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Triumph - Just A Game CD (album) cover

JUST A GAME

Triumph

 

Prog Related

2.75 | 61 ratings

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Sean Trane
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk
3 stars Just A game is the third album and IMHO the last one I would qualify as a four star album if I was on another site than the PROG Archives. Among all of Triumph albums that got a first wave Cd reissue this one got a raw deal as it was on MCA which did not care for the impressive gatefold artwork sleeve (giving them for the first time their definitive logo) although the inside gatefold was a "get your band to the top" dice game.

And the game is exactly what most of these tracks are all about. No mysticism, no D&D lyrics, just good time RnR with the lyrics expressing their very state of mind - "this band is On The Loose" on the opening track - , some of them brutal enough to be Macho Rock - American Girls - , but there are many more delicate moments that still make this album endearing. There is only one weaker track, the throw-away acoustic Suitcase Blues, but even then, it has some qualities.

The majority of the tracks are your standard Triumph tracks (their formula was now well established) and of little use to adult progheads (but cater many ideas to revolted teens) , but clearly Triumphs many qualities can be more visible in their mid-tempo tracks such as Lay It On The Line , Young Enough To Cry and the title track. Emmett's voice mixed with Moore's can make an exciting combination and both have almost similar vocal timbre, that one must really pay attention to find out which is singing what lines. In those mid-tempos, we can hear fully the good but pedestrian bass play of Levine, his light Kbs layers mixing in so well with Moore's heavy skin-pounding drums. Again as is now the tradition, a short track allowing Emmett's impressive prowesses to be showcased is a highlight: Fantasy Serenade.

Clearly the opening track sets the mood of this album (a bit like Genesis did with the opening track of ATTWT, Down And Out ) they tell their fans that they made a choice to stick with shorter tracks and less constructed songs. This will be further documented in the following two albums. but by then the progressive Triumph had clearly been discarded.

Sean Trane | 3/5 |

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