I had hoped for that too. But the recent past makes that impossible. In order to play a great show for our fans, you need harmony, both musically and personally. Unfortunately that doesn’t exist between us any more and I would rather not destroy memories of more harmonious times between all of us.”

Members

Current members

Rick Davies – vocals, keyboards, harmonica, composition, melodica (1970–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–present)

John Helliwell – woodwinds, keyboards, backing vocals (1973–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–present)

Bob Siebenberg – drums, percussion (1973–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–present)

Cliff Hugo – bass (1996–2002, 2010–present)

Lee Thornburg – trombone, trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals (1988 as a session musician, 1996–2002, 2010–present)

Carl Verheyen – guitars, percussion, backing vocals (1985–1986 as a touring musician, 1996–2002, 2010–present)

Jesse Siebenberg – percussion, vocals (1996–2002) keyboards, guitars, vocals (2010–present)

Gabe Dixon – keyboards, tambourine, vocals (2010–present)

Cassie Miller – background vocals (2010–present)

Past members

Roger Hodgson – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, composition (1970–1983)

Richard Palmer-James – guitars, vocals, balalaika (1970–1971)

Bob Millar – percussion, harmonica (1970–1971)

Dave Winthrop – woodwinds, vocals (1970–1973)

Kevin Currie – percussion (1971–1973)

Frank Farrell (musician)|Frank Farrell – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1971–1972)

Dougie Thomson – bass (1972–1988)

Mark Hart – vocals, keyboards, guitar (1985–1988, 1996–2002)

Tom Walsh – percussion (1996–1997)

Past touring musicians

Scott Page – woodwinds, guitar, percussion, backing vocals (1983–1986)

Fred Mandel – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (1983)

Marty Walsh – guitars, backing vocals (1984–1988)

Brad Cole – woodwinds, keyboards (1986–1988)

Steve Reid (musician)|Steve Reid – percussion (1987–1988)

Discography

Supertramp (album)|Supertramp (1970)

Indelibly Stamped (1971)

Crime of the Century (album)|Crime of the Century (1974)

Crisis? What Crisis? (1975)

Even in the Quietest Moments... (1977)

Breakfast in America (1979)

Paris (Supertramp album)|Paris (1980—live album)

...Famous Last Words... (1982)

Brother Where You Bound (1985)

Free as a Bird (album)|Free as a Bird (1987)

Some Things Never Change (1997)

It Was the Best of Times (1999—live album)

Slow Motion (Supertramp album)|Slow Motion (2002)

Remixes and cover versions

Bob Esty covered the song "Lord is it Mine" for the 1979 movie Roller Boogie

In 2001, the German power metal band At Vance covered "The Logical Song" on their album Heart Of Steel .

Scooter (band)|Scooter covered "The Logical Song", including use of samples, in their single " The Logical Song|Ramp& #33; (The Logical Song) ".

In 2007 Gym Class Heroes used parts of "Breakfast in America" in their single " Cupid's Chokehold ".

In 2007 Laurel Canyon released in a club version titled "Goodbye Stranger (One Night Stand Mix)".

In 2005, the Goo Goo Dolls covered "Give a Little Bit" on their Let Love In (Goo Goo Dolls album)|Let Love In album.

Copyright Citations

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