Have You Seen Triumvirat Live?

I read last week on Barry Palmer's site that when Pompeii was released in 1977, at that time, producer and keyboardist Juergen Fritz was against touring in support of the album. This was frustrating, as Barry recounts, and he never really understood why Fritz wouldn't. Posters of Pompeii's album cover were all over America at the time, but no American tour. Pompeii bombed in America.
                     A while later, though, the album and it's single The Hymn did well in Germany, and there was some touring over there.

I remember seeing both Par Lindh and Alaska at a prog festival around that same time.  They played the ELP covers then, too.  I remember "Rondo" very well.  Good times.

Last week, for the first time, i saw the performances from the "St. Louis Progressive Keyboard Extravaganza" taped in St. Louis, Missouri, USA at the Centenary Church, June 5, 1999, and the Off Broadway Night Club, June 7, 1999, from a set of the original limited edition VHS cassettes made at the time, and offered for sale initially by the Triumvirat.net site.
                   The groups Alaska and the Par Lindh Project are there, as well as former Triumvirat singer Barry Palmer, who flew over from England.
                  First time i hear either Alaska or the Par Lindh Project, and was very impressed on both accounts with their own music, real classical rock.
                        Also some early ELP was played, Alaska doing Hoedown, and a partial Tarkus suite, and Par Lindh Project doing Jerusalem and Rondo.
                The most special part of these concerts was with Barry Palmer, who did some Triumvirat backed by Alaska and at times Par Lindh (also some of Palmer's own musicians)-I Believe from Old Loves Die Hard, and Spartacus and The Deadly Dream of Freedom from the Spartacus album. Though Barry was wrestling with a sore throat at the time, he did his very best, and was really polite and nice on stage. And before singing Spartacus, he said "God bless you, Helmut" which i thought was really cool. He made other references to Helmut Koellen, saying  "he felt him giving us a good vibe".
                  Palmer also does some songs that were to be put on a solo album of his, and a single. "Dear John" -a "letter to John Lennon", Night Thoughts, Ghost of a Love, and Miracle Tonight. These songs are featured on Barry Palmer's new solo album "Night Thoughts" just released this fall.


Edited by presdoug - November 12 2012 at 15:18

 I recently found some info on Triumvirat live on the net which i wanted to share
         A couple of people who had seen them open for ELO on the US east coast in 1974 were remembering that they had a quite ahead of it's time light show technology.
              Things like a "robot droid" holding fresnel lights, spinning mirror spots, etc.
           And each tom of the drums had a sensor for a spot underneath the acrylic/clear floor of the drum riser
             And a rotating stage for the drum solo.
          And were talking as far back as 1974 for all of this!
            

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: BTW Presdoug, I been searching for a Triumvirat VCR or DVD for decades, IMO one of the greatest Prog bands ever. People compare them with ELP, but II believe Illusions and Spartacus are better than most ELP albums, except maybe Trilogy, their arrangements are far more elaborate and the piano skills of Jurgen Fritz are superb. Iván

They will always be my very favorite band, Ivan, especially Illusions and Spartacus. Would love to have a video of some sort

BTW Presdoug, I been searching for a Triumvirat VCR or DVD for decades, IMO one of the greatest Prog bands ever.

People compare them with ELP, but II believe Illusions and Spartacus are better than most ELP albums, except maybe Trilogy, their arrangements are far more elaborate and the piano skills of Jurgen Fritz are superb.

cstack3 wrote: TODDLER wrote: cstack3 wrote: presdoug wrote: Well, well, well!          For the first time in my life, on the net tonight, i saw a direct reference to a concert with Triumvirat in Canada.  (I started a thread on Triumvirat in Canada, but it has been closed)            The reference mentions Supertramp and Triumvirat -Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for Tues. Aug. 5th, 1975.               It does not mention who led in for who, and whether this concert actually did take place for certain.         Anybody out there actually see the show?             Have you tried contacting the musicians themselves?  I'm friends with many proggers like John Goodsall, we chat all the time.    Of course, you'd have to contact Helmut's next of kin....such a sad and stupid ending to a brilliant career!   If it's not too out of line....can you please ask John Goodsall one day if the original back catalog of Brand X might be remastered and released in the near future? Could you imagine how fantastic it would be if Esoteric were to re-do those titles?   Unorthodox Behaviour Morocon Roll Live Stock Masques Product Do They Hurt?   I'll give you the simple answer:  "no."  Both John and Percy Jones were hosed big-time out of their royalties (I know 'em both).

This I don't have a difficult time believing. Yet I am shocked when I think of the importance the both of them had to myself and many musicians around me during the 70's. Both of these guys had a huge impact on musicians who were younger and worked feverishly to learn Brand X pieces. They deserve their royalties just for entering the music world and giving us inspiration to move foward.

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: presdoug wrote: I found out from someone in Germany that around 75/76 in Germany there was a television program featuring Triumvirat known as Bios Bahnhof Music that featured music and interviews regarding Old Loves Die Hard.         Bad news is that he does not believe that it was ever re-broadcast.          Wouldn't that be something to see, though! This reminds me of a similar case. In 1992 Rick Wakeman played on Lima, the concert was amazing because Ricks instruments were sent to Paraguay (IATA CODE Pa) instead of Perú (IATA code Pe). So the concert started at 1:00 am and Rick was so touched because still the hall was full (On a working day) that he played until 4 am one of his best shows, also because it was the last show with my best friend who died months later on a car accident. When I was leaving saw 8 cameras with the logo of a Peruvian station, so prepared my VCR to tape it, but never was broadcasted. Years later I was hired for a case on that TV station and asked the General Manager for a copy, so he gave me a pass or the basement (The archive) and started to search, after hours found the magic tape "RICK WAKEMAN 1992 SHOW, WITH INTERVIEWS"....God it was like finding the holy Grail, the administrator prepared 3 tapes and the machine to make me a professional recording, but when the copy started...IT WAS A MENUDO SHOW TAPED OVER WAKEMAN'S CONCERT.  So don't expect to find a copy, TV cameramen take old tapes to record more popular shows. Iván

What a story! Man, Ivan, i feel your pain. (and some pain of my own) Probably one the biggest "If Onlies" of your life. As you can see with Triumvirat live, i have some of my own painful if onlies, too. Unfortunately, such is life

TODDLER wrote: cstack3 wrote: presdoug wrote: Well, well, well!          For the first time in my life, on the net tonight, i saw a direct reference to a concert with Triumvirat in Canada.  (I started a thread on Triumvirat in Canada, but it has been closed)            The reference mentions Supertramp and Triumvirat -Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for Tues. Aug. 5th, 1975.               It does not mention who led in for who, and whether this concert actually did take place for certain.         Anybody out there actually see the show?             Have you tried contacting the musicians themselves?  I'm friends with many proggers like John Goodsall, we chat all the time.    Of course, you'd have to contact Helmut's next of kin....such a sad and stupid ending to a brilliant career!   If it's not too out of line....can you please ask John Goodsall one day if the original back catalog of Brand X might be remastered and released in the near future? Could you imagine how fantastic it would be if Esoteric were to re-do those titles?   Unorthodox Behaviour Morocon Roll Live Stock Masques Product Do They Hurt?

If the original master tapes of the Triumvirat live show from Kirshner were released officially on cd,.....I would probably buy it. I think that would be a unique listening experience. Forget the visual for dvd......I would just love to hear the performances. Or any early show of theirs would do nicely.