Paris (Supertramp album)

Last updated

Paris
Supertramp - Paris.jpg
Live album by
Supertramp
Released26 September 1980 [1]
Recorded29 November 1979
Venue Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France
Genre Progressive rock, pop rock, art rock
Length94:44
Label A&M
Producer Peter Henderson, Russel Pope
Supertramp chronology
Breakfast in America
(1979)		Paris
(1980)		 …Famous Last Words…
(1982)
Singles from Paris
  1. "Dreamer"
    Released: September 1980 (US)
  2. "Take the Long Way Home"
    Released: September 1980 (UK) [2]
  3. "Breakfast in America"
    Released: November 1980 (US) [3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Billboard (unrated) [5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

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. [8] The album was originally going to be called Roadworks. [8] Paris reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 in late 1980 and went Gold immediately, [9] while the live version of "Dreamer" hit the US Top 20.

Contents

Background and recording

According to Roger Hodgson, Supertramp had several reasons to record a live album at the time, including a desire to introduce their pre- Breakfast in America works to US listeners and a mutual sentiment that some of their songs were pulled off better live than in the studio. [8] However, he admits that the chief purpose of the album was to buy time; the band was under pressure to produce a suitable follow-up to the immense success of Breakfast in America, and needed to get off the treadmill of touring and recording for a while in order to consider their direction for such an album. Taking such a breather meant the next studio album wouldn't be finished until 1981 at the earliest, and so something was needed "to fill the gap." [8]

Using the band's mobile studio, a number of shows in Canada and throughout Europe were recorded. However, when Pete Henderson and Russel Pope presented the band with unlabeled cassettes containing rough mixes of these recordings, and the members voted on their favourite tracks, the majority of votes coincidentally fell on recordings from the 29 November show at the Pavilion. [8] A few tracks were taken from other concerts during the band's stay in Paris, and studio overdubs were also added, chiefly for the vocals and John Helliwell's organ. However, Helliwell contended that the amount of overdubbing was minimal compared to most live albums of the time: "A lot of people, when they make a live album, just keep the drums and bass and redo everything else." [8] Filmmaker Derek Burbidge shot the concerts in 16 mm film, missing only five songs ("A Soapbox Opera", "You Started Laughing", "From Now On", "Ain't Nobody But Me" and "Downstream") to lower expenses and give the camera crew some rest. A&M Records requested music videos out of three songs, "Dreamer", "The Logical Song" and "Asylum". Peter Clifton edited them along with Sarah Legon, and even extended his work to ten songs. However, the studio never sent an approval, so Clifton retreated back to his Sydney home and brought the negatives along to Australia. [10]

The album's set list contains almost all of the 1974 Crime of the Century (except for "If Everyone Was Listening"), three songs from Crisis? What Crisis? (1975), two from Even in the Quietest Moments (1977), three from Breakfast in America (1979) plus "You Started Laughing", the B-side to the track "Lady" from Crisis? What Crisis?. The hit "Give a Little Bit" was played on the tour but not included because, according to Hodgson, "we were shocked when we listened back to the live tapes to find how bad all the versions were. There just wasn't one version that we felt that we wanted to put on the album." [8] Other songs that were on the tour's set list but not on the album are "Goodbye Stranger", "Even in the Quietest Moments", "Downstream", "Child of Vision" and "Another Man's Woman". All of these tracks, including "Give a Little Bit", later showed up on the second live disc included in the deluxe anniversary edition of Breakfast in America and on the 2-CD/DVD set Live in Paris '79.

Remastering and DVD release

Live in Paris '79
Supertramp - Paris 2012.jpg
Video by
Supertramp
Released2012
Recorded1 December 1979 [11]
Venue Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France
Genre Progressive rock, pop rock, art rock
Length94:44
Label Eagle Rock Entertainment
Producer Peter Henderson, Russel Pope, Peter Clifton
Supertramp chronology
70-10 Tour
(2010)		Live in Paris '79
(2012)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [13]

In July 2006, the original master tapes of the album were rediscovered in the Northern California barn of the band's drummer Bob Siebenberg, along with video footage. The tapes were sent to Cups 'N Strings Studios in Woodland Hills, California, for digital remastering. The tapes were initially in bad technical shape, but were successfully transferred to a digital format. [14]

In 2010, Clifton was contacted to finish editing the initial three videos, aiming to later release a concert film out of the Paris concert. The footage was delivered to Roger Hodgson before a concert in Sydney. Once Supertramp manager Dave Margereson and Eagle Rock Entertainment offered to cover the post-production costs, Clifton worked on finishing the film, doing his initial work in Australia. By the time he moved to London to conclude the project, Clifton found out his original idea to feature heavily footage of Paris, adding a story akin to his work in The Song Remains the Same , was nixed by the band, who edited most of what he had done without consent to instead showcase more of the group. [10] The sound was remixed by Peter Henderson and Supertramp's original sound engineer Russel Pope from the original multi-tracks. [12]

The concert film was released on 27 August 2012 under the title Live in Paris '79, with editions in both DVD and Blu-ray Disc. [12] Hodgson would later express his disapproval with the finished project, saying the rest of the band made most decisions regarding the DVD without asking his input and avoiding giving correct songwriting credit to himself or Davies. [15] The DVD was repackaged in 2015 with the full show on two CDs and correct songwriting credit on the rear packaging.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."School"5:41
2."Ain't Nobody But Me"5:24
3."The Logical Song"3:56
4."Bloody Well Right"3:42
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Breakfast in America"2:57
2."You Started Laughing"4:02
3."Hide in Your Shell"6:54
4."From Now On"7:06
Side three
No.TitleLength
1."Dreamer"3:44
2."Rudy"7:08
3."A Soapbox Opera"4:51
4."Asylum"6:51
Side four
No.TitleLength
1."Take the Long Way Home"4:57
2."Fool's Overture"10:57
3."Two of Us"1:25
4."Crime of the Century"6:32

Personnel

Production

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

Charts

Album

DVD

Chart (2012)Peak
position
Australian Music DVDs Chart [29] 17
Belgian (Flanders) Music DVDs Chart [30] 6
Belgian (Wallonia) Music DVDs Chart [31] 1
Danish Music DVDs Chart [32] 10
Dutch Music DVDs Chart [33] 1
Irish Music DVDs Chart [34] 5
Spanish Music DVDs Chart [35] 5
Swedish Music DVDs Chart [36] 3
Swiss Music DVDs Chart [37] 1
UK Music Videos Chart [38] 5

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [39] Platinum100,000^
France (SNEP) [40] Gold100,000*
Germany (BVMI) [41] Gold250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [42] Platinum15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [9] Gold250,000^

* 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 an English rock band formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies, the group were distinguished for blending progressive rock and pop styles. The classic lineup, which lasted ten years from 1973 to 1983, consisted of Davies, Hodgson, Dougie Thomson (bass), Bob Siebenberg (drums) and John Helliwell (saxophone), after which the group's lineup changed numerous times, with Davies eventually becoming the only constant member throughout its history.

<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 on 16 March 1979, by A&M Records. 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

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<i>Even in the Quietest Moments...</i> 1977 studio album by Supertramp

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.

<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>Brother Where You Bound</i> 1985 studio album by Supertramp

Brother Where You Bound is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1985. It was their first album after original member Roger Hodgson left the band, leaving Rick Davies to handle the songwriting and singing on his own. The album features the group's Top 30 hit "Cannonball".

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

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

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<i>Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology</i> 2005 compilation album by Supertramp

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<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">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.

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

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<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">School (Supertramp song)</span> 1983 single by Supertramp

"School" is a song co-written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson of British rock band Supertramp, and included in the band's third and breakthrough 1974 album, Crime of the Century, of which it was the opening track. Although not released as a single at the time, it was later released in 1983, backed with "Oh Darling", a track from their 1979 album Breakfast in America. In 1984, it was released in West-Germany to promote the compilation "Die Songs Einer Supergruppe". In 1989, the single was re-released as part of the promotion around "The Very Best of Supertramp". This time, the single peaked at No. 27 in The Netherlands.

References

  1. ↑ "BPI certification".
  2. ↑ "Supertramp singles".
  3. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 804. ISBN   9780862415419.
  4. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Paris at AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Review: Supertramp – Paris" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 85, no. 40. 4 October 1980. p. 108. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 30 May 2020– via American Radio History.
  6. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7 (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 857. ISBN   0195313739.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Melhuish, Martin (1986). The Supertramp Book. Toronto, Canada: Omnibus Press. pp. 163–5. ISBN   0-9691272-2-7.
  9. 1 2 "Searchable Database Results". RIAA . Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  10. 1 2 Peter Clifton Interview (in Spanish)
  11. ↑ Alexander, Phil (27 August 2012). Supertramp Breakfast in Europe: Being Served at the Pavillon de Paris (DVD-Video). Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson, Claude Gassian. Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France: Zero Productions. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 Genzel, Christian. Live in Paris '79 at AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  13. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (12 August 2015). "Supertramp: Live In Paris '79". Classic Rock . Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  14. ↑ ""Supertramp in Paris '79" Restored at Cups 'N Strings - Mixonline". www.mixonline.com. 21 July 2006.
  15. ↑ "Roger's Response to Paris DVD". www.facebook.com.
  16. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  17. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Supertramp – Paris" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4703a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Supertramp – Paris" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – S". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.Select Supertramp from the menu, then press OK.
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  22. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 5 January 2025. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Supertramp".
  23. ↑ "Charts.nz – Supertramp – Paris". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Supertramp – Paris". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Supertramp – Paris". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Supertramp Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1981. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  29. ↑ "ARIA Top 40 Music DVD" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1177): 23. 17 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop 10 Muziek-DVD". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop 10 DVD Musicaux". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  32. ↑ "Musik DVD Top-10". Hitlisten.NU (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  33. ↑ "DVD Music Top 30". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  34. ↑ "Classifiche – Archivio". FIMI – Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (in Italian). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  35. ↑ "Top 20 DVD Musical" (PDF). PROMUSICAE (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 January 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  36. ↑ "Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 January 2013.Search for Supertramp and click Sök.
  37. ↑ "Swiss Charts – Music DVD Top 10 09.09.2012 – swisscharts.com". Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  38. ↑ "2012-09-08 Top 40 Music Video Archive | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  39. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Supertramp – Paris". Music Canada . Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  40. ↑ "French album certifications – Supertramp – Paris" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 21 January 2013.Select SUPERTRAMP and click OK. 
  41. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Supertramp; 'Paris')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  42. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Supertramp – Paris". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  43. ↑ "British album certifications – Supertramp – Paris". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 21 January 2013.
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