The Dog That Bit People: The Dog That Bit People 1971

 

This is another unknown and obscure prog rock album. Issued by Parlophone in 1971, it was the only album by the group that had evolved from the ashes of legendary band Locomotive by Bass player Mick Hincks and drummer Bob Lamb. Joined by keyboard player Keith Millar and guitarist John Caswell, the group recorded this album for EMI Records in 1970.
                     

Formed in 1970, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom after the demise of the Norman Haines Band. Michael Hincks and Bob Lamb founded a new band and with the arrival of John Caswell

BOB   LAMB

and Keith Millar, The Dog That Bit People was born.They left the harder style of the Norman Haines Band behind and moved to mellower territories, with great melodies and a solid relaxed vibe. But some songs still rock and in case of 'Reptile Man', they got quite progressive. So the message is: the result is brilliant and this one must be a part of every collection! Their sole album has been released on Parlophone UK in 1971 and is one of the rarest items on this label today.
                                          

The early '70s were a time of great musical experimentation and The Dog That People were not immune to such experiments. Take Reptile Man for instance, with its strangely treated vocals and heavy riff that might have found place on a Black Sabbath album. Or at the other extreme there is the brief

Country and Western number Someone, Somewhere which, if nothing else, shows that the band were thoroughly enjoying themselves! The rest of the material is just as enticing and entertaining. Red Queen's Dance standing out with great harmonies, more twin guitars and even a jolly honky tonk piano part. Tin Soldier (not the same as the Small Faces song!) is majestic and once again plaudits go to Lamb for his interesting drum patterns. Finally, Walking another ballad, is lifted by the Mellotron parts that add to the warmth and sumptuousness of the piece.
                                     

Bonus track, Merry Go Round, the b-side of Lovely Lady, bears resemblance to Badfinger and its inclusion on this reissue totally justifies the replacement of my current CD version of this album with the new Esoteric version. Of course, it is not just the bonus track that makes this version, the label's typically excellent re-mastering and the informative booklet all add up to an excellent reissue of

an obscure but delightful album. The recording of the Locomotive album was somewhat traumatic and resulted in the splintering of the group, leaving only bassist Hincks and drummer Lamb. The pair were determined to carry on recruiting keyboard and guitar player Keith Millar and guitarist John Caswell. It was this line-up that released the final Locomotive single Roll Over Mary b/w Movin' Down The Line both of which are included on the Eclectic/Esoteric reissues. A desire to move away from the "doomy prog-rock kind of sound" resulted in a somewhat bizarre name change to The Dog That Bit People, chosen randomly by dipping into a book of short stories by the American humorist James Thurber.
                       

Symptomatic of the faith that record labels had of their artists at that time, Parlophone keep the band on their roster, despite the poor sales of the Locomotive album. Following extensive, low budget, touring throughout Europe, the group entered Abbey Road Studios, rubbing shoulders with The Beatles who

BOB  LAMB

were busy with their final album, and started to lay down the tracks for their debut album. Mostly recorded live with only essential overdubs added later, the album maintains a rather fresh feel, even after 40 years. The variety of the song styles also helps to give the album a diversity which adds to its enjoyment factor. Noticeably drawing on influences from the West Coast of America, the album successfully combines subtle acoustic passages with more rockier elements. A prime example of this is Sounds Of Thunder which could almost derive from the catalogue of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (although without the vocal harmonies) with the twin electric guitars intertwined with their acoustic relatives.
                                                

The group do provide excellent harmony vocals on the opening track, Goodbye Country, a lovely summer ballad that makes one instantly forget that currently outside all is frozen and snowbound. Elsewhere the spirit of Neil Young, an artist Bob Lamb recalls the group were heavily into, infuses

many of the instrumental passages, such as on The Monkey And The Sailor where Lamb's drumming is precise and enticing at the same time. Lovely Lady, the single taken from the album, is melodic, catchy and yet, bizarrely was nowhere near becoming a hit; the more progressive elements of the group are covered in the effortless Cover Me In Roses which does indeed, as the sleeve notes state, sound in places not dissimilar to early Barclay James Harvest.

The Dog That Bit People – The Dog That Bit People
Label: Esoteric Recordings – ECLEC 2229
Format:  CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: Europe
Released: 2010
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Prog Rock

TRACKS

                                           

01. Goodbye Country
Written-By – Millar
02. The Monkey And The Sailor
Written-By – Lamb, Caswell, Hincks
03. Lovely Lady
Written-By – Caswell, Millar
04. Sound Of Thunder
Written-By – Millar
05. Cover Me In Roses
Written-By – Caswell
06. Someone, Somewhere
Written-By – Hincks
07. A Snapshot Of Rex
Written-By – Caswell
08. Red Queen's Dance
Written-By – Millar
09. Mr. Sunshine
Written-By – Caswell, Millar
10. Tin Soldier
Written-By – Millar
11. Walking
Written-By – Caswell
12. Reptile Man
Written-By – Lamb, Caswell, Millar, Hincks

BONUS TRACK
    
13. Merry Go Round
Written-By – Keith Millar, Mick Hincks

Drums, Percussion – Bob Lamb
Engineer – Peter Vince    
Producer – Jim Simpson
Remastered By – Paschal Byrne
Vocals, Bass Guitar – Michael Hincks
Vocals, Electric Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar – John Caswell
Vocals, Electric Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar, Piano, Organ, Mellotron, Harmonica – Keith Millar

MP3 @ 320 Size: 111 MB
Flac  Size: 281 MB