Pavlov's Dog
Pampered Menial

In the realm of a completely English genre like progressive, the Americans Pavlov's Dog took their first steps, a group that, despite releasing only two good-level records (besides this one, the subsequent and inferior "At The Sound Of The Bell"), can boast a respectable place in rock history, enhanced by an unexpected and rapid success that, due to various misunderstandings and the genre's decline, led to the band's swift disappearance.

The entire album is dominated by atmospheres that range from true progressive to purely folk and rock settings, all dominated by an extraordinary voice, warm, intense, and androgynous like that of the sensational David Surkamp, who composed both the lyrics (far from the usual historical-literary-medieval cliché of prog) and the music, enriched by an extraordinarily effective dosage of guitars and keyboards and some vibrant parts featuring violin and flute.

The album, released in 1975 by ABC Dunhill and later reissued by Columbia, flows by leaving us breathless and demonstrates how strong the impact of a genre like progressive is, especially in light of the lean times of today. The most striking songs are the group's absolute masterpiece, the crescendo of voice and piano in the lovely "Julia", placed at the start of the album, and vibrant tracks like "Song Dance", charged with Steve Scorfina's hard-rock mastery on guitars, and the concluding "Of Once And Future Kings", a song perfectly suited for a chase between piano and voice. Also noteworthy are the thundering yet fundamentally sad rhythms of "Late November" and pieces of pure rock'n'roll like "Natchez Trace", in which, besides the guitars, David Hamilton's piano emerges strongly.

The other compositional peak of the album, besides the initial one, is undoubtedly the sophisticated vocalizations that greatly accompany both the lyrics and the instrumental skill of the group members in "Theme From Subway Sue", strong with a finale of rare expressive power that splendidly anticipates a piece that is stunning for its astonishing intensity, namely "Episode", and the lively instrumental "Preludin".

Listening to this album is definitely recommended for lovers of the progressive universe who want to be swept away by some of the most original and engaging notes of the American scene of the seventies.