Pavlov’s Dog are a band I was aware of by name but had never heard any of their material. They have been together since 1973 and seem to have acquired cult, almost legendary status amongst their following, perhaps as much to do with the strange goings on around the band as with the actual music itself.  

The very first thing that grabs your attention is the incredible falsetto voice of singer David Surkamp. This, without question, will be the defining element that makes you either love them or hate them. It does however perfectly complement the prog rock nature of the music somehow, lending it an eerie quality quite unlike anything else I think I’ve ever heard.  

Some of the stories mentioned on the press blurb almost defy belief, including the apparently long-persisting rumour that Surkamp had died after accidentally ingesting helium to help his falsetto voice !!! The fact that 13 years elapsed between the release of the second album and this one (oddly the fourth album), with no word from Surkamp, certainly did nothing to dispel the idea. The band had split during the recording of what would have been their third album (Has Anyone Here Seen Sigfried), which was never released at the time but which has now been “found” and released.

The songs themselves are a mixture of prog rock and 80s pop and are really quite accessible and catchy. They are a million miles removed from the sort of stuff I usually play and enjoy, but it just goes to show that well-written and played songs can always hold their own and it felt almost like a guilty pleasure to be nodding along as the tracks were spinning.

As a bonus, there are also 8 live tracks tacked on the end of this release for good measure, which show that Surkamp really sang with his trademark falsetto live and it wasn’t just a studio effect producing the ethereal sound.

I am sure that there must be many fans of the band out there who will be delighted to see that the “lost” third album and this fourth album are at long last being given a European release for the first time, to coincide with David Surkamp’s brand new solo album and reviews of both of these other releases can also be found here at HRH.

In summary, not a band I was familiar with or would normally listen to, but I can think of a hell of a lot of more unpleasant ways to spend an hour or so than listening to the truly unique sound of Pavlov’s Dog.

Let us know your views

Track Listing

Lost In America
A Hardly Innocent Mind
Don`t Rain On Me
Not By My Side
Pantomime
Breaking Ice
You & I
All Night
As Lovers Do
Brown Eyes
Late November (live ´90)
You & I (live `90)
Brown Eyes (live `90)
Subway Sue (live `90 unplugged)
If We never meet Again (live 2005)
Angels Twilight Jump (live 2005)
Suzanne I Love You (live 2006)
Don`t Rain On Me (live 2006)

Line Up

David Surkamp – Vocals/Guitar
Steve Scorfina – Guitar
Tom Nickeson/Douglas Rayburn – Keyboards
Robert Lloyd – Bass
Mike Safron/Kirk Sarkisian/Frank Kriege – Drums
Michelle Isam – Saxophone