I discovered Triumph when I caught the last forty seconds of a live concert video on a Saturday Morning. The song was Allied Forces from the album of the same name. The band could really cook, and Allied Forces was a banger.
My mate, Dave Faulkner, bought the album that day and taped it for me that afternoon. I played that tape until my car’s tape player chewed it up almost a decade later.
That album astonished me in so many ways.
Here was a trio of virtuoso musicians who had
- at least two superb lead vocalists and a third who could supply wonderful harmonies
- Progressive rock inclinations
- Pop sensibilities
- Great songwriting capabilities
- And incredibly positive messaging at a time when every other band I followed were providing infantile lyrics (Whitesnake) or being accused of Satanism (Everyone from Ozzy to ACDC).
Whereas many of Triumph’s competitors focused on a full-on frontal assault, Triumph seemed to have a handful of gears they could shift through, letting the metallic Allied Forces sit comfortably alongside the power-pop anthem Magic Power and the progressive-rock-leaning Fight the Good Fight. Few bands could pull it off. Triumph did, with ease, on the Allied Forces and Never Surrender albums.
Sadly, they never quite went beyond that level, partly because of circumstances and the fickle nature of the music industry, and partly because of internal politics and perhaps an obsession with perfection. The follow-up albums never quite hit the same heights.
Be that as it may, Triumph remain a constant part of my musical life, and I still have days when I simply have to watch vocal coaches or guitar players react to a Triumph performance of Fight the Good Fight or Lay It on the Line. These guys were beyond good. It’s a pity that they never broke worldwide. They deserved to.
So what made Triumph great?
Power trios can’t carry any passengers, and the three band members- Rik Emmet (guitar), Mike Levine (bass and keyboards), and Gil Moore (drums) complement each other musically, but there is no doubt in my mind that the driving force in the band is guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett. Emmett’s guitar playing is top shelf, spanning a variety of styles and genres, while his voice is quite simply stunning. Unlike a lot of his contemporaries, Emmett does not choose to show off what he can do vocally or musically, but chooses the right note at the right time to serve the song – he seems to have a distinct lack of ego in a world full of huge ones.
Couple Emmet’s star power with the creative control Triumph maintained over their music, and you’ve got the potential to create some great music. Triumph fulfilled that potential for a little while, at least.
Essential Triumph Listening
Most of the great music Triumph created is on the two must-have albums Never Surrender and Allied Forces, but some great tracks also appear on earlier releases.
My recommended listening list is
- Fight the Good Fight (Allied Forces)
- Allied Forces (Allied Forces)
- World of Fantasy (Never Surrender)
- Lay it on the Line (Just a Game)
- Rock and Roll Machine (Rock and Roll Machine)
- Never Surrender (Never Surrender)
- Cool Down (Thunder Seven)
- Ordinary Man (Allied Forces)
- Magic Power (Allied Forces)
- Too Much Thinking (Never Surrender)
A more in depth exploration of Triumph’s catalogue can be done here