For most of my life, I've loudly and proudly identified myself as a Supertramp fan. All these years later, I listen with awe to the altogether stunning new Classics Live album only to discover that I am, in fact, first and foremost, a major Roger Hodgson fan. His is the voice that spoke to me as a young man, and speaks to me even more powerfully all these years later. An utterly inspired collection of live performances of the best-loved songs that Roger Hodgson has written and sung to date, Classics Live reminds us in the most vivid way who brought the world such beloved rock standards as Give A Little Bit, Take The Long Way Home, The Logical Song and Dreamer and why these shining songs endure as deeply personal yet somehow universal expression of longing, love and our endless search for human connection. Hodgson's performances on Classics Live were recorded in various venues around the world -- from France to Brazil to Germany to Venezuela. Some of the performances here are acoustic, some with a small rock band; others find Hodgson backed by an orchestra too, and yet the entire album holds together as the deeply felt song cycle of a lifetime from an artist who for too long has been too humble to lay claim to his own remarkable musical legacy. Roger Hodgson may have taken the long way home, but with Classics Live he's back and he has never sounded better. --DAVID WILD Contributing Editor, Rolling StoneNow Hodgson is back with a collection of live performances of some of his greatest hits. These are songs he has said in an interview he still loves to sing. -My songs come from a very personal place inside me and they carry my beliefs and my dreams and my philosophy of life.- More importantly, they are songs we still love to hear. They have been available as digital downloads on Hodgson's official web site and will soon be out on a CD. Classics Live collects dynamic performances from the singer's 2010 world tour: Brazil, Germany, Norway, Venezuela and Paris. If the album shows anything, it shows that Hodgson still has that distinctive voice that thrilled us all back in the day and the songs themselves are as alive today as they ever were. The CD opens with Take the Long Way Home from Breakfast in America and adds three other songs from one of the finest rock albums ever recorded: The Logical Song, Lord is it Mine?, and Breakfast in America. From the 1974 Crime of the Century there are three songs: School, Dreamer, and Hide in Your Shell. There is an acoustic version of Two of Us from the 1975 Crisis? What Crisis? and Even the Quietest Moment (1977) is represented by the hit, Give a Little Bit. It's Raining Again from 1982 Famous Last Words, Hodgson's last album with Supertramp, ends the album. The only song from his solo career is Only Because of You. If you are too young to have been around in the seventies when Supertramp was at its heights, here is a collection that will give you a good idea of what made them so great. For the elderly among you, this is a collection that is bound to bring back some fine memories. Unlike some singers who seem to have grown tired of singing the songs that made them famous, Hodgson recognizes the deep connection that fans have with these songs and he performs them with the same passion and vigor he did forty years ago. Classic is the right title for these songs; classy is the right word to describe the singer. --Jack Goodstein - Seattle PII am a huge Supertramp fan and an even bigger Roger Hodgson fan! I realized a long time ago that the majority of the songs I loved most from Supertramp, were composed by Roger Hodgson. His musical genius, soul-touching lyrics and amazing voice make his music timeless. And, Classics Live takes it to a whole new level. It is an amazingly beautiful CD! I don't know how he's done it, but he has perfected perfection! This CD will leave you plotting and scheming how to see him in concert! The good news is, he is touring, so you can! (and I will!) Spike  This is a great live compilation, and is the next best thing to being there in person... although nothing can really compare to seeing Roger Hodgson live. Wonderful renditions of all the songs. Looking forward to more live stuff from Roger -- and would love to see a new CD, too! Rosie Dish --iTunes