It Was the Best of Times

It Was The Best Of Times
Live album by Supertramp
Released 12 April 1999 Double CD version
27 April 1999 Simple CD version
Recorded 19–20 September 1997
Genre Progressive Rock
Length 130:08 Double CD version
75:22 Simple CD version
Label EMI
Chrysalis Records
Oxygen Records (US/Canada)
Producer Rick Davies
Supertramp chronology
Some Things Never Change
(1997)		 It Was the Best of Times
(1999)		 Is Everybody Listening?
(2001)

It Was the Best of Times is a live album by Supertramp. The title makes use of the opening line from A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Recorded in London at the Royal Albert Hall during the It's About Time tour in September 1997. This CD also features the song "Don't You Lie To Me" a blues song that the band had performed on their 1988 tour and the only song not written by a current or former band member. The band is augmented by additional players added for this album and tour as well as "Slow Motion" the follow up studio album recorded and released in 2002.

The album was pulled from performances of the band on tour to support "Somethings Never Change" with vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Mark Hart performing songs originally written and sung by Roger Hodgson. The Simple CD version was latter re-released under the name of "Live, 1997" in 2006.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1] Double CD version

Reviewing the double CD edition, Allmusic wrote that in comparison to the single CD version, "...this two-CD set packs on eight further selections from Supertramp's career to that point, still eschewing their first two LPs, without really adding anything to the portrait painted by the slimmer edition."[1]

Track listing

Disc 1

  1. "It's A Hard World" (Rick Davies)
  2. "You Win, I Lose" (Rick Davies)
  3. "Listen To Me Please" (Rick Davies)
  4. "Ain't Nobody But Me" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  5. "Sooner Or Later" (Rick Davies/Mark Hart)
  6. "Free As A Bird" (Rick Davies)
  7. "Cannonball" (Rick Davies)
  8. "From Now On" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  9. "Breakfast In America" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  10. "Give Me A Chance" (Rick Davies/Mark Hart)
  11. "Rudy" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)

Disc 2

  1. "Downstream" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  2. "Another Man's Woman" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  3. "Take The Long Way Home" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  4. "Bloody Well Right" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  5. "The Logical Song" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  6. "Goodbye Stranger" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  7. "School" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  8. "And The Light" (Rick Davies)
  9. "Don't You Lie To Me (I Get Evil)" (Hudson Whittaker)
  10. "Crime Of The Century" (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)

Track listing (1-CD version: 'Live 1997')

  1. "You Win, I Lose" – 4:44 (Rick Davies)
  2. "Listen To Me Please" – 5:03 (Rick Davies)
  3. "Sooner Or Later" – 7:35 (Rick Davies/Mark Hart)
  4. "Free As A Bird" – 4:49 (Rick Davies)
  5. "Cannonball" – 7:52 (Rick Davies)
  6. "From Now On" – 7:44 (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  7. "Breakfast in America" – 2:47 (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  8. "And The Light" – 5:03 (Rick Davies)
  9. "Take The Long Way Home" – 5:10 (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  10. "Bloody Well Right" – 6:58 (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  11. "The Logical Song" – 4:04 (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  12. "Goodbye Stranger" – 7:24 (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)
  13. "School" – 6:32 (Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson)

The band

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1999 German Albums Chart 29[2]

References

  1. ^ a b It Was the Best of Times at Allmusic
  2. ^ "Chartverfolgung / Supertramp / Album" (in German). Music Line. Germany: Media Control Charts. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Supertramp/24681/?type=longplay. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
Supertramp
  • Touring members: Marty Walsh (1985–1988)
  • Brad Cole (1986–1988)
  • Scott Page (1983–1985)
  • Fred Mandel (1983)
Albums
Live albums
Compilations
Singles
Selected songs
Related articles
Book:Supertramp