Rating: ***
(3 stars)
Title: Demian
Company: ABC
Catalog: ABCS-718
Year: 1970
Grade
(cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: white
label promo copy; gatefold sleeve
Available: 2
Price: $90.00
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Following the 1970 break up of Texas based psychedlics Bubble Puppy (see separate entry), bassist Roy Cox, drummer David Fore and guitarists Todd Potter and Rod Prince continued their musical collaboration as Demian. With a prod from Steppenwolf's NIck St. Nicholas, they were signed by ABC Records. Released the following year, 1971's cleverly titled
"Demian" found them teamed with Nicholas in the producer's chair. Recorded at L.A.'s Record Plant, material such as "Faces the Crowd", "Windy City" and "There You Go with My Baby" found the quartet largely abandoning their druggy past, in favor of an above average collection of Steppenwolf-styled hard rock. Full of tasty twin guitars ("Coming" was particularly good), and tight group harmonies, it may not have been the year's most original offering, but still managed to blow away most of the competition. Elsewhere, the only misstep was the band's ill advised step into
country-rock ("Love People"). Unfortunately, on the heels of a brief Texas tour, the group collapsed. The album was original released with a gatefold sleeve. Curiously, in 20 years we've only seen two copies of the album - both white label promos.
"Demian" track listing:
1.) Faces the Crowd (Roy Cox) - 2:53
2.) Windy City (Roy Cox) - 5:18
3.) Love People (Todd Potter) - 2:44
4.) Coming (Roy Cox - Rod Prince) - 5:30
5.) Todd's Tune (Todd Potter) - 3:19
6.) No More Tenderness (Roy Cox - Rod Prince) - 3:50
7.) There You Go with My Baby (Todd Potter) - 4:54
8.) Only a Loner (Roy Cox - Rod Prince) - 4:54
In the mid-'70s Potter and Prince reunited in the short-lived Sirius (see separate entry).
(In 1973 the small Rock Star Farm label reissued the LP; catalog number ARC 33-01. 1994 saw TRC reissue it in CD format - catalog number 048.)
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