In 1974 I answered an ad in Melody Maker placed by EMI in London. The ad did not name the band but described... ‘Top international group were looking for a lead singer.’ Demo tapes were to be sent to EMI in London. At the time, there was only one song that I was happy to send and that was ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’
A few weeks later, I got a call from Jürgen Fritz who explained the Triumvirat story and a trip to Cologne was arranged.
This was officially a studio audition and although it was an all expenses paid, three day trip, there would be no promise of an invitation to join the band until Jürgen was satisfied that it would work for future recording.
They had recently lost their singer and bass player Helmut Kollen, who was Jürgen’s cousin after he decided to pursue a solo career.
‘Take a Break Today’ was the song used for the audition and the vocal was recorded on the second day. That was followed by meeting the other band members and an offer to join the band.
A classic seventies German Progressive Rock band of the time, Triumvirat were considered by many to be one of the most talented progressive rock groups ever. The band performed highly-technical progressive rock, dominated by emphatic and pompous keyboards, strongly evocative of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Led by keyboard genius Jürgen Fritz, Triumvirat stunned even the most casual rock fans with their virtuoso performances. Following the release of the single, the band started work on the album ‘Old Loves Die Hard’ which was successful in Europe and America but not in Britain, where it was released on EMI Harvest. This was followed by ‘Pompeii’ then ‘A La Carte’ before I finally quit the band.