In the Beginning

Artist: Triumph
Label: Castle
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 5050749412065
ASIN: B000A14OOC

Release Date: 2005-09-06

In the Beginning

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Tracks:

24 Hours a Day
Be My Lover
Don't Take My Life
Street Fighter
Street Fighter (Reprise)
What's Another Day of Rock & Roll
Easy Life
Let Me Get Next to You
Blinding Light Show/Moonchild

Album Description

The first UK release of the Canadian hard rockin' trio's 1976 debut album. Widely regarded as a good early indicator of the band's sound and appeal that was soon to follow. 9 tracks with a booklet of rare photos. Castle Music. 2005.

Album Details

Reissue of the Canadian Hard Rockin' Trio's Debut Album which Kicks off the Millennium Reissue Series.

Customer Reviews:

Debut album from the Canadian rock masterminds.......2006-04-13

Triumph (1976.) Triumph's first album.

INTRODUCTION:
In the late seventies through the middle of the eighties, Triumph was a moderately popular classic hard rock act. The three-piece Canadian band consisted of guitarist Rik Emmett, drummer Gil Moore, and bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine. Although the band's popularity didn't really take off until the eighties, when they scored the good majority of their hits, the group released several albums prior to that, in the seventies. The band's self-titled debut was released in 1976. Was the band desperate to find a sound in this early formative period, or did they rock hard from day one? You're gonna have to keep reading if you want to find out.

OVERVIEW:
Triumph released their self-titled debut in 1976 on the independent record label, Attic. The band consisted of its classic formation of Mike Levine, Rik Emmett, and Gil Moore in this period. Mike Levine produced the album. Tracklist on the album features Twenty-Four Hours A Day, Be My Lover, Don't Take My Life, Street Fighter, Street Fighter (Reprise), What's Another Day Of Rock And Roll, Easy Life, Let Me Get Next To You, and Blinding Light Show/Moonchild.

REVIEW:
Long before Triumph started experimenting with the eighties pop-metal sound that most people tend to associate them with, the band flat-out ROCKED. Not to say their eighties stuff was weak, it wasn't, but in the seventies the band served straight-up classic hard rock, and nothing they ever did would compare to the sheer brilliance of their early formative period. Many bands take several albums before they find a good sound all their own, but not Triumph. The Canadian rock trio sounded excellent from day one. Let's take a look at the nine tracks the band's debut presents.

-SIDE A-

-Twenty-Four Hours A Day: The opening track is nothing short of excellent. While the first minute of the song is dedicated to a short, sweet, and melodic ballad-type introduction, it's not long before the song becomes classic hard rock - and what a rocker it becomes! If you're familiar with the early work of Triumph's Canadian rock peers, Rush, you'll have a good idea of what to expect from this track.

-Be My Lover: More of that straight-up rock. THIS is the way classic hard rock should sound. One of the things that really sets this song apart from being "just another rocker" is Mike Levine's keyboards. He can do things with them no one else can. And when you listen to the song, you'll know exactly what I mean.

-Don't Take My Life: The third rocker the album serves up is one of its finest compositions. In this gloomy rocker that combines acoustic and electric guitars, the band serves up some of their most memorable vocal stylings. The theme of the song and the way the vocals are delivered will bring the classic Alice Cooper band to mind - probably part of the reason I like this song so well.

-Street Fighter: Here's another rocker that's likely to bring early Rush to mind. Obviously, in their early formative period, Triumph had not found a sound all their own yet. Accordingly, they drew in a lot of influences, and obviously, their more commercially-successfully peers were a big influences. In many parts of the song, the vocals do resemble Geddy Lee. The instrumentation rocks hard, sounding not unlike that of a late seventies/early eighties British metal sound. One of the finest rockers this album serves up.

-Street Fighter (Reprise): The previous track fades right into this, its "reprise." What's interesting is that this isn't really a reprise at all! Sure, the basic theme of the lyrics is taken from the previous track, but here the band slows things way down, serving up bass-heavy, slow-paced hard rock. Great song, but the title is definitely a bit misleading.

-SIDE B-

-What's Another Day of Rock And Roll: It's really hard for me to pick a favorite song on this album, but this here is a likely candidate for that lofty position. Essentially, the band just kicks back and rocks hard, taking all the best elements from the hard rock of the era, and combines them. The end result is a musical masterpiece as only early Triumph could serve up. There's only one word I can think of to describe this song, and that word is "perfect."

-Easy Life: There's not a whole lot to say about this track. It's a pretty basic, straightforward, guitar heavy rocker. By the standards of the day, this song was pretty generic, but that's not to say it's not a great rocker. It's just that there are other songs on the album that do the same thing, and to a greater extent.

-Let Me Get Next to You: Once again, we've got that classic hard rock sound that made people fall in love with early Triumph. It's a hard rocker with that laid back approach you can't help but enjoy. The song is heavily reminiscent of the Led Zeppelin song Rock And Roll, and that's a good thing.

-Blinding Light Show/Moonchild: The lengthy closing track is the album's longest and most diverse work. As this piece progresses, the band frequently shifts between hard and heavy rock, as well as slower, more melodic and peaceful interludes. What results is an excellent closing track, most certainly worthy of the Triumph name. If you want the best of both words, heavy and soft alike, you'll get them in this song.

And there you have it. On their debut album, Triumph demonstrated from day one that they could rock and roll. And rock and roll they did. Although the album was not very successful at its time of release, it did get reissued on a major label a few years later when the band was really starting to come into their own sound. That helped boost the popularity of the band's earlier sound. Overall, I have to say that this is a very impressive release from the band. If you're at all a fan of classic rock, this is worth buying.

EDITION NOTES:
Although this album was long out of print on CD for years, it finally got reissued under the name In The Beginning. Unfortunately, the distribution of this remastered version is less than stellar, and there are no expanded liner notes or bonus tracks to speak of. You're going to have to do some searching if you want to find this album, but take my word. If you like classic rock, it's worth hunting down.

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music

Epitaph ~ Charles Mingus

The Tex Allen Songbook ~ Tex Allen

Legend of Joy & Midwinter Saga ~ Ralph Lundsten

What We Live ~ Never Was

Ao Vivo ~ Celso Blues Boy

Best of the Early Years ~ Salif Keita

Belly Dance Party: One Night In Cairo ~ Sout El Hob Band

Derico Onze Meses ~ Derico Sciotti

Sacred Spirit 3 ~ Sacred Spirit

Phenomenon