Triumvirat-Illusions On A Double Dimple

This was the first album by this band that I had heard, and its introduction is explained in the previous thread on this band.

All in all, it's very nice album, and I just got done listening to it again, and my memories come, from that time, when this album, Kayak's See See the Sun, and Alquin's Nobody Can Wait Forever ... just about came by at the same time (Kayak's also on the Harvest Label!), and they were a very nice addition to any collection of exceptional music and material.

Even at the time, there were inevitable comparisons to ELP, specially in one cut, But I tend to dispel that theory just because of the sound itself. Instruments, are usually a copy of one another and they do not necessarily have any "new" sounds in them, until the 2nd generation of synthesizers a couple of years later turned them into instrument replacements instead of a bona-fide instrument on its own.

That said, the chances that you could use "that specific sound" that Keith came up with a couple of years before, which was now in most synthesizers with a few tweaks here and there, meant that a lot of bands, would use this instrument ... and it would remind people of ELP, and of course, then they would be immediately labeled as ELP copies and wannabeee's.

The same thing about PG's voice, and how many folks "copied" his style, when for many of those singers it was a natural singing voice, and not a copy ... this was the case in Acqua Fragile with Bernardo Lanzetti ... like we ever thought that Roger Chapman and Joe cocker could not sing at all!

It's an unfair comparison that distorts the value of the music itself. IF, you "unplug" all of this album, you really have an excellent piece of music that will not, likely, remind you of ELP at all ... it will stand out with many pieces of music at the time, inspired by classical music of which many bands in Europe got their start with easily enough, even including Focus, that had Thijs van Leer doing solo albums with massive amounts of classical music, as an example. 

All in all, it was a wonderful album, that stood out, and only when people have nothing better to say about "music" will they say that this is an obvious copy of ELP, something that was also stated at the time, about PFM and BANCO, simply because they were on the Manticore Label, when in fact, I think that Keith thought that their music was outstanding ... and something that ELP could not do! Specially with stories and farcical lyrics in some songs by PFM.

Spin the clock some 20/30 years and this album is still nice and enjoyable, if you are capable of letting go the comparisons. Even when one song, employs the harder vocals, something that Greg Lake had done a couple of times, but it did not exactly go as well with many fans, that now wanted the soft pieces and the hits instead. Thus "Tarkus" was too "angry" for most fans, and it took away a vital expression in rock music that was necessary since classical music did not know how to express that, even in lyrics from operas. And "Mr Ten Per Cent" comes off a bit like that, although I still say that if you unplug it, the song is probably better.

What is more important and valuable, is that they did create a very nice set, and at the time, when they toured with FM, the band did not have to contend with a prima donna and over rated queen, who would have told them to go back to Germany! (I miss Bob Welch!)

The most valuable thing, though, for me, was that many European bands ended up getting some recognition that was hard to come by, and having a tour with FM was a nice kiss and not too many bands got that chance. And a wee bit later, Golden Earring, Nektar and others also got their chance, although Nektar posed different problems ... they had a complete light show, and its setup often prevented other bands from playing with them! 

Calling this album "progressive music" for me, is a bit weird, since at the time, the obvious side of things was that many of these "better educated" musicians were using their classical skills to play with a rock band, since there would not be a need or use for a set of keyboards within an orchestra to make room for them, see? ... and even The Nice, and ELP did classical music, and very well mind you! The classical elements and playing are evident in Triumvirat, and this is what makes the comparison to Keith and his band ... a lot better than it would the "sound" ... it's the sound that came with the instrument ... like a Fender is going to sound that different from a Gibson ... when plugged straight with no effects.

At the time, this is one of the things that I looked for in rock music, as I felt it was obvious that folks my own age, had the ability and the quality to create music, that otherwise would never be looked at and appreciated. And, to me, this is much more important, in the end, and albums like this one, are but one of the many representatives of the great tradition of musicians, and specially keyboard players that sprang out in Europe ... and put together outstanding things along the way ... again, they would never have been heard in their schools as "serious music" at all!

I wonderful achievement, for anyone!

You said it 

This was constantly played when I was in college at Univ of Illinois, 1973-74, in the dorms....and then, I saw Triumvirat open for Fleetwood Mac!  I knew all the songs!!  

Amazing little band, I like this one best of all.  

Thank you. I do wish that Guy Guden would post again, about some of his bits ... his take would be different than mine, since I came from a house with lots of classical music (thus things like this had appeal), when for Guy, it would have been something else ... and in my book he had a great EAR for music and its choices, and above all -- something that is/was missing in radio -- the ability to play and use it properly in order to give it the best shot at attention ... including surprises. Most folks just play their favorites on the internet and 30 minutes later play another song by the same band to ensure that you stay "tuned".

Guy's style was free form in many ways, and although he was EXCELLENT about playing most of the album, rarely did any of them not get that attention, his ability to follow one thing with another, somehow, does not appear random, and does not sound like a top ten ... where things are all over the place and have absolutely nothing to say for you to feel, other than pretend.

Right now, we need that ability more than anything ... and while I can do a capable job, I doubt that I can be as dramatic and instantaneous as he could, even on stage as an actor. Alas, Guy who should be counted as an important person in the Hall of Fame for Progressive Music along with many others, will likely never get the appreciation, but the long list of station ID's he got from many folks, is enough for you and I to go ... wow ... gushhhhhhhh! But it tells you that the folks he spent time with enjoyed themselves and had a great time, and I can attest this to one with Robin Williamson, which was phenomenal and then some, culminating in funny jokes and such!

Guy's motto, at the time, btw, was "none of the hits - none of the time!" ... and that was what his shows were about ... if you wanted to listen to led Zeppelin during his show, please switch stations! In the end, he is remembered, when all the other disk jockeys ... anyone remember/know them? Nope ... they were fake names anyway, so you would not know them at all!

And this helped "progressive music" tremendously, although I still think that Guy's greatest contribution is to the electronic genre (it ALL got played! and then some!), and then his comedy bits which were many and excellent that he had written at the radio station with voice over voice over voice, sometimes an insane and amazing cacophony of everything and lots of fun! But Guy deserved the "gold record" for Gentle Giant, Supertramp and the Average White Band (who everyone thought was crap at the station before it hit big!).