STUCK IN THE VINYL AGAIN - SUPERTRAMP - FREE AS A BIRD

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Good morning Wednesday warriors and welcome back to Stuck In The Vinyl Again . Today we joyfully celebrate the 70th Birthday of Scottish bassist, Dougie Thomson, best known for his work in progressive rock band Supertramp. Happy Birthday Dougie ! Supertramp's 9th studio album, Free As A Bird, was released October 13, 1987 on the A&M label and was produced by Rick Davies, Tom Lord-Alge,  and Supertramp. The LP marked somewhat a change in style for the band as they traded their progressive airs for a more modern synthesized pop sound.  The record peaked at #101 in America and #93 in the UK. Two singles were released ; the title track (#95 UK) and the dance oriented "I'm Beggin' You" (#48 Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, #47 Adult Contemporary, #1  Hot Dance Music/Club Play). Following the tour for Free As A Bird, the band disbanded for 10 years. When they returned, Dougie did not.

1. "It's Alright" 5:01

2. "Not the Moment" 4:37

3. "It Doesn't Matter" 4:53

4. "Where I Stand" Davies, Mark Hart 3:42

5. "Free as a Bird" 4:25

Side two

6. "I'm Beggin' You" 5:30

7. "You Never Can Tell with Friends" 4:19

8. "Thing for You" 4:00

9. "An Awful Thing to Waste" 7:50

Rick Davies – piano, organ, synthesizers, Fender Rhodes, vocals
John Helliwell – saxophone, brass
Dougie Thomson – bass
Bob Siebenberg – drums, percussion

With :

Mark Hart – 12-string guitar, electric guitar, synthesizers, vocals

Marty Walsh – electric guitar, background vocals
Lee Thornburg – trumpet, brass

Nick Lane – brass
Scott Page – brass
Lon Price – brass

David Woodford – brass

Steve Reid – percussion
Linda Foot – background vocals

Lise Miller – background vocals
Evan Rogers – background vocals
Karyn White – background vocals

Production

Rick Davies – producer

Tom Lord-Alge – producer, mixing
Supertramp – producer

Norman Hall – engineer
Bob Loftus – assistant engineer
Jeff Lorenzen – assistant engineer

Bob Ludwig – original LP mastering

Greg Calbi – remastering
Jay Messina – remastering

Richard Frankel – art direction
Richard Frankel – design
Raul Vega – photography