Caravan (UK)

Make
sure if youÆre buying this album you go for the remastered and expanded
edition. Unlike most re-masters the additional tracks, rather than
being tagged on at the end, have been placed in their correct positions
as they originally were performed on the night, This transforms the
album from a brief summary of the concert to over an hour of wonderful
indulgence.

The preparations for the collaboration with the New
Symphonia Orchestra had been troublesome, and are well documented in the
accompanying sleeve-notes. The recorded results are however superb.
ôVirgin on the ridiculousö and ôFor Richardö particularly benefit from
the orchestration, the former featuring a lilting strings introduction
and an all hands to the pumps middle section. This has to be one of
CaravanÆs most exciting and innovative pieces, The classic ôFor Richardö
(performed at every Caravan concert ever?) builds to even more of a
cacophony of sound than the many other live versions available. At times
it sounds as if band and orchestra are veering towards chaos, but
things always remain just within control and they all meet again at the
end with perfect timing!

The additional tracks were mainly
performed prior to the orchestra taking the stage, and thus have been
inserted towards the start of the album. They are more conventional live
Caravan, but do help to give the album the feel of being a complete
concert.

With the commendable attention to detail on all the
recent Caravan remasters, it is perhaps churlish to point out the
discrepancy in the track numbering between the CD and the sleeve caused
by the introduction being listed as a separate track, but it does make
it somewhat irritating when selecting a track!

After a string of mediocre Caravan albums, Pye Hastings decided to reconvene all four original members for Back to Front. In an unusually democratic move, he divided the writing between himself, Richard Sinclair, and David Sinclair (with drummer Richard Coughlan abstaining). The result was a generally uneven album, but one which maintains a certain nostalgic charm. Surprisingly, the best songs here were written by David Sinclair, who was usually overshadowed by vocalists Hastings and Richard Sinclair in the early days. On "Sally Don't Change It" and "Videos of Hollywood," David reveals a soft romantic side previously hidden (and which would later blossom on his wonderful solo CD Moon Over Man, actually recorded before this record). "Proper Job/Back to Front" is another gem offered up by the same writer, and most closely recalls early Caravan. Another winner is cousin Richard Sinclair's "Back to Herne Bay Front," an amusing cameo of daily bingo and fish and chips in the small seaside town of Herne Bay. The three songs written by Pye Hastings, on the contrary, are fairly insipid pop numbers; not what one would expect from the band's mainstay and guiding light. Caravan was one of the truly good things to emerge from late-'60s/early-'70s progressive rock. Back to Front doesn't equate with their best work, but admirers of the group will be intrigued by the disparate personalities that emerge from this quiet reunion.

The 21st century version of Caravan is here to entertain the die-hard Canterbury heads, and at this late date listeners are served up a platter of new tunes by a bunch of amiable geezers -- and one comparative youngster -- who hope they aren't quite ready for the evening's fading light. Fans of the group should be pleased by some familiar names from the good old days of the '60s and '70s, who appear either as members of the core sextet or as special guests: Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlan, Geoffrey Richardson, Jan Schelhaas, Dave Sinclair, and Jimmy Hastings can all be heard at one point or another on the whimsically named The Unauthorised Breakfast Item, the 2004 CD whose title track references an apparent run-in of sorts with hotel restaurant staff when the band appeared at the 2002 NEARFest in Trenton, NJ. The well-produced ten-track CD includes a ten-page booklet filled with photos and lyrics to the eight non-instrumental tunes, and right from the get-go this might be a warning sign for Caravan fans of a certain age. For while various touches -- Sinclair's trademark fuzz organ keyboard tone during his solo at the conclusion of "Revenge," Jimmy Hastings' lovely soprano sax during "Tell Me Why"'s closing vamp -- might get an old Caravan aficionado pumped up a bit, the fact is that this CD is filled with catchy yet conventional rock songs, some pretty balladeering, and lots of lead vocalizing by Hastings (whose somewhat understated singing style remains engaging and sounds basically unchanged from the early days, even if the booklet photos suggest he might be physically morphing into Bill Clinton).

In the band's heyday, Caravan let loose with stunning instrumental passages on extended suites like "For Richard," "Nine Feet Underground," and "The Love in Your Eye." Certainly this pegged the group as a prog rock outfit, but unlike most others in this much-maligned style, Caravan never stalled the momentum or became heavy-handed in their sometimes intricate extended jams -- they rocked out with grace and power even when orchestrated. Here, the brief instrumentals "Wild West Street" and "Linders Field" might toss a bone to those who would like the bandmembers to step back from the mikes and just play for a bit, but the band's spacy instrumental interludes often seem less than fully developed, tending almost toward smooth jazz with an adult contemporary or new age sheen. The hottest soloing is reserved for the aforementioned youngster, guitarist Doug Boyle, whose blues-rock approach (he's a former Robert Plant axeman) passes for street cred in this group and also suggests he's a big fan of Andy Latimer. The Unauthorised Breakfast Item has enough heartfelt vocalizing, driving rhythms, hooky choruses, burning solos, contemporary jazz overtones, and atmospheric production effects to give some satisfaction to those Caravan fans of yore who are still among the living. But newcomers should seek out the band's discography from about 30 years or more ago -- back when the term "progressive rock" could actually mean something -- to experience stronger doses of excitement. (Most of the band's classic early LPs were reissued on CD with bonus tracks in 2001.) The members of Caravan acquit themselves reasonably well here -- and might even have some tricks up their sleeves in the future -- but this album sometimes suggests a meal partaken closer to sunset than sunrise.

Here is one of the most under-rated CARAVAN album of all time and is one of my personal favs. "Blind Dog at St. Dunstan"'s is a lesson in the prog Cantebury school of music really with some wonderful song writing. I think unfortunately the highest this album ever made it on the charts was something like 50 (UK) and never was really regarded as a classic CRAVAN album for some bizzare reason. Lineup juggles included Mike Wedgwood (CURVED AIR) on the bass/congas, Pye Hasting's wonderful guitar/voice, the lovely flute and viola of Geoff Richardson and the organ, moog, clavinet of Jan Schelhaas. Songs are quite soulful actually with some great deep song writing and complex musicianship throughout. When the band really gets groovin' their music actually reaches a semi-funk groove while holding onto a very much overriding Cantebury style. Brilliant music which really progresses...