Customer Reviews

Just a Game

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was 15 years old and K-SHE 95 in St. Louis played Lay It On The Line. From that moment on I became a devoted fan for life. I ran out on my bicycle down to Cricket Records and bought the vinyl album with my allowance. Loved the game board on the inside of the album but most importantly, the music. It spoke to me and I can tell you that Triumph made great music throughout their career but never as good as they did on Just A Game.

Best songs: Young Enough To Cry, Just A Game, Lay It On The Line, Hold On and American Girls.

Anyone who is not all that familar with Triumph should buy this album first. This is the benchmark for everything that followed and the 2 albums before this one.

Commercially, Allied Forces was their big breakthrough and most successful album. Just A Game is the blue print for Allied Forces. First times a charm in this case.

This album reminds me of being 15 and getting turned on to the most explosive guitar and vocals, bass and drum attack I'd ever heard.

Anyone hesitating to buy this album should not think twice. Buy it now!

This was indeed a very good listen back in the day and the newly remastered one is true to form. The songs and sound are all top notch. Tunes like American Girls, Lay It On The line and Just A game are highlights on this great offering, ah hell they all sound good!!

Triumph was on a roll with their first 3 releases and up here in Canada, they were giving Rush (another fantastic Canadian band) a run for their money back then. Triumph has long since passed on since from their heydays in the late 70's early 80's. Rush continues to rock as strong as ever and hopefully will for some time to come. The beginning of the end for Triumph was in the mid 80's when record sales dipped as their quality dropped. After a few sub par 80's releases, Rik Emmett decided to go the solo route and has seen some success, but nothing like he did when Triumph was riding high.

Triumph had their day and this cd represents what they had to offer back then. All in all a great rock & roll album and a must have for any true classic rock fan.

I remember when "Allied Forces" was the hot new album & all of the buzz. Somebody made me a copy of it recently, & I thought, "This is cool", but it kind of lay forgotten, & I assumed Triumph was a one album wonder. Yesterday, I turned on the radio while waiting for a friend to come out of her apartment & herad "Lay It On The Line". I thought, "Who's THIS?" I discovered it was Triumph & IMMEDIATELY purchased this CD. BOY, AM I GLAD I WAS MISTAKEN ABOUT THIS GROUP! I dont use... or take... this word lightly, but this album is a MASTERPIECE!!!! Rik Emmett has a classical influence to his guitar style, & it comes through on his slower compositions. (They still rock, but with a slower tempo) Now, I love flat out rocking as much as the next guy, (I'm a metalhead from back in the day!) but I think these slower tracks are where the band shine their brightest. My favorite track on here is the title track. I don't know what else to say but WOW!!! "Young Enough To Cry" is a blues metal masterpiece in it's own right. And for those who prefer the straight ahead rockers, this album has that, too. "Movin' On" & "American Girls" are CLASSIC late 70's/early 80's hard rockers!!! I am listening to "Allied Forces" as I type this, & I may be wrong, but (IMHO)I think the difference between early & later Triumph is the later albums were more produced, making them a slightly commercial power pop metal. NOW, I'M NOT SAYING THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!! I need my head examined for EVER putting "Allied Forces" in the mothballs! So far, though, I prefer the early sound. Bottom line: If you want to hear some good old fashioned hard rock/classic metal equipped with some of the most beautiful guitar melodies ever laid down, BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Side 1
1. Movin' On
2. Lay It on the Line
3. Young Enough to Cry
4. American Girls
Side 2
5. Just a Game
6. Fantasy Serenade [Instrumental]
7. Hold On
8. Suitcase Blues

not my favorite triumph album, but 4 or 5 really great songs, love the guitar work.I think it was their last great album, still love their 1st album best, (24 hours a day) but buy far this is a great album to listen to.

This album is a lost late 1970's gem. It shows the range and versatility of all three members of the band. It's worth the price of admission, so to speak, just for "Hold On" and "Lay It On The Line". However, this album is much deeper than those two classic rock diamonds. "Just A Game" and "Suitcase Blues" should be standard fare on any legitimate 70's rock collections as well. Sadly, Rick, Gil, and Mike were overshadowed by Geddy, Neal, and Alex. Who would have thought Canada wasn't big enough for two amazing power trios?

This, the third album by Canadian rockers Triumph, is a showcase of talents. Once again the musical abilities of the three is as strong as ever. The variety of the music is great including the blues title "Suitcase Blues". The instrumental "Fantasy Serenade" profiles the prowess of Rik Emmett on guitar, as do all the tracks. There are 2 incredibly great songs here; "Lay it on the Line" and "Hold On", not to mention "Just a Game" and "Young Enough to Cry". There are no songs that you will want to avoid, unless you like all ballads or all hard rock. The key with Triumph is talent and variety. This was their first major U.S. release and it set them up firmly in the AOR playlists. It's actually cool to hear songs from this used in commercials and promoting TV shows now. A definite buy for the serious music lover.

Commonly considered a hair band, Triumph may be singlehandedly responsible for starting a genre. However, setting them apart from the Big Haired bands that followed was a tremendous talent on the guitar in Rik Emmet and a powerful and driving backbeat from the drums of Gil Moore. This Canadian trio set the stage for many wannabes that followed. This album is certainly their most popular album, if not their best.

4 1/2 really. While Triumph was able to write great songs, this is their only release that sounds good from beginning to end. Lay It On The Line, Just A Game, & Suitcase Blues have to be on any release that calls itself a "Best of."

The sweet, jazzy Suitcase Blues ranks among my favorite Triumph song and many times have I walked around with its melody and lyrics swimming through my head.

Take a few songs from each of their albums, place then on a double CD and you've got early 80s perfection. Before arthritis killed my "rock star" future, I played several Triumph songs on guitar and enjoyed each one of them.

Buy it NOW!

If you know any of the other Triumph albums you should check this one out. It's from the late 70's era of a band who became somewhat popular on the 80's. The songs are very good like the radio friendly and Top 40 hit "Hold On" which is one of the best. Also the ballad "Just A Game" is very poignant and straight to the point. There also a Zeppelinesque style song in "American Girls", and there's the powerful guitar on "Lay it On the Line".

"Just a Game" is a good album, but if you want a more faithful approach to this band I recommend "Allied Forces" or "The Sport of Kings" which are better albums since are from a more mature band.