The album that made the band’s name has a long reissue history and a clean chart record, so which edition of Crime of the Century should you buy is a pleasant, uncomplicated choice. The 1974 original leads to a run of audiophile discs and an anniversary deluxe edition.

Why this album is a special case

Supertramp reached its first great success with this record, which charted in the UK top five in 1975 with no later reissue re-entry to complicate the picture. Its editions are numerous but mostly about mastering quality: audiophile vinyl and gold CDs across the decades, plus a fortieth-anniversary deluxe edition that adds a vintage live concert. Notably, no surround mix of this album is confirmed in the sources this guide relies on, so the choice here is between stereo masterings and the anniversary extras rather than multi-channel sound.

The original release

The album was released in 1974 as an LP on A&M, reaching number four in the United Kingdom in early 1975 and the middle of the American album chart. Its original UK catalogue number is not settled in the sources this guide relies on, so it is left unstated rather than guessed. An original UK pressing in clean condition is the collector’s reference for this title.

The reissues that matter

The album has been a favourite of audiophile labels: a Mobile Fidelity vinyl arrived in 1977 and a gold CD in 1987, with a Speaker’s Corner heavyweight vinyl in 1999. Standard CDs came in 1984, 1990, 1997 and 2002, the last being a strong everyday remaster. A fortieth-anniversary deluxe edition followed in 2014, pairing the studio album with a 1975 live concert across CD, vinyl and digital. The year and the label are the details that separate these many editions.

Remasters and remixes

The honest position here is that no 5.1 surround, quadraphonic or Dolby Atmos mix of this album is confirmed in the sources this guide relies on, so we do not claim one. What the premium editions offer instead is superior stereo mastering — the audiophile vinyl and gold CDs — and, in the anniversary edition, a vintage live concert. For a buyer, the upgrade path is towards better stereo sound or the bonus live material, not surround.

Which one to buy

If you want the album simply, the 2002 A&M remaster CD is the reliable everyday choice. If you want the best stereo sound, the 1987 Mobile Fidelity gold CD or the 1999 Speaker’s Corner heavyweight vinyl are the audiophile options. If you want extras, the 2014 fortieth-anniversary deluxe edition adds a full 1975 live concert. An original 1974 UK A&M pressing in clean condition is the collector’s target, and there is no surround edition to reach for.

Go deeper

The same edition questions run through the wider catalogue. If the vocabulary of pressings is unfamiliar, see what remasters are worth buying, vinyl or CD suits prog best, an original pressing or a reissue actually mean. The overview lives on the reissues and editions guide, and the record itself sits among the best progressive rock albums.

One note on how this guide is put together. Every year, label and format here is checked against English-language discographies rather than trusted to memory, because the surest way to waste your money is to chase an edition that does not exist as described. Where a mix or a pressing could not be confirmed, it is left out rather than guessed at, and where a chart placing belongs to a later reissue rather than the original run, that is said plainly. The point of a buying guide is that you can act on it, so the harder facts are the ones worth getting right. Two habits make buying any of these records easier. The first is to read the catalogue number and the pressing year off the disc or the sleeve, rather than trusting a listing’s title alone, since the same artwork was reused across editions that sound and contain quite different things. The second is to weigh condition against rarity: a common album in clean, complete shape is almost always a better buy than a scarce one that has been played hard, and a reissue you will actually enjoy beats an original you are afraid to handle.

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