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Joined: January 24 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 8084
Posted: August 08 2010 at 11:01
the are my favourite band- as for specific favourite songs, i would say the suite "Mr Ten Percent" from the album Illusions On A Double Dimple also Spartacus as mentioned above, and The Capitol Of Power from Spartacus as well also a beautiful and very moving song from the first album called Broken Mirror-the piano intro is astounding really, in total, i love every song from their first three albums, as well as the single tracks that are on the remastered 2002 versions of the first two albums, and the unreleased track Showstopper on the Spartacus remaster
Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 14256
Posted: August 09 2010 at 04:03
Excellent I have Spartacus, and ordered in Illusions On A Double Dimple, Old Loves Die Hard and Mediterranean Tales and Pompeii too as its a cheapie. Will do some serious reviewing on these albums soon.
Joined: January 24 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 8084
Posted: August 09 2010 at 13:03
AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
Excellent I have Spartacus, and ordered in Illusions On A Double Dimple, Old Loves Die Hard and Mediterranean Tales and Pompeii too as its a cheapie. Will do some serious reviewing on these albums soon.
Joined: January 24 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 8084
Posted: April 16 2013 at 20:01
presdoug wrote:
the are my favourite band- as for specific favourite songs, i would say the suite "Mr Ten Percent" from the album Illusions On A Double Dimple also Spartacus as mentioned above, and The Capitol Of Power from Spartacus as well also a beautiful and very moving song from the first album called Broken Mirror-the piano intro is astounding really, in total, i love every song from their first three albums, as well as the single tracks that are on the remastered 2002 versions of the first two albums, and the unreleased track Showstopper on the Spartacus remaster
It was quite a while ago, that i reviewed the first three Triumvirat albums Mediterranean Tales, Illusions On A Double Dimple and Spartacus, but on looking back at those reviews today, i found there were various improvements that were needed, so i did just that. They are now more accurate personal assessments of those great records. (Great how you can make improvements at a later time)
Joined: March 23 2013
Location: Minnesota
Status: Offline
Points: 1988
Posted: April 16 2013 at 20:24
Back in the 70s I got Old Loves Die Hard, then Spartacus, then Illusions on a Double Dimple then Pompeii then Ala Carte then Russian Roulette.
The first 3 got better with each purchase, then the second 3 dropped off sharply. The first 3 are among my all time faves. I probably like them better than ELP.
Still have never heard Mediterranean Tales, how does it stack up?
I remember them attempting a comeback around 2000, but the one song they released was dreadful (When the Chips Lay Down To Die). The album was going to be called Website Story. Please, no. Worse than J.Tull Dot Com.
To answer the question, Mr Ten Percent would probably be my favorite.
Joined: January 24 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 8084
Posted: April 16 2013 at 21:18
Mediterranean Tales is a five star masterpiece,imo. It tends to be overlooked, as it was not as successful as Illusions and Spartacus. (Initially, it was not even pressed outside of Europe) Tales is a good companion to Illusions and Spartacus, making a triumvirate of their best three records. It is not masterful, lyrically, but is so, instrumentally, with thrilling instrumental passages that more than make up for things. Classical music quotes are prevalent, and even some jazz elements mixed in. In a nutshell, invigorating and thrilling music!
Joined: September 25 2010
Location: Melbourne
Status: Offline
Points: 2446
Posted: April 16 2013 at 22:14
I have 2 albums. Spartacus and Double dimple. I'm not crazy about Dimple, the recording isn't great. Spartacus is cool though
All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock.
Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 26151
Posted: April 17 2013 at 01:32
I only have the first three albums
First is the best if you like organ based prog like Quatermass
Illusions is a bit like ELP although nowhere near a 'clone' as some have suggested. That is their best album imo
Never liked Spartacus at all. Fritz sounds like he is apeing Keith Emerson just a bit too much at times and I really don't like the vocals
I've always thought it strange that Triumvirat only released 3 albums between 1969 and 1975 when most bands were releasing 1 a year. Even Floyd had a greater recording output. How did they live or did they have a day job??!
Joined: October 12 2011
Location: Melb, Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
Posted: April 17 2013 at 01:40
Hah, should have known I'd find number one Triumvirat fan Doug looming around this thread lol!
Richard, I'd like to know more about them too! Doug, do you know of any superior resources on the net for them? The remastered CD's have pretty slim info in the booklets, which is a bit of a shame. I think the debut barely had a single page of bare info, some of it poorly translated as well.
Now what I'm REALLY interested in is....the `official' Triumvirat website (which has not been updated from what I can tell in many years) made mention of a new studio album that seemed ready to go. I think it was due for release in either 2002 or 2005....I checked that website only a week or so ago, I'm sure if you do a search for it you'll find it straight away. I wonder what happened to it??
Surely with all the prog bands reforming, etc, some quite obscure, they'd be eneough interest and love for this band to warrant a new recording?
Joined: March 23 2013
Location: Minnesota
Status: Offline
Points: 1988
Posted: April 17 2013 at 06:41
I really like the sound of Illusions. The drums have an unusual doubled/gated effect that's really effective without being annoying.
I haven't looked at that website In a while but there was even a video documentary about their impending comeback, don't know if it's still there. That was at least 10 years ago. There was also a free download of a new song, which sounded nothing like them. Sounds like 80's pop.
Joined: January 24 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 8084
Posted: April 17 2013 at 08:48
Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote:
Hah, should have known I'd find number one Triumvirat fan Doug looming around this thread lol!
Richard, I'd like to know more about them too! Doug, do you know of any superior resources on the net for them? The remastered CD's have pretty slim info in the booklets, which is a bit of a shame. I think the debut barely had a single page of bare info, some of it poorly translated as well.
Now what I'm REALLY interested in is....the `official' Triumvirat website (which has not been updated from what I can tell in many years) made mention of a new studio album that seemed ready to go. I think it was due for release in either 2002 or 2005....I checked that website only a week or so ago, I'm sure if you do a search for it you'll find it straight away. I wonder what happened to it??
Surely with all the prog bands reforming, etc, some quite obscure, they'd be eneough interest and love for this band to warrant a new recording?
hi, and thanks, Michael The search for resources on the net for the band is an ongoing process for me. The Triumvirat.net "official" site is the best i've come across so far, but i am still searching for more info. As you've remarked, that site has not been updated in years. In a thread on Triumvirat on the old progressiveears site, (i think the thread was lost when the site upgraded last November.) There was some insightful information posted, including responses from one of the heads of Triumvirat.net, Jim Bradley. There is a newer Triumvirat thread on progressiveears currently, but that is a different one. Regarding the "new" album, an independant record company had agreed to release it, and Triumvirat were set to go on a big tour, but this record company went bankrupt before this could be implemented. EMI Cologne in Germany, the group's tried and tested company, did not want to get involved directly and felt Triumvirat were not a safe enough bet, commercially, at that time. Sadly, there were plans to release Helmut Koellen's solo album You Won't See Me with the other 2002 remasters, but EMI Cologne were downsizing at the time, and they let go the person who was pushing for that to happen.
Joined: November 20 2007
Location: New York, N.Y.
Status: Offline
Points: 11
Posted: April 17 2013 at 09:48
On a somewhat related topic, Triumvirat themes and passages have been sampled and used in a number of contemporary songs and tracks....mostly in Rap. I pretty much doubt that these Rap artists have stumbled upon them while working through a mountain of second hand vinyl. I wonder if the record companies who own the rights to the Triumvirat masters market them to entities who like to throw retro passages on their records and build beats around them.
Example #1-Sam The Kid: (4:44 on) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-2yB-U3Y8I
Example #2-G-Unit: From the Top: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4mXWdJHvBc
Example #3-Scarface: From the top-same riff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DGrJSx7OIM
According to whosampled.com, Triumvirat has been sampled and used at least 15 times: http://www.whosampled.com/sampled/Triumvirat/
Joined: January 24 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 8084
Posted: April 17 2013 at 13:54
Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote:
Damn...so that album is missing in action....and the world missed out on some killer live shows
Doug, do you know of any official (or even unofficial) videos of live footage of the band? Probably no DVD's, that's for sure.
There is nothing on DVD. The only videos i have ever seen are on youtube-two from the Pompeii album that were filmed in Germany in 1978-an excerpt from "The Hymm" and also "Dance On The Vulcano". Also, there is a Swiss tv performance of "Waterfall" from the A La Carte album, and looks like it was done in '78, as well.(Jurgen Fritz is singing and playing piano on that one, but in the sound, it is Barry Palmer's voice) During Triumvirat's 1974 tour supporting Fleetwood Mac, a show was filmed and presented in January, 1975 on ABC's "In Concert" program-the complete two suites from the Illusions album were done. Unfortunately, that video was thrown out, according to Don E. Branker, whom i contacted, who was the show's host at that time. In Germany, in 1976, there was a film done of band interviews and music from Triumvirat's Old Loves Die Hard album on a tv program called Bios Banhof Music. It has never been re-broadcast, as far as i know. Also done was a German tv film of the single "Party Life" from their last album Russian Roulette. Also should mention that in June of 1999, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, there were some concerts filmed that were in part a tribute to Triumvirat, with singer Barry Palmer backed by the Par Lindh Project and Alaska. They were available on a limited edition VHS set, but are long gone, now. Palmer sang music from Spartacus and Old Loves Die Hard.
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AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
In Germany, in 1976, there was a film done of band interviews and music from Triumvirat's Old Loves Die Hard album on a tv program called Bios Banhof Music. It has never been re-broadcast, as far as i know. Also done was a German tv film of the single "Party Life" from their last album Russian Roulette.