Year : 1978 (Rock Candy Remastered 2010)
Style : Melodic Rock , Progressive Rock , AOR
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 96 mb
Bio:
Progressive hard rock band formed in 1976 in Chicago, USA.For every American rock band that found increasing success on commercial radio during the second half of the '70s -- Journey, Styx, Kansas, etc. -- there were additional dozens possessing the same sonic recipe for infectious bombast but which, for some reason or other, just never made the grade, including Trillion. Inspired by the incredible success of Boston's era-defining debut album, Chicago-based musicians Pat Leonard (keyboards) and Bill Wilkins (drums) decided to condense their indulgent progressive rock tendencies into more concise nuggets of melodic rock (not quite AOR yet), qualified by an equal amount of instrumental prowess and great hooks. Initially calling themselves Whisper, the pair duly recruited Dennis "Fergie" Frederiksen (vocals), Frank Barbalace (guitar), and Ron Anaman (bass/vocals) from some of the local scene's top bands and, after securing a strong management team, scored a deal with Epic Records and immediately set to work on their eponymous first album with producer Gary Lyons, who was fresh off working on Foreigner's debut. Trillion's debut arrived in stores in 1978, but despite the band's good fortune of obtaining key supporting tour slots with Heart, Aerosmith, and cross-town rivals Styx, it shifted only a modest number of units, and already began stressing intra-band relations. First came the controversial decision to dispose of Frederiksen and replace him with one Thom Griffin for Trillion's sophomore Epic LP Clear Approach; then came the departure of bandleader Patrick Leonard, who would go onto enjoy massive success as a major songwriter and producer in the decades to come, most notably in tandem with pop superstar Madonna. The remaining musicians in Trillion continued to perform diligently but without achieving widespread success, except for original singer Frederiksen, who recorded with Toto in the mid-‘80s amid several hit songwriting co-credits for other bands (Survivor, Le Roux).
Album:
Considered by many specialists as the greatest Pomp albums of all time, TRILLION self-titled debut album is without a doubt one to have in your collection.‘Remastered & Reloaded’ by Rock Candy Records, Trillion sounds better then ever.Te late Seventies / Early Eighties American music scene was a veritable breeding ground for melodically infused hard rock. However, in many ways, it was a sound built principally on British roots including clearly identifiable stimulation from later period Beatles to the proto progressive rock movement dominated by Yes, Genesis and Camel to name but a few.It was this pre-occupation with all things British that gave rise to a brilliantly dynamic style that relied equally on adroit arrangements as it did on melody and accessibility.Alongside more familiar names such as Kansas, Boston and Styx, Trillion were one of the greatest – yet in many ways unheralded at the time – bands of the era.Combining stunningly melodic songs with adventurous arrangements and tricky instrumentation the band straddled a knife edge between the deliciously hook laden melodic sheen of Toto and the daring anything-goes musicality of Pomp-Prog masters Kansas and Starcastle.It was a style that had no boundaries, incorporating raging guitar driven hard rock to delicate and complex progressive compositions.Helmed by British producer Gary Lyons (Foreigner, Lone Star, Gamma) and featuring future Toto, awesome vocalist Fergie Frederiksen, Trillion’s debut album is an astounding and accomplished work that sounds is as impressive today as it was when first released.Frederiksen’s tweeter-scorching tenor graces all but one track on the album, which starts with a bang on ‘Hold Out’ with Fergie not only contributing vocals but also playing the tubular bells, providing a wonderful effect.It segues into ‘Big Boy’ which has a very similar vibe. Both tracks have catchy grooves fun to tap on your steering wheel or coffee table to.‘Give Me Your Money, Honey’ is a regrettably catchy song… Regrettably catchy because, really, you don’t want to be caught dead singing it to yourself in public, but after only a few listens, unfortunately you may find yourself doing just that.‘You Never Had It So Good’ is driven by a great guitar work by Frank Barbalace and Fergie has the kind of voice that could make even the yellow pages sound compelling.While his keyboard / synthesizer theatrics are present on all the songs on the album, Patrick Leonard’s playing is most evident on the, indeed, keyboard driven Pomp of ‘May As Well Go’. Years later, Leonard would go on to produce the likes of Madonna, Peter Cetera and Michael W. Smith… not to mention he was the other half of the sadly overlooked and critically acclaimed Toy Matinee with the late Kevin Gilbert.“Trillion” is a mandatory album in your Pomp / AOR collection, and this terrific 24-bit remastering from original source tapes by Rock Candy is the one to purchase.There’s as well a worthwhile 4,000 word essay about the making of the album and a new interview and full involvement from the band.
Line Up:
Dennis “Fergie” Frederiksen: lead vocals, bells
Frank Barbalace: guitars, lead and backing vocals
Patrick Leonard: piano, electric keyboards
Ron Anaman: bass, vocals
Bill Wilkins: drums, percussion
Tracklist:
01. Hold Out 3:31
02. Big Boy 3:34
03. Give Me Your Money, Honey 3:27
04. Never Had It So Good 4:50
05. May As Well Go 3:19
06. Fancy Action 3:59
07. Hand It to the Wind 4:37
08. Bright Night Lights 3:51
09. Child Upon the Earth 5:41
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