Triumvirat-50 Years On!

**presdoug** · 03-07-2019

This place is in dire need of some more Triumvirat threads, so here I go. The band was formed exactly 50 years ago, in Cologne. Hard to believe it has been that long. One thing I know for certain is that they will always remain my favorite band. Anybody like to chime in on their experiences with Triumvirat's music? I was just listening to some of their singles today, and really enjoy that aspect of the band. Their early albums, though, were when they were firing on all six cylinders. Triumvirat forever!
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**Fracktured** · 03-07-2019

Illusions is still my favorite. I've got a question though. I always pronounced them like triumvirate but years ago someone told me that they left off the e on the end and put the rats on the covers because it's supposed to be pronounced triumvir-rat. So now I always pronounce it the triumvir-rat way. Which is it or does it really matter?

**bRETT** · 03-07-2019

Originally Posted by Fracktured

Illusions is still my favorite. I've got a question though. I always pronounced them like triumvirate but years ago someone told me that they left off the e on the end and put the rats on the covers because it's supposed to be pronounced triumvir-rat. So now I always pronounce it the triumvir-rat way. Which is it or does it really matter?

Worth noting though that Triumvirat is the German spelling of the word, and I'm not sure if the rats were on the non-US albums (at least there wasn't one on Old Loves Die Hard). I certainly wish they'd given Spartacus a cover that had anything to do with the theme of the album.

**Top Cat** · 03-07-2019

We just had a Triumvirat thread not so many weeks ago, why do we need more. Unless there's breaking news about them...carry on...

**flatliner** · 03-07-2019

Well...I’ll play.....I own every album on vinyl and all but the last two on CD....the very last one was pretty bad....but up until that and the one before I Love everything they released!!! Illusion is just amazing!!! I’ll always wish that long lost studio recording from around 1990 or so would be released!! It was definitely finished...but never saw the light of day.....very sad! I know Curt Cress was on drums, but not much more......BTW, I really like the sound quality of the remasters.....

**moecurlythanu** · 03-07-2019

I've got a couple of their albums, but I can't really enthuse. I always felt like they were taking cues from other bands but the end product wasn't as good.

The name is pronounced try-um-ver-it.

**mozo-pg** · 03-07-2019

Originally Posted by Top Cat

We just had a Triumvirat thread not so many weeks ago, why do we need more. Unless there's breaking news about them...carry on...

He really likes the band. Others are interested.

**LASERCD** · 03-07-2019

Originally Posted by mozo-pg

He really likes the band. Others are interested.

It's coming close to crossing the line into obsession.

**Progbear** · 03-07-2019

Originally Posted by bRETT

Worth noting though that Triumvirat is the German spelling of the word, and I'm not sure if the rats were on the non-US albums (at least there wasn't one on Old Loves Die Hard). I certainly wish they'd given Spartacus a cover that had anything to do with the theme of the album.

I think OLDH is the only one with a different cover. They probably weren’t the most original band, but thumbs-up to them for sticking to an original repertoire instead of the usual tired old “rocked-up classics” repertoire (I believe the bookends from “Across the Waters” was the only time they ever did that). I agree with the consensus that Illusions is the best, but everything up to and including Pompeii has something to recommend it. I tried to find something of worth in A la carte, but it was just not happening; it was an extremely tired album.

Helmut Koellen was by far the band’s best singer. I never really cared for Barry Palmer, I found his throaty timbre unappealing. David Hanselmann tended towards the pitchy and shrill. The less said about Arno Steffen (really, anything about Russian Roulette) the better. RR is the only album of theirs I don’t own. That one, along with Mediterranean Tales, is the only one never released in the States (odd, considering the number of members of Toto that played on it).

**Top Cat** · 03-07-2019

Originally Posted by LASERCD

It's coming close to crossing the line into obsession.

could be.

Originally Posted by mozo-pg

He really likes the band. Others are interested.

I like them as well, in fact on the last thread about them I commented about picking up an excellent condition Illusions on vinyl.

**tommy_n_chucky** · 03-07-2019

Originally Posted by Top Cat

could be.

What's Ken Golden gonna do with his Obessive Compulsive Vinyl Collection when he RIPs...donate it to Charity?

I like them as well, in fact on the last thread about them I commented about picking up an excellent condition Illusions on vinyl.

On voice to text now so dot-dot-dot where is that thread? I was listening to new triumvirate which is the first CD I bought back around 97 from wax tree records in Casselberry Florida. I loved it completely. Around the same time I bought another obscure band called mandala band which remind me of another ELP clone awesome honey Palm. Then my prog rock friend let me Spartacus on CD which I obsessively compulsively played edging out another year worms. It wasn't until Grooveshark had the triumvirate albums dot-dot. But that went kaput. Now I can only get crappy quality on YouTube but that's the best I can get. Where can I get the vinyl? Is there a box set? Also the latest album website story I guess it was never released.

**calyx** · 03-08-2019

Triumvirat is spelt without an E at the end simply because there is no E in that word in languages other than English.

**presdoug** · 03-08-2019

There are, as people have noted, various ways of pronouncing. I have heard "tree-um-vir-at" from folks in America, and from Europe, "tri-oom-veer-ah"! Does it matter? Not, really; what is in a name, anyway? It's the quality of the music that matters, I think...

**presdoug** · 03-08-2019

Originally Posted by flatliner

Well...I’ll play.....I own every album on vinyl and all but the last two on CD....the very last one was pretty bad....but up until that and the one before I Love everything they released!!! Illusion is just amazing!!! I’ll always wish that long lost studio recording from around 1990 or so would be released!! It was definitely finished...but never saw the light of day.....very sad! I know Curt Cress was on drums, but not much more......BTW, I really like the sound quality of the remasters.....

I heard the unreleased album, and was not impressed; doesn't sound like Triumvirat much, at all, but like movie music from the year it was made (2002), and it is definitely not progressive.

**Man In The Mountain** · 03-08-2019

Trumivrat are great. And their music has held up surprising well after all these years, I still enjoying listing to them regularly. In some ways I enjoy them more than ELP, in that albums like Tales, Double Dimple & Sparticus are very solid. ELP were obviously better produced and original, but also were often hit or miss with experimentation, though achieved very high "hits" when they were on the money. Triumvirat on the other hand, often did what you wished ELP would have done in the first place - simply make full-on keyboard prog concept albums.

From my understanding, Jugan Fritz went on to theater scores, and doesn't have much fondness for his old band. Shrugs it off as an ELP rip-off and has no interest in revisiting it. That's a shame really, and is why a grand re-union has never happened.

**tommy_n_chucky** · 03-08-2019

Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain

Trumivrat are great. And their music has held up surprising well after all these years, I still enjoying listing to them regularly. In some ways I enjoy them more than ELP, in that albums like Tales, Double Dimple & Sparticus are very solid. ELP were obviously better produced and original, but also were often hit or miss with experimentation, though achieved very high "hits" when they were on the money. Triumvirat on the other hand, often did what you wished ELP would have done in the first place - simply make full-on keyboard prog concept albums.

Well this could have been an ELP concept album, the whole album is great!

From my understanding, Jugan Fritz went on to theater scores, and doesn't have much fondness for his old band. Shrugs it off as an ELP rip-off and has no interest in revisiting it. That's a shame really, and is why a grand re-union has never happened.

This is the best we can do on YT...

I thought presdoug said something about someone having an unpublished recording of Website Story, a YT upload would be nice.

**zeprogmeister** · 03-08-2019

Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain

Trumivrat are great. And their music has held up surprising well after all these years, I still enjoying listing to them regularly. In some ways I enjoy them more than ELP, in that albums like Tales, Double Dimple & Sparticus are very solid. ELP were obviously better produced and original, but also were often hit or miss with experimentation, though achieved very high "hits" when they were on the money. Triumvirat on the other hand, often did what you wished ELP would have done in the first place - simply make full-on keyboard prog concept albums.

From my understanding, Jugan Fritz went on to theater scores, and doesn't have much fondness for his old band. Shrugs it off as an ELP rip-off and has no interest in revisiting it. That's a shame really, and is why a grand re-union has never happened.

Apparently he's been the keyboardist/musical director for the singer Tommy Engel for a number of years
https://www.tommyengel.de/jfo/

**presdoug** · 03-08-2019

Originally Posted by Man In The Mountain

Trumivrat are great. And their music has held up surprising well after all these years, I still enjoying listing to them regularly. In some ways I enjoy them more than ELP, in that albums like Tales, Double Dimple & Sparticus are very solid. ELP were obviously better produced and original, but also were often hit or miss with experimentation, though achieved very high "hits" when they were on the money. Triumvirat on the other hand, often did what you wished ELP would have done in the first place - simply make full-on keyboard prog concept albums.

From my understanding, Jugan Fritz went on to theater scores, and doesn't have much fondness for his old band. Shrugs it off as an ELP rip-off and has no interest in revisiting it. That's a shame really, and is why a grand re-union has never happened.

Mr. Fritz told Russ Schenewerk, during a long conversation, that he "doesn't get sentimental about Triumvirat", and that he did not want The Website Story to be "the Son of Spartacus". I get the feeling that classic Triumvirat is one of the last things he thinks about....

**presdoug** · 03-08-2019

Originally Posted by tommy_n_chucky

Well this could have been an ELP concept album, the whole album is great!

This is the best we can do on YT...

I thought presdoug said something about someone having an unpublished recording of Website Story, a YT upload would be nice.

I do know someone who has a copy, but I cannot pass it on. Sorry. Maybe the full thing will see the light of day on yt, but not from me...

**arturs** · 03-08-2019

Illusions is the one album that has really stood the test of time for me. Koellen's great vocal and a compelling storyline, along with their strongest composition, makes that one come together. And the ELP influence is not overwhelming either.

Spartacus has some really good moments, but too often sounds like a wimpy version of ELP (I'm ducking...). I find Mediterranean Tales more fun than Spartacus though the vocals are hard to stomach.

**tommy_n_chucky** · 03-08-2019

Originally Posted by presdoug

I do know someone who has a copy, but I cannot pass it on. Sorry. Maybe the full thing will see the light of day on yt, but not from me...

Well, somebody should upload quality tracks to Souncloud as there are profiles there with 'Triumvirat' but no tracks. I mean...does the band care anymore? Everything is sucked up in "The Cloud" these days. I use SC a lot.