Considered one of the weakest Triumph albums by many fans, 1987's Surveillance was guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett's swan song with the band. Despite the negative reviews and lackluster sales, Surveillance still boasts a few exceptional tracks, as well as a few guitar solos from guest Steve Morse.
Let's get the Morse tunes out of the way first. "Headed for Nowhere" is a red-hot rocker sung by drummer Gil Moore that sees Emmett trading blazing solos with the Dixie Dregs guitarist. This cut is the albums longest at just over six-minutes and features great hooks, keyboards (handled by Dave Tkaczuk on this album instead of Mike Levine), muscular yet intricate rhythm guitar work, and of course that classic duel between Emmett and Morse. Steve returns once again for some gentle acoustic work on "All the Kings Horses", although all too briefly as the song clocks in at under two-minutes. Other standout tracks include the catchy metal numbers "Never Say Never" and 'Carry On the Flame", as well as the thunderous "Rock You Down", which features some wild guitar solos from Emmett. However, there are too many generic pop rockers here, such as "On and On", "Long Time Gone" , or the sappy "Running in the Night", to bring this release up to par with some of the albums that came before it. Even the catchy pop tune "All Over Again" ulimately fails, as the band for some reason decided to put all the mellower songs at the back end of the CD, which no doubt turned off fans of their harder edged material, and prompted many to hit the Stop button mid-way through the album.
Still, if you are a fan of this album, the remastering process has done wonders to it, as the sound is big and bright, the guitars and keyboards brimming with new found clarity.
Track Listing
1. Prologue: Into The Forever
2. Never Say Never
3. Headed For Nowhere
4. All The King's Horses
5. Carry On The Flame
6. Let The Light (Shine On Me)
7. Long Time Gone
8. Rock You Down
9. Prelude: The Waking Dream
10. On And On
11. All Over Again
12. Running In The Night
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
