Ruf Records [Release date 03.10.25]
As we’ve indicated elsewhere, reviewing the 5-CD retrospective, Pavlov’s Dog have never received the success they might deserve and never sustaining the acclaimed heights (and large sign-up fee) of their debut album released in 1974.
‘Wonderlust’ is the band’s latest venture and follows 2018′s ‘Prodigal Dreamer’ with pretty much the same line-up. The main fillip is the continuing contribution of violinist Abbie Steiling who is also credited as co-producer and orchestral arranger. And she pays tribute to the band’s original violinist on the standout instrumental ‘Calling Sigfried’.
David Surkamp’s vocal approach has mellowed somewhat so not so much of a distraction. Here he sounds like a more impassioned Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople) whilst there’s the Bowie-tinged ‘Solid Water, Liquid Sky’.
The band have variously been described as progressive, AOR, or pop prog. ‘Wonderlust’ is simply chocked full of solid tunes and I wouldn’t call it anything but well-produced pop rock.
‘Jet Black Cadillac’ and ‘Mona’ are good examples, excellent ensemble pieces with Abbie Steiling’s weaving violin a highlight and Phil Ring doing his best Lindsay Buckingham impression on the former. ‘Can’t Stop The Hurt’ is catchy riff-driven rock.
The string quartet add a wistful quality to ‘Another Blood Moon’ and ‘I Wait For You’, one of three songs co-written by Surkamp and his co-founder Doug Rayburn (who died in 2012).
‘I Told You So’ has various elements evoking Supertramp, Caravan and Tull and therefore re-establishing those pop prog credentials. ‘Canadian Rain’ suddenly moves up a notch with an unexpected slap bass solo from Rick Steiling.
All in all, after a seven-year recording hiatus and a somewhat uneven history, Pavlov’s Dog may have at last found their true mojo. ****
Review by David Randall
Box set review (Essential Recordings, 2024)
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