Search - Bubble Puppy :: Gathering of Promises

A Great Classic

Fred Rayworth | Las Vegas, NV United States | 04/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the sixties, I had a tendency to pick up albums based on the photo of the band, not what I thought I knew about their music. I pretty much hated pop music so looked for the underground bands. The longer the hair, the uglier, the weirdest dressed, that was my incentive. The Bubble Puppy were dressed weird. Not particularly ugly, their costumes were enough to fork over my hard earned dollar something for their album.I heard Hot Smoke and Sassafras on the radio without realizing who they were until I bought the album. The song that really blew me away though, was Lonely. That guitar solo was the most awesome guitar prowess I had ever heard up to that time. It inspired me to play better guitar, but today I still cannot play it! I have a lot of respect for Rod Prince on that one. The influences on the album are plenty from hard rock to psychedelic, to tinges of country. It is a weird combination that makes them groundbreaking from my perspective. It disgusts me that they are not ever mentioned in the typical history of rock and roll books. Of course, to me most of the other really good bands never were either.There is not a dud song on the whole album. The intricate guitar interplay between Rod Prince and Todd Potter adds little details that make the music interesting and very listenable. These guys were the best and never saw the credit they deserved. It is another one of my classic albums that I have worn out. I was really excited to finally find the CD. Though the CD is adequate, it is poorly done and on one song, they seem to have lost the speed regulator on the tape machine. Yet, the essence of the album, the songs, are still there. Boy were they good! What really rubs this whole thing wrong is that the band has probably not seen a dime from the CD. They were a classic case of a band being ripped off by their record company and management.This is an essential album for anyone out to get to the "real" roots of modern rock and roll and is well worth the time to seek out. The CD version, though flawed, still displays their immense talent. By the way, the original LP is a collectors' item and can fetch more than a hundred bucks if it is in pristine condition. If only I bought two, so I could have saved one for the investment!"

One Of The First Dual Lead Guitar Bands

jrichmon@ucla.edu | Los Angeles, CA | 05/20/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was one of the first dual lead guitar bands in the history of rock. (The other two that come to mind were The Yardbirds and Wishbone Ash.) Rod Prince had a more raw and slightly processed sound and Todd Potter who had a more cleaner approach. Todd's Tune is a personal anthem of the musican's love of his music and is really a piece that should not be overlooked. Starting as a ballad and then growing more intense as if the realization of his musical conviction has been absolutely affirmed. Bubble Puppy was very versatile and is one of the early Austin based bands that put that city on America's Musical Map. (Others were Johnny Winter, Shivas Headband, playing at clubs along the Colorado River, downtown and at Armadillo World Headquarters). David Fore on drums was a fierce drummer on stage and Roy Cox on bass and vocals were a solid backbone to the vast variety of musical styles they were so capable of playing. "Gathering of Promises","Hurry Sundown" & "It's Safe To Say" are slow ballads with a carefully handled folk-country influence. "I've Got To Reach You" begins that way but builds into raw energy in a instrumental flury. "Elizabeth" you can hear Prince's Persian sounding guitar riff. "Lonely" and the nationwide hit, "Hot Smoke and Sasafrass just plain cook. Many great Texas bands of the late 1960's and early 70's did not get quality recordings and this is one. But the music is so good it hardly matters. By the way, Bubble Puppy went to L. A. and recorded another lp under the name of Demian. And about 1990 they got together again and released another one but you might have to go to Antone's Record Shop in Austin to get it.Later on Roy Cox did more of the vocal work but on this lp there was some terrific harmonies. When San Antonio had Hemisfair and clubs like the Pussycat and Love Street were everywhere, I tried to never miss these guys. They had fun and were intense. Hope they are all doing well these days"

Puppy Rose Like Hot Smoke

Jim Maenner | Houston, Texas | 02/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not all the hot bands came from the west coast as evidenced by this recording and is a great place to begin enjoying the music from what I consider the most creative era in music. There were any number of outstanding bands that rose to the top of the music scene and Puppy was right up there with the 13th Floor Elevators,Fever Tree, Clear Light, and Spirit.Rod and the boys took off the blinders when it came to experimenting with style and technique. I recently recieved an e-mail from Rod with news of his unveiling a very special project this August so keep your eyes and ears peeled.Puppy was another victim of greedy record labels and management and very likely didn't make the money or recieve the recognition they deserved. Interest in 60's music is growing every day so maybe the Puppy will grow into a "mad dog." Hope so."