Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
1974
Album Summary
Crime of the Century is the third studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in September 1974 on A&M Records. Crime of the Century was Supertramp's commercial breakthrough in many countries, most notably in the UK, Canada and Germany where it peaked in the Top 5 while also making the Top 20 in Australia and France. It was an improvement over their previous sales in the US, but still only peaked at No. 38, with the US hit being "Bloody Well Right". "School" was another popular track, particularly at album rock-oriented radio stations. The album was eventually certified Gold in the US in 1977 after the release of Even in the Quietest Moments.... In Canada, it was eventually certified Diamond (sales of one million copies). The album was Supertramp's first to feature drummer Bob Siebenberg (at the time credited as Bob C. Benberg), saxophone and clarinet player and vocalist John Helliwell, bassist Dougie Thomson, and co-producer Ken Scott. The album has received critical acclaim, including its inclusion in Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time".The album's dedication reads "To Sam", which is a nickname for Stanley August Miesegaes, the Dutch millionaire who supported the band financially from 1969 to 1972.
WikipediaThe intersection of prog and yacht rock, with Pink Floyd influences doing the heavy lifting. Couple of hits; indulgent.
A comprehensive lesson that no matter how many pro forma riffs, piano tinklings and horns you squash together, they're still pro forma. But a lesson no one needed.
Some really great, fun tracks on here, especially Asylum - very up my street. I can't decide, either I really like Supertramp, or I hate Iron Maiden so much I was just relieved not to have to sit through another one.
What an introduction. Davies' wailing harmonica was so good, they used that instrument as the main intro to side two of Breakfast. "School" shows us exactly where they were in '74 - bridging the gap between prog and pop. What follows is a great album, showing us some serious rock, those Wurlitzer pianos, some thumping good rhythm, and a balance between art, rock and pop that few bands have managed. Somehow Hodgson's voice doesn't annoy, while Davies always has that extra bit of bite that makes him one of my favourites. Then it finishes with those piano chords! Simple, unadorned, powerful, memorable. So what do you do? Turn it over and listen again. Oh yes.... probably the best cover of any album, ever.
Classic Supertramp here, wonderful mild MOR Prog Rock with some excellent tunes my Favourite being "School" "Rudy" "Hide In Your Shell" but there isn't a bad track on this Album. I remember the first time I heard this album, it was 1975 in a friends bedroom and we sat pondering on what the words to Rudy and "Bloody Well Right" were all about... Ah twas such a simpler time! Now the lyrics of songs need no debate!
This is the reason I started doing this 1001 albums thing in the first place. I feel like my music exposure is very limited and I'm sure there are lots of artists out there that I'd never actually give a chance. I'm worried a bit that I like this one BECAUSE I've panned the others so hard but I do feel like FINALLY we have an album I'd listen to again of my own free will. I especially liked "Dreamer" and "Rudy" but I bet on after a couple more playthroughs I'd like a few others too. I don't know that I loved this album but I do feel like this is something that I could enjoy while partaking. I think I'm gonna go listen to Supertramp greatest hits.
I acknowledge that Supertramp can come off as kind of cheesy sometimes do to the production, but I have always really enjoyed them. Some really excellent musicianship and honestly the have some really unique ideas. Really fun to listen to an album of theirs I had never heard before. Favorite tracks: “If Everyone Was Listening” and “Crime of the Century”
Supertramp is a pretty weird band to me. They keep getting suggested to me on Spotify playlist because Spotify believes I should really like them. Sometimes I do, but sometimes their songs really annoy me and I skip them. Anyway, first time I'm listening to an entire album by them and it still feels sort of weird to me. Like I almost like them really much and they're almost exactly my cup of tea, but then something is slightly off and it makes them simply OK instead of awesome. I think this is a 3.5 for me. I'll round it up because I really like the ambitiousness of this album, which I didn't get as much of a sense of on the individual tracks I've heard by them.
This album makes a case for two of my pet theories: 1) bands thrive when they have at least two songwriters with widely different sensibilities in the group, and 2) bands tend to produce their best work when they spend alot of time together in a remote location in the country/woods. This album is a wonderful balance of melodic pop sheen and just the right amount of rock umph. All packaged in sophisticated prog structures with some really nice atmospheric touches throughout. Sure sounds like a concept album even though it may not be one.
4.4 - This is a rare prog rock record I really enjoyed and could see myself revisiting. Similar to other records in the genre, there's loads of production but despite the bombast, Supertramp exhibits something that eludes many other prog rock acts: restraint. Movements within songs feel cohesive to the whole. Relative to other prog rock records, instrument layers aren't crammed on top of one another. Rather, they are arranged strategically to accentuate melodies against a relatively spare background. I use the word "relative" frequently here because, again, there's still plenty of prog rock excess. Still, the record comes together nicely as a continuous 45 minute listen.
This is the kind of stuff I associate with bad Prog-Rock. Really don't care for any of it, not my thing.
Come on guys! I mean seriously! Some tracks are nearly interesting prog, then bland soft rock moments kick in. I don’t think there’s a single track that I find good start to finish. And some of the longer tracks are really boring. Dreamer is OK if a touch longer than needed. Not a super album.
A couple of decent tracks but the rest is a meandering mess of self-indulgence. Not a patch on their later masterpiece: Breakfast in America.
p325. 1974. 2 stars Straight up I have to say I have always hated Roger Hodgson's voice. Every time he opens his mouth I just want to punch him to make him shut it. It's like chalk being drawn down a board. I also don't like electric piano, which is a major part of the band sound. And somehow the cheesy sax makes things 10 times worse. So, this album starts at a major disadvantage. Shame really as musically its OK, tight clean production, but suffers badly from prog-rock wank solo pretentions. And as usual with mid 70s albums, a lot of the songs outstay their welcome. Well done of its kind, and some good tunes, but that voice and tinkly piano... ffs. 2 stars.
Take the blandest thing about most popular '70s bands, like Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Rush, 10cc, Eagles, and Led Zeppelin. Mix it all together and now you have a hit-and-miss album, most of which are misses.
Supertramp just stands out as having their own sound during a time when so much music sounded the same. This album is fantastic.
I’ve always listened to their singles, but this album is singlehandedly the best i’ve heard supertramp ever. amazing.
I knew a lot more of these songs that I thought I would. This is one of those bands that I've heard the name a lot but would never be able to name a song by them. Favorite so far (I know we have a long way to go).
This album is amazing! My most favorite track is Rudy (it's so 70s) and I hella love the temp changes. I also really like If Everyone Was Listening and Dreamer. Sick sounds, would listen again.
Астрологи объявили неделю максимализма, так что ставлю 5. Возможно, возник сильный контраст с прошлым альбомом, но даже и без него чуется, что тут мы слышим то, что именуется настоящей музыкой. Насыщенной, комплексной, гармоничной, эмоциональной, разнообразной, цепляющей... вот это вот всё. Конечно, несколько прослушиваний для оценки прог- альбома обычно маловато. Но тут осознаю, что как минимум первый и последний трек прям залипалово годное. Да ёбаный в рот, в списке это пока первый исполнитель вне моего жёсткого диска, с кем бы хотелось ознакомиться поближе. Возможно, с неоправданными ожиданиями, возможно, с разочарованием, но это уже не так важно.
Great album top to bottom. School, bloody well right, Asylum and so on. Great instrumentals on piano, harmonica, guitar etc accompanied by big vocals ands sharp lyrics. Will definitely revisit this for some new favorite ST songs.
Really enjoyed this one. Lots of cool instruments and sounds. Will definitely listen again. Hard to pick a favourite track, this feels like an album you should listen to all the way through in order. For now I'll pick Bloody Well Right.
New one! Starts off with a western harmonica, cool! Very rocky, yet very chill. Might add it to my Library. Added it to my library. Full of good prog-rock with some rarely heard instruments, at least in rock :D
This really is one of the greatest albums ever written. I just can't get enough of it. Every song is perfectly crafted. Asylum is such a great song, the build up and progression of madness is sublime. Bloody Well Right is a banger to bang all the bangers. The rest are just plain excellent.
Well, this goes without saying this is definitely one of the best albums of all time. It is varied and intersting music, and reminds me of my childhood so much. My dad loves Supertramp and it was always on in the car
One of my first "Favorite Albums". I've loved this thing since I was 11 years old. It was one of my first Amazon purchases, back when they just had books and cds. On a personal level, I feel like it still holds up. It's hard to choose between Bloody Well Right and Dreamer as my favorite. I think I could listen to the musical intro for Bloody Well Right on repeat forever until I die. Every other track is a classic in my eyes (ears?)
What a great pro album. More towards pop than rock and lacking a bit guitar but that gets made up by that great sounding keyboard being prominent
One of the best albums I have listened to in the experiment. Great dynamics and flow within a great run time. The melodies are balanced so well with the effective instrumentation. A perfect prog album.
Utterly brilliant album! I grew up listening to this as from an early age I had access to my older sister's record collection. Then she and the album moved out of the house in the early 80s and for whatever reason CRIME OF THE CENTURY and I failed to ever reunite again. Hearing "School" again instantly took me back and I realized how much I LOVE this album! I'd spent lots of time over the years with Supertramp's BREAKFAST IN AMERICA album or their greatest hits collections, but for whatever reason forgot about this album. The big hits ("Bloody Well Right", "Dreamer", "Crime of the Century") I heard frequently since the 80s, but the other tracks had disappeared from memory. Oh CRIME OF THE CENTURY will you ever forgive me for neglecting you?! What an incredible album this is! And how much have I missed the deep cuts of this album! As soon as I heard them it was like being reunited with a long-lost friend. I am kicking myself for all the lost years! So so so so good as an album! The hits are 100 times better in context. Today I fell back into an even deeper love with this incredible album. Thank you for reuniting me with this amazing record!
This is one that really needs to be experienced with headphones. The dynamic range is wide and listening on speakers I was either straining to hear or clamoring to turn it down. With the headphones, I got more of the subtle sounds and some nice stereo effects. Before this, I was really only familiar with Supertramp's singles and mostly those that featured Roger Hodgson singing lead. That made it hard to fit songs like longtime favorite Bloody Well Right into the Supertramp space in my brain. Listening to this album helped with that, giving me a wider perspective of their work. I enjoyed this record a lot. Most of the songs exceed five and a half minutes and don't stay in one place --- songs I didn't entirely love had parts that I did. Some of the pieces and their theatricality brought to mind Queen and Elton John of the same era. (In fact, parts of Asylum sound so much like Tiny Dancer, that it must be an homage.) I've never really liked the song Dreamer before but I loved it today. Today I recognized a little countermelody near the end and it took a minute to place --- Rodger Hodgson included it as part of the soundscape introduction to his 1984 solo single Had a Dream, another of my favorites. And that glockenspiel at the end! Yes! Glad to have listened to this for the songs I knew and the songs that were new to me. Lots to dig into here and it definitely makes me want to hear more from Supertramp.
Great album, really strong start with the first 3 tracks, Rudy good in the middle and then Crime of the Century brings it to a great close.
I remember this album was still massively popular throughout the 80s and of course for good reasons: classic album from the 70s when Supertramp released a whole string of these perfect popalbums.
Magic, pure magic. I'm still in disbelief - how has such a work of art gone under my radar for so long? Compositions developed to the point I kept forgetting it's not a symphonic orchestra. Crime Of The Century earned it's place in my heart. One of the best findings of 1001. Highlight: Rudy
Love this album! I only ever recalled Supertramp from 'jokey' songs but there's some seriously good gems on this. (Bloody Well Right)
En av de råeste åpningene på album jeg kjenner til. Bloody well right så bloody weell tight. 5/7. det som er nytt for meg, er at sangene på dette albumet faktisk kommer fra ett og samme album, og hvor gode de blir når man hører de i kronologisk rekkefølge. Dette albumet er sinnsykt bra. Skal høres igjen. Og igjen.
This is a great album and reminds me of my teenage years listening at Grant’s whacked off our heads. RIP mate
This was pretty solid. I had been wanting to get into Supertramp for ages, but now I have a reason to!
Massively enjoyable album. I felt a lot of emotion throughout. I don’t know for sure what story the album was telling, but it was well told that’s for sure.
Spændende album. Lidt teatralsk og fortællende. En blanding mellem pink Floyd, Queen og Ziggu stardust. Vil høre igen
Very enjoyable listening experience. Deserving of its place on this list. This was the first time I ever really listened to this band but am curious about their other works.
Don’t remember much of this album. Not because it was bad, but because I fell asleep listening to it on the bus. I think it was pretty great actually.
Some solid jams in there. I never listened to Supertramp intentionally before, but found that I already knew a handful of those songs.
Nice to have heard once more. Two song that are top Spupertramp songs to me. School and Dreamer.
I used to think Supertramp only did weird, quirky music like the Logical song, which would've been hard for a full albums worth. But this was a very pleasant surprise. Dude can really tinkle the ivories
Had never listened to this full album before. Liked it more than I would have expected.
Definitely heard of Supertramp, didn’t realize they did “Give a Little Bit.” This album started off sooo strong, with School and Bloody Well Right, I was honestly amazed and thinking it could be a 5 star if the momentum kept up. Unfortunately it wasn’t all so powerful. Still a great prog rock album, and I’ll celebrate it for those two opening tracks because damn they were fantastic. Certainly wouldn’t mind more from this group, this went down smooth. Favorite tracks: School, Bloody Well Right, If Everyone Was Listening. Album art: I’ve never even seen this before but I genuinely love it. It looks amazing. The constellation font, the disembodied bars and hands. Really, really great cover. If the album were a bit better I’d want to buy it. 4/5
Solide album que je vais certainement réécouter à l'avenir. L'intro est excellente pour partir un cd et la suite garde la même niveau de qualité. Innovant sans tomber dans le Weird just pour être weird. Mon hit: Je vais y aller avec la foule et dire Dreamer
I wish I was high on a very comfortable sofa with my eyes closed soaring through imaginary galaxies riding on the space waves of supertramp. I've just realised the album cover is very appropriate for this dream. Maybe I'm onto something?
ce groupe culte au québec fut fort étonné a ses débuts d'etre tant apprécier par des francophones qui leur ont permis un gros succes commercial ce sont tous des étudiant du conservatoire et nous avons ouvert notre soirée de noce par une de leur tounne
Interesting musically and structurally. Some cool instrumentation. A little jazzy, but rock.
Wow. This album is definitely from the 70s. ‘Bloody Well Right’ made me giggle in a good way. ‘Dreamer’ made me feel optimistic which is hard to come by these days. Best track for me has to be ‘Rudy’ though, some fun trippy Prince/Bowie-esque space travel vocals at the half-way mark that ascends into a funky AF string section, via some Miami Vice guitar shizz. I like how unpredictable it is, very-not-Iron-Maiden. Two dongs, way up.
Très bon album, ça s’écoute bien Je l’évite rien de particulier Je lévite school dreamer
Spurs were so shit I actually wasn't able to really have any meaningful thoughts on this but I liked it. 7.5/10
Enjoyed this a lot, I quite like prog rock on the whole but normally get irritated by its pompous nonsense, this album leans more into pop than 'bloat' though so was much better. Dreamer is still a shitty track though
This isn't your "Breakfast In America" Supertramp! This is your prog rock, big sound Supertramp. Still theatrical and fun, but it takes a slightly more nuanced sound here. Admittedly not familiar with their older stuff, but happy to have listened to it. Songwriting is the real standout. Check out "Bloody Well Right"
Excellent! Satisfying funky parts. Overdriven rhythm guitar against cleaner funk guitar sounds good together. Saxes, wind and piano make it all jazzy and joyful, but there are still plenty of sombre and ominous moments. British vocalist sounds great, and backing chorus jumping is fun when it happens. Makes good use of effects and synths. Remastered percussion sounds surprisingly high quality for a recording done in the 80s recording. "Hide in Your Shell" is memorable with it's sax melody in the chorus. "Asylum" has a really desparate but cathartic chorus from the singer. "Dreamer" is very jovial and energetic, with plenty of instruments involved. "Rudy" is more rock than jazz, without the brass, but then ends on an ominous note with violins. A great album, and plenty of variety in mood, tone and texture. But overall, quite uplifting.
In my mind a concept album, and a great one a that. One of the best openings of an album, ever.
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: School, Bloody Well Right, Hide In Your Shell Cutting Edge: Crime Of The Century Overall Notes: The first three songs are really really good, but it loses its steam as it goes on. The definition of a 3.5 star album, but i'll round up to a 4 because the first three songs are incredible.
нда, ну опять 70-е. больше семидесятых, народ требует. ну бох с ними, пусть будут. тем более жгучую боль при виде цифр 1, 9 и 7 сгладила довольно прикольная облога. Я даже понадеялся, что будет какой-то угарный спейс-рок, но, конечно, зря. Хотя элементы тут есть, проглядывают, особенно на последней песне, очень всё волшебно звучит под конец. Да и альбом в своей целостности является скорее хайлайтом. Начало довольно бодрое и интересное, тоже ребята не скупились на эксперименты. Но затем, примерно с третьей песни, Супертрамп начал меня терять. Даже со скидкой на устаревание такой музыки время от времени слух выхватывал какие-то идеи, которые мне совсем не близки были. Так продолжалось до Dreamer, на котором я уже всерьёз подумал, что мб забить и послушать какой-нить оперейшн майндкрам заместо (которого, кстати, в этом списке нет). Но сразу же после Дримера внезапно группа вернулась в прежнюю форму и выдала довольно качественную финальную секцию альбома. Посему, сделав скидку на время и в целом превалирующее чувство удовлетворенности, готов выдать этому альбому чек на одну семёрку и обещание как-нибудь вернуться и послушать спустя время. 7/10
Right up my street. What I imagine as David Bowie, Queen, Yes and Grateful Dead are mashed together.
44 min, nice, not every album needs to be close to an hour long. No extra versions either <3 OH OKAY IT STARTED for real @ 1:49. Music is so nice who needs lyrics. Overall pretty nice!
A good prog rock album that I enjoyed. Didn't think I'd enjoy too much from this era but here we are. The woodwind instruments were a nice surprise throughout and fit in quite well. It's a nice listen and I think it would sound awesome on vinyl. Best: School, Asylum Worst: Rudy
A great way to start this project. I’ve never heard of this band or this album, but after the first play through I thoroughly enjoyed every track. It started out strong and leveled out in the middle tracks but finished with a bang in the final 3.
I for sure need to give this one a few more listens, and I will do so. I think it's cool, Lots of what I feel like are Classics. I never listened to this as a album though. For sure just heard them in passing and absolutely enjoyed them in that vein.
Well this was a nostalgic ride. I had never listened to the album on a good system until now. This was one of the first albums I loved as a 12 year old. Just like then I had to listen to Hide in your shell twice. What a song. Allmusic.com had it right...4 🌟
Well this was a nostalgic ride. I had never listened to the album on a good system until now. This was one of the first albums I loved as a 12 year old. Just like then I had to listen to Hide in your shell twice. What a song. Allmusic.com had it right...4 🌟
Crime of The Century is quite dominated by the pop refrains (like Dreamer) , which were still painted with the harmonic complexities and sounds of progressive-rock. (7/10) Favourite Songs: Dreamer, Crime of the Century
Bloody Well Right is the only song I knew. I do like the quirky style of this band. The lead vocalist is so distinct. Story songs, very experimental mixing of instruments. Easy listening tracks but never stray too far from the rock.
Haven't heard it all through yet, but I will. And so far it's a five. What I thought Pink Floyd would sound like.
Man, this is a solid album from start to finish. King crimson vibes, but not as weird.
God start, men klarte ikke å opprettholde nivået gjennom albumet. Ble også litt FOR britiske vokaler inne i mellom
I do love a bit of Prog-rock. Love the building up in the songs. Dreamer and School are just great fun songs
Une belle découverte, meilleur que j'aurais pensé. Définitivement à réessayer et réessayer Blonde.
Super weird but I dug it. Listened to it a couple of times and may come back to it. Was hard to describe, in a good way.
Puts the rock (and pop) in prog rock. A very accessible entry into the genre, this album isn't as heavy on jazz, classical, or straight-up weird techniques that bands like Yes, King Crimson, ELP, or other prog bands had been utilizing earlier in the decade. This is really accessible to public audiences, with a reliance on formulas in rock and blues that have already been well-established, not the slightest bit excessive or pretentious. Songs are a good length. 8 tracks that are each well crafted and dedicated to their time. The longest track is 7:20, allowing songs to have plenty of experimentation and transitions without tiring the audience. It's kinda crazy that their breakout hit "Bloody Well Right" not only happened this album (as opposed to Breakfast in America), but that it hit 35 on the Hot 100. Favorites: School, Rudy, Crime of the Century
These guys are doing things that are uncommon even nowadays. The melodies and rhythms are often odd but in a surprisingly pleasant way.
First time listening to Supertramp. Great instrumentals, reminiscent of Yes, Genesis, and other prog bands. Good stuff. Favorite song: Asylum
I was a big fan of Supertramp in the early '80s, having bought their albums "Famous Last Words" and "Brother Where You Bound" when they came out, and being very familiar with "Breakfast in America" and their previous 70s hits. I've been thinking about how they had slipped somewhat out of my consciousness since then and how happy I was to hear them again. It was really great to listen to an album early in their success. I always enjoyed "Bloody Well Right" and "Dreamer," and the rest was a lovely discovery. But I can't help but be itching to listen to some of their subsequent work.
I prefer the poppier sound of "Breakfast in America", but this isn’t bad. This is one of those albums that squeaks by into my collection.
Don't think I've ever listened to Supertramp before - I was expecting some fairly straight ahead classic rock, but they're actually pretty proggy! Could probably do with a few more listens, but yeah, I enjoyed it. Fave track - "Crime of the Century", I think? I liked the opener "School", and the oddness of "Bloody Well Right" too, heh
Excellent. 4/5 Standouts: School, Bloody Well Right, Dreamer Others: Hide in Your Shell, Asylum, Rudy, Crime of the Centrury.
I had almost forgotten about these guys. This album was a radio favorite with Dreamer, School, Bloody Well Right. Piano pop with a bit of a prog edge. Holds up pretty well after all these years. They had a very distinctive sound… maybe the Spoon of the 70’s? Probably not….
Like a cross between Elton John and Pink Floyd. I enjoyed this and will listen to more.
Those Transatlantics recorded with these hippy dudes in the woods near Mt. Pleasant once. I think it was called Woodshop Studio. Anyway, they were really pushing Supertramp on me. The one guy made me a CD-R containing every Supertramp record in low-quality MP3 format. I never really listened to it. This is a great record. The sound. The grooves. The vocals. I don't know where it fits in their catalog, but it has to be a peak moment, right? I expected a lot more cheese. But this is music deserving of a serious listen. I like how there are delicate and quiet interludes/breaks, broken up by meaty crunched out choruses. A band with a lot of instrumental depth. The first two tracks are paced in a way that makes it clear a serious listen (not while working) is warranted. I'll return for another listen, without a doubt.
4-, really interesting melodies, I think that album was a fresh thing back in 1974, progressive rock at it's finest
Decent. It's interesting that I will listen to long, exploratory / progressive songs from some bands and love them (Pink Floyd, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater sometimes) but it's not universal, I didn't have much patience for the drawn out musical movements on this album, or other bands like Yes. Huh.
Very cool album. I thought it would be straight up funk but this is more blues rock with a funk and disco influence.
Dad pop, though I didn't recognize it as such when Dad showed it - at least Bloody Well Right and Dreamer - to me. In context, even those sillier tracks fit nicely into the Anglo class despair framework: The lyrical material is the right amount of dark, if sometimes a bit brief. Wurlitzer's appearance was appreciated as always, with jazzy touches not much worse than some of the best I've seen. Dynamic range comes through in a big way on the remaster.