HERE IT IS

From the North Eastern side of Germany, Trilogy came out as a symph prog instrumental act, heavily influenced by their ELP-ish compatriots Triumvirat (what's more, Trilogy used to cover some Triumvirat tunes during their early years). Having started as a keyboard-centered power trio (Kirstein, Samson & Breuer) in the mid 70s, it wouldn't take long before a second keyboardist called Guido Harding and a guitarist came into the fold, therefore augmenting the band's sonic spectrum. As a result, the band could instill other influences, such as Camel and quartet-era Genesis: after all, this band's tendency was never as aggressive as ELP nor as deliberately pompous as Triumvirat themselves, so it is easily noticeable that the band felt more comfortable with this quintet format, putting melody in a more prominent position than bombast. Still, Trilogy's overall sound continued to be very heavily centered, with the Hammond organ and the synthesizers assuming an undisputable leading role. The guitar department suffered from the result of line-up inconsistencies: once the basic tapes for this album had been recorded, the guitar parts had to be eliminated since the one in charge of the 6-string stuff had been fire, so, in the eleventh hour, a very proficient new guitarist - Detlef Deeken - joined in and overdubbed some exquisite leads and adornments. Since the recording conditions were far from ideal (a limited multi-track approach, no formal recording contract, recording sessions that took many separate places and months for just one track.), they affected the crucial keyboard department: with two keyboardists in a band, it is now clear why there is not a more featured presence of synths, piano and other similar stuff (as in, for example, Corte dei Miracoli, Epidaurus or Kansas). Eventually, the album was published in 1980, three years after the first recording sessions! So many cons regarding this album, yet the pros are very powerful, too: captivating melodic ideas, effective interplaying, fine arrangements, fluid tempo shifts. The opener 'Venice' comes as a gentle air of introspectiveness, before the more upbeat ambience of 'Breakthrough' and the elegant complexity of 'Changing Scene' light thing up. 'Andy' is more restricted to the main melodic pattern drawn up, while 'Crowded' (the longest track in the album) brings back the symphonic ambitions so unabashedly exposed on track 3. The brief encore (titled 'Encore'... right) that ends up the album's original repertoire brings some sort of funny solemnity, like a lady's discrete farewell. Well, last but not least, the bonus track 'Triebsand' - recorded but not published until this CD edition - turns out to be the best Trilogy number: more exciting and catchier that the rest, it also comprises Deeken's best lead and some of the best synth harmonies and leads. It should have been the album's opener. but things are simply as they are, aren't they? Well, my overall rating lies somewhere between 3 and 3 ½ stars: "Here It Is" should have been excellent, but it fell short of its full potential and became only very good. Anyway, it would make an interesting addition to any symphonic prog lover's collection.