ROGER HODGSON/RITES OF PASSAGE (Unichord Productions UNIVP001CD)

This disc, which was actually recorded live in 1996 and released in 1997, just found its way to me and provided another one of those pleasant surprises which seem to pop up sporadically. For anyone that doesn’t know, Roger Hodgson was a member of the band Supertramp and has also done some solo stuff over the years. This recording of a concert at the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City, CA finds Roger fronting a very talented group of musicians which includes "special guest" John Helliwell, also a former Supertramper himself, on sax.

The disc contains 12 tracks including new recordings of the Supertramp classics "Take The Long Way Home," "The Logical Song," and "Give A Little Bit." Supertramp fans will be very satisfied by the new versions which are faithful to the originals yet somehow sound new at the same time. The recording quality is excellent, making the new versions desirable based solely on sound quality.

The remaining tracks are successful in showcasing Roger’s many talents. His songwriting has always been very consistent and his voice hasn’t lost any of its qualities.

I found this disc to be very enjoyable and it’s managed to retain a place in my CD changer for some time now. I’d strongly recommend it to any Supertramp fans. For those who don’t consider themselves Supertramp fans, I’d still recommend it based on its own merits. This is just a great live performance that’s now available on CD.