With
Breakfast in America,
Supertramp had a genuine blockbuster hit, topping the charts for four weeks in the U.S. and selling millions of copies worldwide; by the 1990s, the album had sold over 18 million units across the world. Although their previous records had some popular success, they never even hinted at the massive sales of
Breakfast in America. Then again,
Supertramp's earlier records weren't as pop-oriented as
Breakfast. The majority of the album consisted of tightly written, catchy, well-constructed pop songs, like the hits "The Logical Song," "Take the Long Way Home," and "Goodbye Stranger."
Supertramp still had a tendency to indulge themselves occasionally, but
Breakfast in America had very few weak moments. It was clearly their high-water mark. [A two-disc deluxe edition, released in 2010, featured a remastered version of the album plus a disc of highlights from
Supertramp's 1979 Live Breakfast World Tour, including selections recorded in London, Miami, and Paris (note: the six songs from Paris did not appear on the 1980 live album
Paris).] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine