Triumvirat - Illusions on a Double Dimple

I was casually browsing through the regular used section the other day, just wandering aimlessly and found myself checking in the "T" section to see if anything affordable was to be found by Trio, or Triumph, or Talking Heads, or The Tubes... instead I stumbled upon Triumvirat and the cover was oddly appealing. Reading the back cover, I assumed this was more than likely some early '70s German prog rock, probably really heavy on keyboards. I'd never heard of them. There weren't any liner notes, but that was okay. I wasn't going to be picking this up.

Later... yeah, I picked it up.

The album is comprised of two sides (don't roll your eyes at me, there's more), each with a theme. Side A is Illusions on a Double Dimple, and has six associated songs. The first side features former member and lead vocalist Hans-Georg Pape on bass guitar. Side B is Mister Ten Percent and is another half dozen songs. I'm guessing they were pissed at their former manager.

This is where a lyric sheet would have been really nice to have.

Illusions on a Double Dimple is classic early '70s progressive rock. The triumvirate that comprised Triumvirat was Jurgen Fritz on various keyboards, and he is outstanding throughout the album. His use of the Steinway piano added a depth and richness to the music. It really is very much his showcase throughout. Helmut Kollen played guitar and bass and was lead vocalist, and Hans Bathelt played percussion and was the band's lyricist - kind of like another drummer who would rise to prominence through the mid '70s ... Rush, I'm alluding to Rush.

I'm just about finished my maiden voyage through the album, and so far the album's highlight is undoubtedly the track "Lucky Girl," with its infectious melody and soaring keyboard solos, and it's a song you can hear the guitar on. I suspect the band was often compared to and dismissed as being a German iteration of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, so "Lucky Girl" was more than likely a deliberate middle finger to the critics as they riffed on ELP's "Lucky Man." Regardless, it's the most accessible song on the record. Yeah, I'm going a little over the top here, but then again so is the album.

I'm still having a hard time not adding the "e" to Triumvirat, but in order to have the rat, you can't have an e on the end. I suspect these guys had a pretty subversive sense of humour.

Triumvirat's fusion of classical and rock elements was likely pretty unique for 1974. The band was able to employ the Cologne Opera House Orchestra, and the interplay between the band and strings is pretty cool. I was hoping for more, but what you get is memorable. This isn't as complex as some of the stuff Yes was pulling off (and there are a couple of nods here to Yes that I found pretty fun), but it is pretty cool nonetheless. This is very much Jurgen's showcase, and I'm sure Helmut is a solid guitar player, but he's not out front as much as I'd hoped, and for a lot of the first side seems to be really far back in the mix.

I really like it when there's a lot of interplay between guitar and keys. Percussionist Hans Bathelt, though, gets to hit as many of his drums as he wants, and pretty often too. Admittedly, I am not as well versed on all things progressive as some of my friends, but I tend to gravitate to melody and structure, and if that can be accomplished while still meandering and stretching things out, I'm okay with that. I'll come along for the ride. So me going on about a lack of guitars is like a drunk yelling out "Play Freebird!" to a cover band.

Apparently, when they were out on tour supporting this album, they were opening for a then still proggy Fleetwood Mac, and they'd play this album in its entirety, and by all accounts they pulled it off note for note.

I've played this through a few times now, and each time I find more to like and really got a kick out of discovering the band. There were a few times I kept thinking, "This sounds like..." only to remember this was earlier than the subsequent songs or artists I was trying to associate the band with. By the same token, as much as I enjoyed this, I'm not likely to play this a lot either. It may have buttered my toast, but this really isn't my jam.

Billy Rankin - Growin' Up Too Fast

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