The Autobiography of Supertramp

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

The Autobiography of Supertramp
Greatest hits album by Supertramp
Released	July 1986
Recorded	1974–1985
Genre	Progressive rock, pop rock, art rock
Length	47:10
Label	A&M
Producer	Ken Scott, Peter Henderson, David Kershenbaum, Supertramp
Supertramp chronology
Brother Where You Bound (1985) The Autobiography of Supertramp (1986) Free as a Bird (1987)

The compilation 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 and the 2001 remaster also include a song from Crisis? What Crisis?. The album Paris is completely unrepresented, despite its including the hit live version of "Dreamer".

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). That version of the album includes the extra tracks listed below as part of the 2001 re-release, with the exception of "School" and no single edits.

The album was re-released as The Very Best of Supertramp in 2001 in the US with digitally remastered sound and a bonus track "School" as the first track instead of "Goodbye Stranger" which follows afterwards. It also contains the album versions of the songs "Goodbye Stranger" and "Cannonball", whereas the original release uses the edited versions from the singles instead.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Allmusic's retrospective review commented that The Very Best of Supertramp is a superior compilation with its choice of tracks.[1]

Track listing

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

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

CD - issued as: A&M Classics, Vol 9. release

1. "Goodbye Stranger" (Single edit) – 4:29
2. "The Logical Song" (Single edit) – 3:48
3. "Bloody Well Right" (Single edit) – 4:17
4. "Breakfast in America" – 2:39
5. "Rudy" (from Crime of the Century) – 7:19
6. "Take the Long Way Home" (Single edit) – 4:06
7. "Crime of the Century" – 5:33
8. "Dreamer" – 3:33 / 3:19
9. "Ain't Nobody But Me" (from Crisis? What Crisis?, 1975) – 5:07
10. "Hide in Your Shell" (from Crime of the Century) – 6:48
11. "From Now On" – 6:11
12. "Give a Little Bit" – 4:08
13. "It's Raining Again" – 4:23
14. "Cannonball" (Single edit) (Davies) – 4:51

2001 US remaster

1. "School" (from Crime of the Century) – 5:35
2. "Goodbye Stranger" – 5:50
3. "The Logical Song" – 4:10
4. "Bloody Well Right" – 4:31
5. "Breakfast in America" – 2:37
6. "Rudy" – 7:19
7. "Take the Long Way Home" – 5:08
8. "Crime of the Century" – 5:36
9. "Dreamer" – 3:31
10. "Ain't Nobody But Me" – 5:14
11. "Hide in Your Shell" – 6:48
12. "From Now On" – 6:21
13. "Give a Little Bit" – 4:08
14. "It's Raining Again" – 4:25
15. "Cannonball" (Davies) – 7:38

Personnel

Supertramp

• Rick Davies - keyboards, harmonica, vocals
• Roger Hodgson (except on "Cannonball") - guitars, keyboards, vocals
• Dougie Thomson - bass
• John Helliwell - saxophone, woodwinds
• 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

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil	—	250,000[2]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[3]	Platinum	15,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[4]	Gold	25,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[5]	Platinum	300,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. The Autobiography of Supertramp at AllMusic
2. Souza, Tarik de (6 January 1988). "Um bom ano para o disco". Jornal do Brasil. p. 36. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
3. "New Zealand album certifications – Supertramp – The Autobiography of Supertramp". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
4. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Supertramp; 'Autobiography of')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
5. "British album certifications – Supertramp – The Autobiography of". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 November 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Autobiography of in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.