Customer Reviews

Breakfast In America

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Updated review - April 2013

This is NOT a review of the music itself, which I think is great. Instead these are my observations while comparing the sound of the original CD with the remastered one. I hooked up two good, matching CD players and played both CD's at the same time through the same good stereo to do A/B comparisons. First thing I noticed is that the remastered CD is 19 seconds longer. The fade out on "Oh Darling" is longer, making up most of the difference.

Overall, the remastered version is cleaner, has more clarity and brightness, more depth (you can hear the reverb adn effects more), and have louder and thicker (you can hear the bass guitar more) sounds. The remastered CD jumps out at you more, with brighter highs and mids, while the original is quieter, more balanced and contained sounding.

It sounds like the original studio tracks contained some distortion and compression in many vocals and keyboard parts; it's there on both CD's but more apparent on the remastered CD. It may have been recorded that way, with tube preamps and compressors distorting the sound to give it colour. However, modern remastering trends tend to raise the levels of the music so loud that the peaks need to be compressed... this new compression was never part of the original sound of the music. Many are fooled into thinking that the music sounds better simply because it is louder. However, reducing the dynamic range of the original music is NEVER better, and would be the equivalent to reducing the range of contrast in the colours of a film.

A trained eye/ear will notice the compression. Software which allows you to see the audio file will show it. Using NERO, I was able to see and compare the original and remastered audio files. On the original CD, the files NEVER near the peak levels and NEVER need to be compressed, so the music sounds more natural. The remastered CD reaches peak levels and requires compression. This accounts for the increased loudness. Overall, the "Breakfast in America" CD is too compressed throughout.

The booklet/insert for the remastered CD is better than the original one, in that lyrics and layout look better and are easier to read. The photo on the back cover is a little larger too, as the song titles are now located all at the bottom.

Most online reviews for the remastered Supertramp CD's are positive. I think most people will feel happy with the remastered CD. People who are pickier about the sound, audiophiles and people who listen on higher end stereos, may not be as convinced the remstered CD is the definitive version. I'm part of the latter --- I agree the music on the original CD wasn't loud enough, there was much more head room, but I feel the remastered music is too compressed, which makes it sound less natural and warm. However, I do enjoy the cleaner, clearer sound, as though a thin sheet was removed from in front of the speakers, allowing us to hear more depth and fullness. I hope the music gets a better remastering someday, but I'll be ticked to have to buy it yet again.

There seems to be a major resurgence of interest in 1970s music as today's 15-25 year olds rediscover music from that decade. I grew up in the 70s and my friends' teenaged sons and their friends are now frequently asking me about 70s bands and looking for lesser known bands and albums from that era.

Supertramp is one band I've told them about.

For those of us who were around in the 1970s, Supertramp is hardly a "lesser known band"; these guys filled stadiums and arenas back in the mid to late 1970s and early 1980s. But the younger guys I talk to only know Supertramp, if they know about the band at all, from hearing tracks like "The Logical Song" on classic rock radio stations.

To help rectify that situation, I'm putting up reviews of four Supertramp albums I tell these younger guys to check out: Crime of the Century, Crisis! What Crisis?, Even In The Quietest Moments and Breakfast In America.

All four of these albums get 5 star ratings from me. Excellent material; not a weak track on any of these four albums.

Supertramp is a hard band to categorize. They had a very unique sound and, for me at least, it's difficult to come up with other bands to compare them to. A lot of their material has been posted on YouTube if you want to give some of it a listen before you buy it.

But the four albums I've mentioned are all excellent and all worth including in your music collection if you're discovering or re-discovering 1970s music. Highly recommended!

When I was finishing grade school this record was huge. It was also the last great Supertramp album with the full line up. The remastered album sounds great (sorry have to differ from the other reveiw here and I think I have a pretty good ear). Why it took them this long to release it when the other albums were released remastered years ago I don't know but I am glade it's here. Unlike most people this is not my favouret Supertramp CD that goes to Crime Of The Century but this is still a classic rock record. long Way Home, Goodbye Stranger, Lord Is It Mine and The Logical Song are all off this record.
The live CD ,where not up to the audio of the live album Paris but my guess is that is because there are no over dubs here where I am sure there are a lot on Paris, Stll sounds great! Good selection of songs. Since this is only one CD (the live one) I would assume this is a edited down show. From what I have seen Supertramp were never big on talking endlessly to the crowd and their shows ran just over two hours so my guess is there is a lot missing. But it's great for what it is. If you like '70's mainstream rock this should be up your alley.

I have had all versions of this CD including the AM+ version. I have not, however, heard the MoFi version which is now going for silly money.I too looked at the Deluxe Version and bought this instead. It is so good that I am going to forego the SACD.
Do not confuse this with earlier versions. This 2010 edition is killer.

Service hors-pair et album dès plus agréable à écouter. Aucun bris lors de la réception de la marchandise. Temps de livraison adéquat.

Breakfast In America is one of my all time favourite albums.I've had it on record ever since I was nine years old,back when the album first came out in 1979.I believe this to be their best album ever.I know all the songs off by heart.One thing that fascinates me about this group,is how Roger Hodgeson and Rick Davies have always alternated in lead vocals.You can tell their voices apart,but they both do equally great songs.You'll notice how side 1 begins with a song where Rick sings lead,then followed by a Roger song,then the next song we're back to Rick,and so on.Side 2 begins with two Roger songs,the first one being his ever popular Take The Long Way Home,the next two songs are from Rick,the last song titled Child Of Vision,Rick and Roger sing together.Interesting track pattern.No Supertramp collection would be complete without Breakfast In America.

Supertramp's sixth album is easily their most popular, and each song is a classic. From the opening keyboards of 'Gone Hollywood' to the closing instrumental of 'Child of Vision', Supertramp never sounded so good. Each song is just as good as the last, and my favorites are 'Take The Long Way Home' and 'Lord Is It Mine', which are perfect lyrically and even better musically. 'The Logical Song' is the song that got me into Supertramp, and I love it for that, and 'Goodbye Stranger' is one of Davies' best. Not a single song on here is weak; the album starts and finishes stronger than any other 'Tramp album. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this great CD; you won't be sorry!

If I could give this album a "10", I would! Last year's Gap ad "Give A Little Bit" renewed my love of this extraordinary group. Starting life as a British progressive rock band, Supertramp shifted gears and became a real pop band. Supertramp was formed in England in 1969 by keyboardist/vocalist Roger Davies. 1974's "Crime Of The Century" became the band's first big smash, followed by "Crisis! What Crisis?" and "Even In The Quietest Moments". 1979's "Breakfast In America" was a huge success on both sides of the Atlantic, and is considered by most people to be the band's best album.

Why does "Breakfast In America" entrance me? Is it the lyrics, the melody, the moving background, yes, but most of all the voices that rise and fill the room with joy and the resounding emphasis on the music. "Take the Long Way Home" strikes a chord in my heart. I have sung the lyrics with my son while driving in the car, and it brings back the memories of our togetherness. I have told my family that at my funeral "Take the Long Way Home" will be one of the songs to send me on my way.

"Lord Is It Mine" has the old time feeling of longing and wanting. "Gone Hollywood" reveals what happens when a band makes it big, and "The Logical Song" tells us just that-the entire album has the feel sublime entertainment. The band has that certain "joie de vie" that we revere in a truly outstanding work of art.

My favorite band and album- you bet! Supertramp and "Breakfast In America" bring it all together- the feel of the 70's. The times they are a changing, and that was the period in my life that reflects what I think life is all about. Bring It On, Supertramp! prisrob

Supertramp's sixth album entitled Breakfast in America was a perfect example of the classic Dickens quote "it was the best of times and it was the worst of times". When it was released in March of 1979(25 years ago), the album was embraced heavily in the United States as the group had just come off the heels of their first Gold selling album with Even in the Quietest Moments, which was released in April, 1977(Crime of the Century went Gold after Quietest Monents went Gold). The album had three Top 20 hits guitarist/vocalist/occasional keyboardist Roger Hodgson's The Logical Song(a Top 10 hit hitting #6 in the spring of 1979) and Take the Long Way Home(peaked at #11 that December). Plus, keyboardist/vocalist Rick Davies' Goodbye Stranger(#19 that summer). Other standouts on this classic are Davies' haunting opener Gone Hollywood, which was a third person's view on the negativity of living in L.A., Just Another Nervous Wreck and Oh Darling(both also written by Davies). I also loved Hodgson's Lord is it Mine. Despite the fact that it's musically and lyrically a fun, warm and happy album, tensions between Hodgson and Davies were increasing during the recording sessions of this album. The title track to Breakfast Roger had written when he was 19 but Rick despised it and didn't want the song on the album. He also didn't want the album titled Breakfast in America neither, Roger won out on both counts. Casual Conversations was seen as Rick's stab at Roger and the closing Child of Vision was Roger's equivalent to Gone Hollywood and attack to Rick with Rick surprisingly adding in his responses to Roger's accusations and featured a burning sax solo at the end of the track by saxophonist John Helliwell whom is arguably the best sax player in rock. Despite all the turmoil, this disc went to #1 in the US(as well as Europe, Canada, Norway and Australia) and sold over 4 million copies in America(15 million worldwide). Hodgson felt that Supertramp should have ended with Breakfast instead of 1982's follow-up Famous Last Words although some fans disagree with his sentiments. 25 years on, Breakfast still holds up musically today. The remastered version of Breakfast which was released in June of 2002 has better sound quality that buries either the original CD or the Mobile Fidelity version. Highly recommended!

Oh how dissapointing that Supertramp went down the road of bubblegum, seeking middle of the road AM play. They used to be so good, but followed up their excellent albums (Crime of the Century and Crisis, What Crisis?) with the boring, flat Event in the Quietest Moments and the even worse Breakfast Over America. This is a totally forgettable album.