This is Pavlov's Dog's 1990 album, remastered and reissued with 8 bonus tracks.
By then, only
David Surkamp and Douglas Rayburn remained of the original band.
They wrote all the songs here and co-produced.
By 1990, the band's sound had mutated into much more of a commercial beast. Few traces of the band's uniquely quirky progressive rock had survived, replaced by a relatively mainstream but darkly hued
AOR sound.
Consequently it was roundly condemned by diehard fans.
But if you ignore the band's previous albums, not an easy thing to do, and take
'Lost In America' as a totally separate entity, reissue or not, it's one of the best albums you'll hear this year.
Surkamp's expressive vocals remained but his pitch was turned down a notch or two, fitting into the vocal space between Dave (Strawbs) Cousins and Mike (Waterboys) Scott.
The title track opens the album. It meanders, it sways, it takes a while getting there, but once it does it stakes out its own little piece of territory. You'd happily queue for a return visit.
The next 3 tracks, full of rich detail and sublime saxophone playing, also burn slow. They maybe never actually catch fire but they radiate warmth and are lit up by Surkamp's usual lyrical elegance.
'Pantomime' and particularly
'Breaking Ice' transform the album into a mini melodic rock masterpiece. The first, unassuming, cruising in a bouncy little groove, moves along with an athletes speed and grace. The second has all the ingredients of great
AOR, drive, urgency, a potent keyboard sound, surging bgvs - recalling Jane Wiedlin's immense 'Rush Hour' - and an inviting hook. '
You And I' continues in the same vein with a slight lessening of impact and '
Brown Eyes' is a magnificently apposite end to the (original) album, all sharp edges and big guitars.
The bonus tracks are drawn from US and European gigs from this and last decade, plus some unplugged material. They'd never stand up on their own own, but as additional tracks they are a superb bonus.
Written by
Brian Tuesday, June 19, 2007
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