Crime of the Century
Encyclopedia
Crime of the Century is the third album by the progressive rock
band Supertramp
, released in 1974. The album was Supertramp's first to feature its classic lineup and co-producer Ken Scott
(who previously worked with David Bowie
and The Beatles
).
(owned by The Who
) and Trident Studios
. While recording the album, Rick Davies
and Roger Hodgson
recorded approximately 42 demo songs, from which only 8 were chosen to appear on the album. Several other tracks appeared on later albums (Crisis? What Crisis?
, ...Famous Last Words...
.) Hodgson and Davies both stated that communication within the group was at a peak during the recording of this album, while drummer Bob Siebenberg
stated that he thought it was this album on which the band hit its "artistic peak".
In the first song, "School", Rudy becomes disillusioned with the educational system, which he perceives as conformist to the point of being soulless. He tries to convince his friends to fight against the system, but they prefer to benefit by conforming to it. In response, Rudy joins the local troublemakers, but in "Bloody Well Right
", they ridicule his high-minded ideals; though they agree with him about the system's problems, their rebellion is driven by apathy, not idealism. Their scorn and lack of sympathy, combined with his other struggles, causes Rudy to be overcome by feelings of isolation in "Hide in Your Shell". He opts to shut himself off from other people rather than risk being hurt again. Someone - either a friend or a romantic interest - tries to get him to open up, but Rudy pushes him/her away out of fear.
As years go by, Rudy's self-imposed isolation and disillusionment with social conventions bring him to a mental breakdown
, and he is committed to a psychiatric hospital
. Treatment there restores him to a state where he can function in society, but leaves him in a deep existential crisis
.
The album essentially climaxes in "Rudy", which, contrary to the conventions of popular music, has no repeated sections and instead flows through a series of short "movements". Rudy is at the height of his internal crisis: "Rudy's on a train to nowhere, halfway down the line". Referring to earlier songs on the album, including "School"("He ain't sophisticated, nor well-educated") and "Hide in Your Shell"("Someone said give, but I just didn't dare"), the song shows Rudy struggling to reconcile himself with the society he has scorned. However, the struggle ends full circle: "he'll soon be back on his train".
The story concludes in "If Everyone was Listening", in which Rudy mourns both what modern society has done to humanity and his own failure to find his place in the big picture. The last song, "Crime of the Century", is mostly instrumental; its brief lyrics serve only to summarize the message of the album.
. The album, accompanied by the hit single Dreamer, also marked the first evidence of success for the band in the United Kingdom; Crime of the Century itself reaching Number One on the album chart there in 1975, and Dreamer number nine on the singles chart the same year.
In 1978, Crime of the Century was ranked 108th in The World Critic Lists, which recognised the 200 greatest albums of all time as voted for by notable rock critics and DJs. In the 1987 edition of the publication, CBC's
Geoff Edwards
ranked Crime of the Century the 10th greatest album of all time. A 1998 public poll, aggregating the votes of more than 200,000 music fans, saw Crime of the Century voted among the all-time top 1000 albums, and it was listed in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
.
Many of the songs on the album are still staples of the band's shows ("School", "Bloody Well Right", "Rudy", and the title cut). Almost all of the album appears on the band's 1980 live album Paris
although the tracks which featured orchestrations on the studio versions ("Asylum", "Rudy", and "Crime of the Century") were replaced by string synthesizers or Oberheim
synthesizers, which were played mainly by John Helliwell with some help from Roger Hodgson.
. A&M released it as one of their first CDs as part of their "Audio Master Plus" series in the 1980s. Mobile Fidelity also released its own remastered CD version on a gold disc as part of its "Ultradisc" series also in the 1980s.
A new remastered CD version of the album was released by A&M in 1997 followed by a different remaster on 11 June 2002. The newer A&M remasters feature all of the album art restored plus credits and full lyrics which were missing from some earlier editions. Both 1997 and 2002 A&M reissues were mastered from the original master tapes by Greg Calbi and Jay Messina
at Sterling Sound, New York, in 1997 and 2002. The reissues were supervised by Bill Levenson with art direction by Vartan and design by Mike Diehl, with production coordination by Beth Stempel.
Both the 1997 and 2002 remasters are heavily criticised by audiophiles who claim they were mastered "too loud" as part of the "loudness war
" mastering trend. The 1997 remaster has all tracks peaking at 100 percent, significantly altering the original dynamic range of the recording and effectively adding new distortion to the sound. The 2002 edition is not quite as loud but still has much of the same effect.
The album was re-issued in 2010 by the German audiophile label Speaker's Corner as a 180 gram vinyl LP. This version has received praise from collectors for its outstanding sound and faithfulness to the original packaging. It has none of the dynamic range compression applied to the recent A&M remastered CD versions.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Supertramp
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
, released in 1974. The album was Supertramp's first to feature its classic lineup and co-producer Ken Scott
Ken Scott
Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...
(who previously worked with David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
).
Recording
The album was recorded at a number of studios including Ramport StudiosRamport Studios
Ramport Studios was a South London recording studio owned by The Who. Several major albums were recorded at Ramport, including the 1974 album Crime of the Century by the progressive rock band Supertramp. The 1973 album Quadrophenia was recorded there . Eventually, Virgin Records acquired it...
(owned by The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
) and Trident Studios
Trident Studios
Trident Studios was a British recording facility, originally located at 17 St. Anne's Court in London's Soho district. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield a drummer of former 1960's group The Hunters and his Brother Barry....
. While recording the album, Rick Davies
Rick Davies
Rick Davies is an English musician, best known as the founder and keyboardist of progressive rock band Supertramp...
and Roger Hodgson
Roger Hodgson
Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp....
recorded approximately 42 demo songs, from which only 8 were chosen to appear on the album. Several other tracks appeared on later albums (Crisis? What Crisis?
Crisis? What Crisis?
Crisis? What Crisis? is the fourth album by progressive rock band Supertramp, released in 1975. It was recorded in Los Angeles – Supertramp's first album to be recorded in the United States of America....
, ...Famous Last Words...
...Famous Last Words...
...Famous Last Words..., the eighth album by progressive rock band Supertramp, was released in October 1982.The album was the studio follow-up to 1979's Breakfast in America and was the last with guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Roger Hodgson, who left the group so that he could spend more time with...
.) Hodgson and Davies both stated that communication within the group was at a peak during the recording of this album, while drummer Bob Siebenberg
Bob Siebenberg
Bob Siebenberg, also known as Bob C. Benberg, is an American musician, best known as a member of British progressive rock band Supertramp, playing drums and percussion...
stated that he thought it was this album on which the band hit its "artistic peak".
Lyrical concept
Crime of the Century is a concept album about a person named Rudy who becomes disillusioned with the educational system, his friends, and ultimately, with society in general. By the end of the album, it is revealed that the phrase "Crime of the Century" is in fact meant literally - i.e.it does not mean the most nefarious crime committed in the 20th Century, but the 20th Century's crime against the individual people living in its society.In the first song, "School", Rudy becomes disillusioned with the educational system, which he perceives as conformist to the point of being soulless. He tries to convince his friends to fight against the system, but they prefer to benefit by conforming to it. In response, Rudy joins the local troublemakers, but in "Bloody Well Right
Bloody Well Right
"Bloody Well Right" is a song by the progressive rock band Supertramp from their 1974 album Crime of the Century. Released in April 1975, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom but became their breakthrough hit in the United States, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100...
", they ridicule his high-minded ideals; though they agree with him about the system's problems, their rebellion is driven by apathy, not idealism. Their scorn and lack of sympathy, combined with his other struggles, causes Rudy to be overcome by feelings of isolation in "Hide in Your Shell". He opts to shut himself off from other people rather than risk being hurt again. Someone - either a friend or a romantic interest - tries to get him to open up, but Rudy pushes him/her away out of fear.
As years go by, Rudy's self-imposed isolation and disillusionment with social conventions bring him to a mental breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
, and he is committed to a psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
. Treatment there restores him to a state where he can function in society, but leaves him in a deep existential crisis
Existential crisis
An existential crisis is a stage of development at which an individual questions the very foundations of his or her life: whether his or her life has any meaning, purpose or value...
.
The album essentially climaxes in "Rudy", which, contrary to the conventions of popular music, has no repeated sections and instead flows through a series of short "movements". Rudy is at the height of his internal crisis: "Rudy's on a train to nowhere, halfway down the line". Referring to earlier songs on the album, including "School"("He ain't sophisticated, nor well-educated") and "Hide in Your Shell"("Someone said give, but I just didn't dare"), the song shows Rudy struggling to reconcile himself with the society he has scorned. However, the struggle ends full circle: "he'll soon be back on his train".
The story concludes in "If Everyone was Listening", in which Rudy mourns both what modern society has done to humanity and his own failure to find his place in the big picture. The last song, "Crime of the Century", is mostly instrumental; its brief lyrics serve only to summarize the message of the album.
Reception
Crime of the Century was Supertramp's first U.S. Top 40 album and was eventually certified Gold in the U.S. in 1977 after the release of Even in the Quietest MomentsEven in the Quietest Moments
Even in the Quietest Moments... is the fifth album by progressive rock band Supertramp, released in April 1977.The album was recorded mainly at Caribou Ranch Studios in Colorado with overdubs, vocals and mixing completed at The Record Plant in Los Angeles and was Supertramp's first album to use...
. The album, accompanied by the hit single Dreamer, also marked the first evidence of success for the band in the United Kingdom; Crime of the Century itself reaching Number One on the album chart there in 1975, and Dreamer number nine on the singles chart the same year.
In 1978, Crime of the Century was ranked 108th in The World Critic Lists, which recognised the 200 greatest albums of all time as voted for by notable rock critics and DJs. In the 1987 edition of the publication, CBC's
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
Geoff Edwards
Geoff Edwards
Geoffrey Bruce Owen "Geoff" Edwards is an American television actor, game show host and radio personality. Over the past decade and a half, he has been a writer and broadcaster on travel. He was born in Westfield, New Jersey....
ranked Crime of the Century the 10th greatest album of all time. A 1998 public poll, aggregating the votes of more than 200,000 music fans, saw Crime of the Century voted among the all-time top 1000 albums, and it was listed in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
.
Many of the songs on the album are still staples of the band's shows ("School", "Bloody Well Right", "Rudy", and the title cut). Almost all of the album appears on the band's 1980 live album Paris
Paris (Supertramp album)
Paris is a live album by progressive rock band Supertramp, released in 1980 . The album was recorded on Supertramp's Breakfast in America tour in November 1979 in Paris, France at the Pavillon de Paris, a venue which was once a slaughterhouse...
although the tracks which featured orchestrations on the studio versions ("Asylum", "Rudy", and "Crime of the Century") were replaced by string synthesizers or Oberheim
Oberheim
Oberheim Electronics is an American company, founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim , which manufactured audio synthesizers and a variety of other electronic musical instruments.-Oberheim Electronics:...
synthesizers, which were played mainly by John Helliwell with some help from Roger Hodgson.
Side one
- "School" – 5:35 (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies)
- "Bloody Well RightBloody Well Right"Bloody Well Right" is a song by the progressive rock band Supertramp from their 1974 album Crime of the Century. Released in April 1975, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom but became their breakthrough hit in the United States, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" – 4:32 (Lead vocals: Rick Davies) - "Hide in Your Shell" – 6:49 (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson)
- "Asylum" – 6:45 (Lead vocals: Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson)
Side two
- "DreamerDreamer (Supertramp song)"Dreamer" is a hit single from Supertramp's 1974 album Crime of the Century. It peaked at Number 13 on the UK singles chart in February 1975. In 1980, it appeared on their live album Paris...
" – 3:31 (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies) - "Rudy" – 7:17 (Lead vocals: Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson)
- "If Everyone Was Listening" – 4:04 (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson)
- "Crime of the Century" – 5:32 (Lead vocals: Rick Davies)
Release history
The first release was on vinyl by A&M Records in 1974. In 1977 it became the first pop music LP title re-issued by the audiophile label Mobile Fidelity Sound LabMobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is a company known as an innovator in the production of audiophile-quality sound recordings. All releases are advertised as being produced from the first-generation analog master recordings, and using proprietary technology, which MFSL claims allows for improved sound...
. A&M released it as one of their first CDs as part of their "Audio Master Plus" series in the 1980s. Mobile Fidelity also released its own remastered CD version on a gold disc as part of its "Ultradisc" series also in the 1980s.
A new remastered CD version of the album was released by A&M in 1997 followed by a different remaster on 11 June 2002. The newer A&M remasters feature all of the album art restored plus credits and full lyrics which were missing from some earlier editions. Both 1997 and 2002 A&M reissues were mastered from the original master tapes by Greg Calbi and Jay Messina
Jay Messina
Jay Messina is an American audio engineer, mastering and mixing engineer and music producer. He started out recording sessions for legendary arranger Don Ellion and quickly promoted to A&R Recording. He later moved to the Record Plant when it opened in 1968...
at Sterling Sound, New York, in 1997 and 2002. The reissues were supervised by Bill Levenson with art direction by Vartan and design by Mike Diehl, with production coordination by Beth Stempel.
Both the 1997 and 2002 remasters are heavily criticised by audiophiles who claim they were mastered "too loud" as part of the "loudness war
Loudness war
The loudness war or loudness race is a pejorative term for the apparent competition to digitally master and release recordings with increasing loudness.The phenomenon was first reported with respect to mastering practices for 7" singles...
" mastering trend. The 1997 remaster has all tracks peaking at 100 percent, significantly altering the original dynamic range of the recording and effectively adding new distortion to the sound. The 2002 edition is not quite as loud but still has much of the same effect.
The album was re-issued in 2010 by the German audiophile label Speaker's Corner as a 180 gram vinyl LP. This version has received praise from collectors for its outstanding sound and faithfulness to the original packaging. It has none of the dynamic range compression applied to the recent A&M remastered CD versions.
Supertramp
- Bob C. BenbergBob SiebenbergBob Siebenberg, also known as Bob C. Benberg, is an American musician, best known as a member of British progressive rock band Supertramp, playing drums and percussion...
– drums, percussion - Roger HodgsonRoger HodgsonCharles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp....
– vocals, guitar, pianos - John Anthony HelliwellJohn HelliwellJohn Helliwell is an English musician and the saxophonist and occasional keyboardist and woodwind player for the rock band Supertramp...
– saxophones, clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, vocals - Dougie ThomsonDougie ThomsonDouglas Campbell "Dougie" Thomson is a Scottish musician, born in Glasgow and raised in the Rutherglen area of the city. He is best known as the former bass guitarist of progressive rock band Supertramp.-Career:...
– bass - Richard DaviesRick DaviesRick Davies is an English musician, best known as the founder and keyboardist of progressive rock band Supertramp...
– vocals, keyboards, harmonica
Other performers
- Christine Helliwell – Backup vocals on "Hide in Your Shell"
- Vicky Siebenberg – Backup vocals on "Hide in Your Shell"
- Scott GorhamScott GorhamScott Gorham is an American guitarist and songwriter who rose to international recognition as one of the "twin lead guitarists" of the Irish-formed rock band, Thin Lizzy...
– Backup vocals on "Hide in Your Shell" - (Uncredited, unknown street musician) – SawMusical sawA musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
on "Hide in Your Shell" - Ken Scott – Water gongGongA gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
on "Crime of the Century"
Original Release
- Producers: Ken ScottKen ScottKen Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...
and Supertramp - Engineers: Ken Scott, John Jansen
- Original Vinyl Mastering: Ray Staff Trident Studios
- String arrangements: Richard Hewson
- Cover design and photography: Paul Wakefield
- Art direction: Fabio Nicoli
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Billboard Pop Albums | 38 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
4 | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Bloody Well Right" | Pop Singles (Billboard – North America) | 35 |
| "Dreamer" | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
13 | |