The return of....Supertramp

[That 70s Guy]

Supertramp Return – But Without Roger Hodgson
mdome / News, Top Posts / 20/04/2010 11:40am

Supertramp have surprised everyone by announcing a 40th anniversary tour – and without co-founder-member Roger Hodgson.

No dates have been confirmed as yet, but the band will be led by Rick Davies (vocals/keyboards) with the possibility that both John Helliwell (vocals/keyboards/woodwind) and Bob Siebenberg (drums) will be involved.

However, neither Hodgson (vocals/guitar/keyboards) nor Dougie Thompson (bass) – regarded as being part of the band’s classic line-up – have been invited to be part of the celebrations.

This hasn’t gone down well with Hodgson. In a statement, his management say: “We’ve been told that they are billing the tour as the 40th anniversary tour of the band and we just find this very surprising, misleading and disrespectful of Roger since he is the only other member that was a part of Supertramp when he and Rick founded the band together 40 years ago. [Dougie joined the band in 1972 and John and Bob a year later in 1973.]

“It would seem that you would want to invite the other co-founder and the bass player of the classic line up for the 40th anniversary of the band. So, we’re really hoping it doesn’t create any confusion in the marketplace or mislead anyone into thinking that a 40th anniversary tour means a reunion tour with Roger Hodgson and Dougie Thompson. And with not inviting them, it seems it would have been more straightforward to simply call it a Supertramp tour.”

Find out more at Supertramp - Welcome to the Official Website!

 

[Flower]

Cool ...

 

[Magic]

I am glad to see an oldie make a comeback, but the band wont be the same without the original vocalist.

I wonder if they plan on any new material, because Roger wrote most of Supertramp's songs? If they do have new stuff, it will definitely be different.

 

[That 70s Guy]

Hodgson Tells Supertramp: ‘Don’t Play My Songs!’
mdome / News, Top Posts / 23/04/2010 10:13am

Roger Hodgson has demanded that Supertramp don’t perform any of his songs on the band’s upcoming 40th anniversary tour.

Clearly irritated by the fact that Rick Davies, with whom he co-founded the band, hasn’t asked him to be part of this tour, Hodgson has issued the following statement:

“Since this is the first time we are touring simultaneously since we split up 27 years ago, I expect Rick to honour the agreement he and I made that the band would not play my songs.

“Since the current Supertramp is a vehicle for Rick’s music, which is very different from my style and songs, it’s important for Supertramp to stay true to Rick’s style and songs and avoid doing covers of my songs.

“Rick and I both knew that doing that would help create a clear delineation between Supertramp and Roger Hodgson when we agreed to part ways.”

Hodgson has tour dates booked through to 2011. For details go here.

Find out more info on who’s in Supertramp these days here.

 

[LG]

This is no surprise, Roger and Rick never did get along. The tension between them was what made Supertramp a great band though, each pushed each other to write better songs, Roger being the Optimist and Rick being the Pessimist. When they toured they never took the same car to the concert, but all that was forgotten on stage.

It will not be a quintessential legitimate Supertramp concert without Roger and Dougie, and I have no problem with Roger asking/telling them not to play his songs. I get the feeling Roger would have participated if he was asked, so that sounds to me like Rick Davies is the moving force behind the tour and trying all the tricks in the book to make it more successful. Simple solution, be a man and ask the original members to join in for one last tour, if you can't do that then don't try and sell yourself as a 40th Anniversay anything.

 

[That 70s Guy]

Supertramp Tour Plans Continue To Irk Hodgson
Filed under: Classic Rock News, Supertramp — Real Rock News @ 1:07 pm

Roger Hodgson seems like a nice enough fellow. Obviously, without knowing the man personally, that’s speculation based on what I have read about him. Even guys as nice and easy going as Hodgson seems to be can be pushed too far, and he may quickly be reaching that point.

If recent news regarding plans by Supertramp co-founder Rick Davies is accurate, he’s planning to hit the road for the “40th Anniversary Tour” and bring Hodgson’s songs along for the ride – without as much as an invitation for Hodgson to join the group for even a few shows. That sounds like the kind of thing that could get under the skin of just about anyone, despite how easy going they may be.

Hodgson extended an olive branch to Davies and offered to perform with his former band mates as his schedule would permit. An offer that was rather harshly rebuffed by Davies & Co.
'Ball Of Stars' 2008

Even so, Hodgson says the idea of Davies touring as Supertramp and performing his own material would make him “incredibly happy.” What does not make him happy is the idea of Davies using material he wrote. It’s been widely reported that Hodgson and Davies both bought into a gentleman’s agreement when the went their separate ways in 1983, with Hodgson agreeing to allow Davies to continue using the name Supertramp, but Davies would not continue to perform songs that were written by Hodgson. There may, in fact, be more to it than that, and it appears that Davies came away from the breakup with the legal rights to the Supertramp name, indicating that he took the necessary legal steps to ensure his future use of the group’s name.

Hodgson, on the other hand, appears to have fallen victim to his own willingness to trust someone he considered a friend. By his own admission, he admits that he did not have a good attorney, and the agreement which forbade Davies from performing his music was not in writing.

“It was a handshake where we looked each other in the eye. I had been with Rick for 14 years. I thought that I could trust him. The first tour he did, the ‘Brother Where You Bound’ tour, he didn’t play my songs. He honoured the agreement. Then 5 or 7 years later that is when he started to, for whatever reason, play my songs. I felt very betrayed. That is part of the reason Dougie Thompson left the band. He felt it was really wrong,” Hodgson said.

It’s not clear whether Hodgson could or would take legal action to stop Davies from using his material. In California, where Hodgson now lives, the law states that a verbal agreement is equal to a written one. Even so, Hodgson seems reluctant to take the matter to the courts, but says he will no longer remain silent on the issue.

Hodgson’s material does make up a very sizable share of Supertramp’s greatest hits. Classics such as “Take The Long Way Home,” “Give A Little Bit,” “Breakfast In America” and “Dreamer” were all penned by Hodgson, and apparently are too popular for Davies to leave by the wayside.

What makes no sense to Roger Hodgson is the fact that Davies is a fine songwriter in his own right, and could take to the road with his own material and probably make a success of it. Davies wrote classics such as “Goodbye Stranger”, “From Now On”, “Bloody Well Right” and “Ain’t Nobody But Me.”

Bringing these facts to light has prompted me to reconsider something I said a few years ago. Like most fans, I don’t think the full glory of Supertramp can ever be realized without the inclusion of Roger Hodgson. At the same time, I’m in agreement with Hodgson regarding the songwriting ability of Rick Davies. I have all of the post-Hodgson studio albums, and I enjoy them a great deal.

That only makes Hodgson’s point seem more sensible. There are at least four albums Davies could draw from to compile a good set list for the upcoming tour. Would fans miss the old Hodgson classics? Perhaps, but I think it’s more important for a guy to honor his commitment to a friend. It’s a commitment he has apparently not honored in the past, but perhaps it’s not too late to make amends by making the right decision now.

For all the recent comments by Roger Hodgson, head on over to Undercover.

Tags: 2010, Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson, Songs, Supertramp, tour

 

[Magic]

Sounds to me like "Supertramp" is a thing of the past. Atleast the Supertramp of the 70's and 80's is long gone.

Rick Davies Productions owns the trademark "Supertramp", but that doesn't mean he owns the sound of the band.....without the old band members, the name means squat.

 

[LG]

I only have one of Roger's solo albums, Eye of the Storm, and it sounds like a Supertramp record to me.

70's Guy, that is what I don't understand either, Rick is a talented individual, and has enough material to tour without playing Roger's most famous songs. I know I would not buy a ticket to see a Supertramp reunion concert without Roger as part of it, I have seen them on the Breakfast for America tour and that is the band I would want to see again.

 

[That 70s Guy]

from classicrockmagazine.com

Supertramp co-founder Rick Davies has explained why the band are re-forming without Roger Hodgson.

Says Davies in a statement on the band’s official website:

“In June of 2008 Rick Davies went to meet with Roger Hodgson to discuss the possibility of a reunion with him. After 15 months of discussions, last fall Rick and Roger did not come to an agreement as was hoped. Roger decided to continue his solo career as he has since leaving Supertramp 27 years ago.

“After a bit of soul-searching and much encouragement and support from Supertramp’s longstanding promoters, Rick decided to put the band back on the road.

“The 70-10 Tour is a celebration of 40 years of Supertramp, which Rick started in 1970, but it is not a reunion with Roger Hodgson. We wish Roger well and look forward to playing for you this fall.

“We sincerely hope this puts an end to the confusion that has been circulating on the internet and in the press.”

Hogdson recently insisted that Davies shouldn’t play any of his songs on this reunion tour.

Find out more at Supertramp - Home.

 

[LG]

^^That reads much better than the preceding article 70's Guy, at least now we know that Rick attempted a conciliation with Roger to get this project going. I have to reverse my previous stance now, I feel that if Roger doesn't want to tour then he should allow the band to sing whatever songs they want to...period, otherwise he comes across like a diva in this instance.