Demian-Demian (1971)

Hailing from Texas, Demian was a short-lived band that began as Bubble Puppy and released a superb psychedelic rock album under that name in late 1969. Led by guitarists Rod Prince and Todd Potter, the rest of the lineup consisted of bassist and vocalist Roy Cox and drummer David Fore. After this debut album, the band relocated to California and changed their name to Demian to avoid potential issues with their previous record label. In California, the band toughened their sound, reinforcing their guitar lines towards a hard rock style. Several years later, they secured a contract with a new label and released their self-titled debut album, which featured a wealth of melodic twin guitar work that linked them in some ways to contemporaries like Mountain, Steamhammer, and Wishbone Ash. This first and only album by Demian is an excellent example of early seventies hard rock and blues rock with elements of heavy psych, with a robust production. Standout tracks include the energetic "Face The Crowd", "Windy City", "Todd's Tune" and "Only A Loner", the folk rock "Love People", the bluesy "Coming", or the psychedelic "No More Tenderness" and "There You Go With My Baby".