Supertramp - Crime Of The Century: 40th Anniversary LP (180g)

Remastered by Ray Staff at Air Studios in Celebration of the Album's 40th Anniversary

Featuring the cream of Rick Davies' and Roger Hodgson's songwriting, Supertramp's 1974 masterwork Crime of the Century was the first of the many peaks in the band's illustrious career; an album that had everything to prove and tunes that effortlessly straddled the world of pure pop and progressive rock. The significant change that happened with Supertramp on this album was that Hodgson and Davies had each found their strength as songwriters and were writing alone. 

With the unmistakable blend of the two songwriters work, it married the sweetness of Hodgson's "Dreamer" - the band's first big hit single - with the grit of Davies' similarly beloved "Bloody Well Right." In "School," "Rudy" and the title track, the band – Davies, Hodgson, John Helliwell, Bob Siebenberg and Dougie Thomson – helped define what would soon be known as 'Adult Oriented Rock.' This was - and is - not just an album that showed Supertramp's increased maturity, but a timeless gem marked by the incredible melodies and thoughtful lyrics of Hodgson and Davies.

"I'm fortunate to have written songs that have become hits without ever trying to write one," Hodgson says. "I've never sat down and said 'OK I'm going to write a hit song.' Inspiration comes in many different ways. Usually it comes when I get out of the way losing myself in the sound of the instrument I am playing – it's almost like being in a meditative state. With 'Dreamer,' the inspiration was born out of excitement and just erupted out of me. Looking back, it was quite serendipitous that as a young songwriter with so many dreams I had my first hit with a song named 'Dreamer.' It was certainly a thrill to hear it being played all over the radio. Creating our reality, I've since realised, often starts with our dreams."

Another of Hodgson's philosophical musings, "If Everyone Was Listening," reaches back to Shakespeare's As You Like It adage ('All the world's a stage, and all the men are merely players') for allegorical inspiration. "It's all simply a play," adds Hodgson, "The world is the stage for all of us, and the song is more about just becoming aware of what is really real in life. And it's a longing for love in a world that is falling apart. To this day it has always been my ambition as an artist to try to make the world a better place through my music ever since The Beatles inspired me by how they made such a difference in the world."