''...Famous Last Words...'' (stylised in all lowercase) is the seventh studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Supertramp Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending ...

, released in October 1982. It was the studio follow-up to 1979's ''

Breakfast in America ''Breakfast in America'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released by A&M Records on 29 March 1979. It was recorded in 1978 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. It spawned four US '' Billboard'' hit singles: " ...

'' and the last album with vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist

Roger Hodgson Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the former co- frontman and founding member of progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the band� ...

, who left the group to pursue a solo career. Thus, it was the final album to be released by the classic lineup of the band (Hodgson, Davies, Helliwell, Thomson, and Siebenberg). The album reached number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Albums Charts in its third week on the chart dated November 27, 1982 and was certified Gold for sales in excess of 500,000 copies there. It also peaked at number6 in the UK where it was certified Gold for 100,000 copies sold. A remastered CD version of ''...Famous Last Words...'' was released on 30 July 2002 on A&M Records. The remastered CD comes with all the original artwork and the CD art features a green pair of scissors and a black background.

Background and recording

Though

Rick Davies Richard Davies (born 22 July 1944) is an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as founder, vocalist and keyboardist of the rock band Supertramp. Davies was its only constant member, and composed some of the band's best known songs ...

and Roger Hodgson had long been writing their songs separately, they had always conceived the theme and overlying direction for each album together. ''...Famous Last Words...'' became the exception to this rule: having been living in different parts of California in the months leading up to the recording, they each conceived their own vision for the album. Hodgson wanted to do another pop album in the vein of ''

'', while Davies had envisioned a heavy

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

album with a 10-minute song called "

Brother Where You Bound ''Brother Where You Bound'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1985. It was their first album after original member Roger Hodgson left the band, leaving Rick Davies to handle the songwriting and sing ...

" as its centerpiece. According to

Bob Siebenberg Robert Layne Siebenberg (born October 31, 1949) also known as Bob C. Benberg, is an American musician, best known as a member of British progressive rock band Supertramp, playing drums and percussion. He was the sole American in Supertramp's ...

, "In the end, they both kind of changed their formats and their picture of what they thought this album should be. It became a diluted version of what it started out to be. It was really neither here nor there." In particular, the band decided to leave out "Brother Where You Bound", since it was too "heavy" to fit alongside Hodgson's pop compositions. Supertramp used "Brother Where You Bound" for their next album, ''

'' (1985), though it had by that point evolved from 10 minutes to 16 and a half through the addition of some new sections. As usual, the songs are all officially credited as being written by Davies/Hodgson. However, the sleeve notes color-code the songs' lyrics by individual author. The lead vocalist on each song is the same as its writer: "Crazy", "

It's Raining Again "It's Raining Again" is a song recorded by the English progressive rock band Supertramp and released as a single from their 1982 album '' …Famous Last Words…'' with credits given to Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, although as indicated on th ...

", "Know Who You Are", "C'est le bon", and "Don't Leave Me Now" were written by Hodgson, and "Put on Your Old Brown Shoes", "Bonnie", " My Kind of Lady", and "Waiting So Long" were written by Davies. The album's working title was ''Tightrope.'' The album was mainly recorded and mixed at Hodgson's home, Unicorn Studios in Nevada City, California, as he did not want to leave his wife, his then two-year-old daughter Heidi, and newborn son Andrew behind. Davies wound up recording his vocal and keyboard parts at his home studio, The Backyard Studios, in

Encino Encino is Spanish for oak. Encino may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places United States * Encino, Los Angeles, California, a neighborhood * Encino, New Mexico, a village * Encino, Texas, a census-designated place Colombia * Encino, Santander, a municipalit ...

, California. Other overdubs were at Bill Schnee Recording Studios in Los Angeles. At the time of the album's release, many interpreted the title (which at that point became ''...Famous Last Words...'') and cover art as thinly-veiled hints that Supertramp was breaking up. In a 2015 interview, Hodgson confirmed that he and Davies decided on the title because "we weren't doing recordagain". He said that he regrets recording the album, calling it "a last-ditch attempt to try and make things happen" after the life had gone out of the band.(2009)
30th Anniversary Breakfast in America Feature
''

In the Studio ''In the Studio'' is the third studio album by British ska revival band the Specials. It was released under the name the Special AKA in June 1984, their only album under that name. The album took over two years to produce before finally seeing ...

''. Conversely,

John Helliwell John Anthony Helliwell (born 15 February 1945) is an English musician, best known as the saxophonist, secondary keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional songwriter for the rock band Supertramp. He also served as an MC during the band's c ...

said in 1986: "We wanted a phrase that bore some relationship with what we were doing but was enigmatic at the same time. We always like to have enigmatic titles like ''

Crime of the Century "Crime of the century" is an Idiom, idiomatic phrase used to describe particularly sensational or notorious criminal cases.Howard G. Chua-Eoan, Chua-Eoan, Howard (n.d.)"Crimes of the Century: The Top 25" ''Time (magazine), Time''. Retrieved Septem ...

''... This last LP we thought was going to be real quick. We thought we were going to rehearse it and record it real quick and it ended up taking longer than any other so we had to eat our words again. For the past three or four LPs we've been saying, 'Let's be well prepared.' So the title sprung out of that as well. I can't remember who first thought of it. The graphic design came directly from the title."

Reception

A contemporary review in ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential cri ...

'' savaged the album for its nondescript nature, concluding "this stuff is so soddenly bland already that the

Muzak Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments. The name has been in use since 1934, and has been owned by a division or subsidiary of one or another company ever since. In 1981, Westing ...

folks are going to have their work cut out for them".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, in a retrospective review, found the album overly tailored towards commercial success, claiming that the group in general and Roger Hodgson in particular were too fixated on producing more hits, and that as a result "romantically inclined poetry and love song fluff replaces the lyrical keenness that Supertramp had produced in the past, and the instrumental proficiency that they once mastered has vanished."

Track listing

All songs credited to

and

. Listed below are the respective writers, also lead singers of their songs. ;Side one ;Side two

Personnel

;Supertramp *

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

(tracks 1, 7, 9), piano (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8), electric piano (track 2), synthesizers (track 3), harmonica (tracks 2, 9), melodica (track 3) *

– lead and backing vocals, electric guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9), 12-string guitar (tracks 2, 5, 7), piano (tracks 1, 3, 9), pump organ (track 1), synthesizers (track 5), glockenspiel (track 3) *

–

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

s (tracks 1–3, 6, 8, 9), clarinet (tracks 7, 8), synthesizers (tracks 3, 4, 6, 8, 9) *

Dougie Thomson Douglas 'Doogie' Campbell Thomson (born 24 March 1951) is a Scottish musician, born in Glasgow and raised in the Rutherglen area of the city. He was the bass guitarist of progressive rock band Supertramp during much of the seventies and ...

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

(tracks 1-4, 6-9) *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

(tracks 1-4, 6-9) ** This was the first Supertramp album for which Siebenberg was credited under his real name. All previous Supertramp albums on which he had appeared credited him as "Bob C. Benberg". Additional personnel * Claire Diament – backing vocals on "Don't Leave Me Now" *

Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

– backing vocals on "Put On Your Old Brown Shoes" and "C'est le bon" * Nancy Wilson – backing vocals on "Put On Your Old Brown Shoes" and "C'est le bon"

Production

Producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

: Peter Henderson, Russel Pope, Supertramp *

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

: Peter Henderson * Assistant engineer: Norman Hall * Mastering on original issue:

Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charles ...

, Mike Reese * Mastering on 2002

remaster Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bish ...

, Jay Messina * Concert sound: Russel Pope *

Technicians A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skill and technique, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Specialisation The term technician covers many different speciali ...

: Bud Wyatt, Ian "Biggles" Lloyd-Bisley *

String String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

Richard Hewson Richard Anthony Hewson (born 17 November 1943) is an English producer, arranger, conductor and multi-instrumentalist, who created the studio group RAH Band. Career Hewson began in the late 1960s as an arranger, and has worked with musicians s ...

Synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...

Yamaha GS-1 Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization est ...

Oberheim Oberheim is an American synthesizer manufacturer founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim. History and products Tom Oberheim founded the company in 1969, originally as a designer and contract manufacturer of electronic effects devices for Maestro (mos ...

Art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in Theatre, theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

: Mike Doud, Norman Moore *

Design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

: Mike Doud, Norman Moore * Cover design: Mike Dowd, Norman Moore *

Cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper (tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ...

concept: Mike Dowd *

Artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...

: Mike Dowd *

Photography Photography is the visual art, art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It i ...

: Jules Bates, Tom Gibson * Cover photo: Jules Bates, Tom Gibson * Sleeve photo: Tom Gibson 2002 A&M reissue: The 2002

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

reissue was mastered from the original master tapes by Greg Calbi and Jay Messina at Sterling Sound, New York, 2002. The reissue was supervised by Bill Levenson with art direction by Vartan and design by Mike Diehl, with production coordination by Beth Stempel. The intro to "Bonnie" contains a glitch in the piano part on the 2002 remaster, and has never been fully explained (whether it was a mastering error, or an intentional alteration to the track).

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' (United States)

Certifications and sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Famous Last Words Supertramp albums 1982 albums A&M Records albums Art rock albums by English artists Albums recorded in a home studio Albums produced by Roger Hodgson Albums produced by Rick Davies