The Supertramp book I wrote tells the story of the band from the records themselves. Supertramp: The Story of the Band Two Songwriters Built is part of my Portraits series, one band to a book, and it is a Supertramp biography built on credits, catalogue numbers and dates.

It begins where the band began: with a Melody Maker advertisement and a Dutch patron, and with the two albums made before the band was rebuilt. From there it follows the line-up that made Crime of the Century with Ken Scott, the move to California, and the separation of the two songwriters.

What is inside the Supertramp book

• The Melody Maker ad, the Dutch patron, and the two albums he paid for
• The money stopping, the line-up dismissed, and the band that made Breakfast in America built a second time
• The five men who made Crime of the Century with Ken Scott, and who is credited with what
• The reissues, the compilations that print two copyright years on one object, and what a certification actually measures
• Four release dates that sources contest, printed as a contest instead of a verdict

Free with the book: a downloadable reference card.

How the book works

Track listings, durations, credits, labels and catalogue numbers come from the records themselves. Every chart position is printed with the name of the chart it belongs to. Where sources disagree, I report the disagreement instead of quietly resolving it. Judgements about how the music sounds are attributed to the critics who made them, and no song lyrics are reproduced.

Where the book fits

It stands on its own and assumes no other reading. If you want the wider picture of the British scene, my Beyond the Thames tells it in full; see the Beyond the Thames page. For the other bands I have written about, see the Portraits series.

Supertramp on Prog Atlas

The site has full guides to the band and its records. If you want a Supertramp biography to go with them, this is the Supertramp book.

More: the albums ranked, the best songs, which edition of Crime of the Century to buy, and Ken Scott.