"Crisis? What Crisis?" is the fourth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1975. Recorded in both Los Angeles and London, it marked the band's first album to have sessions in the United States. The album was released following the commercial success of Crime of the Century (1974), with the band under pressure to deliver a successful follow-up. The recording process for Crisis? What Crisis? was rushed due to the band's tight schedule, leaving little time for rehearsal or songwriting. As a result, much of the material for the album came from leftover songs from Crime of the Century and earlier tracks.
During the recording, band members Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson struggled with the lack of new material, which caused production delays. Eventually, they had to write additional songs, including "Ain't Nobody But Me" to complete the album. Despite the challenges during production, Crisis? What Crisis? included tracks like "Sister Moonshine," "Another Man's Woman," "Lady," and "Just a Normal Day," which had been performed live before they were recorded for the album.
Despite the commercial success of Crime of the Century, Hodgson was not pleased with the album, feeling it was rushed and lacked the cohesion of their previous work. He later described it as a "patch-up job," though in the mid-1980s, he called it his favorite Supertramp album. Bassist Dougie Thomson also echoed these sentiments, feeling that the album was disjointed.
The album's title and artwork were conceived by Rick Davies. The title Crisis? What Crisis? was inspired by a line from the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal and by a popular impression of the UK government during the Winter of Discontent in 1979. The cover art, which depicts a man lounging in a deck chair amidst chaos, was a concept sketch Davies presented to the band. Photographer Paul Wakefield, who had worked on Crime of the Century, returned to shoot the album's cover, using photographs of the Welsh mining valleys and a model shot in the studio.
The album was remastered and re-released in 2002, with the CD version including the original artwork and credits, along with lyrics to the songs that were missing from the initial release. Despite the band's dissatisfaction with the album at the time, Crisis? What Crisis? was recognized as one of the best albums of 1975 by Record Mirror and has since earned a place in Supertramp's catalog as a key part of their musical journey.
