Supertramp - Brother Where You Bound (1985)

posted by all-musicrecords

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".

Brother Where You Bound reached number 20 on the UK Albums Chart and number 21 on The Billboard 200 in 1985, and went Gold according to the band's then label A&M Records in 1985, although the RIAA hasn't certified it yet.

The track "Better Days" features an extended fade-out with voice-overs by the four key players in the 1984 Presidential Campaign: quotes spoken by Geraldine Ferraro and Walter Mondale sounding from the left audio channel and those of George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan on the right, mixed with John Helliwell's extended saxophone solo. 

Cash Box called that song "a solidly driving rocker" and praised the production values and melody.

The album's sixteen-and-a-half-minute title track featured Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham on rhythm guitar and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour on the guitar solos. Also, the track had readings from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. 

A demo for the song was recorded prior to Roger Hodgson's departure from the band, for potential inclusion on …Famous Last Words…, but the band ultimately felt it was too densely progressive rock to be appropriate, and decided against recording it for the album.  At the time of the demo, the song was only ten minutes long.

Tracklist

1.  Cannonball - 7:38 

2.  Still in Love - 4:36 

3.  No Inbetween - 4:36 

4.  Better Days - 6:15 

5.  Brother Where You Bound - 16:30 

6.  Ever Open Door - 3:06 

Supertramp

• Rick Davies – keyboards, lead vocals
• John Helliwell – saxophones, glockenspiel on track 1
• Dougie Thomson – bass
• Bob Siebenberg – drums

Additional personnel

• David Gilmour – guitar solos on "Brother Where You Bound"
• Scott Gorham – rhythm guitar on "Brother Where You Bound"
• Marty Walsh – guitar on "Cannonball", "Better Days", "Brother Where You Bound", and "Still in Love"
• Doug Wintz – trombone on "Cannonball"
• Cha Cha – backing vocals on "Still in Love"
• Brian Banks – Synclavier programming
• Anthony Marinelli – Synclavier programming
• Gary Chang – Fairlight & PPG programming
• Scott Page – flute on "Better Days" and "Brother Where You Bound"

Production

• Producers: David Kershenbaum, Supertramp
• Engineer: Norman Hall
• Assistant engineer: Steve Crimmel
• Mixing: Mark Ettel
• Mixing assistant: Steve McMillan
• Mastering: Bob Ludwig
• Remastering: Greg Calbi, Jay Messina
• Track engineer: Allen Sides
• Programming: Gary Chang
• Synclavier programming: Brian Banks, Anthony Marinelli
• Art direction: Norman Moore
• Design: Norman Moore
• Tray photo: Tom Gibson

Notes

Released: 13 May 1985 

Recorded: 1984–1985 Studio Ocean Way, Hollywood The Backyard, Encino

Genre:  Progressive rock, Pop

Length: 42:44 

Producer(s):  David Kershenbaum, Supertramp

Label - A&M Records