MEDITERRANEAN TALES (ACROSS THE WATERS)

The keyboard mastermind Jürgen Fritz and his loyal sidekick Hans Bathelt at the drums have not yet found the balance between their instruments and tend to rely on jams from section to section of these compositions. Following along for the ride is the vocalist and bass player du jour is Hans Pape who distinguishes himself by being a trustworthy companion even if his very thick German accent does give him away at times. The album is comprised of four long tracks raging from 6 and all the way to 16 minutes in length. The music is completely dominated by Jürgen Fritz's virtuoso playing which does remind me at times of the other keyboard masters like Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman, although Fritz makes it his duty not to make his playing overshadow his songwriting. This doesn't necessarily mean that these compositions are all that notable, but things would definitely improve with the release of Illusions On A Double Dimple.

The highlight of the album is the opening 16 minute opus titled Across The Waters featuring many different sections split up by lengthy jam transitions which do get a bit weary at times. The second highlight that comes to mind whenever I think of Mediterranean Tales is the instrumental piece E Minor 5/9 Minor 5 where Jürgen Fritz decides to have a bit fun on his own with only a few moments where my attention moves over to the drums or the bass arrangements.

Mediterranean Tales is nice debut release but there was still a great deal of work left for Triumvirat since most of the material feels unbalanced and Hans Pape vocals can be regarded as acquired taste. Luckily it didn't take the band long to improve their style and the next album was a huge improvement on the whole concept of a power trio!

**** star songs: Across The Waters (16:37) E Minor 5/9 Minor 5 (8:04)

*** star songs: Eleven Kids (6:09) Broken Mirror (7:21)

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