Featured CD - Triumvirat : Spartacus

[Duncan Glenday]

A personal favorite since I was in high school.

Let the ELP-clone accusations start. I don't think the music is that close to ELP, but there are moments. E.g. compare like the first few bars of ELP's song "Trilogy" with the intro to TWO of Triumvirate's tracks...

Per CD Universe:

Though they never quite hit the same musical highs as E.L.P., Yes, or King Crimson, this German prog rock outfit garnered a huge following among those in the know. Includes the previously unissued bonus cut "Showstopper." Spartacus may not be as progressively strong as 1973's Illusion on a Double Dimple album, but it still stands as this German outfit's second best release. Based on the famous Roman gladiator who led the rebellion against his homeland, the music supports the album's concept quite solidly, with the better tracks coming in the form of the sporadic "School of Instant Pain" and the nine- minute "March to the Eternal City," which gathers a menacing conglomeration of bass guitar riffs and pointed keyboard work. The music becomes effectively motivational toward the concept at the proper times, enabling the band's idea to remain fresh and colorful as the music is played out. Jurgen Fritz's Hammond organ and Moog intervention gives Spartacus a genuine progressive air, culminating as it should on the final track. Although Triumvirat's staunch, stern notes and articulate keyboard meandering can easily be compared to Emerson, Lake and Palmer's style, it's balanced quite impressively with Helmut Kollen's electric and acoustic guitar work. This album has a slight edge over 1976's Old Loves Die Hard because the synthesizers are put to better use, while the overall sound and flow of Spartacus contains greater instrumental animation.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinf...sic&fulldesc=T

[Paulrus]

Let the ELP-clone accusations start. I don't think the music is that close to ELP, but there are moments.

Dude, that's just crazy talk. The reason this album is so awesome is because it's a distillation of every cool thing ELP had going for them circa '74, and with string synths.

[bRETT]

"a SLIGHT edge over Old Loves Die Hard"? Understatement of the century!

[Sputnik]

I don't think the music is that close to ELP, but there are moments. E.g. compare like the first few bars of ELP's song "Trilogy" with the intro to TWO of Triumvirate's tracks...

It's not just the few "moments" where Triumvirat nick ELP. I think, on this album in particular, they go for an overall "ELP vibe." Large swaths of this album sound to me to be directly influenced by the "spirit" of ELP, which is where I think the "clone" label comes from.

But that being the case, I still really enjoy this album and feel the band still manages to be inventive and original, while at the same time deserving the "clone" label. I particularly like the first two tracks and "March to the Eternal City."

Bill

[JAMOOL]

Well this music definitely strikes me as being a lot more fun than ELP. All pleasure and little pretense. I don't mind a band influenced by ELP, but you gotta have the chops! (and Triumvirat certainly did!)

[presdoug]

I can't say enough good things about Spartacus-some of the most refreshing and invigorating music to come out of the seventies, period.
It is wrong to dismiss it as ELP clone material; Triumvirat show here that they are a group in their own right.
And the lyrics allow you to really feel trials and journeys of Spartacus and his followers.
And when the band were touring in support of the album in America in '75, they were evidently stealing the show at times from headliners like ELO.
Spartacus rules!

[emperorken]

A nice follow-up to Illusions On a Double Dimple, but not as good. This album does, however, have my favorite Triumvirat track, "March to the Eternal City".

[progmatist]

Spartacus is my personal favorite album. Stylistically, I like it just a little bit more than Illusions...but that's just me. What's more, I own it on vinyl so I can enjoy it in all its analog glory.

[Progbear]

Their most popular album (literally, it cracked the Billboard Top 40 album chart; the fact that ELP were on hiatus at the time I bet had NOTHING to do with that fact ) but it’s never done much for me. Better than OLDH, I guess (never liked Barry Palmer’s voice), but far inferior to Illusions.

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

‘“What blow, Goblin?” said Corinius.’ --E. R. Eddison

N.P.:“Lunar Sea”-Camel/Moonmadness

[rottersclub]

This was the only 8-track I ever bought. My father's car at the time had an 8-track player, so I played Spartacus whenever I drove the car. It got A LOT of play time!!!

[PROGMONSTER]

Cool album. Double dimple wasn't very well recorded though. Spartacus has better songs and sound

[Classic Progressive]

Along with the Atomic Rooster and Gentle Giant, Genesis, The Who, Focus, Yes and so many others I discovered back in the day, I remember buying "Illusions on a Double Dimple" with the little Mouse in the Egg.... (might be the coolest album cover of all time right there BTW) Great band, I never did go through their whole catalog.... hummmmm... This will be an enjoyable experience over the next few days when I have time. I remember that keyboardist was very capable much like Emerson and he had that Beautiful perfect B3 sound... music was very much a cross between ELP, Focus and Atomic Rooster.

We are still looking for the obscure but excellent pieces of progressive rock to showcase with the tribute project. The Yes and Genesis and some of the more "predictable" bands and songs are already underway but we want to give the true prog fan a real treat. Bands like this will be fun to throw 1 piece from into the set lists... Thanks for the new material search Duncan.


Randy

[happytheman]

Illusions is my favorite but this one has it's moments..

[Fracktured]

I love this album, cheesy lyrics and all. This came out just as ELP started to decline and I still enjoy it to this day.

[flowerking]

A nice follow-up to Illusions On a Double Dimple, but not as good.

Agreed. Illusions is better but this is still very good.

[trurl]

When I heard this album for the first time I was in a keys/bass/drums power trio and it just gave me a million ideas on how to come up with playable arrangements. More-so than ELP, because Keith's left hand is too damn good *lol* I borrowed a TON of stuff from this record (And UK...)

[3LockBox]

Never warmed up to this album. I love Illusions On A Double Dimple however.

[Rand Kelly]

Were all the horror stories of the remaster as bad as I heard? I was lucky,savvy,what have you,enough to score the orig. Capitol cd in 1989 when I started my collection.It sounds GODLIKE I kid you not. One of the best sounding cds I own.

[Supersonic Scientist]

I'll never forget going over to my friends house "bacck-in-the-day, where he put this album on without showing me the cover and excitingly asking me to: "Guess what band this is?"...Of course as a Prog newbie at the time, my first thought was ELP, but before I could even get the "L" out of my mouth as I began to say ELP, he shouted 'No!!! knowing clear-well that I would be "fooled" because of the extreme similarities to ELP.

That said, I agree with one poster above who stated that this album captures the "Vibe" of an ELP composition AND, an ELP-style production but to me the music stands on its own very well. I do like this a tiny bit better than IoaDD.

[Rand Kelly]

I'll never forget going over to my friends house "bacck-in-the-day, where he put this album on without showing me the cover and excitingly asking me to: "Guess what band this is?"...Of course as a Prog newbie at the time, my first thought was ELP, but before I could even get the "L" out of my mouth as I began to say ELP, he shouted 'No!!! knowing clear-well that I would be "fooled" because of the extreme similarities to ELP.

That said, I agree with one poster above who stated that this album captures the "Vibe" of an ELP composition AND, an ELP-style production but to me the music stands on its own very well. I do like this a tiny bit better than IoaDD.

You have to admit that the opener,The Capitol Of Power does bear a strong resemblence to Trilogy.

[ronmac]

When I was 17 in the late '70s, a friend and I were hanging out with a couple of chicks at a local park where everyone hung out and got stoned. They invited us back to one of their homes nearby (no, not for that ). The one girl pulled out this cool album with a mouse on the cover that her dad listened to. I never heard of this band and the album, "Illusions on a Double Dimple." I was, immediately blown away by what I was hearing. I couldn't help but think how cool this girl's dad must be, while mine was back home listening to Mantovanti.

Those were the days.

[syncopatico]

I couldn't help but think how cool this girl's dad must be, while mine was back home listening to Mantovanti.

(After a blistering performance of a new relatively unfamiliar song to the audience at the time, Won't Get Fooled Again):

Pete Townshend: "Play some rock and roll?!? What do you think that was, Mantovani? Get out of 'ere! Unless you want to come up here and take my place." (uttered with a sneering distaste and sarcasm!) The Who - Hara Arena, Dayton, OH, August 13, 1971 (my favorite live Who audience recording from the early 70's, with some of the best ever Townshend banter!)

we now return you back to Triumvirat...

[Scrotum Scissor]

I have a slight affection for the first two, but I couldn't enjoy this one. And that "Hazy Shade of Dawn" theme is just plain hilarious.

[Man In The Mountain]

One of the best keyboard albums ever, IMO. Yeah, has a strong ELP vibe to it, so what? In some ways, they did more of the type of keyboard wizardry that we wished ELP would do more of consistently. And Spartacus is a great example, as it's a very solid album throughout filled with great goopy keyboard driven chops. I will say that ELP's best moments do outshine anything by Triumvrat, and ELP certainly pushed boundaries that Triumvirat could only borrow... but regardless, Triumvrat were a great band little band in their own right, and created some of the very best keyboard rock ever.

Spartacus & Double Dimple are my two favorites from the band, and I've enjoyed those two for many decades without losing any of their charm.

[Blah_Blah_Woof_Woof]

Saw them third billing to Fleetwood Mac and Journey. The audience was not interested. They cheered when Frampton Comes Alive was put on during intermission!