...THE
OF A SOPHISTO-ROCK SAXOPHONIST BY ANNIE McCLEAN
After
a summer free from performing, it was once again time for John to start
work on his third Supertramp album with rehearsals starting in early autumn
’76. Recording followed at Colorado’s Caribou Studios and
was completed in the week prior to Christmas ’76. Holiday festivities
out of the way, the band began mixing at the Record Plant. Friends of
the band were invited to provide the background vocals on “From
Now On” but the normally mild mannered perfectionist lost the plot
a little when the assembled group persistently sang out of tune. In exasperation
he’s alleged to have yelled “Why can’t these bastards
sing in tune?”
Examination of any publicity shots from around this time onwards shows
John to be wearing a simple small, dark, rectangular pendant. An American
fan rather mysteriously sought him out at a stage door after one mid seventies
performance, presented him
with the piece and made some statement about it being able to bring luck
to the band ie “wear it always and you will continue to perform
together” – something like that. It’s a nice touch that
no matter where he is in the world, to this day, whether playing with
Supertramp or Roger Hodgson, that he will always have the pendant around
his neck.
Our man celebrated his 32 nd birthday just weeks before the release of
“Even in the Quietest Moments” and the start of its accompanying
global tour in Canada. As the band worked their way across N. America
John was asked by producer Toni Visconti to take time out in Toronto to
record two tracks with Bob Siebenberg’s brother-in-law, Scott Gorham
and his band Thin Lizzy which included the hit single “Dancin’
in the Moonlight”.
John completed performances with Supertramp in the US then caught up
with Thin Lizzy back in London in late August ’77 to make a live
appearance with them on the BBV
TV show, “Top of the Pops”. A few days later he and Supertramp
were off to Denmark to commence a European tour which brought them to
the UK mid October. Using a camera he picked up on an earlier tour, John
commenced a photographic study which consisted of the daily “view
from my window” of whichever hotel and city he was in. To date the
project remains unpublished but it would make a fascinating study of life
on the road as seen from the eyes of a traveling musician.
The band reached London on the 10 th November to wind up the tour, filming
some of their best known live band footage at St. Mary’s College
that evening. It’s perhaps no coincidence to note that this and
the earlier recorded Hammersmith shows are both “end of tour”
shows.
OF A SOPHISTO-ROCK SAXOPHONIST BY ANNIE McCLEAN
