The Autobiography of Supertramp explained

The Autobiography of Supertramp
Type:	Greatest hits
Artist:	Supertramp
Cover:	Supertramp - The Autobiography of Supertramp.jpg
Released:	10 October 1986^[1]
Recorded:	1974–1985
Genre:	Progressive rock, pop rock, art rock
Length:	47:10
Label:	A&M
Producer:	Ken Scott, Peter Henderson, David Kershenbaum, Supertramp
Prev Title:	Brother Where You Bound
Prev Year:	1985
Next Title:	Free as a Bird
Next Year:	1987

The Autobiography of Supertramp is the first compilation album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1986.

The collection features the most popular songs from the albums Crime of the Century, Even in the Quietest Moments, Breakfast in America, ...Famous Last Words..., and Brother Where You Bound. The CD version adds three tracks, including a song from Crisis? What Crisis?.

The cover art shows a suit-wearing, faceless man seated in a train carriage reading a book with his own face on the cover. The view from the train window shows the platform with stylised versions of the cover art from three of Supertramp's albums.

The album was also released in the US as Classics, Volume 9, part of A&M's 25th Anniversary series (1987).

The album was re-released as The Very Best of Supertramp in 1990 with "School" from Crime of the Century added as the first track.

Reception

AllMusic's retrospective review commented that The Very Best of Supertramp is a superior compilation with its choice of tracks.

Track listing

All songs written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, except where noted.

Original release

LP album

1. "Goodbye Stranger" (Single edit, from Breakfast in America, 1979) – 4:25
2. "The Logical Song" (Single edit, from Breakfast in America) – 3:45
3. "Bloody Well Right" (Single edit, from Crime of the Century, 1974) – 4:16
4. "Breakfast in America" (from Breakfast in America) – 2:37
5. "Take the Long Way Home" (Single edit, from Breakfast in America) – 4:03
6. "Crime of the Century" (Early fade-out, from Crime of the Century)– 5:20
7. "Dreamer" (from Crime of the Century) – 3:19
8. "From Now On" (from Even in the Quietest Moments..., 1977) – 6:10
9. "Give a Little Bit" (from Even in the Quietest Moments...) – 4:03
10. "It's Raining Again" (from ...Famous Last Words..., 1982) – 4:25
11. "Cannonball" (Single edit, from Brother Where You Bound, 1985) (Davies) – 4:47

Compact disc (Issued as A&M Classics, Volume 9 in the U.S. and Canada)

1. "Goodbye Stranger" (Single edit) – 4:29
2. "The Logical Song" (Single edit) – 3:47
3. "Bloody Well Right" (Single edit) – 4:17
4. "Breakfast in America" – 2:38
5. "Rudy" (from Crime of the Century) – 7:17
6. "Take the Long Way Home" (Single edit) – 4:06
7. "Crime of the Century" – 5:32
8. "Dreamer" – 3:31
9. "Ain't Nobody But Me" (from Crisis? What Crisis?, 1975) – 5:07
10. "Hide in Your Shell" (from Crime of the Century) – 6:47
11. "From Now On" – 6:10
12. "Give a Little Bit" – 4:08
13. "It's Raining Again" – 4:23
14. "Cannonball" (Single edit) (Davies) – 4:51

Personnel

Supertramp

• Rick Davies - keyboard, harmonica, vocals
• Roger Hodgson (except on "Cannonball") - guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Dougie Thomson - bass
• John Helliwell - saxophone, woodwinds, keyboards, glockenspiel
• Bob Siebenberg - drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Slyde Hyde - trombone on "Breakfast in America"
• Marty Walsh – guitar on "Cannonball"
• Doug Wintz – trombone on "Cannonball"

Production

• Producers

Ken Scott, Peter Henderson, David Kershenbaum and Supertramp

• Mastering

Bernie Grundman, Norman Hall - Bernie Grundman Mastering, Inc.

• Cover design

Richard Frankel, Norman Moore

• Photography

Ron Slenzak

• Poster illustrations: Holly Hollington

Charts

Year-end charts

Notes and References

1. Web site: BPI.
2. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1987 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Recorded Music New Zealand. 8 February 2022.