This fifth album from the almighty Supertramp was released in 1977 and charted at #16 in the Billboard Album Charts. This reissue of the record slaps it on a 180-gram heavyweight piece of vinyl with half speed mastering at Abbey Road Studios, which illuminates the classic tracks with an even better sound quality. 

The instantly recognizable “Give A Little Bit” starts with the warm acoustic guitar, Roger Hodgson’s harmonic voice and John Helliwell’s infectious sax that will get you singing along pretty quickly. “Lover Boy” follows with Rick Davies’ bright piano and eloquent voice that suits Dougie Thomson’s fluid bass playing in the cautious and melodic climate.

The title track arrives in the third spot and has Helliwell handling clarinet, Davies playing synth and Hodgson’s 12-string guitar populating the lush six-plus minutes. “Downstream” then exits the first side and enlists intimacy alongside mature piano for the love ballad that has Davies singing with much emotion.

The backside is just three songs, but they’re all great. “Babaji” is rhythmic, smooth and carries a spiritual angle that allows Bob Siebenberg’s drums to shine. “From Now On” starts bare before building into a dynamic album highlight and even enlists a choir for the call and response strategy. “Fool’s Overture” exits, and across ten-plus minutes it emits haunting moments, audio clips, cinematic bouts and timeless prog-rock gestures.

This was Supertramp’s first time using the engineer Peter Henderson, who would stick around for the next three albums as well. The cover art is an actual snow covered piano that was left out overnight near where the band recorded the album in Colorado. The effort shows the band entering more melodic and serene areas of songwriting, and certainly houses some of their greatest songs.

Rating: B+

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