- ...Famous Last Words...
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...Famous Last Words... Studio album by Supertramp Released October 1982 Recorded November 1981 to summer 1982 at Unicorn, Nevada City, CA; The Backyard, Encino, CA; Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, CA; Bill Schnee's Studios, North Hollywood, CA Genre Pop, rock Length 47:35 Label A&M Producer Peter Henderson, Russel Pope, Supertramp Supertramp chronology Paris
(1980)...Famous Last Words...
(1982)Brother Where You Bound
(1985)...Famous Last Words..., the eighth album by progressive rock band Supertramp, was released in October 1982.
The album was the studio follow-up to 1979's Breakfast in America and was the last with guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Roger Hodgson, who left the group so that he could spend more time with his children.[1]
...Famous Last Words... reached number 5 on the Billboard Pop Albums Charts in 1982[2] and was certified Gold for sales in excess of 500,000 copies there.[3] It also peaked at number 6 in the UK[4] where it was certified Gold for 100,000 copies sold.
A remastered CD version of the album was released on 30 July 2002 on A&M Records. The remastered CD comes with all of the original artwork and the CD art features a green pair of scissors and a black background.
Contents
Background and recording
The album was mainly recorded and mixed at Hodgson's home, Unicorn Studios in Nevada City, California, as he did not want to leave his wife, his then two-year old daughter Heidi, and newborn son Andrew behind. Davies wound up recording his vocal parts at his home studio, The Backyard Studios, in Encino, California. Other overdubs were at Bill Schnee Recording Studios in Los Angeles.
Reception
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic [5] Allmusic found the album overly tailored towards commercial success, claiming that the group in general and Roger Hodgson in particular were too fixated on producing more hits, and that as a result "romantically inclined poetry and love song fluff replaces the lyrical keenness that Supertramp had produced in the past, and the instrumental proficiency that they once mastered has vanished."[5]
Track listing
...Famous Last Words... was the first time that songs were credited to Hodgson and Davies separately in the sleeve notes, although they were still credited to Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson in the liner notes and on the label.
Side one
- "Crazy" (Hodgson) – 4:44
- Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson
- "Put on Your Old Brown Shoes" (Davies) – 4:22
- Lead vocals: Rick Davies
- "It's Raining Again" (Hodgson) – 4:24
- Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson
- "Bonnie" (Davies) – 5:37
- Lead vocals: Rick Davies
- "Know Who You Are" (Hodgson) – 4:59
- Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson
Side two
- "My Kind of Lady" (Davies) – 5:15
- Lead vocals: Rick Davies
- "C'est le Bon" (Hodgson) – 5:32
- Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson
- "Waiting So Long" (Davies) – 6:35
- Lead vocals: Rick Davies
- "Don't Leave Me Now" (Hodgson) – 6:24
- Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson
Personnel
- Rick Davies – keyboards, lead and backing vocals, melodica solo on "It's Raining Again", harmonica on "Don't Leave Me Now"
- John Helliwell – saxophones, clarinet, keyboards, backing vocals
- Roger Hodgson – guitars, keyboards, lead and backing vocals
- Bob Siebenberg – drums
- Dougie Thomson – bass, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Claire Diament – backing vocals on "Don't Leave Me Now"
- Ann Wilson – backing vocals on "Put On Your Old Brown Shoes" and "C'est Le Bon"
- Nancy Wilson – backing vocals on "Put On Your Old Brown Shoes" and "C'est Le Bon"
Production
- Producers: Peter Henderson, Russel Pope, Supertramp
- Engineer: Peter Henderson
- Assistant engineer: Norman Hall
- Mastering on original issue: Doug Sax, Mike Reese
- Mastering on 2002 Remaster: Greg Calbi, Jay Messina
- Concert sound: Russel Pope
- Technician: Bud Wyatt
- String arrangements: Richard Hewson
- Art direction: Mike Doud, Norman Moore
- Design: Mike Doud, Norman Moore
- Cover design: Mike Dowd, Norman Moore
- Cover art concept: Mike Dowd
- Artwork: Mike Dowd
- Photography: Jules Bates, Tom Gibson
- Cover photo: Jules Bates, Tom Gibson
- Sleeve photo: Tom Gibson
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 – Billboard (North America)
Year Chart Position 1982 Pop Albums 5 [2] Singles – Billboard (North America)
Year Single Chart Position 1982 "Crazy" Mainstream Rock 10[2] "Don't Leave Me Now" Mainstream Rock 32[2] "It's Raining Again" Adult Contemporary 5 Mainstream Rock 7 Pop Singles 11[2] "Waiting So Long" Mainstream Rock 30[2] 1983 "My Kind of Lady" Adult Contemporary 16 Pop Singles 31[2] References
- ^ Coleman, Andy (2007-09-28). "Supertramp star plans tribute to city colleague". Birmingham Mail. http://www.birminghammail.net/what-is-on-in-birmingham/rock-and-pop/2007/09/28/supertramp-star-plans-tribute-to-city-colleague-97319-19862843/. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g ...Famous Last Words... in the Billboard charts, Allmusic. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
- ^ www.riaa.com
- ^ "Chart Stats – Supertramp – Famous Last Words". www.chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=7033. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ a b "allmusic ((( ...Famous Last Words... > Review )))". www.allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r19403. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
Supertramp Rick Davies • Bob Siebenberg • John Helliwell • Carl Verheyen • Lee Thornburg • Cliff Hugo • Jesse Siebenberg • Gabe Dixon • Cassie Miller-Thornburg
Past members: Roger Hodgson • Dougie Thomson • Richard Palmer • Robert Millar • Frank Farrell • Kevin Currie • Dave Winthrop • Mark Hart • Tom Walsh • Keith Baker
Touring members: Marty Walsh (1985–1988) • Brad Cole (1986–1988) • Scott Page (1983–1985) • Fred Mandel (1983)Albums Supertramp • Indelibly Stamped • Crime of the Century • Crisis? What Crisis? • Even in the Quietest Moments... • Breakfast in America • ...Famous Last Words... • Brother Where You Bound • Free as a Bird • Some Things Never Change • Slow MotionLive albums Concert Classics • Paris • Live '88 • It Was the Best of Times • Is Everybody Listening? • 70-10 TourCompilations The Autobiography of Supertramp • The Very Best of Supertramp • The Very Best of Supertramp 2 • Retrospectacle – The Supertramp AnthologySingles "Forever"" • "Land Ho" • "Dreamer" • "Bloody Well Right" • "Lady" • "Ain't Nobody But Me" • "Give a Little Bit" • "Babaji" • "From Now On" • "The Logical Song" • "Breakfast in America" • "Goodbye Stranger" • "Take the Long Way Home" • "Dreamer (live)" • "Breakfast in America (live)" • "It's Raining Again" • "Don't Leave Me Now" • "Crazy" • "My Kind of Lady" • "Still in Love" • "Cannonball" • "Better Days" • "I'm Beggin' You" • "Free As A Bird" • "Give a Little Bit (New Version)" • "You Win, I Lose" • "Listen To Me, Please" • "Slow Motion"Selected songs Related articles Discography • Band membersCategories:- Supertramp albums
- 1982 albums
- A&M Records albums
- "Crazy" (Hodgson) – 4:44
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