More Supertramp
- A Killer Copy: Triple Plus (A+++) on side two, nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) on side one, and Double Plus (A++) on the rest
- This British original pressing may have been mastered in America but it sure sounded better than most of the domestic vinyl we played
- Key elements in the sound of the best pressings were size, richness, Tubey Magic and energy, and these sides have a sizable helping of all four
- Amazon reviewers love the album – 86% of them as of this writing have given it Five Stars
Listen to side two of this copy to hear exactly what the best sounding copies can do!
What the best sides of this Classic Rock Live Album have to offer is not hard to hear:
- The biggest, most immediate staging in the largest acoustic space
- The most Tubey Magic, without which you have almost nothing. CDs give you clean and clear. Only the best vintage vinyl domestic pressings like this one offer the kind of Tubey Magic that was on the tapes in 1980
- Tight, note-like, rich, full-bodied bass, with the correct amount of weight down low
- Natural tonality in the midrange — with all the keyboards, guitars and drums having the correct sound for this kind of recording
- Transparency and resolution, critical to hearing into the three-dimensional space of the concert hall
No doubt there’s more but we hope that should do for now
Playing the record is the only way to hear all of the above, and playing the best pressings against a pile of other copies under rigorously controlled conditions is the only way to find a pressing that sounds as good as this one does.
TRACK LISTING
Side One
School
Ain’t Nobody But Me
The Logical Song
Bloody Well Right
Side Two
Breakfast In America
You Started Laughing
Hide In Your Shell
From Now On
Side Three
Dreamer
Rudy
A Soapbox Opera
Asylum
Side Four
Take The Long Way Home
Fool’s Overture
Two Of Us
Crime Of The Century
Amazon Review
Being in Paris Will Make You Feel Logical
Supertramp’s ivories were sure being tickled on a November night in 1979, just another concert in a huge tour prompted by the chart topping success of their latest album “Breakfast in America.” Before an extremely excited audience at the Paris Pavilion, Supertramp delivered a colorful performance, captured here on the double live album simply titled “Paris,” released in 1980. The group is in great condition, and just as enthusiastic as the appreciative audience.
The magic of the album is not found in major variations or re-arrangements (because there are hardly any at all), but rather in the pure charm of a Supertramp performance. The English supergroup gives vigorous, dynamic readings of their hits such as `The Logical Song,’ `Take the Long Way Home,’ and `Bloody Well Right’ and some of their most essential album pieces including `A Soapbox Opera,’ the grand `Fool’s Overture’ and a dramatic version of `Crime of the Century’ which contains even more feeling than the already powerful studio version.
Another highlight is the lovelorn, jazzy `You Started Laughing” which features great melancholy saxophone work from John Helliwell. Bassist Dougie Thomson and drummer Bob C. Benberg shine with great musicianship, and the keyboards and vocals of songwriters Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies give the renditions their trademark Supertramp sound. The spoken banter to the audience is charming as well, though to understand most of it, one must be fluent in French.