Yesterday
& Today: Triumph
By Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
So where do I start with seven solid albums
from one of Canadas most successful rock bands Triumph. The 80s were
very good to this band and fittingly they decided to remaster their entire
output of that period, a whopping seven year span in which the band established
themselves as one of the premier rock trios in the world. Rik Emmett (guitars
and vocals), Mike Levine (bass), and Gil Moore (drums and vocals), formed
an incredibly dynamic and powerful trio. Emmet and Moore both had tremendous
voices, perfectly suited for their high-energy guitar oriented rock. Moore
had the stronger voice of the two vocalists however Emmet had a more distinct
sound that you could immediately identify with the group. He sang the lead
on big hits like Never Surrender and Magic Power. Bass Mike Levin player
was on hand to remaster every album in this series. He was thrilled to
be part of this process and stated that he relived all the great times
the band went through during the recordings.
I must say the results are jaw dropping;
the remastered sound is incredibly good on all seven discs. What is more
impressive is the band released all the music on their label TML. They
do not include any bonus tracks, which is nearly a given when something
is remastered and repackaged. This is such solid music that they do not
need bonus tracks to entice the true fan to repurchase the albums. Each
album stands on its own merit entirely with incredible sound and sonics,
breathing new life into each track.
I think most ardent fans of Triumph will
agree that their strongest and most popular releases were Allied Forces
and Never Surrender. Both are solid rock classics that still hold
up very well to this day, more so now because of the renewed sound, it
pops and crackles with the true spirit of the band when they originally
recorded all of this music. Stages is an excellent compliment to all of
the studio albums, highlighting the bands live show with superior sound
and production.
The artwork for each album is superb as
well. In regards to color and effect, many of the covers reminded me of
the early Alan Parsons Project albums (especially The Sport of Kings).
Everything about this remastered series is positive. It most certainly
adds credence to the Triumph legacy, and more than likely will reawaken
old fans and create new ones. I always enjoyed their music, I just never
realized how much until I experienced all seven releases in their entirety.
I was presented a great opportunity to hear an immense rock band at their
peak, do not miss your opportunity to do the same. This set is well worth
your hard-earned dollars.
CD Info
Triumph
Reissues
Label: TML
Want More ?
Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck is
a veteran syndicated music critic, his reviews appear in over 35 publications
world-wide. To read more of Keiths work visit muzikreviews.com
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