Thousands of European Dog lovers flocked to the band's live gigs in 2009.
'Pavlov's Dog, Live And Unleashed' is a record of those events.
David Surkamp, whose death had been greatly exaggerated, leads the 7 piece lineup - a unique guitar, mellotron, violin and percussion ensemble - through triumphant presentations of songs from past and present, throwing in the occasional reworking to give us a fresh perspective on an old master.
It opens, fittingly, with the late Siegfried Carver's violin instrumental,
'Preludin', originally appearing on the band's debut album, 'Pampered Menial', way back in 1975, before seguing stridently into a raucous, passionate version of another song from that album, '
Once And Future Kings'.
Indulge me, while I go off tangentially for a moment.
We all have our favourite bands, usually a judgement made immediately on hearing them, or a considered opinion, built up over a period of time.
Ever tried to articulate why they are your favourite?
Listening to
Pavlov's Dog again got me to thinking . . . unconventional, yes. Always aspiring to that awesome melodic moment, yes. Visions of grandeur, yes.
But eventually I realised it is something simpler. The music always sounds like it's on the edge of chaos. Like carefully assembled songs are all about to break down into an off key cacophony. You're always on the edge of your seat, waiting, anticipating. Of course, the fact is that they never do. And that's the magic.
Okay, enough.
A storming version of
'Breaking Ice' (from 'Lost In America') proves that the band can rock with the best of them, as does the beautifully raw
'I Don't Need Magic Anymore', a taster of the new album 'Echo & Boo'.
If you know Surkamp's previous band, Hi Fi, you'll know the song
'Heart Of Mine'. It's jazz rock elegantly counterpointed by a repeating melotron/violin motif, shadowing the song's vocal hook. It recalls
Kansas at times.
Elsewhere, as you might imagine, it's a mixture of the more immediate stuff - the Beatlish
'Not By My Side' (from 'Lost In America'), the epic '
Theme From Subway Sue' (from 'Pampered Menial') alongside the stuff you have/had to live with for a while - each play revealing a little more, like a slowly unfurling tapestry. Challenging material like
'Episode' (Pampered Menial),
'Gold Nuggets' (At The Sound Of The Bell) and
'Looking For My Shadow' (Dancing On The Edge Of A Teacup) . . ."Hey! Alice!.
Elsewhere, the searing imagery and tender emotions of
'Wrong' (Dancing.) and two more songs from the new album, 'Echo & Boo',
'Angeline' and
'Angel's Twilight Jump' will provide genuine delight to even the most casual of listeners.
For novices,
'Live And Unleashed' may well be a good place to start.
Rockville have remastered all the old albums, with bountiful bonus tracks on each one.
Recommended.
Written by
Brian Sunday, February 6, 2011
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