Featuring the cream of Rick Davies’ and Roger Hodgson’s songwriting, Crime Of The Century was the first of the many peaks in Supertramp’s illustrious career; an album that had everything to prove, full of tunes that effortlessly straddled the world of pure pop and progressive rock. The LP eventually peaked at Number 4 on the UK charts and saw the band for the first time on the US Top 40. It was the music and the album’s cinematic sonic qualities that accounted for its impact.
Crime Of The Century is not only one of Supertramp’s greatest works, but one of the most highly regarded recordings of 70s rock music. Released in 1974, it put the band on the map after three years of struggle. With the unmistakable blend of the two songwriters – Davies and Hodgson’s – work, it married the sweetness of Hodgson’s ‘Dreamer’ – the band's first big hit single – with the grit of Davies’ similarly beloved ‘Bloody Well Right.’ In ‘School,’ ‘Rudy’ and the title track, the band – Davies, Hodgson, John Helliwell, Bob Siebenberg, and Dougie Thomson – helped define what would soon be known as ‘Adult Oriented Rock.’ This was – and is – not just an album that showed Supertramp's increased maturity, but a timeless gem, crammed with incredible melodies and thoughtful lyrics.
This 40th Anniversary edition contains the classic original album, remastered by Ray Staff at Air Studios, and a second disc features their 1975 Hammersmith Odeon concert, mixed from the original tapes by original on-the-night engineer Ken Scott, capturing the band on the verge of stardom, showcasing all of Crime, and also previewing tracks from the then-as-yet-unreleased follow-up, Crisis? What Crisis? The 2-CD package comes with a 24-page booklet of photographs, and a new essay written by Phil Alexander, Editor-in-Chief of Mojo Magazine, containing new interviews with Dougie Thomson, John Helliwell, Ken Scott, Bob Siebenberg, Roger Hodgson, and 1973–1983 Supertramp manager Dave Margereson