PAVLOV'S DOG

Very occasionally, you'll run into a band that has one album that kind of ruins the rest of their discography for you - not necessarily because the rest of their discography is bad, but because that one particular album is such a masterpiece, and stands so far above the rest of their output, that it completely overshadows everything else they did. Grandaddy are like that for me - I simply can't get into any of their albums other than The Sophtware Slump, because whenever I try I keep thinking "Well, this is OK... but I could just listen to The Sophtware Slump again", and that's always the right call because that album is fantastic.

With Pavlov's Dog, their astonishing debut Pampered Menial is, as far as I am concerned, THE album as far as the band goes - the perfect marriage of David Surkamp's distinctive vocals and an utterly unashamed flood of romantic symphonic art rock and an alchemical blend that any subsequent album would struggle to equal.

That being the case, I have to be really careful here in terms of how I rate their second album, At the Sound of the Bell. It would be very easy to rate this unfairly low simply because it isn't Pampered Menial. And yet the fact can't be denied that... this ain't Pampered Menial, not by a long shot. Oh, Surkamp's vocals are still here, and we still get flashes of mellotron from Doug Rayburn, but the Mellotron isn't allowed to run wild and the songwriting is significantly less classical-influenced than on the debut album. Instead, the sound of the album steers significantly towards middle of the road soft rock - it doesn't get all the way there and there's still flashes of their earlier approach audible, but it would be hard to deny that a shift has occurred.

Surkamp has later reported that the band was coming apart behind the scenes at the time, with resentments surging over who got to have their songs represented on the album but few members actually coming up with usable material - Surkamp himself has a songwriting credit on every song, with about half the album co-written with Doug Rayburn, and other than Steve Scorfina getting a credit on Mersey that's about it. The band seem to have run perilously short on workable ideas if Surkamp's account is accurate; take out Surkamp's vocals and the material here would be achingly, stultifyingly generic.

One can only imagine the pressure they were under to have a commercial hit after the debacle over the large advances they were paid for Pavlov's Dog by two different record companies; internal politics at ABC saw them booted out and snatched up by Columbia when the executive who had previously championed them at ABC left, setting up a ridiculous situation where Pampered Menial was released by both companies at the same time and, with the publishers realising any publicity could translate to sales for their rival instead of themselves, it sank like a stone. The commercial failure of this album would seem to have much more straightforward reasons: by sounding significantly more like everything else on the sappy soft rock end of the market than they previously had, Pavlov's Dog more or less guaranteed they would be lost in the shuffle.

It would be lovely if one could listen to At the Sound of the Bell and say that it was a gem on a par with Pampered Menial - a companion piece which may be less celebrated but is just as worth of attention. It isn't, though - not unless the sole thing you care about is Surkamp's vocals, and even here he seems a bit more restrained and less dramatic. Had this come out before Pampered Menial, we could see it as a promising start for a band whose musical development was still in its infancy - but coming out after it's impossible not to see it as a significant step backwards.

This was their last roll of the dice - a third album in a comparable vein was put together by 1977, but didn't find anyone willing to release it before the band disintegrated - and perhaps the biggest criticism I have of this album is that they chose to play it safe, rather than going for broke and trying to top Pampered Menial in its sheer monumental grandiosity. They may well have still failed - that album is an absolute beast - but it would have at least been more interesting than the sound of Pavlov's Dog scampering towards the middle of the road.

In the late eighties I became increasingly aware of lesser known prog rock bands. Like most I was familiar with and a fan of Yes, Genesis, Rush, Pink Floyd, ELP and King Crimson(in other words all the usual suspects). At some point I began to wonder what else was out there and was made aware of a few more bands when my ex stepmother gave me a copy of the harmony encyclopedia of rock. There were plenty of well known bands in there and a few lesser known ones. In the back of the book were even more lesser known bands. I would scour through these entries and look for the words "progressive rock." One band mentioned was Caravan. Another was this US band who were(if I remember correctly)mistakenly identified as being from New York. Pavlov's Dog were actually from St. Louis. One of my cousins is from that US city and actually knew people who knew the band(she herself having met them on one occasion). Of course I knew about them from this rock book. I then purchased a two on one record album of the first two Pavlov's Dog albums from a mail order music catalog(I have no idea which one since this was a very long time ago).

When I first put the needle on the vinyl on the first song("Julia") I thought I had it on the wrong speed. This is because David Surkamp has an unusually high pitched voice. I have even seen the band referred to as Blue Oyster Cult on laughing gas. This aspect of the music is one that people will either accept or be turned off by.

The songs themselves are rock and even hard rock with lot's of blaring mellotron. There is also synthesizer, violin and great guitar work. First up is the aforementioned "Julia" which is a rather meloncholy mellotron drenched power ballad. After that we get "late november" which is a bit more rocking with the refrain "it just goes to show you never know, what's in your heart what's in your soul." This album is just pure seventies all the way with not just the sound but the lyrics. Next up is "song dance" which has a very catchy guitar riff possibly reminiscent of Led Zeppelin or even early Rush although not really sounding much like either one of them. The next track is "fast gun" which has a very infectious ascending violin and keyboard melody with David Surkamp's often shrill voice leading the way. Rounding out side one of the album is "natchez trace" which is another up beat rocker. The first two tracks on side two "theme from subway Sue" and "episode" are a bit more subdued(especially "episode")and provide a bit of a respite from the more intense tracks from side one. Next up is the instrumental "preludin" which seques neatly into what is probably the most epic sounding track on the album, "of once and future kings." This last track features a section with vocals that are a bit lower in register than the rest of the album and is probably from one of the other singers on the album(although I haven't found any information to confirm that).

Overall, this will come across as an unusual album to most who hear it for the first time due to the falsetto sounding vocals of the lead singer(according to a close source this was his natural range and not falsetto). Depending on your tolerance for the vocals you will either like this album a lot or very little(if at all). While I do find them to be an aquired taste they are something you get used to if you give the album enough time. I often like music that is a bit on the wild side anyway so I had no real issue with it. A solid four stars from this reviewer(although as mentioned your taste and tolerance will depend on your acceptance of the vocals).

I discovered the album due to its high rating (4.33 after 3 ratings). But I'm wondering about this rating. Hearing it twice I would describe it as a collection of simple short and little creative pieces of music. The only remarkable from the mass of music is the very distinctive voice of the singer. You may like his voice or find it terrible. The pieces are very comparable, there is no surprising moment. The only little variation on the complete album is piece 6 which is a guitar based short instrumental. Two stars overall ist a very good and fair rating after my opinion, 1.5 stars would meet it better.

Review Nº 186

"Pampered Menial & At The Sound Of The Bell" is a very special compilation of Pavlov's Dog. This is an economic package that includes the first two albums of Pavlov's Dog. I'm talking about "Pamperd Menial", released in 1974 and "At The Sound Of The Bell", released in 1976, on only one CD package. This is a very interesting compilation because it includes two very interesting albums of an original band at a very cheap price, what will be a very worth purchase for those who don't have yet the two original albums. "Pampered Menial" is an excellent album with some great tracks and "At The Sound Of The Bell" despite be not as good as the previous debut album is, has some really nice tracks too.

For those who aren't familiar with this group, one of the most important characteristics of Pavlov's Dog's sound is their vocals. Their front man David Surkamp owns a very peculiar and strange voice usually compared with Geddy Lee's voice from Rush. So, for those who don't know the band yet and don't like Lee's voice, compared by many as a sound of strangling a cat, certainly Pavlov's Dog isn't the best band that you are looking for. Anyway, their music style was very song based and actually not all that far from some British bands but still with an American touch into their sound.

As I've already reviewed these two albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my both reviews. However in here, I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of both albums.

"Pampered Menial": "Pampered Menial" was their first and supposedly best album. It consists of strongly melodic tracks that focus more on strong melodies and tasty arrangements than complexity. And I guess it's the arrangements here that give the music its progressive edge. The mellotron is present in the sound all the time, and some brief passages also include flute, violin, organ and tasty moog. The synth solo in "Late November" has a very Wakeman feel and atmosphere. Other highlights include "Julia", the hard edged "Song Dance" and "Theme From Subway Sue". The latter must have one of the most emotional endings I've ever heard on a song, and David Surkamp takes his very distinctive high pitched vibrato voice to absurd heights. The most progressive tune here is "Of Once And Future Kings" and this complex track starts with a very medieval sounding intro called "Preludin". The only track that I don't care for here is "Natchez Trace" and this limp hard rocker lacks the strong melodies that characterize the rest of the album and doesn't seem to belong here. "Pampered Menial" will appeal to progressive rock fans who enjoys strong melodies and who doesn't necessarily want everything to be as complex as Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf Generator or King Crimson.

"At The Sound Of The Bell": Their second album was a lighter and less powerful effort then their excellent debut, but the album is saved by generally strong songwriting and tasty arrangements. The atmospheric ballad "Standing Here With You (Megan's Song)" and the great "Early Morning On" features lots of strings that give these songs the majestic lift they needs. The opener "She Came Shining" and especially "Valkerie" are Pavlov's Dog classics of the same calibre as "Julia" from the debut. The sound and atmosphere of "Gold Nuggets" reminds me of something from the second part of "Tubular Bells". This is a great track too. The nice ballad "Mersey" and the poppy "She Breaks Like A Morning Sky" features saxophone, giving these songs a slightly different feel from the rest of the album. And just as on the debut, the most progressive songs are placed last on the album. The earlier mentioned "Early Morning On" has a cool mid part with a boy choir. While the closing number "Did You See Him Cry" is a complex and dramatic song. It's perhaps the best song ever wrote by them. Oh, and David Surkamp sings in a lower tone and in a more normal way here than on the debut, perhaps making this album easier to adapt to for those who have problems with high pitched vocals.

Conclusion: If you have the two studio albums of the two individual works, you don't need to buy this compilation because it has nothing new to offer, like bonus tracks, unless you have a collector spirit. However, if you don't have these two albums yet and you like less complex prog music and you don't have problems with high pitched vocals in the same vein of Geddy Lee of Rush, you willn't lose your time and money if you buy both albums. Still, if you aren't convinced by all my arguments, at least, you must listen to "Pampered Menial". This is really an excellent album with some kind of originality. In reality, Pavlov's Dog made a very powerful and balanced album, indeed. I think it's an excellent example of some of the best prog made in U.S.A., in the 70's. Like most of us know, in the 70's, the progressive rock music was practically a European phenomenon. So, American bands like Kansas, Starcastle, Pavlov's Dog and Blue Oyster Cult were, somehow, exceptions. So, Pavlov's Dog is one of the best examples of those times.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 151

Pavlov's Dog is an American band often compared to Rush, not so much for their style of music, which is more art rock and less progressive than Rush's music, which is also more heavy, but because the voice of their vocalist. The unique voice of David Surkamp often is compared to the voice of Geddy Lee, the lead vocalist and bassist of Rush. Despite I accept that there are many similarities with both voices, I sincerely think they are two substantially different voices.

'At The Sound Of The Bell' is their second studio album and was released in 1975. Their second and last album in the 70's, was a lighter and less powerful effort then their excellent debut album 'Pampered Menial'. But, anyway, 'At The Sound Of The Bell' is saved, generally, by strong songwritting and tasty arrangements, in the vein of their debut album.

The line up on the album is David Surkamp (lead vocals, acoustic and veleno guitars), Steve Scorfina (lead guitar), Rick Stockton (bass guitar), David Hamilton (keyboards), Doug Rayburn (mellotron, bass and percussion), Thomas Nickeson (acoustic guitar and harmonies) and Mike Safron (percussion). In relation to the line up of the first album, Siegfried Carver (violin, viola and vitar) left the group. In addition to this band's change, a handful of guest artists were invited to participate on the album, of which deserve special mention the jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker, the King Crimson's drummer Bill Bruford and the Roxy Music's saxophonist Andy MacKay.

'At The Sound Of The Bell' has nine tracks. The first track 'She Came Shining' written by Surkamp and Rayburn is a very pretty melodic song that shows a more progressive musical instrumental arrangements than the most of the songs of their debut previous studio album. This is a good song but it doesn't add anything special or new to the album. The second track 'Standing Here With You (Megan's Song)' written by Surkamp is a very calm and pretty ballad with good musical quality. It's an acoustic song with beautiful piano, violin and acoustic guitar works, very well sung by Surkamp. The third track 'Mersey' written by Surkamp and Scorfina represents another calm and pretty ballad. This is almost an acoustic track. It has a good guitar work and it has also a good saxophone solo. It's also a good song but as happened with the first track, I can't see anything special on it. The fourth track 'Valkerie' written by Surkamp is a very good song. Finally, we have on the album a really great song in the vein of many of the songs of their debut album. It has nice piano, flute and mellotron works, and it has also a very interesting chorus. This is one of my three favourite songs on the album. The fifth track 'Try To Hang On' written by Surkamp is a very short song and like some of other tracks on the album it has nothing special to mention on it. This is a song with some musical mixture of rock and jazz. The final result is, undoubtedly, a well played song. The sixth track 'Gold Nuggets' written by Surkamp represents the second best song on the album. It's also a song in the same vein of 'Pampered Menial', but, for me, is even better than 'Valkerie'. This is a fantastic melodic song that could have been part, like 'Valkerie', of their debut studio work. It deserves special mention the surprising use of a mandolin on the song. The seventh track 'She Breaks Like A Morning Sky' written by Surkamp and Rayburn is another song with some jazz influence, basically because how the use of the bass and the saxophone on it. The final result is a very pretty and nice song. The eighth track 'Early Morning On' written by Surkamp and Rayburn is, at my taste, a very beautiful and enjoyable song. It has some very interesting musical arrangements too. Despite be a vulgar song without anything special, the final effect on me, is a nice track with gentle music to listen to. The ninth track 'Did You See Him Cry' written by Surkamp and Rayburn is, in my humble opinion, the best song on the album and represents also the only truly progressive track on it. This is a fantastic song with abrupt musical passages, very melodic and with several rhythm changes all over the track. It has also a fantastic mellotron work. This is, for me, the best and the most perfect way to Pavlov's Dog finish their second studio album.

Conclusion: As I wrote before when I reviewed 'Pampered Menial', in the distant 70's the progressive rock music was essentially a European phenomenon, mainly a British phenomenon. So, when some American progressive rock bands like Kansas, Starcastle, Blue Oyster Cult and Pavlov's Dog appeared, soon I tried to know them. Curiously, my first purchase of those bands, in those times, was precisely 'At The Sound Of The Bell'. But however and unfortunately, 'At The Sound Of The Bell' is an album much lower, in terms of musical quality, than 'Pampered Menial', their debut. Anyway, we can't really say this is a bad album. Still, I must may say that I became some disappointed with it because almost all the songs on it are somehow vulgar with the exception of 'Valkerie', 'Gold Nuggets' and 'Did You See Him Cry'. However, if you know already and you like 'Pampered Menial', worth buy this album especially because of those three songs, mainly due to 'Did You See Him Cry' which is, in my humble opinion, the best song ever wrote by them on both albums. However, if you don't have any of these albums, the right thing to do is to buy 'Pampered Menial'.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 150

Pavlov's Dog is an American progressive rock band formed in 1972 in Saint Louis, Missouri, out of the ashes of a local cover band called High On A Small Hill, formerly of the minor folk-rock act Touch. Originally Pavlov's Dog was composed by David Surkamp, Steve Levin, Mike Safron, Rick Stockton, David Hamilton, Doug Rayburn and Siegfried Carver, who was born Richard Nadler. Levin left the group and was replaced by another Steve, this time Steve Scorfina.

For those who aren't familiar with this group, one of the most important characteristics on the Pavlov's Dog sound is their vocals. Their front man Surkamp owns a very peculiar and strange voice usually compared with Geddy Lee's voice from Rush. So, for those who don't know the band yet and don't like Lee's voice, compared by many as a sound of strangling a cat, certainly Pavlov's Dog isn't the best band that they are looking for. Anyway, their music style was very song based and actually not all that far from some British bands but still with an American touch into their sound.

"Pampered Menial" is their debut studio album and was released in 1974. The line up on the album is David Surkamp (vocals and rhythm guitar), Steve Scorfina (lead guitar), Rick Stockton (bass guitar), David Hamilton (organ and piano), Doug Rayburn (mellotron and flute), Mike Safron (drums and percussion) and Siegfried Carver (violin, viola and vitar, a cross between a guitar and a violin). However, Carver left Pavlov's Dog soon after the album was released.

Here it's an interesting story about the release of "Pampered Menial". When the album was released, it was briefly released on ABC Records and quickly re-issued by Columbia Records. The final result was that both versions of the album appeared at the same time in the same stores, which became a little bit confused for many people in those times.

"Pampered Menial" has nine tracks. The first track "Julia" written by Surkamp is one of my favourite songs on the album and is an excellent track to open it. This is a very simple ballad, very beautiful, with a nice piano work in the starting of the song and it has also an interesting acoustic guitar work. The second track "Late November" written by Scorfina and Surkamp is a very good song, simple, very melodic and melancholic as the month mentioned on it. This is a light rock song perfectly well commanded by the mellotron sound. The third track "Song Dance" written by Safron is a fabulous song and is my favourite track on the album and is also, for me, one of the best compositions made by the group. It's a great rock classic song, very progressive and it has fantastic individual musical performances by all bands' members and where Surkamp's unique voice reaches its maximum. This is a real must for our ears. The fourth track "Fast Gun" written by Surkamp is a beautiful song with good instrumentation commanded by violin. However, it's far from being one of my favourite tracks on the album. The fifth track "Natchez Trace" written by Scorfina is a typical oriented hard rock song and sincerely is probably, from my point of view, the weakest song on the album. The sixth track "Theme From Subway Sue" written by Surkamp is another good and nice song with a fantastic and beautiful piano work. This is a song that sounds like a classic rock song with a very great vocal work. This is really a great track. The seventh track "Episode" written by Surkamp is another good and nice song with a nice piano and violin works, very well commanded by Surkamp's voice, with the mellotron sounding at the background. This is also a great song. The eighth track "Preludin" written by Carver is the shortest song on the album and opens the way to the last track on the album. Despite being a short track, it's, in my humble opinion, one of the best on the album, and is a totally progressive song. It's a song that reminds me Gentle Giant, with classical and medieval musical influences and with great orchestration. This is another fantastic track. The ninth track "Of Once And Future Kings" written by Surkamp is a good and nice track to close this very interesting album. This is a song with very good individual musical performances by all members of the band with the mellotron sound at the background, and as usual, it has also a very good orchestration.

Conclusion: Like most of us know, in the 70's, the progressive rock music was practically a European phenomenon. So, it was with some great expectations that, at the time, I saw the birth of some progressive rock bands out of Europe, such as Kansas, Starcastle, Blue Oyster Cult, Pavlov's Dog and of course Rush. Despite, I only bought this album few years ago, but I know it since 1974, the year it was released, I confess that I always loved this group, and particularly this album, which I always considered a fantastic musical work. But I know this is a band and an album that isn't for everyone. This isn't one of the most progressive albums, but sincerely who cares, when we are faced with an album of great, simple and unpretentious music like "Pampered Menial". Sincerely and for my taste, I think Pavlov's Dog made a very powerful and balanced album which deserves to be discovered and appreciated without any mental reservation and preconceived opinions. It appeals to progressive rock fans that enjoy strong melodies without great complexity.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

So this is the first studio album by Pavlov's Dog in 20 long years... And it's not what we expected.

They try to play mostly acoustic soft rock with prog elements; or more specifically a prog section. The record could be separated in 3/3, with the first and the last being soft rock and the middle being a prog section which reminds me of Jethro Tull's "A Passion Play", but definitely less quality.

I was about to give it 3 stars, but then I was like "Why 3? What's there that you particularly liked? Any special melodies? Any vocal performance? Anything that stands out?" Not really. It's maybe closer to 2,5 stars, but not 3, so I have to go with 2.

If you are a Pavlov's Dog fan give it a try, otherwise you won't miss anything significant.

What a nice surprise, what a historical document for any Pavlov's Dog fan!

This is the early stuff that earned them their contract, and allowed them to re-record some of it along with new stuff in order to create the fantastic "Pampered Menial".

"Time", "Stomp Water Magic", "It's All For You", "Dreams, and "Clipper Ship" are all very interesting previously unreleased material, while by far the best moment of the album is "Preludin & Felacio In E Minor", which is the most prog thing they ever recorded. It's actually the "full" version of "Preludin" form "Pampered Menial", 6 minutes longer and full of prog greatness.

The album's sound is not perfect, as the Master Tapes were in a very bad condition and it took a great effort to restore them. Non the less, this doesn't make it less magical; I'd dare to say that it adds to the cult status these recordings bare, enhancing the impression that you enter a time-machine by listening to them.

4 stars, and a must for every Pavlov's Dog fan and/or prog explorer.

YES! The second best all-time release by Pavlov's Dog (second to the monumental "Pampered Menial" of course) is this wonderful EP!

Crossover Prog indeed, tight as hell, all the songs of very high quality. If this album was combined with the best songs from "At The Sound Of The Bell" to create an LP, we would have the second essential LP (apart from their debut) that Pavlov's Dog never released.

At first, I assumed that David Surkamp MUST have something to do with this, even though he is not singing; yet, I was wrong! Pavlov's Dog 2000 was a side-project by the then-ex PD percussionist Mike Safron, and judging by the results he was vital to the fantastic original sound of Pavlov's Dog. Thanks to the user ScarRitual for pointing this out to me

Somewhere between the sound of Kansas and their own original, I'd say that this is a 4 star record hands down.

Learn from this, fans: don't underestimate EPs, you may find gems like this among them!

The most prog thing about this album is the artwork. Dark, enigmatic, makes you wonder about the complexity of the music contained... But the music is mediocre pop/AOR, in by far the worst studio album Pavlov's Dog ever released.

It was 13 years since the recording of "Has Anyone Here Seen Sigfried?" and 15 since the release of "At the Sound of the Bell". The transformation from the spectacular Crossover Prog of "Pampered Menial" to a mainstream sound completes here, in a manner that reminds me of Genesis.

The self-titled song "Lost In America" has the sing-along feeling that makes it a memorable song, bit the rest of the album is pretty forgettable; especially when you hope to hear something special, after 15 long years of waiting for a new album.

2 stars, as it's indeed for collectors/fans only.