Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Caravan
Label: Verve Forecast
Released: 1968
Rating: 4/5
In the mind of the average Anglo-Saxon, Canterbury is known mainly as the seat of the head of the Anglican Church, whoever happens to be occupying that much-revered post among the God-fearing flock. I doubt many of those sheep know that the name of this town also refers to one of the branches of progressive rock. The label eventually stuck to all the prog rock bands that came out of the place. Of all the legendary groups to emerge from the so-called Canterbury scene, in my opinion none was as original and interesting as Caravan. Their roots reach back to the mid-60s and the band Wilde Flowers. After that group’s cataclysmic breakup, most of the key names of Canterbury progressive rock were born: Caravan, Soft Machine and Gong. Once singer/guitarist Kevin Ayers, singer/drummer Robert Wyatt, bassist Hugh Hopper and guitarist/saxophonist Brian Hopper left to form Soft Machine, the remaining Wilde Flowers members, singer/guitarist Pye Hatings, drummer Richard Coughlan, singer/bassist Richard Sinclair and keyboardist David Sinclair, formed Caravan and right from the start began building a completely distinctive style of their own. Caravan were the embodiment of a progressive rock band with a genuinely British soul, one that was defined throughout by that typical English black humor with its countless sexual innuendos, which was always one of their trademarks, while on the outside they always came across as well-groomed gentlemen who had no truck with the usual excesses typical of most rock bands.
Their self-titled debut could be described as intelligently conceived psychedelic rock, both lyrically and compositionally, with a string of characteristic, singable vocal harmonies, symphonic organ passages and sarcastic lyrics. As was the case with most British psychedelic rock bands of the time, the unavoidable influence of the Beatles can be felt on this album too. Besides the more experimental pieces, Caraven were also capable of creating psychedelic pop songs that catch the ear in no time. Still, Caravan were just a bit too sarcastic and experimentally minded to win over the wider masses with their music. Most of the material on their debut had already been played live before.
“Place Of My Own”, which was not only their first song but also their first single, features Pye’s characteristically friendly and fragile vocal and the incredibly rich sound of David’s organ, which gives it a greater symphonic sweep and an esoteric atmosphere. In my opinion the legendary keyboardist is also the central musician of this album, and on the following records he was nowhere near as dominant. Even though it was the first song Pye ever wrote, the lyrics and the mood already hint at their later sarcastic, black-humored approach. “Ride” has a dreamy psychedelic melody, built on great interplay between guitar and organ. The vocal is enriched with echoing backing melodies. On “Policeman”, which is under a more than obvious psychedelic influence from the Beatles, David’s cousin Richard steps up on lead vocals and guitar, while Pye takes over on bass and backing vocals. Richard’s vocals and compositional talent would improve a lot later on, because here his voice still sounds pretty rough compared to the following years. On “Love Song with Flute”, a great melodic psychedelic rock number with a pinch of folk, Pye’s brother Jimmy Hatings appears as a special guest on flute, weaving a dreamy solo into the track. David’s keyboard passages are once again excellent, while the lead and backing vocals create a very pretty, dreamy, mystical atmosphere. In my opinion one of the two best pieces on the album. On the fairly dark “Cecil Rons”, where you can feel the spirit of Syd Barrett, they show off their unusual, gloomier side too, with deliberately dissonant vocals and energetic psychedelic organ outbursts that build a chilling atmosphere. Even Pye’s usually fragile and gentle voice sounds strangely raw, almost unrecognizable, with its paranoid screams this time. “Magic Man” is a lovely mystical psychedelic ballad with masterful organ textures and Pye’s dreamy, unmistakable vocal. The vocal harmonies in the chorus are again remarkably successful. “Grandma’s Lawn”, the second of Richard’s two compositions on the album, again features his vocal and guitar, with Pye filling in on bass. Of everything on the album, this is in my view the weakest, although it once again has very good interplay between the organ and a strong ending with melodic vocal harmonies. Last comes the epic “Where But For Caravan Would I?”, which was co-written with former Wilde Flowers comrade Brian Hopper. This masterpiece, which in my opinion is even one of their best ever, was their first attempt at a longer and more complex composition, and the closest they had come to the progressive rock of the years that followed. Pye built the song on the framework of a piece Brian Hooper had written back in the Wilde Flowers days. The first section has a dreamy mood with esoteric passages on acoustic guitar and keyboards and a gentle vocal. After the chorus comes an energetic shift in mood, where David’s organ takes the lead. Then a short acoustic guitar melody makes room for Richard’s vocal, which is his best vocal performance on the album. Pye joins him in the chorus, and when their voices blend into harmony they create a dreamlike sonic experience. The ending brings a few unpredictable, jazz-leaning rhythmic changes before the album closes with one more energetic keyboard passage.
The reissue also includes a bonus track, the single version of “Hello Hello”, which is already closer to their later style and has more jazz rhythmic elements. Since mono and stereo versions of recordings often sounded quite different back then, they decided to include both the mono and the stereo mix of the album in full on this reissue. Which of the two is better comes down to personal taste, since some songs sound better in mono while others work better in stereo.
Although in sound and atmosphere “Caravan” is a fairly typical product of its time, i.e. the 60s psychedelic rock scene, it is still a pretty impressive debut and one of the cornerstones of British psychedelic/progressive rock, alongside other groundbreaking albums such as “The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn” (Pink Floyd), “The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davejack” (The Nice), “Days Of Future Passed” (The Moody Blues), “Procol Harum” (Procol Harum), “Music In a Doll’s House” (Family) and “Mr. Fantasy” (Traffic), none of which any fan or explorer of prog rock’s roots should overlook. For the latter, this album is practically a must, as it’s one of the best indicators of psychedelic rock evolving into progressive rock. Over the following years Caravan of course made more than noticeable sonic progress and gradually moved away from the psychedelic sound toward more jazzy and symphonic influences. Even though they never reached the commercial success many had predicted for them at the start, after their debut Caravan recorded a whole bunch of highly artistic, high-profile albums that set some important developmental guideposts within progressive rock and established them as the most popular and longest-lived band of the relatively obscure Canterbury scene.
Lineup
Pye Hastings – vocals, guitar, bass guitar
David Sinclair – keyboards, backing vocals
Richard Sinclair – vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar
Richard Coughlan – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Jimmy Hastings – flute (3)
Production
Tony Cox
Tracklist
1. Place Of My Own (4:01)
2. Ride (3:42)
3. Policeman (2:44)
4. Love Song With Flute (4:10)
5. Cecil Rons (4:07)
6. Magic Man (4:03)
7. Grandma’s lawn (3:25)
8. Where But For Caravan Would I? (9:01)
Album length: 35:13
