Supertramp – Fool’s Overture (Live 1979)
Supertramp history
Supertramp followed an unusual path to commercial success in the 1970s, fusing the stylistic ambition and instrumental dexterity of progressive rock with the wit and tuneful melodies of British pop, and the results made them one of the most popular British acts of the ’70s and ‘80s, topping the charts and filling arenas around the world at a time when their style of music was supposed to have fallen out of fashion.
Supertramp was formed in 1969 by pianist and vocalist Rick Davies. Davies had been a member of a group called the Joint, who had found a financial backer in Dutch millionaire Stanley August Miesegaes; Miesegaes had grown disenchanted with the Joint, but saw promise in Davies, and he offered to bankroll a new band if Davies wanted to launch a fresh project.
Davies placed an ad in the British music weekly Melody Maker, and recruited guitarist Richard Palmer, percussionist Robert Millar, and vocalist/bassist Roger Hodgson. Davies initially dubbed the new band Daddy, but to avoid comparison with a number of other paternally named acts, he changed their billing to Supertramp, taking the name from a book by Welsh author William Henry Davies.
In 1970, Supertramp signed a deal with A&M Records, and their debut album was released later the same year. Dominated by extended prog-based compositions, the album didn’t win a large audience, and Supertramp‘s lineup shifted, as Richard Palmer and Robert Millar left the group, Hodgson moved from bass to guitar, and bassist Frank Farrell, percussionist Kevin Currie, and Dave Winthrop on flue and sax joined the act. The new edition of Supertramp released the album Indelibly Stamped in 1971, but it fared little better in the marketplace than the debut, and Miesegaes cut off his funding of the group.
Left to their own devices, Supertramp came close to collapse as most of the group’s members moved on, but Davies and Hodgson put together a new version of the group — Davies on piano and vocals, Hodgson on guitar, electric piano, and vocals, Dougie Thomson on bass, Bob C. Benberg on drums and percussion, and John Anthony Helliwell on sax, woodwinds, and keyboards.
This edition of Supertramp boasted a more concise and pop-oriented sound than the band that recorded the first two albums, and 1974’s Crime of the Century became Supertramp‘s commercial breakthrough, spawning the singles “Dreamer” and “Bloody Well Right.” 1975’s Crisis? What Crisis? didn’t fare quite as well commercially, but 1977’s Even in the Quietest Moments earned the band another hit single in “Give a Little Bit,” and Supertramp‘s steady road work earned them a reputation as an impressive live act.
1979’s Breakfast in America elevated Supertramp to true superstar status; three of its songs (“Goodbye Stranger,” “Take the Long Way Home,” and “The Logical Song”) would became Top 20 hits, and the album went to number one on the Billboard charts, selling four million copies in the United States and reaching platinum status in Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Supertramp followed the success of Breakfast in America with a live album, 1980’s Paris, but it wasn’t until 1982 that the group released a new studio LP, Famous Last Words, and in a sense the title was prophetic — the working relationship between Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson had become contentious, and in 1983, Hodgson, the lead vocalist on the band’s biggest hits, left to pursue a solo career.
With Davies taking the lead, Supertramp released Brother Where You Bound in 1985, which found the band easing back on their pop side and exploring their progressive influences; the album also featured guest appearances from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. 1987’s Free as a Bird found Supertramp experimenting with synthesizers and electronic dance music, but after a world tour in support of the album, Davies quietly retired the band.
In 1996, Davies re-assembled Supertramp for a concert tour; the new lineup featured Davies, John Anthony Helliwell, guitarist Mark Hart (who had toured with the band in support of Free as a Bird), and percussionist Jesse Siebenberg. The new Supertramp went into the studio after the tour, and Some Things Never Change was released in 1997. More touring followed, which was documented on the album Live 1997. Another studio set, Slow Motion, appeared in 2002.
In 2010, Supertramp regrouped for a world tour to celebrate their fortieth anniversary, but while rumors suggested Hodgson might rejoin the band for the occasion, both he and Davies issued statements saying they were not likely to ever work together again, and Hodgson mounted a solo tour concurrently with Supertramp‘s anniversary celebration.
Download Supertramp’s sheet music books from our Library.
Browse in the Library:
Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
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Aerosmith – I Dont Want To Miss A Thing | ||
Aerosmith 1973-1979 – Guitar Play Along with MP3 audio Guitar Signature Licks with Tablature | Aerosmith 1973-1979 Signature Licks | |
Aerosmith Greatest Hits (Guitar) with Tablature | aerosmith greatist hist guitar | |
Aerosmith Nine Lives Original Songbook Guitar Tabs | ||
Aesthetics Of Music Musicological Perspectives by Stephen Downes(Book) | ||
Affections touching across time (Inuyasha OST) Kaoru Wada | ||
Afi – Love Like Winter | ||
Afi – Miss Murder | ||
AFI’s Top 25 Film Scores Songbook | AFI’s Top 25 Film Scores Songbook | |
Africa – Toto.mscz | ||
Africa And The Blues (Book) | ||
Afro Cuban Keyboard Grooves by Manny Patiño and Jorge Moreno | Afro Cuban Keyboard Grooves by Manny Patiño and Jorge Moreno | |
Afroman – Because I Got High | ||
After Hours for PIANO DUET by Pam Wedgwood | After Hours for PIANO DUET by Pam Wedgwood | |
After Hours For Solo Piano. Book 3 (Pam Wedgwood) | After Hours For Solo Piano. Book 3 (Pam Wedgwood) | |
After Hours for Trumpet and Piano by Pam Wedgwood | After Hours for Trumpet and Piano by Pam Wedgwood | |
After You’ve Gone Turner Layton And Henry Creamer 1918 Jazz Standard (Vintage sheet music) | ||
Again, as before, alone (P. I. Tchaikovsky) | ||
Age of Empires 2 – Main theme | Age of Empires 2 – Main theme | |
Agnes Obel Chord Left | ||
Agnes Obel Fuel To Fire | ||
Agnes Obel Pass Them By | ||
Agnes Obel – Riverside Piano | ||
Agnes Obel – September Song | ||
Agnes Obel – Tokka | ||
Agnes Obel Falling Catching | ||
Agnes Obel Falling, Catching | ||
Agnes Obel Familiar | ||
Agnes Obel Fuel To Fire | ||
Agnes Obel It’s Happening Again | ||
Agnes Obel Just So | ||
Agnes Obel Mary | ||
Agnes Obel Riverside | ||
Agnes Obel September Song | ||
Agnes Obel Smoke And Mirrors | ||
Agnes Obel The Curse | ||
Agnes Obel Tokka | ||
Agnes Obel Words Are Dead | ||
Aguas De Março Jazz Piano Score Jobim | ||
Aha – Take On Me | ||
Ahead On Our Way Ff Vii (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Ahmad Jamal Poinciana Full score (Song of the Tree) | Ahmad Jamal Poinciana Full score (Song of the Tree) | |
Ahmad Jamal The Ahmad Jamal Collection (Artist Transcriptions) | Ahmad Jamal The Ahmad Jamal Collection Artist Piano Transcriptions contents Ahmad’s Blues, But Not For Me, The Canteen, For My Daughter, My Flower, New Rhumba, Night Mist Blues, Poinciana (Song Of The Tree), Sumayah, The Surrey With The Fringe On Top | |
Ahmad Jamal Wave from the album The Awakening | ||
Ai Mei – Rainie Yang | ||
Aimee Mann – Wise Up | ||
Ain’t Misbehavin’ Fats Waller As Played By Joe Pass (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Ainsi soit je (Mylène Farmer) | ||
Air on the G string, from BWV 1068 (10 string, Yepes tuning).mscz | ||
Air Supply Greatest Hits | AIR SUPPLY GREATEST | |
Airegin by Soony Rollins – Jazz Play Along with sheet music | Airegin | |
Akira Ifukube – Sonata for Violin and Piano I – Allegro | ||
Akira Ifukube End Titles Godzilla Vs Destoroyah | ||
Akira Ifukube Mesa March Godzilla | ||
Akira Yamaoka Silent Hill 2 Promise (Reprise) | ||
Akira Yamaoka, Silent Hill Room Of Angel (Piano) | Akira Yamaoka, Silent Hill Room Of Angel (Piano) | |
Aknin, Laurent Le Choix Du Coeur Easy Piano Solo (du film The Student and Mister Henri (L’Étudiante et Monsieur Henri) | Aknin-Laurent-Le-Choix-Du-Coeur-Easy-Piano-Solo | |
Al Di Meola – Guitar Technique SongBook with Tablature | Al Di Meola – Guitar technique SongBook | |
Al Di Meola A Guide To Guitar Chords Scales And Arpeggios Master Classes With Bob Aslanian | Al Di Meola A Guide To Guitar Chords Scales And Arpeggios Master Classes With Bob Aslanian | |
Al Di Meola Collection | al di meola collection songbook | |
Al Di Meola Enigma Of Desire (Guitar) | ||
Al Di Meola Guitar School Elegant Gypsy Songbook with Tablature | Al Di Meola Guitar School Elegant Gypsy Songbook | |
Al Di Meola Guitar Tabs Songbook Electric Rendezvous | Al Di Meola Guitar Tabs Songbook Electric Rendezvous | |
Al Di Meola Solace (Guitar) | Al Di Meola Solace (Guitar) | |
Al Di Meola Solos (Guitar) with Tablature | al di meola solos | |
Al Di Meola Super Guitarist Guitar Tabs Songbook | Al Di Meola Super Guitarist Guitar Tabs Songbook | |
Al Di Meola When Youre Gone | Al Di Meola When Youre Gone | |
Al Green – Let´s Stay Together Melody And Guitar Chords | ||
Al Green Let’s Stay Together | ||
Al Jarreau – Breakin’ Away | ||
Al Jarreau Spain (I can recall) Piano Vocal Guitar Chords | ||
Al Jarreau The Best Of Al Jarreau Piano Vocal Guitar chords | Al Jarreau The Best Of Book | |
Al Stewart – Time Passages | ||
Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat | ||
Al Stewart Greatest Songs Of Book | AL STEWART SONGBOOK | |
Aladdin – A Whole New World – Alan Menken | Aladdin – A Whole New World – Alan Menken | |
Aladdin – Arabian Nights (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Aladdin – Broadway Musical Songbook – Alan Menken | Aladdin – Broadway Musical Songbook – Alan Menken | |
Alain Barriere – Les Guinguettes | ||
Alain Barrière – Emporte Moi (Y Volveré) | ||
Alain Barriere – Tu T’en Vas | ||
Alain Chamfort Songbook Book | ALAIN CHAMFORT SONGBOOK | |
Alain Souchon Au Ras Des Paquerettes Piano Vocal Guitar TAB | Alain Souchon Au Ras Des Paquerettes Piano Vocal Guitar TAB | |
Alain Souchon Ecoutez d’où Ma Peine Vient Piano Vocal Guitar chords | Alain Souchon Ecoutez d’où Ma Peine Vient Piano Vocal Guitar chords | |
Alain Souchon les plus grands succès de (partitions, sheet music) Piano Vocal | Alain Souchon les plus grands succès de (partitions, sheet music) Piano Vocal | |
Alan Belkin – Una Guía Práctica de Composición Musical (Spanish) | Book Theory | |
Alan Jackson – Between the Devil and Me | ||
Alan Jackson – Buicks to the Moon | ||
Alan Jackson – I’ll Go On Loving You | ||
Alan Jackson – It’s Five Oclock Somewhere | ||
Alan Jackson – Little Bitty | ||
Alan Jackson – Once In A Lifetime Love | ||
Alan Jackson – Remember When | ||
Alan Jackson – That’d Be Alright | ||
Alan Jackson – There Goes | ||
Alan Jackson – Where I Come From | ||
Alan Jackson Remember When Piano Solo | ||
Alan Lomax – The Penguin Book Of American Folk Songs (GUITAR) | Alan Lomax – The Penguin Book Of American Folk Songs GUITAR) | |
Alan Menken – A Christmas Carol A Place Called Home | ||
Alan Menken – Beauty and the Beast (easy piano) Complete score arr. piano & guitar chords | Alan Menken – Beauty and the Beast (easy piano) | |
Alan Menken – Little Shop Of Horrors | Alan Menken – Little Shop Of Horrors | |
Alan Menken – Songbook | Alan Menken songbook sheet music | |
Alan Menken – Tangled (Disney) Rapunzel songbook | Tangled | |
Alan Menken A Christmas Carol (The Musical) | ||
Alan Menken Aladdin (songbook) | Alan Menken Aladdin | |
Alan Menken I see the light (Tangled-Disney) | Alan Menken I see the light (Tangled-Disney) | |
Alan Menken My Christmas Tree from Home Alone 2 Lost In New York | ||
Alan Menken The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Disney) | Alan Menken The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Disney) | |
Alan Menken The Little Mermaid Piano Vocal Score (The Musical) | Alan Menken The Little Mermaid Piano Vocal Score (The Musical) | |
Alan Parsons – Eye in the Sky | ||
Alan Parsons Project – Don’t Answer Me | ||
Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky | ||
Alan Parsons Project – Time | ||
Alan Parsons Project – Eve (Piano, Vocal, Guitar) Songbook | Alan Parsons Project – Eve (Piano, Vocal, Guitar) Songbook | |
Alan Parsons Project – Eye In the Sky (Piano, Vocal, Guitar Songbook) | Alan Parsons Project – Eye In the Sky (Piano, Vocal, Guitar Songbook) | |
Alan Parsons Project – I Robot (Piano, Vocal, Guitar) Songbook | Alan Parsons Project – I Robot (Piano, Vocal, Guitar) Songbook | |
Alan Parsons Project – The Essential | Alan Parsons Project | |
Alan Parsons Project Gaudí Piano Vocal Guitar chords | Alan Parsons Project Gaudí Piano Vocal Guitar chords | |
Alan Silvestri – Avengers Infinity War Medley – Piano Solo | Alan Silvestri – Avengers Infinity War Medley – Piano Solo | |
Alan Silvestri – Contact Main Theme |