Actor, folk singer, composer and political activist Theodore Bikel seemingly adds "dog lover" to his list
Label: Reprise
Year of Release: 1970
If anybody told Theodore Bikel "Find out what you're really good at, focus on that alone and you might become great", he obviously wasn't listening. Closing down his career options really didn't seem to be his thing. He had a butterfly mind, being an actor on television and in the theatre, a political activist, a singer of folk songs (he was one of the first signings to the fledgling Elektra Records) and occasional songwriter himself. His CV of appearances in everything from "My Fair Lady" to "200 Motels" to "The African Queen" and "Dynasty" is enough to make your head spin - from serious productions to light musicals and soaps, to performing at the Newport Folk Festival inbetween, the man seemed to do everything he wanted in his lifetime without much pause for thought.
I have to admit to being something of an ignoramus around his recorded work, so when I found this slightly battered 7" single selling for £1.99, I was somewhat sceptical and it was only the presence of Richard Perry on production duties which made me jump for it. Perry's arrangements and productions throughout the late sixties are often exceptional, his work on Tiny Tim's LPs elevating them above and beyond mere eccentric curiosities. Unsurprisingly, this doesn't disappoint either.
Cat Stevens' original version of "I Love My Dog" is a fine single, but is somewhat subdued in its delivery, sticking to a galloping rustic rhythm rather than letting fly as much as you suspect it could. Perry and Bikel really put that right here by pushing things up several gears, introducing urgent drumming, psychedelic diversions, orchestral flourishes and joyous vocals. Bikel sounds like he means it when he sings "I love my dog as much as I love you/ But you may fade, my dog will always come through" - sentiments seldom heard in pop music but ones some of us can certainly relate to.
This wasn't a hit in any country and certainly didn't generate royalty payments for Cat Stevens akin to the ones Ugly Kid Joe and Boyzone dropped in his lap many years later, but it's a fine example of how adaptable the man's work is, here performed by another gentleman who would seemingly try anything once.
Bikel passed away in July 2015 at 91 years of age.
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