Just a Game (nolifetilmetal.com)

Triumph – Just a Game (MCA) 1979

1. “Movin’ On” (4:07)
2. “Lay It on the Line” (4:02)
3. “Young Enough to Cry” (6:03)
4. “American Girls” (5:01)
5. “Just a Game” (6:13)
6. “Fantasy Serenade” [instrumental] (1:39)
7. “Hold On” (6:04)
8. “Suitcase Blues” (3:01)

With  “Just a Game” Triumph took a definite step up in quality from anything they had done before. They showcased quite a bit of diversity here, from the classy hard rock hit “Lay It on the Line” to the blues of “Young Enough to Cry” to the classically inspired instrumental ” Fantasy Serenade”. “Hold On” is a superb ballad that is does not sound like it was forced for radio play. My favorite track, however, is the title track. It’s a hard rocker with a lot of emotion and melody. Of course, “Lay It on the Line” was the big hit from this record and is one of the handful of Triumph songs that tend to still be played on rock radio thirty years later.