One of their better albums (December 26, 2009)

The album, 'Free as a bird' by Supertamp, from 1987 is quite a good mix of light-jazzy pop. I like it's airy, easy-listening feel.

The keyboards keep it interesting and generally the songs deviate enough from the norm to remain interesting. The album is quite melodic and is very pleasant, and the lyrics are romantic. The title 'Free as a bird' refers to being out of a relationship. There is a good addition of backing vocals and they are really nice on the beautiful soft-disco 'I'm begging you', one of the highlights along with the dramatic album close, 'An awful thing to waste'.

All in all 'Free as a bird' is a good album with good music and enough diversity to make it well worth the listen.

Shiny happy people. (November 10, 2009)

The 2nd post-Roger Hodgson Supertramp album positively glistens, especially in its new remastered version. The synth-soaked production was quite off-putting in 1987 becuase it was such a radical departure for the band, but in hindsight this album was if nothing else the complete antithesis of 'Brother Where You Bound', their previous, very cynical and political album. Although still for hardcore fans only, 'Free as a Bird' is an enjoyable, fun, and sparkling album from these now-ancient prog rockers.

A very good album. (August 12, 2009)

This is a very good album, with some strong songs, mostly sung by Rick Davies who was a big part of the old Supertramp magic. I can`t understand why it has received so much criticism, like Slow Motion, it is a classic. Some fans miss Roger and fair enough, he was fifty per-cent of the old vocal sound but this is well worth buying and I hope Rick turns out some more like it.

Confused About the Reviews...This is One of Their Best! (April 13, 2009)

Give this a careful listen and you'll realize this is one of Supertramp's Best. I wish Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson would just put their differences behind then and get back into the studio again! Anyway, this CD was essentially ignored and deserves to be re-discovered again. 5 stars.

This album is better than you remember it to be... (April 11, 2008)

Yes,I am a Supertramp fan, but I am far from hardcore. I think I am more in a place to judge fairly.

Bottom line: This is a solid album for expanding one's Supertramp catalog beyond their more known albums (specifically: Crime, Breakfast, and Brother -- if you do not have these, definitely get these first)

This album is really quite good. The songwriting, performance, and orchestrations are very good. After listening to this album quite a few times, many of the scathing reviews are unfair. Really. I almost passed on this album entirely. I am REALLY glad I didn't.

I know this album will not solve world peace, but -- at the end of the day -- it is a very good listen if you like Supertramp.

PS
And don't miss the sweet guitar solo in 'An Awful Thing To Waste'