Something happened in the music industry in the mid-80s - record labels started scoring hits by pairing up veteran (original) bands with industry songwriters. It worked for Heart, Starship, Cheap Trick, and so many others. So why not Triumph?
Filling the producer’s chair was Mike Clink, in his very first gig at the helm (and only two projects away from producing Appetite For Destruction). While Clink relied on GnR’s rawness for that album, this one saw him delivering a very polished product, drenched in synthesizers, gated snares, and big hooks. Outside songwriters were brought in to assist with several of the numbers, and their influence informed the rest of the songs on the album.
For a pop album, it’s actually quite good - Rik Emmett’s “Somebody’s Out There” should have been a huge hit (it actually was the band’s biggest hit, but it should have been much bigger). Most of Gil Moore’s tracks follow his typical hard rock formula, with a fair bit of refinement (and the occasional power ballad), while most of Rik Emmett’s offerings are very mainstream (aside from the epic “Play With The Fire” which is just fucking astounding). Rik’s songs dominate the album - and of course he gets in a solo spot, the ethereal bolero, “Embrujo” - but apparently the cracks were in the wall already. He would last one more album with the band.
This album (on cassette) was one of the first things I ever heard from Triumph and I honestly can’t say how many times I’ve heard it since, if ever. This album is far better than I remembered but it is still a swift beginning to a prolonged end.
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