We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
Yeah…I didn’t post the real cover…with the naked tattooed lady…so sue me.
In 1971 Supertramp was a band looking for a formula. Their first LP “Supertramp” was a suitable representative of the “prog rock” of the era but didn’t sell well.
The problem was the band had a number of lineup changes in these years that didn’t help the continuity. The only real mainstays were Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies who wrote most of the songs. On this 2nd LP, ‘Indelibly Stamped”, Hodgson took most of the lead vocals and the LP definitely had some moments…but not enough. It sold worse than the debut.
The best tracks for me are “Remember” which has the Supertramp sound you remember ( no pun intended) and the final track on the LP…”Aries” which gives you some idea where they will go for the next LP…two years away….that will send them on their way to stardom
After “Indelibly Stamped” tanked…the band’s manager pulled his financial support. Hodgson and Davies managed to stay on the road through 71-72 with new players until finally adding Dougie Thompson (bass), Bob Siebenberg (drums) and John Helliwell (sax and synths), a lineup that would stay together for 10 years and release a bunch of hit albums.
With Indelibly Stamped they weren’t there yet…take a listen and hear a band looking for an identity.
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