THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Bad Seeds and Zakary Thaks were mid-’60s Texas garage-rock bands formed in the wake of the British Invasion, influenced by The Rolling Stones, Kinks, Yardbirds and others, becoming top local live attractions at a time when The 13th Floor Elevators and Moving Sidewalks were leading the way into psychedelia.
In late 1966, guitiarist Rod Prince and bassist Roy Cox from Bad Seeds joined up with Zakary Thaks drummer David Fore to create a new band out of San Antonio featuring two lead guitarists. Todd Potter filled out the quartet on second guitar and they chose the name Bubble Puppy, taken from Aldous Huxley’s 1932 dystopian novel Brave New World. Huxley was an early advocate of LSD, appropriately. In 1969, Bubble Puppy scored a hit single with Hot Smoke & Sasafrass, which led to their LP A Gathering Of Promises. International Artists, the legendary Texas label that had unleashed mind-expanding classics by The 13th Floor Elevators, Red Crayola, Golden Dawn and others, was a perfect fit. After the LP and additional 45s didn’t repeat the success of Hot Smoke & Sasafrass, the band hooked up with Nick St. Nicholas of Steppenwolf as their new manager and moved to L.A.
A new band name was in order. St. Nicholas chose Demian, title of the 1919 novel by Herman Hesse. His books were popular with the counterculture at the time and had provided Steppenwolf with their new name after they changed it from the Sparrow and hit it big. Demian recorded their self-titled LP live in the studio at the Record Plant in one midnight-to-six session. They had their arrangements fully realized, allowing them to combine live-show energy and economy with to-the-point delivery suitable for repeated listening. No doubt they were aiming for pop-hit success, using proto-hard rock skills in a radio-friendly way without compromising the heavy guitar moves.
The vocals have echoes of the earlier Bubble Puppy style in spots, but are more melodic with vibrant harmonies reminiscent of Moby Grape, Buffalo Springfield, or James Gang… at times flashing on Steve Stills / Richie Furay / West Coast without being too sweet about it. It works terrifically when the voices top off killer guitar-ensemble action. Early hard rock that is too bluesy-flashy can get tiresome with repeat listening, especially if it overdoses on guitar solos with the band relegated to the background. But Demian keep it interesting with inventive song structures, allowing all four players to integrate constantly into an ever-changing but focused whole.
This LP is a grower — despite the basic two guitar / bass / drums lineup and no-frills production you reach a lot of different places during the ride. Demian is deadly hard rock, a perfectly organized vibe straddling live energy and crafted itinerary, amongst the first obscure major label killers that commanded premium $$ with collectors even way back in the late ’70s. It gets you there every time, even half a century later.”
