OLD LOVES DIE HARD

I don't think I was too shocked Old Loves Die Hard never really reached the heights of Spartacus. Late '70s pop tendencies that would totally take over Triumvirat within two albums was already starting to rear its head here. Helmut Kollen left to pursue a solo career, unfortunately he never lived to see his sole solo album. You Won't See Me (1977). In his shoes come Dick Frangenberg on bass, who was the original bassist for the group, before Mediterranean Tales was released, and Barry Palmer, a singer where the grasp of the English language was never in question given his British origins. I have to say the ballads on this album really throw me over the edge, especially "I Believe" and "A Cold Old Worried Lady". Although from 1976, these are two very insipid late '70s type of soft-rock balladry. I can hardly handle listening to these without my stomach turning. Barry Palmer's voice not helping. Although I was never a fan of punk, hearing these ballads make me understand more clearly why that movement was well under way roughly around this time period. At least Triumvirat did not abandoned prog, and "A Day in the Life", "The History of Mystery" and "Panic on 5th Avenue" show they can still do it, Jurgen Fritz often doing his best ELP imitations, although none of these reach the heights of Spartacus. I guarantee you had I heard this album twenty years earlier (like when I was 21 years old) I probably would have absolutely hated this album, but not now. But at least there are good moments, I just need to skip those ballads. At least I found a used LP copy on the cheap. Although the proggy stuff I like best here, I prefer Spartacus overall.