Supertramp Press Launch, 7 p.m., 3rd March 1997.

Planetarium de la Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris.

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Ten years after their 'Free As A Bird' album, Supertramp have recorded a brand new album. Officially released worldwide on 24th March, 'Some Things Never Change' will be the band's first album for EMI. It was the enthuisiasm of Georges Ohayon, boss of EMI France, that started the entire project in the first place. Ohayon, a big Supertramp-fan from day one, talked to Rick Davies and convinced him to record a new album under the banner of Supertramp instead of solo.

To let the world know about their new signing, EMI invited the international press to Paris on 3rd and 4th March to witness the unveiling. Rockmine was there !

I've done my fair share of Press Launches. Believe me, even if I don't remember them all. During the'good old days' of the seventies and early eighties, companies really knew how to throw their money away on champagne, canapes and goody-bags full of freebies. So, when an invite arrived for the Press Launch of a legendary seventies supergroup, I wasn't going to miss it.

We were told that the band would not peform but that we would be "treated to an album playback". Gorgeous girls in white overalls guided us through the displays of rockets (maybe a good omen for a "launch") and helped us to find our way to our seats inside the planetarium. We were introduced to the producer of the new album, Jack Douglas, a guy best known for his work with vintage Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Montrose, Cheap Trick, Patti Smith, etc ... He also produced Supertramp's first album which promised a return to the original sound of the group.

The lights went out and the new album cover was projected onto the dome above us. We were given the lyrics to the five tracks (out of a total of twelve brand new songs) we were about to hear. Very useful bearing in mind the darkness!

After the playback came the "photo call". A chance to let the photographers and cameramen do their job before Georges Ohayon took the microphone. He welcomed the various record people and journalists there and presented each member of the band with a gold album for pre-order sales in excess of 100,000 in France. Sales which had been accumulated in only ten days ! And then the various band members mingled amongst us.

Rick Davies was the centre of attention. Everyone wanted to speak to him but he made sure he had a brief chat with everyone.

Rick : Hi!.

Did I say "brief" - maybe a slight exageration! At times like this it helps if the PR people are on hand to prep the press and make sure the band do their job. If they were around, I certainly didn't see them.

What I did see was drummer, Bob Siebenberg wandering about. I collared him for a chat (although he insisted on introducing me to his daughter) but after a few minutes was pushed aside by a TV crew anxious to get someone - anyone to interview. Don't mind me or Bob's daughter who got hassled away as well.

No, I didn't interview her but I can tell you that her dad's passion is baseball. He's even taken up coaching a team and was flying back to the States as there was an important tournament on. Bob seemingly had to be dragged out to catch the plane still wearing his track suit. Luckily for his daughter they managed to visit the Louvre that morning as their hotel was just opposite the museum complex. No, I really didn't interview her. "On a cultural level there is a BIG difference between America and Europe". Yes, she enjoyed the same music her dad listened to - Procol Harum - Traffic and, of course, Supertramp.

Stop! Let me check this is really happening ... Was there something strange in the champagne ... ? I saw another glass and decided to go for it. I was lucky, seconds later I found myself standing alone. Just me ... no-one else giving me their life story or a guided tour of Paris.

It was time to find someone else to talk to. The weirdness increased : Mark Hart was all over his wife and their newborn baby. I thought this was a Press Launch. I was obviously wrong. It was like we were watching vignettes from life at home with the stars.

John Helliwell was surrounded by fans with piles of scrapbooks. I felt like I was intruding on some private family gathering. Thoughts of dreaded slide-shows of holiday snaps flooded my mind. "Those are my feet on stage at Rio ... ?" Fans ... ? What the **** were fans doing there ... ?

Rick was standing off in the distance, I suddenly thought of Hitler in a bunker planning the conquest of the world; the universe. I shuddered. For a moment it felt like we were all part of a carefully composed album cover by Hipgnosis.

Cliff Hugo, the bass player, was standing nearby. He'd been on "a low-key tour" with guitarist Carl Verheyen playing clubs around Europe for three weeks. His girlfriend popped a chocolate in her mouth. "I've been a friend of Rick's for a few years, I'm even his tennis partner!". This man's a well-known session musician and one time member of Ray Charles' band and I'm being told about tennis ... ? There goes another chocolate ...

What about joining the band ... ?

Cliff : When I was asked to join the band I was thrilled but in the beginning I listened to all of their albums to get the feel of it and I must confess I don't like 'Free As A Bird' at all. Also 'Canonball' isn't very good as it lacks the Supertramp spirit. That spirit is definitely back on this new album !"

... another chocolate disappeared. What happens next ... ?

Cliff : "We go back to the States for two weeks rehearsal, then we come over to do a TV-show in Vienna and go back for another week of rehearsals before the start of the tour at the end of April"

... and another one.

"Obviously the concerts will contain a lot of the new material but also a nice selection of the older stuff because that's what the people like. That's one of the main reasons why Supertramp got back together in the first place".

The "Greatest Hits" album, released last year, sold in excess of 7 million copies in Europe alone which sort of proves their popularity !

Carl : "I remember last time we played Paris, we did six shows in front of 22,000 people every night and they were all sold out. Then we did a number of gigs around the country before coming back to do some TV in Paris. When we got back, they'd booked another three nights in Paris and they were all sold out. I'm telling you : France is Supertramp-crazy !"

Maybe the chocolates ran out but something happened to break up our happy throng. I grabbed Jack Douglas - possibly the most interesting man there but we didn't talk much about Supertramp. We did cover Phil Spector ...

Jack : "All the weird stories you hear are absolutely true. From the times he walked into the studio armed to the time he stole the master-tapes and drove off. The stories in the press seem so untrue when you read them but they're all genuine. ... a very weird guy!"

John and Yoko recording 'Double Fantasy' ...

Jack : "Yoko would be in the studio all day. Around 7 PM John would come in, argue a bit with Yoko and kick her out of the studio. Then he'd tune his guitar and start working ... all night long before leaving in the morning. I'd get a couple of hours sleep before Yoko would show up again to work on her songs. That's why on the album there's a Lennon side and a Yoko side !"

And that was it. A surreal setting for a very surreal occassion. If only Rick Davies had made himself available ... if only the band had left their families at the hotel ... if only the "real" Supertramp had got back together. Then maybe, just maybe this would have worked as a press launch ...