TS: Superchunk v. Supertramp

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the american/anglo culture gap rears its head yet again.

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 06:08 (twenty-three years ago)

they are similar in many ways

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 06:13 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, both have high-pitched castrato-wimp lead singers!

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 06:15 (twenty-three years ago)

and have names with 'Super' + consonantx2 + vowel + consonantx2! Wowee!

― Keith McD (Keith McD), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 07:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Supertramp win easily, because they don't have anything to do with emo and because they had great pop hooks in amidst their prog.

― Damian (Damian), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 09:06 (twenty-three years ago)

despite being from lovely chapel hill, superchunk bite.

― mary b. (mary b.), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 09:29 (twenty-three years ago)

SuperGRASS

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 11:22 (twenty-three years ago)

1. Superchunk effected emo?
2. Superchunk

― David Allen, Tuesday, 29 October 2002 13:38 (twenty-three years ago)

I've only heard a couple of songs by either. Both pretty pointless. Have Scooter ever covered a Superchunk song though? No? Well that shades it for the 'tramp then.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 13:42 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd take option 3, Superdrag.

― Jeff (Jeff), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 14:10 (twenty-three years ago)

What the hell does Supertramp sound like? I mean, all you 'Chunk cranks are clearly mentalists, and hating one doesn't seem to preclude adoring the other, but, anyway, what the hell does Supertramp sound like?

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 14:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Mr R I am frankly taken aback that you don't know the song "Breakfast in America." Supertramp at their zenith sound like very savvy chart-pop songs sung by a guy with an extreme make-funnable-of high voice and mildly clever/zany lyrics. They have luvly melodies. Prior to "Breakfast in America" they were much proggier, v. "blow-yer-mind" lyrics/imagery. Search: "Crisis? What Crisis," "Crime of the Century" and the aforementioned chart-topping (for real!) "Breakfast in America." There was a big pop hit also on "Even in the Quietest Moments" but I can't for the life of me remember it.

I typed "Even in the Quietist Moments" origninally: what is a Quietist incidentally and how does he differ from a Rockist? Discuss. (No "Low" answers please)

― J0hn Darn13ll3 (J0hn Darn13ll3), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 15:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Superchunk: 2 good songs. Supertramp: 2 good songs I know of. Maybe it's a tie.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 16:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Does Superchunk get points for running Merge or are we judging the two solely on the basis of their actual musical contributions?

In any case, I also vote for Supergrass.

― Aaron W, Tuesday, 29 October 2002 16:49 (twenty-three years ago)

(heated argument in a fountain between two girls)
L: Freak!
S: Tramp!
L: Superfreak!
S: Supertramp!

So...who will admit to knowing from which TV show this came?

― Ernest P., Tuesday, 29 October 2002 16:54 (twenty-three years ago)

The big pop hit off "Even In The Quietest Moments" was "Give A Little Bit."

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 29 October 2002 16:54 (twenty-three years ago)

SPACEHOG

― Aaron A., Tuesday, 29 October 2002 17:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Supercollider (the one from L.A.)

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 18:22 (twenty-three years ago)

"Give A Little Bit"!! That's the tune Liz Phair mauled in that Gap ad, isn't it? Oh boy oh boy.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 18:32 (twenty-three years ago)

SuperPaint! SuperCard 2.0!

― Curt (cgould), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 18:35 (twenty-three years ago)

That L.A. Supercollider put on one of the best indie shows I ever saw! Those NASA films! Those disaffected glances! Yes indeed!

― J0hn Darn13ll3 (J0hn Darn13ll3), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 18:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Don't make me jealous again that you saw them, John! *cries*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 18:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh my! What about Super Furry Animals? Do they count?

― Aaron W, Tuesday, 29 October 2002 19:05 (twenty-three years ago)

I just downloaded "Give A Little Bit" - it's ravishing! Crikey!

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 19:08 (twenty-three years ago)

but but Superchunk made No Pockey For Kitty, can't you see?!

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 19:19 (twenty-three years ago)

And there were only twenty people or so in the room! I felt like I was seeing a great lost Factory Records band or something! cackles wickedly, exits: stage left

― J0hn Darn13ll3 (J0hn Darn13ll3), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 19:27 (twenty-three years ago)

BAH! Do not make me hate! Actually, wait, I WILL hate, what's with you not playing LA on this tour? ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 19:53 (twenty-three years ago)

it's so hard to actually get out to L.A. -- haven't done a show there since '95; jeez -- perhaps I can get a gig opening for Roger Hodgson if he hits the road any time soon cue rimshot

failing that I'm hoping to manage it by next summer at the latest

― J0hn Darn13ll3 (J0hn Darn13ll3), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 19:56 (twenty-three years ago)

SPACEHOG YES!!!!!

― mary b. (mary b.), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 20:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Superchunk effected emo?

When I first heard the Get Up Kids, my immediate thought was 'Superchunk'.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 22:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom, 'Take the Long Way Home' from 'Breakfast in America' is also really lush. David R - ST are sometimes a bit like Steely Dan (w/out the boho jazz steals or intellectual irony), 10CC, Stealers Wheel, late 60s/early 70s Beach Boys, all that gd stuff.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 22:56 (twenty-three years ago)

I always thought "Give a Little Bit" was Peter Frampton.

― Kris (aqueduct), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 22:59 (twenty-three years ago)

It's like if Big Star had got successful and still tried to write stuff like "Thirteen".

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 29 October 2002 23:01 (twenty-three years ago)

but, anyway, what the hell does Supertramp sound like?

Two vocalists, one (Rick Davies) had a deeper, near-countryish voice, the other (Roger Hodgson)had sort of a 'cartoon'-like high tenor.
Sound heavily dominated by piano and electric piano (sounds more Wurlitzer than Fender Rhodes) played by the two. I was always really liked their sax player (John Helliwell, I think his name was)--I usually don't care that much for how the sax sounds, but his solos (check out the end of "It's Raining Again", "My Kind of Lady", etc.) always seemed to flow very effortlessly.

Anyway, their most popular songs usually feature Hodgson singing; he pretty much gave the band their distinctiveness--when he left in the early 80s...well, it's like The Pogues without Shane MacGowan or The Sugarcubes without Bjork.

― Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 00:30 (twenty-three years ago)

The Get Up Kids sound a lot like Superchunk, yes.

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 00:41 (twenty-three years ago)

"The Logical Song" is practically emo, lyrics-wise if not music-wise. So maybe Superchunk shouldn't alone get tagged with the emo connection?

Also, Anal Cunt steals the opening riff to "Give a Little Bit" for "Your Favorite Band Is Supertramp." So my vote goes for Supertramp!

― Tad (llamasfur), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 03:36 (twenty-three years ago)

also "The Logical Song" pronounces "liberal" with three syllables, a trick I've stolen when I moonlight as a singer (not very well, so I'm told)

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 05:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I used to love listening to "Breakfast to America" on 8 track, I haven't heard it for years, but it was big with me back in fifth or sixth grade. It "Draw the Line" by Aerosmith, "Destroyer" by Kiss, & the first Cars album was the only rock and roll 8 tracks I owned.

Early Superchunk is the best of their music. I still have the first singles collection & "Foolish". The more the softened out their sound, the less I liked their music. I've seen them live a bunch of times and they are always a pretty good time.

― earlnash, Wednesday, 30 October 2002 23:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Supertramp had an undeniable gift for melody but I don't really like them most of the time. I want to and I always think maybe I do when I hear their songs in my head but they never sound right in reality. Something about Hodgson's voice, the laidback, watery keyboard-based tracks, and the goofy backup vocals is just so . . . limp? Like, the "Don't do this. . ." part of "School" should actually sound, well, hard rather than campy. And couldn't they get a better drum sound for that? "Hide In Your Shell" could be so great without all those terrible saxes (There's saxes on that one, right? I don't like the arrangement anyway) and the hokey backups on lines like "You got demons in your closet (DEMONS IN YOUR CLOSET)/And you're screaming out to stop it (SCREAMING OUT TO STOP IT)". "Dreamer" is the nadir of 70s fruit-rock. Supertramp fans (and there are so many in Montreal) think it foolish but I actually like "Goodbye Stranger", perhaps because Hodgson doesn't sing the lead and the arrangement is relatively stripped down. For the most part, though, I change the station when they come on.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 23:55 (twenty-three years ago)

three-syllable "liberal" = singing in American = definitely emo.

― Kris (aqueduct), Thursday, 31 October 2002 01:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think I've ever heard Superchunk, BTW.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 31 October 2002 02:01 (twenty-three years ago)

maybe emo is my new thing, then

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Thursday, 31 October 2002 04:04 (twenty-three years ago)

A story that just got posted on the Rocket from the Crypt mailing list, referring to a club guy down in San Diego [names vaguely changed for the hell of it]:

"I don't know how acurate this is but I was reminded of a funny thing about [club guy]. A long time ago Superchunk played at the old [club]. Before the show [club guy] walked up to Mac and Laura and told them he was a big fan. He told them that he had seen them "15 years ago at ....stadium" Mac and Laura did not know what to say so they didn't say anything. They gathered that [club guy] thought they were SUPERTRAMP. Kinda funny."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 1 November 2002 17:33 (twenty-three years ago)

seven years pass...

one of the key musical distinctions of our sad past decade methinks

― Carmine Dirtnap from North Arlington (Eisbaer), Sunday, 29 August 2010 15:28 (fifteen years ago)

19 years ago the answer would have been Superchunk, but it is now and forever Supertramp.

― dlp9001, Sunday, 29 August 2010 19:41 (fifteen years ago)

http://www.monkey.org/~chunk/superchunk/images/inpocky.jpg

― mookieproof, Sunday, 29 August 2010 19:57 (fifteen years ago)

three years pass...

Superunknown

― I Am the Cosimo Code (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 8 September 2013 04:34 (twelve years ago)

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