''Spartacus'' is the third

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

group

Triumvirat Triumvirat was a West German progressive rock band from Cologne in then-West Germany. They became, during the 1970s, a key figure in Eurock, the progressive rock of continental Europe whose German variant is called krautrock. The name Triumvirat ...

. It is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

based on

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising ...

, the Thracian gladiator who led the 3rd slave uprising in 73–71 BC. The lyrics were written by

Hans Bathelt Hans Bathelt is a German drummer, percussionist and lyricist who played with the German progressive rock band Triumvirat between 1970 and 1976. He left because of musical differences between him and the keyboardist Hans Jürgen Fritz, the record c ...

, with contributions by

Jürgen Fritz Jürgen Fritz (born March 12, 1953 in Köln) is a German musician. He was the keyboard player in progressive rock band Triumvirat. He also composed the film score to the 1989 science fiction film ''Hard to Be a God'' and also published a solo albu ...

. It was originally released in 1975 on the

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

label, and later distributed in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

. It debuted at number 27 on the ''Billboard'' album charts. After this album,

Helmut Köllen Helmut Köllen (2 March 1950 – 3 May 1977) was a German bass and guitar player as well as a singer for the band Triumvirat. Career Early years Early in his musical career, Helmut Köllen gained experience in various local bands in Cologne, Ger ...

left the band to start a solo career. Two years later, he died of

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

when he was in his car, in the garage, listening to his own compositions on the car's cassette player. The album was digitally re-mastered and released in CD form in 2002 by

. The re-mastered version included two additional tracks: a live version of "The Capital of Power" and a previously unreleased song called "Showstopper".

Track listing

#"The Capital of Power" (Fritz) – 3:13 #"The School of Instant Pain" – 6:22 #* "Proclamation" (Fritz, Bathelt) #* "The Gladiator's Song" (Fritz, Bathelt) #* "Roman Entertainment" (Fritz, Bathelt) #* "The Battle" (Fritz, Bathelt) #"The Walls of Doom" (Fritz) – 3:57 #"The Deadly Dream of Freedom" (Köllen, Bathelt) – 3:54 #"The Hazy Shades of Dawn" (Fritz) – 3:09 #"The Burning Sword of Capua" (Fritz) – 2:41 #"The Sweetest Sound of Liberty" (Köllen, Bathelt) – 2:35 #"The March to the Eternal City" – 8:46 #* "Dusty Road" (Fritz, Bathelt) #* "Italian Improvisation" (Fritz, Bathelt) #* "First Success" (Fritz, Bathelt) #"Spartacus" – 7:39 #* "The Superior Force of Rome" (Fritz, Bathelt) #* "A Broken Dream" (Fritz) #* "The Finale" (Fritz) Bonus Tracks #"The Capital of Power" (live) (Fritz) – 3:17 #"Showstopper" (Bathelt) – 3:37

Personnel

– Keyboards, Grand piano, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizers, String synthesizer, Mellotron *

– Bass, acoustic guitars, vocals. *

– Drums, percussions, words & lyrics

References

{{Authority control 1975 albums Concept albums Triumvirat albums Spartacus music Capitol Records albums