À LA CARTE

I was surprised to see so many 1-star reviews for this album. So is it really that bad? Please be aware though that I do like some of the mid-late 70's AOR stuff. I love this web- site and enjoy spending hours at a time reading the many thoughtful/awesome reviews. I've come to the conclusion that many 1-star reviews across the boards are not because an album is truely bad *but* because an album was not progressive enough or not progressive at all or that it reflected a change in a band from going progressive to a more commerical sound. At the risk of being tarred and feathered and perhaps hung from the highest tree in the prog forest, I still say Gentle Giant's "Giant for a day" is a pretty good album even if it's not progressive like their masterpieces "Free Hand", "Glass House", "Power and the glory". "Giant for a day" receives it's bad ratings due to "not being progressive" despite it's catchy tunes. Having said that, I feel this album fits into that category.

This is not a great album by any means but it's not a bad album either. For me, it sits comfortably in the middle. Yes triumvirat (like so many other prog bands in the late 70's) were going thru a transitional phase that was dictated by record companies in order to produce revenue. As great as prog is, it does not sell. Sooner or later the musicians have to eat and feed their kids and keep up payments on their homes. They can't do that by releasing concept albums or prog masterpieces. The general money paying audience demands verse/chorus/verse/chorus tunes that can fit comfortably on local radio stations that require commercial breaks from paid sponsors every 3-5 minutes.

This album is a good late 70's pop album by a fantastic prog band. I find some catchy/upbeat melodies on here as well as some bombastic vocals that have a soulful feeling to them. There are some syrupy ballads amonst choral arrangements but even the syrupy ballads are good. The syrupy ballads are similar to what the New Trolls did in their concerto grosso #2. There are some really good funky rythms and bass lines thru out too. I'm not big on horns and brass but their use of them on this album is quite effective and reminds me of "Saturday in the Park"-era Chicago. Once in a while, you'll hear some ELP- like analog keyboards done progressive style by Jürgen Fritz that lasts for about 3-4 seconds (which is out of place on this album) just to remind you that this is still Triumvirat.

If you like your Triumvirat to sounds like Spartacus or Illusions, then skip this one. But if you don't mind catchy 3-5 tunes done by a former progressive outfit, this album is worth a listen. In prog circles, this is not a good album. In commercial AOR circles, this is a good album. I also like their "New Triumvirat - Pompeii" album too and I find myself listening to these more than Spartacus.

This is not a bad album. It's just not progressive in the style of their earlier works. I don't think it deserves a 1-star rating just for being not progressive.

I can safely put this album in the same category as Caravan's "Better by Far" or Gentle Giant's "Giant for a day". Some nice melodic moments and killer bass lines at times.