The Very Best of Supertramp

The Very Best of Supertramp is a best of album by the English rock band Supertramp, originally released by A&M Records in June 1990.

The Very Best of Supertramp
Greatest hits album by Supertramp
Released	3 June 1990
Recorded	1974–1985
Genre	Progressive rock, soft rock
Length	78:57
Label	A&M
Producer	Peter Henderson, Ken Scott, Supertramp, David Kershenbaum
Supertramp chronology
Live '88 (1988) The Very Best of Supertramp (1990) The Very Best of Supertramp 2 (1992)

Overview

The compilation features 15 studio recordings from 1974's Crime of the Century to 1985's Brother Where You Bound. The cover depicts the grate from the cover of Crime of the Century, the hand carrying the glass from the cover of Breakfast in America and the orange umbrella from Crisis? What Crisis?.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

In their retrospective review, AllMusic noted that effectively compiling Supertramp's work is impossible since the group is so album-oriented. However, they offered a relative recommendation for The Very Best of Supertramp, saying that "it flows very smoothly" and is "the closest thing to a definitive overview of the '70s pop-prog group."[1]

Alternative version

A Dutch release, also titled The Very Best of Supertramp, was issued in late 1989, featuring the same tracks but in a different order and a different sleeve. It was compiled by Dutch compilation label Arcade, although it was later re-issued on the A&M label. The album was a major success in the Dutch chart, spending nine weeks at number one and 70 weeks in total. Given its success, A&M did not officially release the alternative The Very Best of Supertramp in the Netherlands, although it has now replaced the Arcade version.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Roger Hodgson & Rick Davies, except where noted.

No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"School" (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson & Rick Davies. Producer: Ken Scott & Supertramp)	Crime of the Century, (1974)	5:36
2.	"Goodbye Stranger" (Lead vocals: Rick Davies. Producer: Supertramp & Peter Henderson)	Breakfast in America, (1979)	5:48
3.	"The Logical Song" (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson. Producer: Supertramp & Peter Henderson)	Breakfast in America	4:10
4.	"Bloody Well Right" (Lead vocals: Rick Davies. Producer: Ken Scott & Supertramp)	Crime of the Century	4:33
5.	"Breakfast in America" (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson. Producer: Supertramp & Peter Henderson)	Breakfast in America	2:40
6.	"Rudy" (Lead vocals: Rick Davies & Roger Hodgson. Producer: Ken Scott & Supertramp)	Crime of the Century	7:19
7.	"Take the Long Way Home" (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson. Producer: Supertramp & Peter Henderson)	Breakfast in America	5:08
8.	"Crime of the Century" (Lead vocals: Rick Davies. Producer: Ken Scott & Supertramp)	Crime of the Century	5:32
9.	"Dreamer" (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson & Rick Davies. Producer: Ken Scott & Supertramp)	Crime of the Century	3:31
10.	"Ain't Nobody But Me" (Lead vocals: Rick Davies. Producer: Ken Scott & Supertramp)	Crisis? What Crisis?, (1975)	5:10
11.	"Hide in Your Shell" (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson. Producer: Ken Scott & Supertramp)	Crime of the Century	6:50
12.	"From Now On" (Lead vocals: Rick Davies. Producer: Supertramp)	Even in the Quietest Moments..., (1977)	6:19
13.	"Give a Little Bit" (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson. Producer: Supertramp)	Even in the Quietest Moments...	4:09
14.	"It's Raining Again" (Lead vocals: Roger Hodgson. Producer: Supertramp, Russel Pope & Peter Henderson)	...Famous Last Words..., (1982)	4:27
15.	"Cannonball" (Lead vocals: Rick Davies. Producer: David Kershenbaum & Supertramp)	Brother Where You Bound, (1985)	7:38

The cassette version also included "Even in the Quietest Moments", "Sister Moonshine" and "Free as a Bird".

Personnel

Supertramp

• Bob Siebenberg – drums, percussion
• Roger Hodgson – vocals, keyboards, guitar (except on "Cannonball")
• John Anthony Helliwell – saxophones, clarinets, vocals
• Dougie Thomson – bass guitar
• Rick Davies – vocals, keyboards, harmonica, melodica

Other performers

• Christine Helliwell – backing vocals on "Hide in Your Shell"
• Vicky Siebenberg – backing vocals on "Hide in Your Shell"
• Scott Gorham – backing vocals on "Hide in Your Shell"
• Jake Beddoe – saw on "Hide in Your Shell"
• Ken Scott – water gong on "Crime of the Century"
• Slyde Hyde – trombone, tuba on "Breakfast in America"
• Marty Walsh – guitar on "Cannonball"
• Doug Wintz – trombone on "Cannonball"

Production

Original release:

• Producers: Ken Scott and Supertramp
• Engineers: Ken Scott, John Jansen, Peter Henderson, Russel Pope, Norman Hall
• String arrangements: Richard Hewson
• Cover Illustration: Greg Wray
• Art direction and design: Norman Moore

Charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[2]	27
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[3]	6

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[4]	7

Chart (1992)	Peak position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5]	1

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6]	37
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[7]	5

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[8]	5

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9]	34

Chart (1997)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[10]	8

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[11]	59

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[12]	Gold	25,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)[13]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
France (SNEP)[14]	Platinum	300,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[15]	Gold	250,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[16]	Platinum	15,000^^
Sweden (GLF)[17]	Gold	50,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[18]	2× Platinum	100,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[19]	Platinum	300,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. The Very Best of Supertramp at AllMusic
2. "Austriancharts.at – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
3. "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
4. "Swisscharts.com – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
5. "Charts.nz – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
6. "Australiancharts.com – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
7. "Swedishcharts.com – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
8. "Norwegiancharts.com – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
9. "Ultratop.be – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
10. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
11. "Supertramp Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
12. "Austrian album certifications – Supertramp – Very Best of Vol. 1" (in German). IFPI Austria.
13. "Canadian album certifications – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp". Music Canada.
14. "French album certifications – Supertramp – Very Best Of" (in French). InfoDisc. Select SUPERTRAMP and click OK. 
15. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Supertramp; 'The Very Best Of Supertramp')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
16. "New Zealand album certifications – Supertramp – Very Best of Vol. 1". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
17. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
18. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Supertramp; 'The Very Best of Supertramp')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
19. "British album certifications – Supertramp – The Very Best of Supertramp". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Very Best of Supertramp in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.