Producer: Supertramp.

Reissue producers: Bill Levenson, Beth Stempel.

Recorded at Caribou Ranch, Colorado and The Record Plant, Los Angeles, California.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

The title of Even in the Quietest Moments... isn't much of an exaggeration -- this 1977 album finds Supertramp indulging in some of their quietest moments, spending almost the album in a subdued mood. Actually, the cover photo picture of a snow-covered piano sitting on a mountain gives a good indication of what the album sounds like: it's elegant yet mildly absurd, witty but kind of obscure. It also feels more pop than it actually is, despite the opening single, "Give a Little Bit," their poppiest song to date, as well as their biggest hit. If the rest of the album doesn't boast another song as tight or concise as this -- "Downstream" comes close but it doesn't have the same hook, while "Babaji," a pseudo-spiritual moment that falls from the pop mark; the other four tracks clock in well over six minutes, with the closer, "Fool's Overture," reaching nearly 11 minutes -- it nevertheless places a greater emphasis on melody and gentle textures than any previous Supertramp release. So, it's a transitional album, bridging the gap between Crime of the Century and the forthcoming Breakfast in America, and even if it's not as full formed as either, it nevertheless has plenty of fine moments aside from "Give a Little Bit," including the music hall shuffle of "Loverboy," the Euro-artiness of "From Now On," and the "Fool on a Hill" allusions on "Fool's Overture." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

While there had been McCartney-esque pop elements in Supertramp's accessible brand of art-rock from the beginning, EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS represents a definitive shift from proggier tendencies towards a more commercial approach. Coming as it did before the band's major commercial breakthrough, BREAKFAST IN AMERICA, it foreshadows that album's straightforward pop-rock approach, while still retaining a touch of the early artiness.

While "Fool's Overture" has a bit of the weightiness one ordinarily associates with 1970s prog, the fragile, contemplative title track and "From Now On" betray a fondness for the softer side of '60s Britpop. "Give a Little Bit," which would become one of Supertramp's signature songs, is a sunny, acoustic-guitar-driven tune that would sound at home alongside almost any '70s Los Angeles folk-rock act. The band's big crossover was just around the corner, but all the earmarks of their breakout can be heard here.