I used to believe that, in order to progress musically, a
Supertramp “stage” was necessary to correctly move forward intellectually in
regards to music fandom. Back when I made that claim, I was probably looking
for meaning in my own existence, and reaching out further then the Metal I grew
up on to find myself. That was back in my 20’s. Today I realize that Supertramp,
albeit great, is a band that may not necessarily transcend the ages and have
the impact on future generations the way it did on me.
I am not saying that I am a ST Fanyboy or anything, but I do
give credit where it is due. A few months before my 18th birthday, I
was living with my sister Kerry, who exposed me to several artists outside my
box at the time. Kerry was in college then, and her circle became my circle,
which ultimately led me to love Supertramp’s Breakfast in America album, which
was in heavy rotation with her college buds while visiting our small apartment.
Breakfast in America was over a decade old at that time, but
it resonated with my sister’s educated
click more than the grunge movement, which was geared toward the disenfranchised
youth of the time. With that in mind, the lyrical intelligence spoke to me way
more than the usual Bob Dylan most were claiming to love. Unfortunately for the
masses, Supertramp has since been reduced to the dreaded Rock Radio rotation,
with daily spinning of the Logical Song mushed between Yes and Journey for your
drive at 5 (home from work presumably). Personally for me, that is the kiss of
death for many artists I used to love.
Recently, one of my other sisters (Katy) put Supertramp back
on my radar. I am trying to get her to walk down the aisle to the Logical Song,
and allow me to dress like Spock for the honored role of Best Man at the event.
It has become a running joke for me and
her Fiancé, Mike Anderson, and somehow I think we both would like the wedding
to be Star Trek themed. Katy, however, has stated “You guys can fuck up the reception all you want, but not my wedding”.
So we will be reduced to pointy ears at the after party, which is still pretty
cool. Since I am not as thin as I once was, I am now referring to myself as Fat
Spock.
Back to Supertramp, in the days before internet supremacy,
most of the artist info available was largely word of mouth. With that stated,
I never put much time into learning about the Supertramp story beyond the
songs, and I was surprised to learn that one of the main songwriters/vocalist, Roger
Hodgson , dismissed himself from the band 5 years after their hugely successful
Breakfast in America became #1 in the charts across the world. The band subsequently
stopped playing his material live. This included the songs: “Dreamer", "Give
a Little Bit", "The
Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Take the Long Way Home" and "It's Raining Again", which took the piss right
out of the once massively popular touring band.
They have never
reunited with Roger, which is weird to me in this day and age of endless
reunion tours and constant marketing of past hits that supports so many aging
musicians of today. That said Roger does occasionally tour as a solo artist.
Supertramp also hits the road now and again, actually playing some of Roger’s material
these days. Blame it on the almighty dollar.
This blog usually
includes YouTube videos. It is sad that finding any music from Supertramp with
Roger on Vocals is impossible. I am sure there were more than a few suits
involved in making that a reality. It’s like trying to find a Prince song (not
gonna happen). There are, however plenty of clips of Roger singing the songs he
penned for Supertramp, so I leave you with one of my favorites.
