Rik Emmett:
Six and Twelve String
Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Lead & Background Vocals (1975 - 1988)
Gil Moore:
Drums & Percussion,
Lead & Background Vocals (1975 - present)
Mike Levine:
Bass, Keyboards &
Synthesizers (1975 - present)
Phil X:
Guitars, Background Vocals
(1992 - 1993)
Rick Santers:
Guitars/Vocals/Keyboards
often as guest on different toursTriumph's roots date back to 1975 when
Rik Emmett, Gil Moore and Mike Levine began touring the local
Their self-titled
debut was released in 1976 but was only met with moderate success. Though it
received some FM play, tracks such as "Blinding Light Show" and
"What's Another Day Of Rock & Roll?" were too long and too heavy
to garner attention by the AM stations.
Tracks
such as "24 Hours A Day" however did
showcase the band's versatility, blending 12-string melodies with straight
forward 2-chord riffs. The tour that followed their debut took them south and
Triumph made an instant impact on the American rock fans, particularly in
Their
second album, ROCK AND ROLL MACHINE was released the next year and every bit
lived up to it's name, from the harmonies in "Takes Time" to the
ballsy "Little Texas Shaker", the story of a Texan groupie to the 7
minute title track, to their first single in a re-make of Joe Walsh's
"Rocky Mountain Way". Incidentally, Triumph's first two records are
considered collectable, as MCA re-released ROCK AND ROLL MACHINE in the
mid-80's, but it's actually only half of that album with a different cover,
with the other 4 tracks coming from the self-titled debut. The next year MCA
then re-released the debut record, but with a different cover and entitled IN
THE BEGINNING.
JUST A
GAME was cut in 1979 and featured classic rockers such as "American
Girls", yet also showcased Emmett's blues influences in "Suitcase
Blues" and also featured "Lay It On The
Line" and "Hold On", FM staples 20 years later.
By the
release of PROGRESSIONS OF POWER in 1980, Triumph's stage show had become the
envy of almost all ticket buyers, backed by a light show rivalled by few
others. Though "I Can Survive" was the only single released,
"Nature's Child" and "Woman In
Love" further fed the appetites of rock-starved kids.
ALLIED
FORCES was put out the following year and contained the singles "Magic
Power" and "Say Goodbye", a typical power ballad penned by
Emmett. Not tailor-made specifically for radio play, the record stayed true to
the band's naturally evolving sound and also featured "Fool For Your Love", title-track and "Fight The Good
Fight". By this time Triumph's message had been firmly spread overseas and
touring the
Never
Surrender was released nearly two years later and it seemed as though the time
off may have cost the group some of the interest of the record-buying public.
Now on MCA Records, the group failed to receive the support of management. And
though it failed to generate a single, NEVER SURRENDER contained some of their
most under-rated work, from the blazing riffs in "When The
Lights Go Down" and social commentary in "Too Much Thinking" to
"A World Of Fantasy" and Emmett's gear-shifting to the powerful
"Battle Cry".
1984
saw the release of THUNDER SEVEN, Triumph's first collaberation with Eddie
Kramer, whose most noteable work was with KISS. The record was well-received by
radio, spawning the hits "Spellbound" and "Follow Your
Heart". Recordings from the ensuing tour ended up on Triumph's only live
record, 1985's STAGES. Nothing really special, it was a typical live record.
Cheesy marketing ploys on the part of MCA management also saw the inclusion of
two new studio tracks, "Mind Games" and "Empty Inside".
The
band released THE SPORT OF KINGS in 1986 and contained the singles "Just
One Night", co-written by Neal Schon of Journey and "Somebody's Out
There". Other noteable cuts included "Tears In The
Rain" and "Take A Stand".
SURVEILLANCE
hit the stores in '87 and would be the last record Triumph would cut with Rik
Emmett. With the support of only one single "Let The
Light Shine On Me", the band only toured minimally and Emmett then
left the group to pursue a solo career. The band fullfilled
their contractual agreements in 1989 by releasing the compilation CLASSICS, a
retrospective of the trio's 9 albums together.
Moore
and Levine reformed Triumph in 1992 and added Phil X and Rick Santers on
guitars. Mr X was a virtual unknown at the time (and where pray tell is he
now?) but Santers enjoyed some radio success with his band (somewhat vanely
named Santers) with a remake of the Free classic "All Right Now" some
years earlier. The reformed group released EDGE OF EXCESS later that year and
saw two singles, "Child Of The City" and
"Trouble Maker", which was featured on the soundtrack of
"Hellraiser III". Despite this the group soon found the public's
interest had wandered again and Levine and Moore again called it quits.
The
advent of the classic rock radio format, along with the current trend of
reunion tours, would have made a Triumph reunion a dream come true for
millions. Unfortunately though, 'irreconcilable musical differences' have
proved too great even for these three Canadian superstars to overcome.
Throughout the group's 10 studio records, word according to the gospel of
Triumph was one of constant striving to give the fans the most for their money.
Moore's live drum solos became infamous during
their hey-day, while Emmett's mastering of many playing styles still inspire
young guitarists today. Held together by Levine on bass and keyboards, Triumph
emerged from the
Triumph - Rock & Roll Machine (
1.
Takes Time
2. Bringing
It On Home (words by R. Emmett; music by R. Emmett & M. Levine)
3. Little
4.
5.
6. The
City (R. Emmett):
7. Part
1: War March (instrumental)
8. Part 2:
El Duende Agonizante (instrumental)
9. Part
3: Minstrel's Lament
10. Rocky
11. Rock
& Roll Machine (G. Moore)
Produced
by Mike Levine & Doug Hill
Attic
Records Ltd (LP)/ TRC Records Inc.
Distibuted
by Magada International for
Triumph - Rock & Roll
Machine (US
1.
Takes Time
2. Bringing
It On Home (words by R. Emmett; music by R. Emmett & M. Levine)
3. Rocky
4. Street
Fighter (G. Moore)
5. Street
Fighter (reprise) (G. Moore)
6. 24
Hours A Day (R. Emmett)
7. Blinding
Light Show/Moonchild (Emmett,Brockway,Young/Emmett)
8. Rock
& Roll Machine (G. Moore)
Produced
by Mike Levine & Doug Hill
Attic
Records Ltd (LP)/ TRC Records Inc. (CD)
Distibuted
by Magada International for
Triumph - Just A Game - 1979
1.
Movin' On (G. Moore)
2. Lay It
On The Line (R. Emmett)
3. Young
Enough To Cry (G. Moore)
4. American
Girls (G. Moore)
5. Just A
Game (R. Emmett)
6. Fantasy
Serenade (R. Emmett) - instrumental
7. Hold
On (R. Emmett)
8. Suitcase
Blues (R. Emmett)
Produced
by M. Levine & Triumph
Attic Records(LP)/TRC Records
Triumph - Progressions Of
Power – 1980
1.
I Live For The Weekend
2. I Can
Survive
3. In The
Night
4. Nature's
Child
5. Woman
In Love
6. Take
My Heart
7. Tear
The Roof Off
8. Fingertalkin'
(instrumental)- 'dedicated to Mitchell'
9. Hard
Road
Produced
by Triumph
All songs
written by Triumph
MCA
Records/TRC Records
Triumph - Allied Forces -
1981
1.
Fool For Your Love
2. Magic
Power
3. Air
Raid - instrumental
4. Allied
Forces
5. Hot
Time (In The City Tonight)
6. Fight
The Good Fight
7. Ordinary
Man
8. Petite
Etude - instrumental
9. Say
Goodbye
Produced
by Triumph
All
songs written by Triumph
RCA Records(LP)/TRC Records(CD)
Triumph - Never Surrender -
1983
1.
Too Much Thinking
2. A
World Of Fantasy * (Triumph & Tam Patrick)
3. A
Minor Prelude - instrumental
4. All
The Way
5. Battle
Cry
6. Overture
(Procession)- instrumental
7. Never
Surrender
8. When
The Lights Go Down
9. Writing
On The Wall
10. Epilogue
(Resolution) - instrumental
Produced
by Triumph & David Thoener
All
songs written by Triumph except *
RCA Records(LP)/TRC Records(CD)
Triumph - Thunder Seven - 1984
1.
Spellbound
2. Rock
Out, Roll On
3. Cool
Down
4. Follow
Your Heart
5. Time
Goes By
6. Midsummer's
Daydream - instrumental
7. Time
Canon
8. Killing
Time
9. Stranger
In A Strange Land
10. Little
Boy Blues - instrumental
Produced
by Triumph & Eddie Kramer
All
songs written by Triumph
MCA Records(LP)/TRC Records(CD)
Triumph - Stages (Live) -
1985
1.
When The Lights Go Down
2. Never
Surrender
3. Allied
Forces (only on double live-LP)
4. Hold
On
5. Magic
Power
6. Rock
& Roll Machine
7. Lay It
On The Line
8. A
World Of Fantasy
9. Druh
Mer Selbo (Drum Solo - only on double live-LP)
10. Midsummer's
Daydream - instrumental
11. Spellbound
12. Follow
Your Heart
13. Fight
The Good Fight
14. Mind
Games (studio)
15. Empty
Inside (studio)
Produced
by Triumph
Recorded
live from 1981 to 1985 ('Allied Forces', 'Never Surrender' and 'Thunder Seven'
Tours)
MCA Records(LP)/TRC Records(CD)
Triumph - The Sport Of Kings
- 1986
1.
Tears In The Rain
2. What
Rules My Heart * (Triumph/Maloney/Huff)
3. Hooked
On You
4. Embrujo
- instrumental
5. Play
With The Fire
6. Just
One Night * (E. Martin/N. Schon/T. Fanucci)
7. Somebody's
Out There
8. Don't
Love Anubody Else But Me * (G. Miller/E. Roynesdal)
9. In The
Middle Of The Night
10. If
Only
11. Take A
Stand * (Triumph/R. Santers)
Produced
by Mike Clink
All
songs written by Triumph except *
MCA Records(LP)/TRC Records(CD)
Triumph - Surveillance - 1987
1.
Prologue: Into The Forever – instrumental
2. Never
Say Never (Triumph/Simone)
3. Headed
For Nowhere (Triumph/R. Santers)
4. All
The King's Horses (Triumph/S. Morse)
5. Carry
On The Flame (Triumph/Tkaczuk)
6. Let
The Light (Shine On Me)
7. Long
Time Gone
8. Rock
You Down
9. Prelude:
The Waking Dream - instrumental
10. On And
On
11. All
Over Again (R. Freeland/J. Pizullo)
12. Running
In The Night (Triumph/Baker/Scott)
Produced
by Triumph & Thom Trumbo
All
songs written by Triumph except *
MCA
Records
Triumph - Classics - 1989
1.
Tears In The Rain
2. Hold
On
3. I Live
For The Weekend
4. Magic
Power
5. Follow
Your Heart
6. A
World Of Fantasy
7. Fight
The Good Fight
8. Spellbound
9. Somebody's
Out There
10. Lay it
On The Line
11. Rock
'n' Roll Machine
Triumph - Edge Of Excess - 1992
1.
Child Of The City
2. Troublemaker
3. It’s
Over
4. Edge
Of Excess (Moore/Levine/Mladen/X)
5. Turn
My Back On Love
6. Ridin'
High Again (Moore/Levine/X)
7. Black
Sheep
8. Boy's
Nite Out
9. Somewhere
Tonight
10. Love
In A Minute (Moore/Levine/Mladen/X)
Triumph
is:
Gil
Moore (Drums/Lead Vocals)
Mike
Levine (Bass/Background Vocals)
Phil X
(Guitars/Background Vocals)
Produced
by Mike Levine except * Mike Levine & Noel Goldon
All
songs written by G. Moore/M. Levine/Mladen unless otherwise stated
Victory
Music
Triumph
- In Concert (King Biscuit Flower Hour) - 1996
1.
Tear The Roof Off
2. American
Girls
3. Lay It
On The Line
4. Allied
Forces
5. Fight
The Good Fight
6. Blinding
Light Show/Moonchild
7. Rock
'n' Roll Machine
8. I Live
For The Weekend
9. Nature's
Child
10. Drum
solo
11. Instrumental
12. Rocky
13. Hot
Time (In The City Tonight)
Recorded
on October 12, 1981 at The Public Hall,
Produced
by Mike Levine
KBFH
Records / BMG Music
Triumph - In Concert (King
Biscuit Flower Hour) - 1996
1.
Tear The Roof Off
2. American
Girls
3. Lay It
On The Line
4. Allied
Forces
5. Fight
The Good Fight
6. Blinding
Light Show/Moonchild
7. Rock
'n' Roll Machine
8. I Live
For The Weekend
9. Nature's
Child
10. Drum
solo
11. Instrumental
12. Rocky
13. Hot
Time (In The City Tonight)
Recorded
on October 12, 1981 at The Public Hall,
Produced
by Mike Levine
KBFH
Records / Sony Records
Booklet
contains full lyrics of the songs and speeches of the show
Triumph - In Concert (King Biscuit
Flower Hour) reissue - 1999
1.
Tear The Roof Off
2. American
Girls
3. Lay It
On The Line
4. Allied
Forces
5. Fight
The Good Fight
6. Blinding
Light Show/Moonchild
7. Rock
'n' Roll Machine
8. I Live
For The Weekend
9. Nature's
Child
10. Drum
solo
11. Instrumental
12. Rocky
13. Hot Time
(In The City Tonight)
© The Doorway Master