TRIUMPH

A perfct balance between partyrock and progressive rock, as shn on this album. Gil Moore and Rik Emmett switch vocals and Mike Levine does keyboards.

As always people compare it to Rush. Why? Because they're both trios? It's just stupid to compare both. I think it's a shame an excellent album wich delivers such beautiful and progressive tracks like Ordinairy Man and Fight the Good Fight has such a low score.

Even the heavy rockers are musically interesting and have some awesome drumming and guitaring.

For me, this album is the peak of the career of Triumph, and deserves much better than a score of 2,5*, wich is just silly. Maybe a site, where users aren't stubborn progheads, will be more of a warm home for these canadians.

"Thunder Seven" was released around the time I was first considering giving Triumph a listen and I remember a review in a rock magazine describing the guitar at the beginning of the opening track, "Spellbound" as "having all the subtleties of a rusty chainsaw". Indeed, "Spellbound" aimed at hitting the listener with a very typical but exciting hard rock song that by all expectations was to go down well with concert audiences. All of side one, in fact, comes across very much as a classic commercial hard rock album, as if Triumph had taken all they had learned from their past composing and recording experiences and tried to make it work for the big money and a bigger fan base. The album was a huge success for the band, and the inspire-the-teens rocker, "Follow Your Heart" was the monster single that propelled the band into Pepsi commercials after Michael Jackson got his 'fro toasted.

So side one is pretty much Triumph at their commercial hard rock best, and there is nothing here that would please anyone looking for that special musical twist that opens the doors to the progressive realm. Not even Emmett's acoustic slide guitar solo in the much derided Zeppelin-esque tune "Cool Down" can save this album on this site.

But side two looks more promising. Here's where the band quite likely came the closest to doing anything visionary. Consider the mini pseudo-suite of the time-themed songs: "Time Goes By," "Time Canon," and "Killing Time" with what is possibly Emmett's best classical composition ever, "Midsummer's Daydream" nestled in there. Most reviewers here agree that either "Time Goes By" or "Killing Time" are at least decent hard rock songs, and I think "Time Canon" shows the band attempting to exploit their vocal harmony capacity. Is it a rip off of Queen or Gentle Giant? Maybe the inspiration came from there but I don't think Triumph were out to take any credit for mimicking. In an interview at the time, Rik Emmett (who has an extensive musical background) said he suggested the idea to the other two members and was met with dubious looks and cocked eyebrows. I think it was a wonderful touch to an otherwise commercially oriented album.

"Stranger in a Strange Land" takes us out of the time pseudo-suite and back to the hard rock feel of the album but with a little more attention to the vocal and instrumentation atmosphere. In other words, they are looking away from the top of the hard rock pops approach that dominated side one.

The album closer is a carefully composed electric blues instrumental, "Little Boy Blues", for which some reviewers (bless them for their opinions) have offered little appreciation. I personally love this piece. There is mood, mood change, emotion and soul in the guitar playing, and the rest of the band do well to make this a wonderful and intelligent instrumental (I always listen for the drum solo break!). It seems that while Triumph were aiming to capture the commercial hard rock market with this album, they were also attempting to stretch out a little more than previously. Perhaps if they had continued to explore more progressive ideas they may have eventually become a real heavy-prog band. Instead they went for the more commercial approach on their next album, "The Sport of Kings".

I once laughed at a friend for buying the same cassette twice because he loved it so much, but there are now several albums in my collection that I have bought three times, first on cassette in the 80's, then on CD in the 90's, and then on remastered CD in the 00's and 10's. "Thunder Seven" by Triumph is one of those albums. It has always remained a favourite of mine (even though I don't listen to it often) because this was where I felt Triumph were making an effort to go beyond the standard commercial hard rock format. I give it 4.5 stars as a rock album. But as for a prog rock album I agree that more than 2 stars is pushing it. I am, however, glad to see a couple of people have rated it higher. Bless them for their opinions!

Because, really, there's very little progressive about Triumph, and almost nothing by this point in their career. Still, from a hard / melodic rock aspect, this is an above average album. From beginning to end you have outstanding guitar work, and a number of fun to sing-along-with tunes.

Ordinary Man is clear standout here....with the only hint of prog to it (and just a hint, at that, as only the arrangement warrants the term). The title track is the other noteworthy track as it simply rocks from beginning to end and appropriately showcases Rik Emmett's otherworldly guitar skills.

Magic Power and Fight the Good Fight are your typical early 80's radio fodder, signaling the coming onslaught of hair metal. The remaining songs range from straight-ahead rocker (Fool For Your Love, Hot Time in the City) to the obligatory acoustic guitar solo to filler (Air Raid).

Yes, the lyrics are cheesy and often juvenile. Yes, the singing from both Emmett and Gil Moore rarely rates above mediocre. Still, for a hard rock album, it does quite fine, far outclassing most offerings from this category. If you like Triumph or had rock, a recommended album.

You won't find any prog here. You will find a few really good commercial hard rock songs included however. "Hold On," "Magic Power," "Follow Your Heart," "Somebody's Out There" and "Lay It On The Line" are still played heavily on Canadian radio. "Fight The Good Fight" is the proggiest song here with some nice synth and a Rush/Zeppelin vibe. They didn't but should have included the Moore sung ballad "Just One Night." I always liked that song but apparently some of the band's fans don't like it. I only ever owned Classics so I was never a hardcore fanboy anyway. Fans of the more mainstream side of Rush might enjoy this. A half decent compilation but not of much interest to most fans of prog rock. 2 stars.

Not a prog band or a prog concert, so this simply reviews this as a hard rock act.

The third concert I ever saw was in 1980 and was a twin-bill featuring UFO and Triumph. Ever since, I have been an avid fan of both bands. And I've never really understood why Triumph has always been considered a C (or even D-) list band. For the late 70's and early 80's they produced some of the best melodic hard-rock of the era. Yeah, the vocals were weak, and they became somewhat predictable, but Rik Emmett simply kicks butt on guitar and many of the songs were great.

So I was very happy when we were finally able to get a live DVD of the band...ANY live DVD. Better yet, it captures the band (almost) in their heyday. For those unfamiliar, the Us Festival, though forgotten by most now, was a MAJOR event when it occurred. A 3-day festival that drew something like 2.5 million people....day two is infamous as it featured one of the greatest heavy metal lineups ever assembled: Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Triumph, Scorpions and Van Halen (all arguably at the zenith of their popularity).

So...what do we get. Well, it's a standard Triumph show without the usual lightshow and lasers. Basically, it's an excuse to watch Rik Emmett demonstrate his considerable guitar chops. There's live renditions of hits like Magic Power, Lay It On The Line, A World of Fantasy and Never Surrender. There is of course Rik's extended solo during Rock & Roll Machine. I'm not usually a fan of 10 minute guitar solos but Emmett covers such wide ground and uses so many different styles of playing that it's an enjoyable musical piece. Too bad it's marred by the bizarre decision to cut away to an interview in the middle of his solo.

In general, the camera work and editing is pretty good for something almost 30 years old. Triumph never sounded great in concert but you can hear the instruments well. The short duration (barely an hour) is another negative as the band barely touches on its extensive catalog.

I have to comment on the crowd....which is unarguably the most embarrassing rock audience I've ever witnessed. Bad haircuts, bad clothes, unrelentingly white....and the worst dancers in the history of mankind (who dances to heavy metal anyway?). It reminds me why I was so "anti-style" when I was a teen in 1983. What's worse, is this DVD shows more crowd shots than just about any other...it's really hysterical.

Anyway, if you enjoy Triumph, this is a must-have..and if you don't it has no interest.

Does the band deserve to be considered Prog? No. They had a few extended songs that sort of qualify, but they're not Prog. But as hard rock goes, they were kick ass. In the late 70s we had a real dry spell with a lot of early 70s hard rock bands dying off, and the metal 80s were still to come. Bands like Triumph sort of tightened up the blooze of early 70s hard rock into a very modern sound for people like me that liked hard/metal Rock n Roll. This stuff "swings" more than Rush, and made a lot of Zep and Deep Purple fans like my pretty happy. I always Progressions of Power was their best; where the songwriting and performances came together to make for a real solid hard rock album. It deserves better than the low reviews its getting here.

(now I need to get around to reviewing some PFM, Can, Faust, Gong, Caravan, etc)

1. Spellbound: This is pretty much what the "classic/hard rock" sound of Triumph is. Gil Moore takes vocals and is ok in the sense that he fits the mold of pretty good classic rock singer who at the same time is kind of annoying. The song is somewhat catchy, but it's not prog. Overall rating: 6/10. Prog Rating: 2.5/10.

2. Rock Out, Roll On: This song has more of a dark feel to it, which I guess I subconsciously associate with being "proggy." But it's not really a very proggy song I guess. The chorus is straight out of "arena rock." But that said, I really, really like this song. The main riff is great and the vocals rock as well. The chorus is great, even if it does have an "arena" feel. Overall rating: 9/10. Prog Rating: 5/10.

3. Cooldown: Another journey into the realms of "classic/hard rock." The intro has a cool little blues/southern flair to it, and overall this has a solid beginning. Then the intro fades out and the main riff fades in, which is maybe a 4 or 5 out of 10 for quality and probably a 1/10 for uniqueness. Very generic song overall. It's enjoyable sure if you're in the "classic/hard rock" mood, but it's certainly only an average song in that regard and is nothing in regards to prog. Overall rating: 5/10. Prog Rating: 1/10.

4. Follow Your Heart: Ahhhh, the typical "let's go conquer the world with smiles!" Triumph song. Highly motivational I guess, but certainly not proggy. Very catchy though. I personally really like this song. Not prog though. Overall rating: 8.5/10. Prog Rating: 3/10.

5. Time Goes By: More of the same theme: Pretty good song with a "classic/hard rock" feel, but not all that proggy. This is maybe the most proggy song so far though. Anyways, very good song overall. Overall rating: 8.5/10. Prog Rating: 5/10.

6. Midsummer's Daydream: Beautiful classical guitar piece. I guess I'll consider this proggy. Overall rating: 9/10. Prog Rating: 9/10.

7. Time Canon: Interesting little interlude. Impressive vocally in my opinion, but others may compare to shrieking. It's all in your personal taste I guess. Overall rating: 7/10. Prog Rating: 5/10.

8. Killing Time: More "classic/hard rock" here, but there is at least some connectivity in terms of melodies with the previous "Time Canon." I guess that gets Prog Points. This album has now accumulated about 4 Prog Points, for whatever that's worth. Good song overall. Overall rating: 8.5/10. Prog Rating: 5/10.

9. Stranger In A Strange Land: A dark piece with a bluesy flair to it. I consider this song proggy. Feel free to sue me. Probably the best track on the album. Overall rating: 9.5/10. Prog Rating: 8/10.

10. Little Boy Blues: Kind of a jam session. It has a kind of Pink Floyd feel in my opinion, speaking as someone who has heard very little Pink Floyd in my time. Anyways, solid song but I'm not a huge "jam session instrumental" guy. Overall rating: 7/10. Prog Rating: 7/10.

Overall, this is a good, borderline-great album in my opinion. I would say it's probably Triumph's best album, and it's undoubtedly the one that would be most accessible to Prog-heads. And if the other reviews on here are any indicator, it's not all that accessible to Prog-heads I guess. But personally, I really enjoy this album. Not proggy, but very enjoyable. Hence, I will only be giving it a 2-star rating since this is indeed Prog Archives, but honestly I would rate this album at about an 8/10 or maybe even higher. If you're a Prog die-hard, don't bother. But if you're looking for some great "classic/hard rock" that has a bit more to it than your average "classic/hard rock" music, give this a try.

In my review of Triumph's self-titled debut album I tried to sort out some of the confusion concerning all the different versions of that and the present album in existence. As I said there, some versions of the debut album features some tracks from this second album mixed in with some of those from the first. Some versions of that "mixed" album are called In The Beginning and yet others are called Rock 'N' Roll Machine (that's right, the same title as the present album but with only partial overlap in terms of tracks!). The point of compiling tracks from the first two albums like this was probably to make songs from the debut album more widely available outside the band's native Canada. From a Prog point of view this was something of a lost opportunity, however, as some of the more progressive tracks from Triumph's first two albums were left off it. Had they put both Blinding Light Show/Moonchild from the debut as well as the three part The City from this second album on the same disc, they would have diminished any need for all but the completionists to get hold of the two original albums.

While I have had the In The Beginning album for years, I only recently searched out the two original albums as they are listed here on Prog Archives. Since I already had In The Beginning, I previously knew the songs Takes Time, Bringing It On Home, Rocky Mountain Way and Rock 'N' Roll Machine and as I commented on these songs in my review of the debut album, I will concentrate on the other tracks here. Little Texas Shaker is bluesy hard rocker that vocally reminds me of Captain Beyond's debut album (with ex-Deep Purple singer Rod Evans). But it is a rather mundane song, I'm afraid, with cheesy lyrics including the phrase "shake your money maker"! Part one of New York City Streets is a rather funky number with some Jazz influences. The female backing vocals going "down in New York" are hard to tolerate! Part two is a more conventional Triumph hard Rock number.

The centrepiece of the album, and the only good reason for the Prog fan to invest in this album, is the nine and a half minute, three part The City. While not as great and memorable as Blinding Light Show/Moonchild, this is still a great song with flashy Flamenco style guitar play and King Crimson-esque Mellotron. For those who know me, you know that I have a very soft spot for Flamenco style guitars in a Rock setting. Once again Triumph here prove to us that they can make really good progressive music when they want to. Sadly they preferred to concentrate on trite Hard Rock and Rock 'N' Roll numbers for most of their career.

As I said, only completionists need all the different versions of Triumph's first two albums. But The City makes this album worth while.

There seem to be a number of different versions of Triumph's debut album some of which include tracks from their second album. Some versions are simply called Triumph, while others are called In The Beginning and yet others Rock 'N' Roll Machine. The version I have is not identical with any album listed here but has several of the same tracks as this album. It starts with Takes Time which is a rather straightforward party hard rocker. It continues with Bringing It On Home which features acoustic verses and a hard rocking chorus and some nice riffs and solos. Rocky Mountain Way is, I think a cover song, and it is not too interesting as it is a rather straightforward Blues rocker.

Then there is the two part Street Fighter and Street Fighter (Reprise), the latter of which is an acoustic song with a strong vocal performance and the first a fast tempo Hard Rock song. The next number is the party rocker 24 Hours A Day which might have the cheesiest chorus ever created. But the verses are musically and vocally strong. And then there is the almost nine minutes long Blinding Light Show/Moonchild which alone makes this album worthwhile (regardless of which version we're talking about as long as it features this song). Triumph is not a great band and also not a progressive band, but they surely have their moments and this song is their very finest and most progressive moment. It features a very strong vocal melody, symphonic keyboards in higher quantity than on any other Triumph song, great electric and acoustic guitar parts, some choir and several changes in sound and tempo throughout. It is a truly excellent song! To think that this brilliant song would rub shoulders with such pedestrian Rock 'N' Roll numbers as 24 Hours A Day and the album closer Rock 'N' Roll Machine is hard to believe.

One thing is for sure, Triumph could make great music when they put their minds to it. They are great musicians with a certain charm to their sound. Sadly, they wanted to focus mainly on rather straightforward Rock numbers. There are certainly some less than good moments here (and that seems to be so regardless of which version you find), there are though a few good moments and one excellent song that almost make up for that, but not quite still. Therefore I will rate this with two strong stars. It is not Triumph's best album overall, but it does feature their best song. The song is highly recommended, but as album considered this is not for everybody.

After the very straightforward and generic 1979 album Just A Game - that I consider the band's weakest ever achievement - Triumph could hardly sink any lower. With Progressions Of Power the band plays it rather safe and overall they do not evolve or push many musical boundaries. 'Progressions Of Power' is thus an extremely misleading title as the band hardly progressed at all from their last album. Generic party hard rockers like I Live For The Weekend, I Can Survive and Tear The Roof Off follows the pattern of the awful American Girls from the last album.

However, there are some signs of what was to come on some later, more musically successful, albums. The Bluesy (semi-)ballad In The Night features a strong vocal performance and some tasteful acoustic guitar licks, but it is certainly not progressive in any reasonable understanding of that term. Nature's Child has a somewhat heavier sound than we are used to from Triumph and features a slightly Black Sabbath-like riff (however, Black Sabbath never made anything as trite as this not even on Technical Ecstacy or Never Say Die). The best song of this album is clearly the Spanish flavoured Fingertalkin'/Hard Road which reminds slightly of the excellent Flamenco inspired band Carmen, particularly their third album (which is the least good of Carmen's three albums).

My version of this album has a different running order compared to what is listed here, but it has the same songs. The production is not quite as it should be and the sound is slightly muddy compared to both earlier and later albums. This fact leaves me no other alternative than to give this the same rating as Just A Game even though this album is a slight improvement in musical terms. Despite one good number (Fingertalkin'/Hard Road) and a couple of decent ones, this is not really recommended unless you are a Triumph fan. Triumph never made a great album, but they sure made better albums than this!