The band’s debut Pampered Menial was released in 1975. It was briefly released on ABC Records but quickly re-issued by Columbia Records. The result was that both versions appeared in stores at nearly the same time, which may have confused the public. Their second album At the Sound of the Bell followed on Columbia in 1976. The band recorded a third album in 1977, but due to poor sales of the first two albums, Columbia refused to release it, hastening the band’s split. The third album finally appeared as a bootleg in the 1980s, a limited edition pressed from stolen master tapes. It was released under the name The St. Louis Hounds, without Pavlov’s Dog’s name on the sleeve.
The album was released legally in 2007 by German label Rockville Music, titled HAS ANYONE HERE SEEN SIGFRIED, remastered and including additional 10 bonustracks of unreleased material from the 70ies. The German label TRC illegally bootlegged the album titled THIRD, but this does not include the bonustracks.
In 1990, a reformed version of the band, with only Surkamp and Rayburn and some contribution from Scorfina from the original line-up, recorded Lost in America for US label Telectro. LOST IN AMERICA was re-released worldwide by Rockville Music in 2007, after TRC also having illegally bootlegged it in the late 90ies.
Also in 2007 the solo album DANCING ON THE EDGE OF A TEACUP by Pavlov`s Dog`s lead singer DAVID SURKAMP was released by ROCKVILLE MUSIC.
The band toures again annually in Europe since 2005. Among others they played the Arrow Rock Festival in Holland 2006 in front of 54000 people, as well as headlining both the Burg Herzberg Festival 2007 (12000 people) and the Woodstock Festival 2008 (5000 people).
David Surkamp's distinctive voice has been compared to that of Geddy Lee of Rush. When the band split up in the late 1970s, Surkamp was rumoured to be dead, although he in fact was working with former Fairport Convention member Ian Matthews on a band named Hi-Fi. While living in Seattle the group was successful on the club scene and recorded a 5 track live 12" EP in 1981 entitled Hi-Fi Demonstration Record and a studio album in 1983 entitled Moods for Mallards. The 2 Hi-Fi releases were on First American Records and were intended for national distribution, but promotion outside the Pacific Northwest was virtually non-existent. The label self-destructed and was later revealed to be losing large amounts of investor money on purpose as part of tax shelter scheme. Hi-Fi proved to be even more obscure than Pavlov's Dog.
Album:
1975 Pampered Menial [33 rpm] Vinyl LP CBS S 80872
1975 Pampered Menial Vinyl LP CBS SBP474339
1975 Pampered Menial [Gatefold] Vinyl LP ABC ABCD-866
1975 Pampered Menial [33 rpm] Vinyl LP Columbia KC 33552
1975 Pampered Menial [Gatefold] Vinyl LP CBS 80872
1988 Pampered Menial CD Columbia 462444 2
1988 Pampered Menial CD CBS CDCBS 32480
1988 Pampered Menial [Reissue] CD
2007 Pampered Menial [Reissue] CD Rockville
Pampered Menial CD Columbia 469085 2
Pampered Menial CD Columbia CDCOL 32480
Pampered Menial Vinyl LP CBS CBS 32480
1976 At the Sound of the Bell Vinyl LP CBS CBS 81163
1976 At the Sound of the Bell Vinyl LP Columbia PC 33964
1988 At the Sound of the Bell [Reissue] CD
1992 At the Sound of the Bell CD Sony 32405
At the Sound of the Bell CD Columbia CDCOL 32405
At the Sound of the Bell [Reissue] Vinyl LP CBS CBS 81163
At the Sound of the Bell CD CBS CDCBS 32405
At the Sound of the Bell Vinyl LP CBS CBS 32405
1977 The St. Louis 'Hounds'
1977 Third (aka 'St. Louis Hounds')
1992 Third (aka 'St. Louis Hounds') [Alternate Cover] CD ANT 5.11
1994 Third CD TRC TRC 0362007 Has Anyone Here Seen Sigfried? (aka the Lost "Third" Album) [Bonus Tracks], [Reissue], [Remastered] CD Rockville 21258
2007 Has Anyone Here Seen Siegfried [Bonus Tracks] Rockville 1258
1990 Lost in America
2007 Lost In America [Bonus Tracks], [Reissue] CD 21259
EP:
1995 End of the World [as 'Pavlov's Dog 2000']
Single:
1975 Julia / Episode 7" Vinyl CBS S CBS 3671
Compilation:
1976 Super Sound Vinyl LP K-tel TA 254
1989 Pampered Menial + At the Sound of the Bell [2 CD] [Alternate Cover], [Box Set] CD CBS CBS 465217 2
1989 Pampered Menial & At the Sound of the Bell
1992 Pampered Menial & At the Sound of the Bell CD Columbia 465217-2
2000 Collection
2006 The Essential Rock 70's & 80's CD Sony-BMG 82876747642
2007 Has Anyone Here Seen Sigfried? [Archival] CD Rockville 21258
2007 Classic Rock Box [Box Set] CD EMI Belgium 5099 95040222 9
The Best of Progressive Rock CD
Bootleg / Unauthorized:
Live, Detroit Michigan 1976 [Live] CD
Live in New York 1975 CD
Preludin (Live St Louis, MO 1975) CD
Live, The Ambassador Theatre, St. Louis, Missouri, March/April, 1975,
Live, CBS Records Studio B, New York, 1975, USA
Live, Ford Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan, May, 14th, 1976, USA
Reunion Concert, Stages Club, Illinois, Missouri, March, 21, 1984,
Live, Augsburg, June, 21 2005, Germany
Live, Trier, June, 26th, 2005, Germany
Live, Burg Herzberg Festival, Brieitenbach, July, 20th, 2007, Germany
David Surkamp
Album:
1970 David Surkamp & Touch «Street Suite» (3 songs), Gear Fab Records
2001 Roaring With Light USA
2007 Dancing on the Edge of a Teacup CD Rockville 21257
Single:
1984 Louie, Louie
Compilation:
2006 Not Alone: Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders [Box Set] CD Durtro DURTRO/JNANA 1963
Bootleg / Unauthorized:
1994 David Surkamp Band Live, September, 08
Hi-Fi:
1981 Demonstration Record
1981 It’s Almost Christmas
1982 Moods For Mallards
Stephen Michael Scorfina
Album:
1999 Polychrome Love Songs
SUICIDE
Pavlov's Dog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never really found the time before
And I've been here since early morning
Waiting for the sound of the door when it opens
Wait for her to walk through the door when it opens
Well I've been here on this highest mountain
Only place left for the gods to dwell
Waiting for the sound of the door when it opens
Wait for her to walk through the door when it opens
Now I've been looking for a place to hide
I'm even thinking about suicide
Said she didn't love me and she wouldn't come looking
I know why you came here looking
You know I don't even care
She's the queen of the sun in the morning
And I'm just a man with a hole in his heart
I'm only here to rest in the dark of the night
The lyrics to Pavlov's Dog's song "Suicide" are melancholic and introspective. The singer of the song is reflecting on the end of a relationship, and the deep sense of loss and despair that he feels. He is waiting for his partner to return, hoping that she will return and save him from the loneliness and emptiness that he is feeling.
The imagery in the song is powerful, with the singer describing himself as being on a high mountain, waiting for the gods to return. This creates a sense of vulnerability and isolation. The singer also talks about suicide, hinting at the idea that he has lost all hope, and that he sees no way out of his situation.
Despite this sense of despair, there is also a sense of acceptance in the song. The singer acknowledges that his partner does not love him, and that she will not return. He is resigned to his fate, and is only here to rest in the dark of the night.
Overall, the lyrics to "Suicide" are deeply emotional and thought-provoking. They invite us to reflect on the pain of lost love, and the ways in which we cope with sadness and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been here just thinking it over
I've been reflecting on my situation.
I never really found the time before
I was always too distracted before to confront my struggles.
And I've been here since early morning
I've been here for a while already.
Waiting for the sound of the door when it opens
I'm waiting for someone to arrive and change my circumstances.
Wait for her to walk through the door when it opens
I'm waiting for my lover to come back to me.
Well I've been here on this highest mountain
I'm at the top of the world, but it's a lonely place.
Only place left for the gods to dwell
I feel like I'm on top of the world, but there's nothing here without her.
Now I've been looking for a place to hide
I'm trying to escape from the pain I feel.
I'm even thinking about suicide
I'm considering ending my own life because the pain is too unbearable.
Said she didn't love me and she wouldn't come looking
My lover told me she doesn't love me and won't try to reconcile.
I know why you came here looking
I understand that you're trying to help me, but it might not be possible.
You know I don't even care
I'm so depressed that nothing really matters to me anymore.
She's the queen of the sun in the morning
She's my bright spot in the day, when everything else feels dark.
And I'm just a man with a hole in his heart
I'm just a broken person who can't move on from this heartbreak.
I'm only here to rest in the dark of the night
I'm just waiting for the end of the day, when I can be alone with my thoughts and sadness.
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.