Roger Hodgson

In the Eye of the Storm is the first solo album by former Supertramp member Roger Hodgson. The album's first single was the four-minute edit of "Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy)", which peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up single, a four-minute edit of "In Jeopardy", was a minor hit, peaking at number 30 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart but failing to crack the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself was only moderately successful, stalling at number 46 in the Billboard album charts and only reaching number 70 in the UK Albums Chart. It performed far better in Canada, going platinum within a month of its release.

This anthology of devotional music from 18th-century Venice and Naples offers an interesting and varied programme. Best known is Pergolesi’s Stabat mater, but the settings by Domenico Scarlatti and Bononcini stand well in comparison. The motets by Lotti, Caldara and Alessandro Scarlatti are real discoveries; Norrington’s performances of the latter are particularly fine. Guest’s Pergolesi suffers from a focus of sound which makes the interpretation seem somewhat generalised. However, all these performances give pleasure, while the music is melodically fresh and rhythmically vital.

It Was the Best of Times is a live album by Supertramp. The title makes use of the opening line from A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It was recorded in London at the Royal Albert Hall during the It's About Time tour in September 1997. This CD also features the song "Don't You Lie To Me" a blues song that the band had performed on their 1988 tour and the only song not written by a current or former band member. The band is augmented by additional players added for this album and tour as well as Slow Motion, the followup studio album recorded and released in 2002.

Excellent addition to any prog-rock music collection
A perfectly well-crafted and eclectic album of art pop music - nowhere near as dull as most critics call it. The ingredients are simple, but thanks to a good sense of melody and arrangement the whole thing becomes really tasty after all.