“Rudy” by Supertramp
From the 1974 album Crime of the Century

I’m bending the rules of the iTunes Genius scheme a bit here — this was not actually the first track it recommended following “I Know What I Like”; it was actually the fifth. But there was a persistent Peter Gabriel – Genesis – late ’70s Yes rut getting established, and I felt it was time to introduce some fresh material.

Namely, Supertramp. Supertramp is somewhat peripheral to the prog world, but there was a decisive prog streak in their music, and in the big tangled prog rock family tree, there is at least one direct connection, though a rather ignoble one: Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson collaborated with Jon Anderson to write a song from the buried 1994 Yes album Talk.

But here we see Supertramp in their prime. Or, to be honest, slightly before it. Breakfast in America is generally regarded as the band’s masterpiece, but Crime of the Century, is not to be dismissed as easily as I usually do. Given the twists and turns “Rudy” takes the listener through in its seven-minute duration, the album is certainly worth a listen.