Search - Triumvirat :: Spartacus

Spartacus
Triumvirat
Spartacus
Genres: Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (9) - Disc #1

2002 remastered reissue of the German progressive rock act's 1975 album. Includes 2 bonus tracks 'The Capital Of Power' (live) & 'Showstopper' (previously unreleased). EMI.

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Triumvirat
Title: Spartacus
Members Wishing: 4
Total Copies: 0
Label: EMI Europe Generic
Release Date: 9/30/2002
Album Type: Import, Original recording remastered
Genres: Pop, Rock
Styles: Progressive, Progressive Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 0724353516352, 077779291021, 077779291045, 766489144023, 724353516321

Synopsis

Album Description
2002 remastered reissue of the German progressive rock act's 1975 album. Includes 2 bonus tracks 'The Capital Of Power' (live) & 'Showstopper' (previously unreleased). EMI.

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CD Reviews

The best they ever released!
Eric Scott | Bloomington, California USA | 10/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"After God knows how many years, "Spartacus" is finally available on CD!! And about time, too. Triumvirat generated a number of classic albums in the '70s, but this one clearly stands head and shoulders above the rest of their work (although "Illusions on a Double Dimple" is a very close second). The concept behind "Spartacus" is strong, the lyrics work well, and the musicianship is absolutely unstoppable. "Capitol of Power", "School of Instant Pain", "The Burning Sword of Capua", and "The March to the Eternal City" are each signally powerful and energetic numbers, while "The Deadly Dream of Freedom" offers a smoothly lyric break from the hurly burly. And the finale, "Spartacus", simply has to be heard to be believed ... wow!Of course, Triumvirat still bears an inescapable resemblance to Emerson, Lake & Palmer ... but that's not a bad thing at all, and fans of the latter group should run screaming to their computer keyboards to order "Spartacus".It would be lovely if the EMI folks would hunt up some old tapes from some live performances ... !"
Spartacus: Free At Last!
bostonears | Lincoln, MA United States | 10/18/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a teenager in the 1970's, this was absolutely one of my favorite LP records (remember those?). I practically wore out the groove in the vinyl playing it so often. Then in 1985, I bought my first CD player and gave away the turntable, and I've been waiting for the CD release of Spartacus ever since. Now that it's here, I have finally gotten another long-awaited fix of Spartacus. To my pleasant surprise, the audio quality of the CD remastering is quite good. Kudo's to EMI for doing it right.



The album concept is excellent. The lyrics are appropriate for the theme. (A gladiator/slave revolt is a gory matter, so this ain't no namby-pamby New Age disc.) And the musicianship is fabulous. On the LP, Juergen Fritz's keyboard work was always spectacular, and the incredible groove of Helmut Koellen's bass line on "March To The Eternal City" was instantly addictive to anyone who'd heard it. (This was THE bass demonstration song back in the '70's.) But on the CD, Hans Bathelt's drumming is what really stands out to me now. It's far more intricate and exiciting than that of most other rock and roll drummers, then or now.



The two bonus tracks on the CD aren't of much added value IMHO. The live version of "The Capital of Power" is almost a note-for-note duplicate of the studio version, so why bother? And the previously unreleased "Showstopper" sounds like an outtake from EL&P's "Karn Evil 9" suite.



The only reason I didn't give this one a 5-star rating is that Fritz's primitive Moog synthesizer, which is prominent in many of the tunes, just sounds so dated and simplistic compared to full-bodied modern synth. That's not to fault the musicianship, it's just a limitation of the tools available at the time.

Nevertheless, the bottom line: Go out and buy this disc, even if you weren't born yet when Spartacus was originally released.



P.S. I still don't understand the light bulb on the cover. (The rat, on the other hand, is self-explanatory.)"
We're So Glad To Find This Again!
Dumb Ox | Manassas, VA United States | 04/03/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"We are bigtime progressive rock fans, and loved groups such as Yes, ELP, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, early Rush and UK. Triumvirat, which hailed from Germany, was a relative latecomer in the ranks, but helped to keep progressive rock alive through the latter half of the 70s. We have quite a few of their albums on vinyl and they've been played half to death. Vinyl being vinyl, much of the sound quality has suffered. We searched for a couple years to find replacements on CD and were at last delighted to find that Triumvirat was releasing remasters on compact disc. We pre-ordered Spartacus, our favorite album of the bunch, and received it at long last. It was worth the wait. The sound is crisp and clear, very impressive. Like Rush and Pink Floyd, the entire album is a story, in this case the saga of Spartacus, who led the gladiators' revolt against Imperial Rome. Triumvirat was clearly the brainchild of Jurgen Fritz, the keyboard player, who never left the lineup no matter how often it changed. His indelible mark is found in the classical elements lacing each song. Soaring and powerful music and haunting vocals make this a fine example of progressive rock. Their sound is so timeless that even our teenage children fell madly in love with Triumvirat. This CD is an excellent investment and we highly recommend it for hours of listening pleasure."