{"id":28865,"date":"2024-03-05T14:36:31","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T14:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alliedforces.eu\/?p=28865"},"modified":"2024-03-05T14:36:33","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T14:36:33","slug":"triumph-the-allied-forces-of-rock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alliedforces.eu\/en\/triumph-the-allied-forces-of-rock\/","title":{"rendered":"Triumph, the allied forces of rock: Retrospective of a superb and ephemeral career (1976-1993)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was 1975 when four Canadian musicians formed Abernathy Shagnaster<\/strong>, a blues project made up at that time of Fred Keeler<\/strong> on guitar, Peter Young<\/strong> on organ, Mike Levine<\/strong> on bass and Gil Moore<\/strong> on vocals and drums. Shortly after their formation they signed with Attic Records<\/strong> and released their first single: Hobo<\/em><\/strong> and Got To Get You Back In My Life<\/strong><\/em>. The moderate success of their first work and the disinterest of two of its members, Keeler <\/strong>and Young<\/strong>, led them to leave the ranks of Abernathy Shagnaster<\/strong>, leaving only Moore <\/strong>and Levine <\/strong>as members of the project that died shortly after that same year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same year, Moore <\/strong>and Levine <\/strong>met Rik Emmett<\/strong> at the Hollywood Tavern in Toronto during a performance with his band ACT III<\/strong>. The two musicians contacted Emmett <\/strong>and, after a jam session at Moore<\/strong>‘s house, the guitarist agreed to be part of his new project, which would be called Triumph<\/a><\/strong>. With the formation ready, the band begins to compose material as a trio and they put aside the blues to dedicate themselves to a more mature rock with blues overtones. The band’s first concert as a trio in 1975 was at Simcoe High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Triumph <\/strong>started working on their self-titled debut album combining elements of classical music and progressive rock, elements that Emmett <\/strong>himself would bring to the trio at the time he joined the band. In October 1976, maintaining their contact at Attic Records<\/strong>, they released their debut album, Triumph<\/em><\/strong>, an album characterized by unifying hard rock and progressive rock in a perfect combination in which both Moore <\/strong>and Emmett <\/strong>shared the vocal and the composition of the songs. The moderate success of their debut led them to tour their native country throughout that year presenting their debut offering up to sixty-two dates throughout Canada, a very high number for a band that had just started. Triumph<\/em><\/strong> (1976, Attic Records) would be reissued in 1995 on CD format and would then be entitled In The Beginning<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a good reputation behind them, Triumph <\/strong>decided to invest the entire year 1977 in the production and recording of their second album, Rock & Roll Machine<\/em><\/strong>, a more mature and worked album with which they managed to gain a foothold on the world scene. thanks to the album’s title track and a cover of Joe Walsh<\/strong>‘s Rocky Mountain Way<\/em><\/strong>. Before the release of their second full-length album, Triumph <\/strong>attended a program in San Antonio (Texas) to promote the album and then participated in several concerts organized by JAM Productions<\/strong>, a company in charge of producing tunes and other television advertisements founded in 1974 by Jonathan M. Wolfer<\/strong>. Shortly afterward they go on tour in their native country with Moxy <\/strong>and Trooper<\/strong>, two local bands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Triumph\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rock & Roll Machine<\/em><\/strong> (Attic\/RCA Records) was released in November of 1977 and and Triumph <\/strong>embarked on its first US tour the following month which lasted until October 1979, where it won over the public thanks to its energetic staging. Triumph <\/strong>began to work on their third full-length Just A Game <\/em><\/strong>during the tour presenting Rock & Roll Machine<\/em><\/strong>, whose third album would be released in January 1979 through Attic Records <\/strong>and which, like its predecessor, was distributed in America by RCA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just A Game<\/em><\/strong> was a huge success and it quickly placed itself on the American charts thanks to its single Hold On<\/strong>, reaching number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although the success of Hold On<\/em><\/strong> was quite moderately, Triumph <\/strong>broke with everything shortly after by releasing Lay It On The Line<\/em><\/strong> as a single, a song that would not reach that high on the charts but would be played regularly on classic rock-oriented radio stations in America and Canada. Over the years they would be certified gold in the United States for Just A Game<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year after the release of previous album they returned to the charts with the release of their fourth studio album Progressions Of Power<\/em><\/strong> (Attic Records, RCA) which was released in March 1980. The release of their single I Can Survive<\/em><\/strong> would not rank as well as Lay It On The Line<\/strong><\/em> in the American charts but they manage to reach position 59 in the United Kingdom charts thanks to I Live For The Weekend<\/em><\/strong> and the band would enjoy great popularity during that decade. The band expanded their range on this album and incorporated some heavy metal elements, a characteristic that would define their future releases and that would bring them closer to a younger audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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