40 Years Since Supertramp's Iconic Paris Concert

Supertramp1971.jpg
There are many bands that don't get much praise or respect in the world of rock, and Britain's Supertramp is a prime example. They came into being in 1969 thanks to Dutch businessman Stanley August Miesages. Sam had provided support to a band called The Joint, but they wre not taking their career seriously. Looking for a new business idea, he approchaed Richard Davies with the idea of starting a band. Davies hooked up with Roger Hodgson, and thus Supertramp were born!

Their first two records didn't do that well, but 1974's Crime of  The Century is considered the first of several classic albums. They ultimately hit the top with their 1979 hot seller Breakfast in America.

That leads us to this post's subject matter. As part of the Breakfast tour, Supertramp played several nights at the Pavillion de Paris, a venue that once was a slaughterhouse. In the fall of 1980, they released one of the finest live albums of all time - naming it Paris, being a change from the working title of Roadworks.

This double-discer is certainly a collector's item - and indeed one of my favorite albums of theirs. The record features all but one song from COTC, and all four singles from Breakfast. The band mainly recorded this album as "bridge." It was often times customary for artists and bands to make a live album to buy time while carving a follow-up album - especially after a successful hot seller as is the case here with Supertramp and their Breakfast in America album.

The band rented a portable studio and taped several shows on their tour. Ultimately, most of the members settled on the show recorded on November 29, 1979 in Paris, but a handful of snippets from other nights were taken in as well.

Now folks there are a few things that make this album unique. First, the songs are much more "lively" on this album - faster, and more intense. Even softer numbers like Take the Long Way Home have an amazing live undertone. Listen to Bloody Well Right and Rudy and you'll see just what I mean!

Also, the album finally...came out on DVD several years ago! I saw this show and it was incredible; however, I was disappointed. Songs such as Ain't Nobody but Me, You Started Laughing, and A Soapbox Opera did not make the cut. This was done to give the filming crew a break in my opinion, it's a shame...

On the plus side, it does feature Give a Little Bit. The band wanted this to make the cut on the original record, but aborted as they simply couldn't agree upon a well-sounding version.

Overall

 Do give both the album AND DVD a listen. The show is great, and if you know a little French, like I do, you'll easily be able to understand John Helliwells iner-song commentary. Particularly, during the intro of Breakfast in America.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jimmy Stokley and Exile

Image
  Although of minor significance, today is 35 years since we lostJimmy Stokley of Exile. A little known Kentucky band, Exile is perhaps only known for their 1978 hit Kiss You All Over . In the 80s, the band shifted to more of a country sound, and has not made any noteable chart hits since. A Jagger-like frontman Born James Carr Stokley on October 18, 1943, Stokley joined The Fascinations in 1963, who then became Jimmy Stokley and The Exiles, featuring future Exile guiarist J.P. Penington  Jimmy Stokley and The Exiles, were, towards the end of the decade, shortened to simply The Exiles, before the plural form was dropped in the mid 70s, becoming Exile. Interestingly, Stokley's attire and attitude on stage led to many calling him the American Mick Jagger. One hitters In 1978, Exile issued their LP Mixed Emotions  through Warner Bros. records. The record features the disco-ey hit Kiss You All Over , written by producer Mike Chapman (also notorious for working with Blondie). Despite co
Read more

The Legacy of Davorin Popovich and Indexi

Image
In the former Yugoslavia, there were many successful artists, but one of the most important, and even overlooked sometimes, was a popular band called Indexi (The Indeces). They had an awesome lead singer. The late, great Davorin Popovich today is remembered for has raspy, tenor voice - to me, a bit comparable to Burton Cummings of The Guess Who fame. Over the years, he has earned various nicknames such as Dacho and Pimpek. They were the seeds for other bands. Formed back in 1962, Indexi set the stage for what is now known as the Sarajevo School of Pop Rock - a movement that would live for the next three decades (a la before the Yugoslav wars). Their name, by the way, is the plural of Index - a student's gradebook. Each student was expected to record and maintain their own grades. The core  members, aside from Popovich, consisted of late guitarist Slobodan Bodo Kavachevich and bass player Fadil Redzich (pronounce "dz," like "s" in "risotto)."
Read more

Some Interesting Supertramp Facts

Image
Over the course of this decade, one of the bands that I feel is getting increasingly shunned is Supertramp. Although they took some time to lift off, once they did, the band enjoyed massive worldwide success. For today's read, here are some interesting thing you may (or may not) have known about Supertramp They formed with the help of a Dutch millionaire Stanley August "Sam"  Miesegaes , pulled of a band known as The Joint in 1969, feeling they had no potential. At this time, he approached Richard "Rick" Davies, and offered to finance Davies forming his own band.  Roger Hodgson was initially the bass player. Hodgson played bass on their 1970 self-titled debut, and only took guitar for 1971's Indelibley Stamped . The aforementioned album is the first when the two actually starting writing songs and splitting vocals together. On their 1970 debut, only Hodgson did the lead vocal.  Davies and Hodgson would be known as a next-gen Lennon/McCartney as while they wr
Read more