PAVLOV'S DOG

Great musicians writing an album of seven standard rock tunes plus two short proggy songs totally a mere seven minutes of listening time hardly makes this 'progressive.' There are some engaging atmospheres and emotions particularly on "Julia" (7/10), what could have been a pretty decent radio hit, "Late November" (8/10), and the Southern rock/bluesy "Episode" (7/10). There follows three straight mediocre-at-best rock songs. The most 'proggy' this music gets is on the 1:38 instrumental "Preludin" (8/10) and with the 'medieval' instrumentation plus mellotron used in "Of Once and Future Kings" (8/10). "Kings" has a very odd second movement sounds more like something off of MEAT LOAF's Bat Out of Hell. The third movement returns to the slower, more emotionally engaging first form with some very proggy musicianship before devolving into a brief, softer, folkier section, which then revolves into a pretty decent albeit brief outro jam. Still, as stated in my opening, two somewhat proggy songs on a rock album hardly makes for a prog album. If this is prog then so are Sniff'n'the Tears, Tears for Fears, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Cockburn, Jane's Addiction, Molly Hatchet, and Blue Oyster Cult.

OK, granted, Pampered Menial probably sounded dated even when it came out, back in 1974 - aside from some synth work from David Hamilton, this sounds like it could have come out four or five years earlier on the psych/proto-prog scene. Granted, it's not exactly hugely proggy, mainly adding a prog twist to power ballads. But when the music's this gorgeous I just... don't... care. Pampered Menial is a powerful album which features the exceptional voice of David Surkamp - who's compared to Geddy Lee and is certainly similarly high-pitched, but has a bit more of an operatic style to his vocals - and excellent musicianship from the rest of the band.

From Steve Scorfina's hard rock lead guitar to the more prog-tastic contributions of violinist Siegfried Carver and Mellotron/flute wiz Doug Rayburn, this is one of the most emotionally moving albums you're likely to find. The band expertly decide when a composition calls for some prog complexity, when a bit of hard rock rawness would help, and when the song needs to be stripped down to just a few instruments and Surkamp's wonderful voice. Though the rest of their career didn't exactly set the world on fire, Pavlov's Dog can be satisfied just with this one masterpiece. Brilliant.

When at the end of listening to an album you can´t help yourself but to listen to it again and again and again..you know you have a great album. When almost 30 years after discovering said album you realize that you love it as much as you did then, and that you have listened to it on a regular basis ever since, then there´s no doubt you are in the presence of something very rare: a timeless classic! This is an immaculate masterpiece where every song is perfect...memorable, with wonderful musicianship,sublime vocals that defy description (and belief had i not heard live bootlegs from the era), crisp and ahead of it´s time production and exquisite songwriting. This album would fall on the crossover category of Prog because it includes AOR, symphonics, baroque influences, pop balladry, hard-rock and an above average level of complexity in arrangements and composition. It is incredibly sophisticated considering that it was realeased in 1975 and the sound remains up-to-date. I have only one advice: LISTEN TO IT. And if the vocals don´t suit you at first but you like the music, then give it a few more tries...you may just fall in love with the album!

I remember being very excited about this release since it marked the first official live document from Pavlov's Dog. The fact that Live And Unleashed is the band's only live album is quite a sad one since Pavlov's Dog was quite an amazing live band back in the '70s. The reason for this statement comes from my experience of the 1976 bootleg recording of the band titled Live In Detroit. Generally I despise anything that looks even remotely like a bootleg but hearing Live In Detroit was a wonderful experience that definitely gave me a craving for more.

Let's be honest from the get-go, Live And Unleashed is far from the great live performance from the band's heydays. The album was recorded in 2009 with only a few of the original members still in the band. Yes, David Surkamp is still present but I'll get to his performance in just a little bit.

First off, let's look at this odd looking set list; not only does the it leave out many of the concert favorites from the past but it also just so happens to dismiss the band's staple song Julia. One might argue that it was a strategic move to ignore the classic in favor of the new material or just that Surkamp's voice isn't able to reach the high notes that he liked to show off back in the day. Still, I just find this to be disrespectful of the band's fan base. Let's assume that it was performed during the encore that wasn't added to the album final live album and leave it at that.

We do get five tracks off the debut album, merely two performances from At The Sound Of The Bell plus a quite a few tracks from the new release Echo & Boo. This mix of styles does become quite confusing over the course of the performance especially when the band doesn't even try to recreate the magic of excellent songs like Late November, sounding here almost like a indie cover. The magic is clearly not there, but the song title I Don't Need Magic Anymore clearly marks where the band stands on this issue!

There is clearly a lot hanging on David Surkamp's performance since, let's face it, Pavlov's Dog is primarily known for Surkamp's love it or hate it vocal approach. It's unfortunate to hear that David Surkamp's high-pitched vibrato is just not there anymore, instead he sound like the aging rocker that he is. It's not really a bad thing, since growing old is unavoidable, but is merely an observation on my part. It's especially saddening to hear favorites like Theme From Subway Sue and Of Once And Future Kings being completely stripped of everything that made them great.

The only glimpse of the old days magic comes halfway through the set list when Pavlov's Dog finally decides to go back to basics and delivers a great live version of Gold Nuggets! It actually made me want to see more tracks off At The Sound Of The Bell on the set list, especially Valkerie and Did You See Him Cry. This is of course only wishful thinking which actually makes Live And Unleashed even more of a forgettable experience than it already is.

***** star songs: Gold Nuggets (4:25)

**** star songs: Preludin (2:05) I Don't Need Magic Anymore (5:04) Theme From Subway Sue (5:57) Episode (4:44) I Love You Still (3:22)

*** star songs: Of Once And Future Kings (6:59) Breaking Ice (4:33) Late November (3:24) Angel's Twilight Jump (7:31) Not By My Side (2:54) Looking For My Shadow (3:26) Wrong (4:30) Standing Here With You (Megan's Song) (5:55) Angeline (4:47)

** star songs: Heat Of Mine (6:23)

I had this album many years ago and although we all liked "Julia" back then in early 1980s, I did not pay much attention to the whole LP. Recently I got it in mp3 format but was suspicious of how it might sound today. I did not expect much.

What a neglect! This is a wonderful album! It strikes me how good it sounds even nowadays. Music on "Pampered Menial" still proves to be inventive and intelligent, moving between the styles of say, CURVED AIR, COCKNEY REBEL and ROXY MUSIC (although slightly less experimental than the latter ones and more melodic in a "symphonic" way). I would surely recommend this album to every serious prog listener.

It is interesting how low this album rates at Allmusic portal, obviously due to the reviewer's dislike of Surkamp's voice. Granted - his singing is really an acquired taste; you love it or hate it. But, it does not bother me. Perhaps I used to listen to "Julia" very often in my teens so I guess, I acquired that strange taste for Surkamp's high pitch timbers. But, that frequent comparison with Geddy Lee of RUSH is pointless in my opinion. Lee's vocal truly is horrible for my ears while RUSH was always too boring for my taste, which I cannot say for PAVLOV'S DOG - at least for this debut LP.

Loads of Mellotron and violins should satisfy most demanding prog experts, while tasteful arrangements make crossover between progressive attitude and pop song format. "Julia", "Late November" and "Song Dance" stand out as sort of hits, but the entire album is extremely tasteful work.

PERSONAL RATING: 4,5/5

P.A. RATING: 5/5

A disappointing lacklustre effort after a stunning debut

After an astounding debut Pavlov's Dog had to follow up with something equally as great but had no hope with this effort. It doesn't hold a candle to the excellent debut though David Surkamp is in full voice and perhaps the best thing about this effort.

The melancholy atmospheres are not a treat as it feels so pop oriented and no guts or glory like the first album. When some of your key personnel scarper and leave you for dead, there is precious little you can do but carry on and hope for the best, and it does not have the magic of essential tracks such as Julia, or November.

None of the tracks jump out and bite my ears, and I had tuned in and out of this album many times and still cannot lock in to a particular favourite as the whole thing merges together like a canvas of oily paints running together. The palette of colours are washed out and the songs are a mediocre batch rather than brilliant and shining jewels.

Still I cannot coomplain as this cost me very little, as it was snapped out of a bargain bin, so nothing ventured nothing gained. The packaging is poor, no booklet and a bland front cover, the band really need to employ some artist or get hold of someone who knows how to package a Cd as this is just plain lazy.

In conlcusion At The Sound of The Bell is okay if you are in the mood for something lightweight but, unlike the glorious first album, and despite Surkamp's high amazing vibrato, this doesn't have enough power to knock the fluff off a peanut!

Pampered Menial was an album that I had to hear as soon as I saw its iconic album art. I never considered it as a Prog release but rather as a classic rock album, and a very American one at that. Two reasons why I would normally expect to dislike it but this one took me by surprise and is certainly good enough to exceed the limitations of its style.

There are sure reasons enough to dislike it. David Surkamp has an extremely high-pitched voice that I would swear to be female but it isn't. He puts a lot of passion and conviction in them though and he's the main reason why I believe the album stands out amongst its peers. In fact, he's so essential to the sound that the one instrumental track on the album is by far the most forgettable one. I suspect Coheed and Cambria are huge fans of this album.

Then there's the music, which is hardly exceptional in the orchestrated rock section also visited by Lou Reed, John Cale and David Bowie in the years preceding this album. When Pavlov's Dog rock out a bit harder they also bring Blue Oyster Cult to mind. But despite the furious craze of the vocals I'd never call this hard rock, or compare it to the 70s hard rock icons. It's way too mainstream and romantic for that.

Again, despite of all omens pointing in the wrong direction, this music still gets to me. Quite an achievement and I can easily see why many have this one listed as a masterpiece. I'd rate it excellent if it had been just a bit longer or if there had been a more interesting instrumental track on it.

No, Pampered Menial is not remotely progressive rock. With the exception of occasional tidbits from a few tracks and the 99 seconds of sheer progressive rock glory (the amazing and thankfully wordless piece "Preludin"), this is a dull pop-rock album fronted by a banshee. Yes, David Surkamp sounds very much like a young Geddy Lee, if only a tad goofier at times, but the excessive warbling and shrieking on the part of the former just makes me cringe. Still, he alone does not justify my overall verdict regarding this album. As I mentioned, the compositions are mostly mainstream rock tracks, several of which are riddled with lyrical clichés and rather wearying riffs. The Mellotron adds a delicate texture to otherwise generic rock music, as do the other unconventional instruments, but in spite of a few consolatory solos, none of it is enough to keep the album interesting.

"Julia" It is strange, I think, for a hard rock band to begin not just an album but a career with a quiet and trite love song like this. Musically, it's a decent affair, but it doesn't help that the refrain is a tired and whiny cliché: "And I can't live without your love." The flute and acoustic guitar passage is fine, but overall I don't consider this a strong start at all.

"Late November" The main guitar theme, coupled with the Mellotron is probably how this album should have begun. This is a decent straightforward light rock song with two good solos in the middle.

"Song Dance" That thick, grandiose opening with Mellotron and guitar reminds me of the introduction to "White Room" by Cream. Piano and strings form a psychedelic passage to the song proper, which is a heavy rock number. The piano soloing is excellent and unexpected in the context of the song. However, the vocals this time around are nearly intolerable though- just warbling and ear-piercing.

"Fast Gun" While the chord progression may be an overused one, the string runs are fantastic. The vocals are not as horrible as they were on the previous track, but here, they just don't fit the tone of the music at all.

"Natchez Trace" Following a gorgeous fifteen second symphonic introduction, a grating electric guitar riff takes over, and soon it becomes a substandard boogie-woogie rock and roll tune. As usual, the soloing is lively and a grand display of musicianship; sadly this time it's cut off and practically ruined by a bloodcurdling shriek from Surkamp.

"Theme from Subway Sue" Although this is yet another forgettable rock song, the Mellotron adds a lovely backing sound and the lead guitar work isn't bad at all.

"Episode" Gorgeous violin, gentle piano, and light guitar serve as the initial foundation for this song. The violin is by far the sweetest aspect of the piece. The song as a whole sounds like good proto-prog most of the time- it is definitely one of the best on the album.

"Preludin" Now this is a shining moment of progressive rock- and by moment, I mean just that, since this piece is a mere 99 seconds. This is a fascinating and highly complex instrumental, showcasing what Pavlov's Dog was capable of but sadly never expressed at large here.

"Of Once and Future Kings" The final track has the makings of a decent progressive rock song, but it is extremely disjointed and unpleasant in many places. The vocals a minute-and-a-half in are utterly terrible. Overall, there's too many different and distinct sections in this song, and they all lack appropriate transitions. In spite of that, "Of Once and Future Kings" is comparatively speaking one of the stronger and at least more interesting tracks present.

After reading the terrible reviews for At The Sound Of The Bell and then buying it to discover a quite pleasant album I was convinced that the negative publicity that Third has received must have been false as well. But after searching for this album everywhere I gave it up since this release was nowhere to be found. That is of course until one day I wound up at a so called recordfair where I just happen to walk by one of the music stands where they just happened to have this album on display for mere $10! Needless to say, I bought it right on the spot.

Once I got back home and pressed play on my CD-player I was introduced to a rather unfamiliar sound. Trafalgar stared off with a disco-esque type of beat and it wasn't until hearing David Surkamp's voice that I recognized that it was in fact a Pavlov's Dog album I listening to!

I honestly had a hard time listening to this release since I couldn't believe that it was the same band that released the previous two albums. Too bad they didn't record the song Suicide for their second album since it's definitely the only real glimpse of light that this record has to offer. Still there aren't any really hideous tracks so I could probably listen to this CD later in the future when I do my next Pavlov's Dog retrospective.

***** star songs: Suicide (2:01)

**** star songs: Trafalgar (3:08) I Love You Still (4:02) Jenny (4:05)

*** star songs: It's All For You (3:47) While You Were Out (2:33) Only You (4:28) Today I Feel (3:03) Falling In Love (3:21) Painted Ladies (3:18)

After being totally mesmerized by the band's debut album it wasn't long until I got my hands on their follow up release.

At The Sound of the Bell has a couple of truly great compositions, too bad that the overall material quality is not on par with Pampered Menial. Still this album features two of Pavlov's Dog's most progressive compositions which are also album's biggest highlights. Both Valkerie and Did You See Him Cry start off as beautiful instrumental pieces that eventually transform into mini prog-epics. The rest of the album is just not as spectacular which probably had to do with the transitional phase that the band was going through at the time. In a way, it almost sounds like an early '80s Genesis record where the band have not yet abandoned their progressive tendencies but most of the music is pretty pop-oriented.

This sophomore release by Pavlov's Dog might not be the masterpiece I was expecting it to be but at the same time I feel that the criticism it has received is somewhat unjust. The two progressive compositions are well worth hearing if you're a fan of the debut album.

***** star songs: Valkerie (5:22) Did You See Him Cry (5:36)

**** star songs: She Came Shining (4:24) Standing Here With You (3:47) Mersey (3:03) Try To Hang On (2:08) Gold Nuggets (3:25) She Breaks Like A Morning Sky (2:22)

*** star songs: Early Morning On (3:21)