Supertramp

Supertramp's biggest record came out in that period in-between the excesses of the 1970s and the Reagan era, when all music started to sound like it was actually made out of cocaine. "The Logical Song" and "Take the Long Way Home" ensured perpetual classic rock rotation, but everybody knows Supertramp's real contribution was the beautiful "Goodbye Stranger."

I like a hooky album as well as the next fellow, so when I found that this one elicited random grunts of pleasure I looked forward to listening hard. But the lyrics turned out to be glib variations on the usual Star Romances trash, and in the absence of vocal personality (as opposed to accurate singing) and rhythmic thrust (as opposed to a beat) I'll wait until this material is covered by artists of emotional substance--Tavares, say, or the Doobie Brothers. (Grade - C+)