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Just a Game
Just a Game in Bloomington, MN
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Triumph
's first worldwide release,
Rock & Roll Machine
, had managed to capture the attention of many hard rock and heavy metal fans (as well as some borderline prog rock nerds), but still many more remained suspicious of the Canadian power trio's similarities to that country's established elder statesmen,
Rush
. Thankfully, 1979's
Just a Game
would see
taking measures (albeit discreet ones) to establish a stronger personality of their own, by relinquishing some of those progressive tendencies in exchange for a generally bluesier, unquestionably rock-based songwriting approach that eventually defined them as slightly heavier foils to their famed countrymen. Another in-house production overseen by bassist, keyboard player, and all-around peacekeeper
Mike Levine
,
once again balanced an equal number of compositions from dual lead singers and songwriting forces
Rik Emmett
(guitar) and
Gil Moore
(drums). But whereas the squeaky-voiced
Emmett
was in fine form throughout, delivering two of
's best singles ever in the anthemic
"Lay It on the Line"
and the irresistibly upbeat
"Hold On,"
before scoring high marks with the majestic title track itself, many of
Moore
's contributions (including cornball rocker
"American Girls"
and the passable blues
"Young Enough to Cry"
) suffered from an excess of musical cliches and terribly cheesy lyrics.
"Suitcase Blues"
had other problems entirely, falling flat on its easy listening face, and sounding more appropriate for the local Holiday Inn lounge than a
LP. To be fair, though, these were simpler times, far removed from the cynical attitudes that would evolve after a few decades of rock & roll repetition, so modern listeners would do well to cut
and
some slack. And what better place to start cutting slack than album opener
"Movin' On,"
whose chorus of brightly layered harmonies alluded to Chicago pomp rockers
Styx
, who were enjoying the peak of their popularity and influence at the time of this release. With all that in mind, it's easy to understand why
-- imperfections and all -- remains one of
's best-loved and best-selling albums. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
's first worldwide release,
Rock & Roll Machine
, had managed to capture the attention of many hard rock and heavy metal fans (as well as some borderline prog rock nerds), but still many more remained suspicious of the Canadian power trio's similarities to that country's established elder statesmen,
Rush
. Thankfully, 1979's
Just a Game
would see
taking measures (albeit discreet ones) to establish a stronger personality of their own, by relinquishing some of those progressive tendencies in exchange for a generally bluesier, unquestionably rock-based songwriting approach that eventually defined them as slightly heavier foils to their famed countrymen. Another in-house production overseen by bassist, keyboard player, and all-around peacekeeper
Mike Levine
,
once again balanced an equal number of compositions from dual lead singers and songwriting forces
Rik Emmett
(guitar) and
Gil Moore
(drums). But whereas the squeaky-voiced
Emmett
was in fine form throughout, delivering two of
's best singles ever in the anthemic
"Lay It on the Line"
and the irresistibly upbeat
"Hold On,"
before scoring high marks with the majestic title track itself, many of
Moore
's contributions (including cornball rocker
"American Girls"
and the passable blues
"Young Enough to Cry"
) suffered from an excess of musical cliches and terribly cheesy lyrics.
"Suitcase Blues"
had other problems entirely, falling flat on its easy listening face, and sounding more appropriate for the local Holiday Inn lounge than a
LP. To be fair, though, these were simpler times, far removed from the cynical attitudes that would evolve after a few decades of rock & roll repetition, so modern listeners would do well to cut
and
some slack. And what better place to start cutting slack than album opener
"Movin' On,"
whose chorus of brightly layered harmonies alluded to Chicago pomp rockers
Styx
, who were enjoying the peak of their popularity and influence at the time of this release. With all that in mind, it's easy to understand why
-- imperfections and all -- remains one of
's best-loved and best-selling albums. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
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