Search - Pavlov's Dog :: At the Sound of the Bell/Pampered Menial

A Unique Sound

Richard M. Affleck | Lake Hopatcong, NJ USA | 11/05/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I gave this double CD four stars rather than five because the band's first album, "Pampered Menial" was, IMHO, far and away the better of the two and rates a full five stars; "At the Sound of the Bell" rates only three in my book. Pavlov's Dog was a quirky and unique sounding band, and not only because of David Surkamp's vocals, which one critic described as sounding like a choirboy on speed. Granted, Surkamp's falsetto can be offputting to many listeners, but if one can get past that (or come to like it, like I do) and listen to the music, one is rewarded with a melange of rock, country, and folk influenced sounds that was all their own. This is Mid-western/Mississippi Valley music with a sometimes eerie-sounding twist, given extra oomph on "Pampered Menial" by the fiddle playing (the musician's name unfortunately escapes me at the moment). The songs range from love ballads ("Julia")to rave-ups ("Song Dance) to the folky/pop weirdness of "Natchez Trace"."At the Sound of the Bell" unfortunately suffers from less inspired song writing and less varied tempos, most of the songs being slow and mid-tempo tunes. Surkamp reins himself in a bit here, compared to the first album. Unfortunately, the band's fiddle player quit between albums and is sorely missed here. Nonetheless, this set is well-worth buying if you want to hear one of the more unique sounds of the early/mid-'70s."

Little known but outstanding.

Scott Brown | Tulsa, OK. | 02/11/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While I'll freely admit that the singer's (David Surkamp) voice isn't for everybody, it fits in very well with the soaring, artsy sound that Pavlov's Dog creates.This is a very tight, talented band. A tight rhythm section of Rick Stockton (bass) and Mike Safron (percussion) provides a rock solid base for the variety of sounds created by the keyboards, violins, flutes and other instruments featured on these two recordings."Episode" off of "Pampered Menial" ranks as my favorite, but there are so many stellar songs on both these CD's that if you enjoyed acts such as Jethro Tull, or Yes...then you can't go wrong here.Do yourself a favor and take Pavlov's Dog home soon!"

Uncommon recording but great music

Charlie | Wagga Wagga, New South Wales Australia | 11/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I didn't buy these together on CD, but separately on record in 1975 and 1976 when they were released in Australia. I have since updated to CD, where you can get them in a lot of stores across the country for the princely sum of $10.



Like another reviewer I favour "Pampered Menial" over "At The Sound Of The Bell" because the former rocks out a lot more and has more variation in sound. That doesn't mean that the latter is a failure, it is still a really good album just not as heavy as "Pampered Menial"



I'll never forget the first time I heard Pavlov's Dog. It was "Julia" off "Pampered Menial" and I thought it was just about the greatest thing I had heard in ages. The vocals of David Surkamp are a take it or leave it thing, much the same as an early Geddy Lee. However, musically this band is phenomenal. Just layer upon layer of a myraid of instruments and sound. "Julia" is a great keyboard introduced ballad but it gets going pretty well. If you want to here great prog rock then get this for "Song Dance" on "Pampered Menial"



The slower stuff on "At The Sound Of The Bell" like "Mersey" and "Valkerie" are also worth the price of that one alone.



Excellent 70's music and I got all my mates into buying these after they heard them. Give them a go as they are worthy additions to any collection of those who are into 70's rock."