Even in the Quietest Moments...

Last updated

Even in the Quietest Moments...
Supertramp - Even in the Quietest Moments.jpg
Studio album by
Supertramp
Released8 April 1977 [1]
RecordedNovember 1976 – January 1977
Studio
Genre
Length43:27
Label A&M
Producer Supertramp
Supertramp chronology
Crisis? What Crisis?
(1975)		Even in the Quietest Moments...
(1977)		 Breakfast in America
(1979)
Singles from Even in the Quietest Moments...
  1. "Give a Little Bit"
    Released: 27 May 1977
  2. "Babaji"
    Released: 4 November 1977 [3]

Even in the Quietest Moments... is the fifth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in April 1977. It was recorded mainly at Caribou Ranch in Colorado with overdubs, vocals, and mixing completed at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. This was Supertramp's first album to use engineer Peter Henderson, who would work with the band for their next three albums as well.

Contents

Even in the Quietest Moments… reached number 16 on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart in 1977 and within a few months of release became Supertramp's first Gold (500,000 copies or more)–selling album in the US. In addition, "Give a Little Bit" became a US Top 20 single and reached number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. [4] While "Give a Little Bit" was the big hit, both "Fool's Overture" and the title track also received a fair amount of FM album-rock play.

In 1978, Even in the Quietest Moments… was ranked 63rd in The World Critic Lists, which recognised the 200 greatest albums of all time as voted for by notable rock critics and DJs. [5]

Background and recording

I think it was Roger who wanted to get out of Los Angeles to do a record. At the time, the sky was the limit, so we decided to record at the Caribou Ranch, on a mountaintop outside of Denver. What we didn't realize was that the thin air in the mountains makes your voice go weird. It also made it hard for John [Helliwell] to play the sax. So we ended up finishing it back in L.A. at the Record Plant. – Rick Davies, Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology CD booklet (2005)

Though all the songs are credited as being written jointly by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, Davies wrote "Lover Boy", "Downstream", and "From Now On" by himself, and Hodgson in turn wrote "Give a Little Bit", "Even in the Quietest Moments", "Babaji", and "Fool's Overture" unaided. [6]

Davies said of "Lover Boy" that "I was inspired by advertisements in men's magazines telling you how to pick up women. You know, you send away for it and it's guaranteed not to fail. If you haven't slept with at least five women in two weeks, you can get your money back." Bob Siebenberg recounted that "Rick had been working on 'Lover Boy' for quite a while and finally came up with the long middle section. I just heard that as a really slow, really solid sort of beat, just to give the song dynamics underneath it all, because the song itself is really powerful and it needed something really solid underneath it." [6]

Most of "Even in the Quietest Moments" was written during the soundcheck for a show at the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Davies and Hodgson worked out the various parts of the song with Hodgson using an Oberheim and a Solina string synthesiser and Davies at the drum kit. [7] Davies commented on the music: "It starts off in a very standard melody thing and then it notches onto a sort of one chord progression or perhaps we should call it a digression. It's a thing where there's hundreds of sounds coming in and going out, a whole collage thing." [6] Hodgson said of the lyrics: "It's kind of a dual love song – it could be to a girl or it could be to God." [6] Gary Graff of Billboard rated "Even in the Quietest Moments" as Supertramp's fourth-best song. [8]

"Downstream" is performed solely by Davies on vocal and piano, which were recorded together in one take. Siebenberg has described the song as his favourite on the album "because it's so personal and so pure". [6]

Graff rated "From Now On" as Supertramp's eighth-best song, highlighting John Helliwell's saxophone solo and the call-and-response singalong at the end. [8]

"Fool's Overture" had the working title of "The String Machine Epic", and according to John Helliwell: "It came primarily from a few melodies Roger worked out on the string machine thing we use on stage." [6] Written and sung by guitarist/keyboardist Roger Hodgson – who took five years to compose it – [9] the song is a collage of progressive instrumentation and sound samples. Hodgson stated that the song's lyrics are essentially meaningless, explaining: "I like being vague and yet saying enough to set people's imaginations running riot." [6] He also said:

It was very magical the way it came together. It was actually three separate pieces of music that I had for a few years and then one day they all just came together in what I think is a magnificent, kind of epic piece of music. [10]

First are excerpts of Winston Churchill's famous 4 June 1940 House of Commons speech regarding Britain's involvement in the Second World War ("Never Surrender"), followed by sounds of police cars and bells from London's Big Ben clock tower. The flageolet-sounding instrument plays an excerpt from Gustav Holst's "Venus", from his orchestral suite The Planets . [11] There is also a reading of the first verse of William Blake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time" (more commonly known as "Jerusalem"), ended by a short sample of the band's song "Dreamer". [11] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Supertramp's seventh-best song. [11] Hodgson rated it as one of the 10 best songs he has written. [10]

Artwork

The front cover is a photo of an actual snow-covered piano and bench with a scenic mountain peak backdrop—an actual, but gutted, grand piano was brought to the Eldora Mountain Resort (a ski area near Caribou Ranch Studios)—which was left overnight and photographed after a fresh snowfall. [12] The sheet music on the piano, though titled "Fool's Overture", is actually "The Star-Spangled Banner".

A remastered CD version of the album with full original artwork, lyrics, and credits restored (including the inner sleeve picture of the band absent from the original CD) was released on 11 June 2002 on A&M Records in the US.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]

In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau remarked that, unlike most progressive rock, which is "pretentious background schlock that's all too hard to ignore", the album is "modest background schlock that sounds good when it slips into the ear." [14]

AllMusic gave a mixed retrospective review of the album, calling it "elegant yet mildly absurd, witty but kind of obscure", but adding that it "places a greater emphasis on melody and gentle textures than any previous Supertramp release". It criticised the album as not being "full formed", but marked "Give a Little Bit", "Lover Boy", "Fool's Overture", and "From Now On" as worthy of praise. [13]

Track listing

All songs credited to Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson. Listed below are the actual writers, also lead singers of their songs.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Give a Little Bit"Roger Hodgson4:08
2."Lover Boy"Rick Davies6:49
3."Even in the Quietest Moments"Hodgson6:26
4."Downstream"Davies4:00
Total length:21:23
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Babaji"Hodgson4:51
6."From Now On"Davies6:21
7."Fool's Overture"Hodgson10:52
Total length:22:04

1997 and 2002 A&M reissue

The 1997 and 2002 A&M Records reissues were mastered from the original master tapes by Greg Calbi and Jay Messina at Sterling Sound, New York, in 1997 and 2002. The reissues were supervised by Bill Levenson with art direction by Vartan and design by Mike Diehl, with production coordination by Beth Stempel.

Personnel

Supertramp

Production

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [35] Platinum100,000^
France (SNEP) [36] Platinum400,000*
Germany (BVMI) [37] Gold250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [38] 2× Gold100,000^
Norway—20,000 [39]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [40] Platinum50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [41] Silver60,000^
United States (RIAA) [42] Gold500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supertramp</span> British rock band

Supertramp were a British rock band that formed in London in 1970. They experienced their greatest global success in 1979 with their sixth album Breakfast in America. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies, the group were distinguished for blending progressive rock and pop styles as well as for a sound that relied heavily on Wurlitzer electric piano. The group's lineup changed numerous times throughout their career, with Davies being the only constant member throughout its history. The classic lineup, which lasted ten years from 1973 to 1983, comprised Davies, Hodgson, Dougie Thomson (bass), Bob Siebenberg (drums) and John Helliwell (saxophone).

<i>Breakfast in America</i> 1979 studio album by Supertramp

Breakfast in America is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released by A&M Records on 16 March 1979. It was recorded in 1978 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. It spawned three US Billboard hit singles: "The Logical Song", "Goodbye Stranger", and "Take the Long Way Home". In the UK, "The Logical Song" and the title track were both top 10 hits, the only two the group had in their native country.

<i>Crime of the Century</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Supertramp

Crime of the Century is the third studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in October 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 on 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. The album was Supertramp's first to feature drummer Bob Siebenberg, 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".

<i>Crisis? What Crisis?</i> 1975 studio album by Supertramp

Crisis? What Crisis? is the fourth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1975. It was recorded in Los Angeles and London – Supertramp's first album to have recording done in the US.

<i>Paris</i> (Supertramp album) 1980 live album by Supertramp

Paris is a live album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1980. It was recorded on Supertramp's Breakfast in America tour in Paris, France, with most of the tracks taken from a 29 November 1979 show at the Pavillon de Paris, a venue which was once a slaughterhouse. The album was originally going to be called Roadworks. Paris reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 in late 1980 and went Gold immediately, while the live version of "Dreamer" hit the US Top 20.

<i>...Famous Last Words...</i> 1982 studio album by Supertramp

...Famous Last Words... is the seventh studio album by English rock band Supertramp, released in October 1982. It was the studio follow-up to 1979's Breakfast in America and the last album with vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Roger Hodgson, who left the group to pursue a solo career. Thus, it was the final album to be released by the classic lineup of the band.

<i>Slow Motion</i> (Supertramp album) 2002 studio album by Supertramp

Slow Motion is the eleventh and final studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in April 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Hodgson</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1950)

Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is an English singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman and founding member of the progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the band’s hits, including "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "Take the Long Way Home", "The Logical Song", "It's Raining Again", and "Breakfast in America".

<i>The Autobiography of Supertramp</i> 1986 greatest hits album by Supertramp

The Autobiography of Supertramp is the first compilation album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakfast in America (song)</span> 1979 single by Supertramp

"Breakfast in America" is the title track from English rock band Supertramp's 1979 album of the same name. Credited to Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, it was a top-ten hit in the UK and a live version of the song reached No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1981. The lyrics tell about a person, presumably British, who dreams of visiting the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take the Long Way Home (Supertramp song)</span> 1979 single by Supertramp

"Take the Long Way Home" is the third US single and sixth track of English rock band Supertramp's 1979 album Breakfast in America. It was the last song written for the album, being penned during the nine-month recording cycle. In 1980, the live version from Paris became a minor hit in various European countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreamer (Supertramp song)</span> 1974 single from Supertramp

"Dreamer" is a hit single from British band Supertramp's 1974 album Crime of the Century. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1975. In 1980, it appeared on the band's live album Paris. This live version was also released as a single and hit number 15 on the US charts, number 36 in the Dutch Top 40, and number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. When "Dreamer" had been released in 1974, its B-side "Bloody Well Right" was more popular in North America leading it to chart instead, at No. 35 in the US and No. 49 in Canada, with "Dreamer" only charting in Canada, that being at No. 75. "Dreamer" also appeared on Roger Hodgson's album, Classics Live, recorded on tour in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodbye Stranger</span> 1979 single by Supertramp

"Goodbye Stranger" is a song by the English rock band Supertramp; it was written by Rick Davies. The song first appeared on their sixth studio album, Breakfast in America (1979). The lyrics present an "optimistic view from a drifter."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Give a Little Bit</span> 1977 single by Supertramp

"Give a Little Bit" is the opening song on Supertramp's 1977 album Even in the Quietest Moments... The song was released as a single that same year and became an international hit for the band, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. It was a chart hit in the band's native UK, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was re-released in 1992 to raise funds for the ITV Telethon Charity event, but failed to chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Kind of Lady</span> 1983 single by Supertramp

"My Kind of Lady" was the second single from Supertramp's 1982 album …Famous Last Words…. The song is a '50's-style mid-tempo love ballad; it peaked at #16 on the USA Billboard Adult Contemporary and #31 on the USA Billboard pop singles charts. The lead and backing vocals were all sung by Davies, who harmonizes with himself by switching between his natural voice and a falsetto vocal. The echo-treated and natural sounding voice was sung in Davies' baritone. The falsetto passages were double tracked and mixed with a phaser. Despite being released as a single, the track was not performed live.

<i>It Was the Best of Times</i> 1999 live album by Supertramp

It Was the Best of Times is the third live album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in April 1999. The album title makes use of the opening line from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

<i>The Very Best of Supertramp 2</i> 1992 greatest hits album by Supertramp

The Very Best of Supertramp 2 is a best of album by the English rock band Supertramp originally released by A&M Records in November 1992.

<i>The Very Best of Supertramp</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Supertramp

The Very Best of Supertramp is a greatest hits album by the English rock band Supertramp, originally released by A&M Records in June 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloody Well Right</span> 1974 single by Supertramp

"Bloody Well Right" is a song by English rock band Supertramp from their 1974 album Crime of the Century. It appeared as the B-side of the single "Dreamer" in 1974. Listeners in the United States preferred it to the A-side, and "Bloody Well Right" became their breakthrough hit in the country, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babaji (song)</span> 1977 single by Supertramp

"Babaji" is a song by British rock band Supertramp, written by Roger Hodgson and also credited to other band member Rick Davies. First released on their 1977 album Even in the Quietest Moments..., it was subsequently released in Europe and in Australia as the follow-up single to "Give a Little Bit".

References

  1. ↑ "BPI certification".
  2. ↑ Plochinski, Gary (1998). "Supertramp". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 1110–1111.
  3. ↑ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 80.
  4. ↑ Rice, Tim; Gambaccini, Paul; Rice, Jonathan (1995). British Hit Singles. London: Guinness Superlatives. p. 303. ISBN   0-85112-633-2.
  5. ↑ The World Critic Lists. 1978. Archived at rocklistmusic.co.uk
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Melhuish, Martin (1986). The Supertramp Book. Toronto, Canada: Omnibus Press. pp. 119–137. ISBN   0-9691272-2-7.
  7. ↑ Melhuish, Martin (1986). The Supertramp Book. Toronto, Canada: Omnibus Press. p. 111. ISBN   0-9691272-2-7.
  8. 1 2 Graff, Gary (10 October 2017). "Supertramp's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  9. ↑ Statement by Hodgson at the Starlite Festival in Marbella in 2015
  10. 1 2 Hodgson, Roger (20 March 2023). "Supertramp's Roger Hodgson: the 10 best songs I've written". Prog. Louder Sound. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 DeRiso, Nick. "Top 10 Supertramp Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  12. ↑ Hurwitz, Matt (3 April 2018). "Classic Tracks: Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit"". Mixonline. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  13. 1 2 Even in the Quietest Moments... at AllMusic
  14. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved 13 March 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  15. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Vol. 7 (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 857. ISBN   0195313739.
  16. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide . Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. ISBN   1-57859-061-2.[ page needed ]
  17. ↑ Sheffield, Rob; et al. (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p.  797. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  18. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  19. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5282a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Supertramp – Even In The Quietest Moments..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  21. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Supertramp – Even In The Quietest Moments..." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  22. ↑ "Charts.nz – Supertramp – Even In The Quietest Moments...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  23. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Supertramp – Even In The Quietest Moments...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Supertramp – Even In The Quietest Moments...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  25. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  26. ↑ "Supertramp Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  27. ↑ "CashBox Top 100 Albums" (PDF). CashBox. Vol. XXXIX #7. United States. 2 July 1977. p. 61. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  28. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Supertramp – Even In The Quietest Moments...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  29. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 429. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  30. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1977". RPM. 31 December 1977. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  31. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1977" (in Dutch). Archived from the original (ASP) on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  32. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1977 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand . Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  33. ↑ "Top Pop Albums of 1977". Billboard. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  35. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Supertramp – Even in the Quietest Moments". Music Canada . Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  36. ↑ "French album certifications – Supertramp – Even in the Quietest Moments" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 1 June 2012.Select SUPERTRAMP and click OK. 
  37. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Supertramp; 'Even in the Quietest Moments')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  38. ↑ "Supetramp Gets Gold" (PDF). Cash Box. 10 December 1977. p. 55. Retrieved 21 November 2019– via American Radio History.
  39. ↑ "From the Music Capitols of the World - Oslo" (PDF). Billboard . 4 February 1978. p. 83. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  40. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Even in the Quietest Moments')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  41. ↑ "British album certifications – Supertramp – Even in the Quietest Moments". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  42. ↑ "American album certifications – Supertramp – Even in the Quietest Moments". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 1 June 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.