Genre: blues-rock
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Dogfeet
Company: Kissing Spell
Catalog: CA-36001
Year: 1970
Country/State: UK
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: UK reissue
Available: SOLD
GEMM Catalog ID: SOLD
Price: SOLD
Here's one of those obscure outfits that collectors love to heavily hype. While there's nothing wrong with
the group's rather rare LP, collectors' excitement (and the
accompanying prices), leave me scratching my head trying to figure out what
all the excitements about ...
Bassist Dave Nichols, singer Alan Pearse, drummer Derek Perry and guitarist Trevor Povey first came together as Chicago Max,followed by brief stints as Sopwith Camel (not to be confused with the San Francisco-based outfit), Malibou and Armageddon. Working in a blues-rock vein (wasn't every
early-1970s band dipping their creative toes in the genre?), they were signed by the small Reflection Records, though the label immediately demanded a new name - hence the change to the deplorable Dogfeet.
I've seen several references describe their album as Wishbone Ash-styled rock. At least to
my ears that's way off the mark. Produced by Andrew Cameron Milla, 1970's cleverly-titled
"Dogfeet" is surprisingly good. With Povey writing all of the material, the album's varied and pleasingly understated. Pearse
exhibited an attractive voice, while Povey's slashing guitar was quite effective (check out some of the effects he
used on 'Evil Women'). Musically 'On the Road' harkened back to the bands' blues-rock roots, but extended tracks such as
'Now I Know', the attractive atmospheric ballad 'Reprise' and the Western-inspired
'Since I Went Away' set them apart from most of their contemporaries. Not that it mattered. The album vanished without a trace, followed in short order by the band.
"Dogfeet" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) For Mary (instrumental) (Trevor Povey) -
2.) On the Road (Trevor Povey) -
3.) Reprise (Trevor Povey) -
4.) Now I Know (Trevor Povey) -
(side 2)
1.) Since I Went Away (Trevor Povey) -
2.) Clouds (Trevor Povey) -
3.) Evil Woman (Trevor Povey) -
4.) Armageddon (Trevor Povey) -
5.) For Mary & Child (Trevor Povey) -
1994 saw the UK-based Kissing Spell Records re-release "Dogfeet". Since the band apparently managed to lose the original master tapes, Kissing Spell was forced to digitally
re-master the LP from a vinyl copy of the album. To my ears the sound quality's okay, but to
audiophiles it may make a difference. The reissue also sports a different album cover.
Kissing Spell also released a Dogfeet CD compilation. The compilation included the original LP, though half of the songs were drawn from the original master tape and half taken from an alternate tape with slightly different performances. The retrospective added in four previously unreleased demos and a pair of live tracks from a 1991 incarnation of the band.