This 1995 disc was put together by original member Mike Safron as Pavlov’s Dog 2000. It sounds much heavier than the original band..
Written by: Eric
ARTIST: Pavlov’s Dog 2000
ALBUM: End Of The World
LABEL: Kanned Goose Records
YEAR: 1995
CD INFO: Discogs Info List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Mike Safron – lead vocals, drums * Tom Tarantino – keyboards, vocals * Julie Moreno – vocals * Steve Simon – guitars * Hunter Springer – bass * Ron Vince – violin
TRACK LISTING: 01 Motorcycle * 02 End Of The World * 03 Lies * 04 Tawny * 05 You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Pavlov’s Dog 2000 Background
More than a few of you will remember Pavlov’s Dog and their two CBS albums ‘Pampered Menial’ and ‘At The Sound Of The Bell’. Both were original and very odd progressive albums. Singer David Surkamp made Geddy Lee sound positively middle of the road.
Pavlov’s Dog toured the U.S. with ELO, Nektar, Journey, and BOC. The latter they shared management with. Unfortunately they never broke out of their hometown of St LouisMissouri in a big way.
Due to Pavlov’s surprisingly large cult following, a variety of side projects and bootlegs have trickled out. The masses were starved for more of the same and much of it not worth bothering with to be honest. Which brings us to this 1995 disc put together by original member Mike Safron as Pavlov’s Dog 2000.
The Songs
Not sure why ‘2000’ was tagged on the moniker. Copyright issues perhaps, or maybe Safron was hopeful his version of the band would last longer than one disc. But of course it was not to be and I do wonder what his motivation behind ‘End Of The World’ exactly was.
A few years ago, I spoke to another Pavlov’s Dog member who shall remain nameless. He wasn’t too thrilled with this CD or Safron, describing the whole affair as ‘crap’.
I won’t go that far although another piece of the puzzle as to why there’s been no Pavlov’s Dog reunion fits neatly into place. Actually, this CDEP clocking in at less than twenty minutes is pretty good. It sounds much heavier than the original band.
Not so good are Safron’s vocals, trying so hard to imitate Surkamp. He sounds strained and there’s a strange effect going on when vocalist Julie Moreno joins in.
At times it reminds me of Pee Wee Herman and Cyndi Lauper sharing a duet backed by Kansas. It’s all very hard to take but the material is strong.
All five cuts, including the gothic weirdo ‘Lies’ and the cover of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ‘You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me’. This is the most original take I’ve heard of this Motown classic. However, both tracks are excellent, vocal inadequacies aside.
In Summary
Long out of print, this isn’t an easy disc to find these days. It’s better to start with the first two Pavlov’s Dog albums anyway. Check out the groups’ rudimentary web site which hasn’t been updated in several years for more information on ‘End Of The World’.
Pavlov’s Dog 2000 on Video
End Of The World
