TRIUMPH
"Live
at the US Festival" (TML / Universal; 2003)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Triumph fans will love the fact the band's live performance at the legendary US Festival in 1983 is finally available for the first time ever on CD.
Containing nearly an hour of great Triumph tunes, including "Allied Forces," "Lay it on the Line," "Never Surrender," "Rock & Roll Machine" and more, "Live at the US Festival" is a great document of a popular band performing a great set in front of a crowd of over half a million. And a great performance it is. The band sounds at the top of their form, with blistering leads from Rik Emmett and solid rhythm support from Gil Moore and Mike Levine. There must be something about playing before an audience that large that brings out the best in musicians.
The production is stellar, especially considering that the source material are analog tapes over 20 years old. "Live at the US Festival" sounds like it could have been recorded last year.
I've heard some rumblings about added keyboards and missing songs here but, being unfamiliar with the original performance and various bootlegs being traded around, I didn't notice at all.
"Live at the US Festival" is a must for any Triumph fan. Fans of '80s "metal" will find lots to like here as well.
Also available is a DVD, to be reviewed soon.
Triumph: Rik Emmett - guitars, vocals; Gil Moore - drums, vocals; Mike Levine - bass, vocals.
For more information, check out http://www.triumphmusic.com.
"Surveillance"
(TML / Universal; 1987)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
After the disappointment of some fans with 1985's "The Sport of Kings," Triumph recorded and released "Surveillance" which, while not a complete return to form, was at least a step in the right direction.
Adding more hard rock crunch in the form of distorted guitars and irresistible riffs, and bolstering the number of rock'n'roll anthems versus radio-friendly ballads, "Surveillance" gave longtime Triumph fans more of what they wanted: music that sounded like the band's earlier albums.
This re-mastered edition is incredibly crisp and, although the music never aspires to the glory days of "Allied Forces" or "Never Surrender," "Surveillance" is still a pretty damn good Triumph CD.
Triumph: Rik Emmett - guitars, vocals; Mike Levine - bass, keyboards; Gil Moore - drums, vocals.
For more information, check out www.triumphmusic.com.
"The
Sport of Kings" (TML / Universal; 1985)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Often considered one of the most disappointing Triumph records, "The Sport of Kings" was attacked because of its heavy keyboard sound and the band's shift to a more radio-friendly song style (in the vein of the then uber-popular Foreigner and Journey).
While this newly remastered version of this CD can't erase all of that 80s cheesiness, "The Sport of Kings" does sound more dynamic today than it did upon its initial release, even if some of the songs are truly dated (and, over 20 years later, why wouldn't they be?). While songs like "Tears in the Rain" perhaps play better today than in 1985 (due to the exquisite remastering here), the lackluster of other songs -- such as "What Rules My Heart" -- becomes really apparent.
Not a bad Triumph CD if you're a fan of 80s rock radio, but quite disappointing if you like Triumph's harder-edged sound, "The Sport of Kings" at least benefits from the recent re-mastering. It still may not be one of the band's best CDs, but at least some of the better tunes have been punched up a little.
Triumph: Rik Emmett - guitars, vocals; Mike Levine - bass, keyboards; Gil Moore - drums, vocals.
For more information, check out www.triumphmusic.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2007 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 03 Oct 2008 01:52:09 -0500.
