Demian

I think we can all agree that Demian is a fairly forgettable band name. Before assuming this nondescript moniker for its self-titled debut, however, this Texas-based quartet made a name for itself as Bubble Puppy (owners of a 1968 hit called “Hot Smoke & Sassafras”). Now that’s a band name. Legal wars ensued shortly after the release of Bubble Puppy’s debut, A Gathering of Promises, so the band reformed under a different header. The end result, Demian, first released in 1971 on ABC Records, is a fantastic collection of turn-of-the-decade hard rock. Armed with the essentials—nasty guitar riffs, a pounding rhythm section and gritty, powerful vocals—Demian employs the basic tenant firmly established by the era’s acid-rock movement: Thou shalt rock. The band also incorporates plenty of melodic hooks and multi-part harmonies into its music, elements not usually associated with these early ‘70s metal projects (hey, the more people singing “comin’ down from the mountain/comin’ down soft and slow/searchin’ for the revolution/it’s a feelin’ that’s startin’ to grow,” the better). Highlights include “Face the Crowd,” “Windy City,” “Coming,” and “Only a Loner.” One small piece of advice: Don’t let this be a record I own that you’d never buy.

Notes: What's in a name? This from http://www.last.fm/: The name Bubble Puppy was taken from “Centrifugal Bumble-Puppy,” a fictitious children’s game in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Demian was named after Herman Hesse’s 1919 novel, and “Hot Smoke & Sassafras” was a line lifted from an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies.