Supertramp – Live in Paris ‘79

Supertramp was always a curious band. Showcasing inerrant pop songwriting values, the British group scored an impressive run of hits. The band’s sixth studio album, 1979’s Breakfast in America spawned three hit singles – “Goodbye Stranger,” “Take the Long Way Home” and “The Logical Song” – all of which soared to the Top 20 in the U.S. Those songs were melodically rich and accessible in the extreme. But their success highlighted only part of what made the group remarkable.

From its early days, Supertramp was a musically ambitious outfit, with strong progressive inclinations. Though the high-pitched vocals of Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson could convey a kind of twee pop sensibility, Supertramp songs like “Bloody Well Right” from their 1974 LP Crime of the Century combined that radio-ready catchiness with a heavier, rocking sound. Clever and inventive song structures served up prog and pop in equal measure. Even “Goodbye Stranger” alternates between Dylanesque vocal phrasing and a chirpy chorus.

Touring in support of Breakfast in America – their biggest success – Supertramp played a run of dates that included shows at the Pavillon de Paris; those concerts were professionally recorded, and a live set titled Paris was compiled from the best of the tapes. Released as a stopgap during a period when the group members had decided to take a break, the double-LP Paris climbed to the Top Ten in nine countries (including the U.S. and UK), reaching the Top 20 in three others.

While it would inevitably feature songs from Breakfast in America, the set list for the Pavillon de Paris show was specifically designed to highlight the work Supertramp had done prior to their commercial breakthrough. Boiled down to 86 minutes so as to fit on a pair of vinyl records, the subsequent live album trimmed more than 30 minutes from what might have been a complete document of a live date.

A new set available in 2CD and 3LP formats, Live in Paris ‘79 makes things whole again. Drawn from two nights – December 1 and 2 – the album features the group’s complete set list from those dates. Songs from earlier – and at the time, lesser-known – Supertramp albums including Crisis? What Crisis? (1975) and 1977’s Even in the Quietest Moments are showcased. As on the original Paris set, the latter’s extended centerpiece “Fool’s Overture” is included, along with nearly the entirety of Supertramp’s creative pinnacle, 1974’s Crime of the Century.

But it’s the six songs not included on the previous 2LP release that make Live in Paris ‘79 truly special. Three from Even in the Quietest Moments, two from Crisis and a Breakfast in America deep cut (“Child of Vision”) round out the set. And while “Give a Little Bit” had been left off of Paris because band members found their performance wanting, the version on the new set has all of the irresistible romantic charm of the studio recording.

The playing and singing on the album are impeccable, and the production values are equally top-flight. Supertramp’s winning combination of complex song structure and pop virtues is brilliantly highlighted on this archival release. The group’s collectively warm and engaging personality shines through in between-song banter (sometimes delivered in trying-their-best Française) and in the music.

While from a distance Live in Paris ‘79 might be thought of as merely an expanded version of the 1980 Paris release, in fact – especially now that’s its on vinyl, and in spectacular sound quality – it’s truly a worthy replacement for that release. It also serves as an excellent overview of Supertramp’s prime-era work, one that should lead those new to the group’s music on a path of back-catalog discovery.