It Was The Best of Times de Supertramp
Álbum de Supertramp
- Fecha de lanzamiento: 12 de Abril de 1999
- Sello Discográfico: EMI
- Compositores: Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson
- Productores: Jack Douglas, Rick Davies
It Was The Best of Times es un álbum de Supertramp, publicado en 1999 por EMI. El disco incluye 13 canciones, entre ellas «You Win, I Lose», «Listen to Me Please», «Sooner or Later» y «Free as a Bird».
Lanzado en 1999, It Was the Best of Times es el tercer álbum en directo de Supertramp y el primero en casi dos décadas. Este doble disco documenta la exitosa gira mundial "It's About Time", que tuvo lugar en 1997 para promocionar el álbum de regreso Some Things Never Change. El álbum es una celebración del legado de la banda, con la formación liderada por Rick Davies interpretando tanto los nuevos temas como una generosa selección de sus clásicos inmortales de los años 70. El título, una referencia a la novela "Historia de dos ciudades" de Charles Dickens, encapsula perfectamente el espíritu del álbum: una mirada nostálgica al pasado glorioso de la banda, pero interpretada con la energía y la madurez del presente.
De la idea al estudio
La gira "It's About Time" de 1997 marcó el regreso triunfal de Supertramp a los grandes escenarios después de casi una década de inactividad. La banda, ahora una formación de ocho músicos en el escenario, fue aclamada en toda Europa. El álbum en directo fue grabado en gran parte durante el concierto de la banda en el Royal Albert Hall de Londres. La producción, a cargo de Rick Davies y Jack Douglas, buscó capturar la atmósfera y la calidez del directo, con un sonido orgánico y muy detallado que permitía apreciar la increíble musicalidad de la banda expandida.
Análisis musical y del directo
El álbum demuestra la increíble calidad de Supertramp como banda en directo. La formación, con el multiinstrumentista Mark Hart asumiendo muchas de las partes vocales de Roger Hodgson, logra un equilibrio admirable entre ser respetuosos con los arreglos originales de los clásicos y aportar una nueva energía. El sonido es una mezcla de rock progresivo, art rock y jazz fusion, con largos pasajes instrumentales donde el saxofón de John Helliwell y el piano de Rick Davies son los grandes protagonistas. A diferencia del pulido sonido de estudio de los 80, aquí la banda suena más relajada y orgánica, con espacio para la improvisación.
Tema a tema
El repertorio es una mezcla perfecta de pasado y presente. El álbum incluye potentes interpretaciones de los temas de "Some Things Never Change", como "You Win, I Lose" y "Some Things Never Change". Sin embargo, el principal atractivo para los fans son las versiones en directo de los grandes éxitos. Clásicos como "The Logical Song", "Bloody Well Right", "Take the Long Way Home" y "Crime of the Century" son interpretados con una precisión y una energía que demuestran su atemporalidad. La versión de 10 minutos de "Rudy" es uno de los puntos culminantes del disco.
El álbum en listas
El álbum tuvo un excelente rendimiento comercial en Europa, donde la gira había sido un gran éxito, reafirmando el estatus de la banda como un acto en directo de primer nivel.
- Alemania (GfK Entertainment): 29
- Suiza (Schweizer Hitparade): 12
- Francia (SNEP): 23
- España (PROMUSICAE): 28
Cómo lo recibió la crítica
La crítica recibió el álbum de forma muy positiva. Fue elogiado por la excelente calidad del sonido y la energía de las interpretaciones, y muchos lo consideraron superior al álbum de estudio que lo precedió. AllMusic lo describió como "una actuación sólida y profesional que encantará a los fans". "It Was the Best of Times" es un documento esencial de la última gran gira de Supertramp, un testamento de su increíble catálogo de canciones y de la maestría musical de la formación liderada por Rick Davies.
Listado de Canciones
- You Win, I Lose
Letra
You win, I lose I beg, you choose You're so cool and I'm confused I'm me and you're you You're so loose and I'm uptight You're day, I'm night Like two ships in the night in foggy weather, Just a waitin' for fresh winds to blow. Maybe we're losin' one another I could be wrong I don't know You get the best, I get the rest You pass the test, I'm just a mess You got it made, I'm in the shade Like two ships in the night Like two dopes in the boat, without a paddle Just a wonderin' why it don't go We could be losin' one another I could be wrong I don't know I know you're tryin' to phase me It's gonna drive me crazy I can't wait for the day when I win, You lose You beg and I choose You're in the shade, I'm on parade Like two ships in the night - Listen to Me Please
Letra
Well if you want some advice You gotta listen to me Getta hold of your life And you can have a new dream Forget the ups and the downs There's a new game in town For every turn in the road There's a new way to go I don't hear what you say Gonna find my own way You just try to persuade Everyone around you We'll make it easy for you Plane everything that you do Won't have to work very hard You'll make it big from the start Don't have to take it from me Here's a list you can see Every one of those names They found their fortune and fame Well it all sound so sweet So simple, so neat Ah but I can't believe Anything you tell me I know your life's a big mistake Let's go, this music you must face Listen to me please, get down upon your knees They'll never treat you like they did before I'll make your dreams come true Now all I need is you Please believe me and all this will be yours You'll have a penthouse in town You'll be the king with a crown Live on country estate You'll have a twenty foot gate Getting tanned at the pool You'll be making them drool Taking trip overseas Do anything that you please Well I feel so alone Where did I go so wrong? Do you know? Can you tell? Maybe can you help me I know, it's hard for you to take Let's go, this move you have to make Listen to me please, I'm down upon your knees They'll never treat you like they did before I'll make your dreams come true Now all I need is you Please believe me and all this will be yours Your vision will be clear, your pain will disappear You'll know that I'll be watching over you I'll chase your blues away So just change your life today Everything I say to you is true - Sooner or Later
Letra
Sooner or later it's gonna get better Sooner or later I'm gonna get over her You know I can't go on like this It's just a matter time There'll come a day when I will wake up Without her on my mind Sooner or later it's gonna get better Sooner or later I'm gonna get over her They say that time will heal everything So I'm winding the clock And waiting for that glorious moment When my heartache will stop She let me go It took me by surprise I feel out of place Without her by my side Sooner or later it's gonna get better Sooner or later I'm gonna get over her Sooner or later Sooner or later Sooner or later - Free as a Bird
Letra
When a spirit is broken Why go on When there's nothing to say And a love just a token It was strong Now it's fading away Ah but I'm free as a bird As I walk right out that door You have my word I won't bother you no more Yes I'm doing alright As I face the lonely night And our love it was over Long ago But we just didn't say And the years they have fallen One by one How they drifted away But now I'm free as a bird As I walk out that door You have my word I won't bother you no more Yes I'm feeling OK As I face the brand new day As I face the brand new day You know I'm free as a bird As I walk right out that door You have my word I won't bother you no more Yes I'm doing alright As I face the lonely night As I face the lonely night No more sorrows will I find I've got tomorrow on my side No more teardrops will I cry Left my teardrops way behind No more sorrows will I find I've got tomorrow on my side No more teardrops will I cry Left my teardrops way behind No more heartaches bother me Don't wear my heartaches on my sleeve It's gonna be a brand new story What's the use of former glory It's better not to do if you can't do right It's time to get to celebrating After all the years of waiting I'm gonna have a ball if it takes all night - Cannonball
Letra
You're tellin' lies, so don't you criticize Yeah I got used, all messed up and abused You let me down, with all your runnin' round Still you pretend and try to call me friend Don't say a word, I know just what I heard Yeah you've been loose, you just got no excuse Just feel my rage, why can't you come of age? I felt it all, just like a cannonball Then you got mad, you said that I'm all bad So what's the use, you lied and that's the truth You took the key and drove right out on me I never knew put all my trust in you OK that's it, I'm leaving now, I quit I was unwise, so don't apologize I paid the price, for taking your advice I felt it all, just like a cannonball You can say what you want all day But I've never been so outraged I'm washing my hands of you How could you be so untrue You know I can't stand no more You know I can't stand no more - From Now On
Letra
Monday has come around again I'm in the same old place With the same old faces always watching me Who knows how long I'll have to stay Could be a hundred years Of sweat and tears At the rate that I get paid Sometimes I slowly drift away From all the dull routine That's with me every day A fantasy will come to me Diamonds are what I really need Think I'll rob a store, escape the law And live in Italy Lately my luck has been so bad You know the roulette wheel's A crooked deal I'm losing all I had Soon be like a man that's on the run And live from day to day Never needing anyone Play hide and seek Throughout the week My life is full of romance Guess I'll always have to be Living in a fantasy That's the way it's got to be From now on You think I'm crazy I can see It's you for you, and me for me Living in a fantasy From now on - Breakfast in America
Letra
Take a look at my girlfriend She's the only one I got Not much of a girlfriend Never seem to get a lot Take a jumbo across the water Like to see America See the girls in California I'm hoping it's going to come true But there's not a lot I can do Could we have kippers for breakfast Mummy dear, Mummy dear They got to have 'em in Texas Cos everyone's a millionaire I'm a winner, I'm a sinner Do you want my autograph I'm a loser, what a joker I'm playing my jokes upon you While there's nothing better to do Don't you look at my girlfriend She's the only one I got Not much of a girlfriend Never seem to get a lot Take a jumbo cross the water Like to see America See the girls in California I'm hoping it's going to come true But there's not a lot I can do - And the Light
Letra
So many years have come and gone since then Still I can't forget the past But you and me, we'll surelt meet again And maybe find the truth at last And the light, in the night Shines on brightly If it's alright with you It's alright with me Well I believe, that fate will find a way To guide us through these restless years And yes I know, that we'll speak one day With no more doubts and no more fears And the light .. So tell me now, if you can share my view Tell me where your comin' from We've both had time, time to think it through To know just where we both belong And the light .. And if your heart is real Then tell me how you feel 'Til I'm saying If it's alright with you It's alright with me It's quite alright with me It's all alright with me - Take the Long Way Home
Letra
So you think you're a Romeo playing a part in a picture-show Take the long way home Take the long way home 'Cause you're the joke of the neighborhood Why should you care if you're feeling good Take the long way home Take the long way home But there are times that you feel you're part of the scenery All the greenery is comin' down, boy And then your wife seems to think you're part of the furniture oh, it's peculiar, she used to be so nice. When lonely days turn to lonely nights You take a trip to the city lights And take the long way home Take the long way home You never see what you want to see Forever playing to the gallery You take the long way home Take the long way home And when you're up on the stage, it's so unbelievable, Oh unforgettable, how they adore you, But then your wife seems to think you're losing your sanity, Oh, calamity, is there no way out? Does it feel that your life's become a catastrophe? Oh, it has to be for you to grow , boy. When you look through the years and see what you could have been oh, what you might have been, If you'd had more time. So, when the day comes to settle down, Who's to blame if you're not around? You took the long way home You took the long way home... - Bloody Well Right
Letra
So you think your schooling's phony I guess it's hard not to agree You say it all depends on money And who is in your family tree Right, you're bloody well right You know you got a right to say Right, you're bloody well right You know you got a right to say Ha-ha you're bloody well right You know you're right to say Yeah-yeah you're bloody well right You know you're right to say Me, I don't care anyway! Write your problems down in detail Take them to a higher place You've had your cry, no, I should say wail In the meantime hush your face Right, quite right, you're bloody well right Right, you're bloody well right You know you got a right to say Right, you're bloody well right You know you got a right to say - Logical Song
- Goodbye Stranger
Letra
It was an early morning yesterday I was up before the dawn And I really have enjoyed my stay But I must be moving on Like a king without a castle Like a queen without a throne I'm an early morning lover And I must be moving on Now I believe in what you say Is the undisputed truth But I have to have things my own way To keep me in my youth Like a ship without an anchor Like a slave without a chain Just the thought of those sweet ladies Sends a shiver through my veins And I will go on shining Shining like brand new I'll never look behind me My troubles will be few Goodbye stranger it's been nice Hope you find your paradise Tried to see your point of view Hope your dreams will all come true Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane Will we ever meet again Feel no sorrow, feel no shame Come tomorrow, feel no pain Now some they do and some they don't And some you just can't tell And some they will and some they won't With some it's just as well You can laugh at my behavior That'll never bother me Say the devil is my savior But I don't pay no heed And I will go on shining Shining like brand new I'll never look behind me My troubles will be few Goodbye stranger it's been nice Hope you find your paradise Tried to see your point of view Hope your dreams will all come true Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane Will we ever meet again? Feel no sorrow, feel no shame Come tomorrow, feel no pain Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane Will we ever meet again? Feel no sorrow, feel no shame Come tomorrow, feel no pain Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane Will we ever meet again? Now some they do and some they don't And some you just can't tell like And some they will and some they won't With some it's just as well You can laugh at my behavior That'll never bother me Say the devil is my savior But I don't pay no heed And I will go on shining Shining like brand new I'll never look behind me My troubles will be few Goodbye stranger it's been nice Hope you find your paradise Tried to see your point of view Hope your dreams will all come true Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane Will we ever meet again? Feel no sorrow, feel no shame Come tomorrow, feel no pain Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane Will we ever meet again? Feel no sorrow, feel no shame Come tomorrow, feel no pain Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane Will we ever meet again? Feel no sorrow, feel no shame Come tomorrow, feel no pain Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane Will we ever meet again? - School
Letra
I can see you in the morning when you go to school Don't forget your books, you know you've got to learn the golden rule, Teacher tells you stop your play and get on with your work And be like Johnnie-too-good, well don't you know he never shirks He's coming along.. After school is over you're playing in the park Don't be out too late, don't let it get too dark They tell you not to hang around and learn what life's about And grow up just like them, won't you let it work it out And you're full of doubt Don't do this and don't do that What are they trying to do? Make a good boy of you Do they know where it's at? Don't criticize, they're old and wise Do as they tell you to Don't want the devil to Come out and put your eyes Maybe I'm mistaken expecting you to fight Or maybe I'm just crazy, I don't know wrong from right But while I am still living, I've just got this to say It's always up to you if you want to be that Want to see that Want to see that way You're coming along