REVIEWS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES
Even when I was a kid, I’d read the liner notes of the LPs I’d buy. And I’d look at the printed inner sleeves when they were included. It was via those four-color sleeves for Moody Blues albums (on the London label) that I first heard of artists such as Danny O’Keefe, Savoy Brown, Ten Years After and Caravan. Those sleeves depicted album covers featuring those artists, some nine (or was it sixteen? I’d have to go look) per side.
And while the TYA and Savoy Brown albums would be relatively easy to find in the 70s (O’Keefe’s 1973 Breezy Stories somewhat less so) I never did stumble across a vinyl copy of Caravan’s In the Land of Grey and Pink. One saw those LPs in stores much less often than, say, Stonedhenged or Watt.
Needless to say, I never heard the music, either. The Hobbity album art didn’t intrigue me all that much, so I was less than inclined to go on a search for it, anyway.
Fast forward to the late 1990s, a time during which the whole bootleg collecting and trading thing really took off for me. At that point I was voraciously consuming new (well, new-to-me) music – albeit of the unreleased variety – by all manner of groups. Beyond laying my hands on Beatles, Pink Floyd and Todd Rundgren session outtakes and live concert recordings, my particular interest leaned toward out-of-print powerpop and live/radio broadcasts by progressive rock bands.
The latter led me, finally, toward Caravan. I first got a bootleg (possibly a dub of a quasi-legal release) called Green Bottles for Marjorie. The sound quality of these BBC broadcasts was pretty wretched, but the strength of the music shone through. While Caravan is often lumped into the “Canterbury scene” category, their sound reflected a sort of distillation of the best qualities of jazz, filtered through a very pop-oriented rock sensibility. The end result of that process was music that was catchy, friendly, and ambitious. And the vocals of guitarist Pye Hastings (who these days resembles no one so much as Bill Clinton) had an everyman quality about them, so any arguments about the band being pretentious (a la Yes, for example) were largely rendered moot.
I eventually tracked down a number of Caravan albums – legitimate ones – albeit on CD. (Porcupine Tree‘s Steven Wilson has recently been involved in remastering of some of Caravan’s best-loved material.) And most recently, thanks to an American expat friend who lives in Budapest Hungary, I am now the proud owner of a few vintage Caravan LPs, including the elusive In the Land of Grey and Pink.
Caravan’s lineup has changed pretty constantly over the group’s history; only Hastings remains from the original 60s lineup. And the sound has changed in subtle ways, most notably when the group added violin (but hey, that was in the 70s). Former members left and sometimes returned (a la Yes again), often joining or forming their own groups (Camel, National Health, etc.) that shared sonic similarities with Caravan.
But somehow Caravan has soldiered on. Having gone inactive, sometimes for long stretches, the group surprised many by reconvening in 2010 for a one-off at London’s Metropolis Studios. That venue has been host to some other excellent live-in-studio concerts before small audiences, including sets by The Zombies, Bill Nelson and Van Der Graaf Generator. That Caravan session has been released as Recorded Live in Concert at Metropolis Studios, London. And the CD+DVD set finds the 21st century lineup of Caravan every bit as musically compelling as ever.
The five-piece 2010 lineup of the band included stalwart Hastings plus Geoffrey Richardson (guitar and viola, a member since 1972, with some gaps), Jim Leverton (bass since 1995), Jan Schelhaas (keyboards on and off since 1976), and new member Mark Walker on drums. Founding member (now retired) Richard Coughlan joined the band for this set.
The twelve songs (the set is duplicated in its audiovisual entirety on the DVD) balances older, classic material form the group’s 1970s heyday with newer material, some of which has never been released in any form until now. “Memory Lain, Hugh” and Headloss” are two extended pieces that Caravan fans would expect to find here, and the band opens with them, doing so in style. “And I Wish I Were Stoned” dates back to Caravan’s 1970 LP If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You, and “The Unauthorised Breakfast Item” is the title track from the band’s last studio effort, released in 2003. The new songs fir nicely into the set, and are characterized mostly perhaps by their featuring more lyrics and less instrumental work.
But fans of the latter need not fear: though the group’s perennial favorite “For Richard” is not on offer in this set, the lovely “Nine Feet Underground” is here in all its multifaceted glory. Perhaps no other song sums up everything Caravan is about: gentle vocals, knotty time signatures, dazzling instrumental displays, and an insistence on melody above all else.
Unique among similar reunion/nostalgia excursions, Recorded Live can be recommended equally to that small group of longtime fans as well to listeners wholly unfamiliar with Caravan’s music. Sure, these guys (save Walker) are in their sixties, but they’ve still got it.
Bill Kopp 21.08.2013 (MUSSCRIBE)
I have always enjoyed Caravan on record and got the chance to see them in Gateshead in January 2013. The show was amazing and the musicianship and rapport with the audience was outstanding. This album and DVD captures the current live show really well and is great value. It contains familiar Caravan material and some newer songs which are also excellent. I would obviously recommend to fans of the band but would also urge all those who love music to take a "chance" on this release..you will not be disappointed. A special mention to the relatively recent recruit, drummer Mark Walker. I don't think I have heard a better drummer in over 40 years of concert going. The only problem is that after hearing this fantastic album I can't resist buying all the Caravan records again on CD and I now have the full set! Roll on the next tour.
Michael G M Gormley 5/5 17.03.2013 (AMAZON)
Caravan Live Brilliant.
Having seen Caravan recently this live studio version of some of their songs is the next best thing to being there.
DWJONES 5/5 13.06.2013 (AMAZON)
I bought this as a result of seeing Caravan a few weeks ago for the first time in years.
Membership of Caravan has morphed over many years, with Pye Hastings being the only original member left. Each new member has brought their own influence to bear on the vast back catalogue of music, but importantly, Pye continues to write material as fresh as it was in 1968.
I was rather sceptical that drummer Richard Coughlan could ever be replaced. However, I am absolutely delighted that Mark Walker has thoroughly proved me wrong, playing with much skill and enthusiasm. 'Old boys' Geoff Richardson, Jan Shelhaas and Jim Leverton continue push the boundaries whilst staying true to the original.
This album in particular conveys the enjoyment the band obviously have when working together.
Particular favourites on here are the classics of Memory Lain, Hugh, Headloss and Nine Feet Underground. Give Me More (from their 1977 Better By Far album) also has its first ever live performance.
The production of the CD, and in particular the DVD is up there with the very best.
A must have for Caravan fans, and a great addition for any serious music collection.
C. Wise (Sunny Herne Bay) 5/5 14.05.2013 (AMAZON)
As a fan over the past 40 years Caravan have never disappointed. Although we're all pushing on in years now these "boys" are as fresh as ever. It is sad Richard Coughlan is no longer fit to play but Mark Walker on drums is a more than adequate substitute. It's good to see them all enjoying delivering their tight performance on the DVD and touching to see Richard taking part with obvious approval. I have never understood why this lot have not achieved universal popularity. They have given me so much enjoyment over many years and continue to do so. Their musicality should appeal to everyone. Go on, try it. You know you want to! Highly recommended.
Mrs. L.A. Campbell 5/5 05.12.2013 (AMAZON)
They sound just as good today as they I back in there early years.
What a superb cd, Caravan Live cd recorded in 2010, they sound just as good today as they I back in there early years, the live cd is well made the band are on top form , you get the new stuff like, The Unauthorised breakfast item & Smoking Fun to Golf Girl, Give me more and agood mixture of other stuff. I could play this cd over & over as it is such agood live cd. thank you Caravan for making this album.
ozzys dead 5/5 05.08.2014 (AMAZON)
This has to be one of the best albums issued by Caravan. The recording is superb and the tracks are so well chosen. The band plays fantastic and provides an absolutely wonderful experience of Caravans so individual music. Been following Caravan for over 40 years and this just shows how good they are, never a dip. First live performance of 'Give me More' and it was superb. Brilliant !!!
Glenn Hillier "Caraman" (West Sussex UK) 5/5 19.10.2014 (AMAZON)
Under-rated mellow proggers turn in a highly rhythmic set that features some classic tracks.
This band is a must for fans of Pink Floyd and Camel. Sometimes the list of those who have ‘made it’ in music is criminally unjust and the select group of prog fans in the know will attest that Caravan should be high on that list. The band’s unique sound deserves a far wider audience and anyone who has not heard them has been deprived of a real joy.1973’s For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night is among my all-time favourites, because it has an ideal mix of strong melodies, compelling rhythms and a beautiful texture to the sound, its key features being Dave Sinclair’s mellow organ tone, Geoffrey Richardson’s electric violin and flute, Pye Hastings’s dreamy vocals and some deftly orchestrated moments. Each element blends with the rest to create a creamy, delightful sound that is quite unique to the band.Thankfully, this live set starts off with For Girls’ essential opening of the “Memory Lain, Hugh/Headloss” suite. Ex-Camel keys player Jan Schelhaas almost replicates the organ sound on his keys, but using synth gives it that extra zinging edge. The band made its name in an era when long tracks were in vogue. Caravan has always been on the edge of this by either playing short tracks that fit together, or long tracks made up of distinct sections. However they do it, the combination of rhythm changes and strong tunes makes these tracks addictive. The exemplary example of this is the eighteen-minute “Nine Feet Underground,” which is a pleasure from start to finish.Caravan has always displayed an understated humour.
Titles on this set, like “And I Wish I Were Stoned,” the new “Fingers in the Till” and “The Unauthorised Breakfast Item,” keep that going. On “Golf Girl,” Richardson plays a spoons duet, accompanied on washboard by drummer Mark Walker; on the lightly surreal “Hello Hello,” about a man clipping his hedge, he plays garden shears. Maybe that lighter, self-deprecating side of Caravan lost them some fans in the early years, when intensity and earnestness marked out most prog acts. As you would expect from a band with 25 albums behind them, there are virtually no weak tracks and the only disappointment is the way that, with age, Hastings has lost strength in his higher register and struggles with pitch on some notes, particularly on “Fingers in the Till.” Offsetting this, there is a mass of instrumental play and some exceeds earlier versions.Originally recorded for TV, this set was filmed in a studio of just 98 square feet, where no one was more than ten feet from the band. This means that the recording quality is high and the show is unusually intimate. Center-stage, new drummer Walker wears a constant grin, clearly thrilled to be part of such a terrific musical experience.
Seeing his joy helps to make it extra pleasing to watch.Caravan also deserves credit for not only coming out of retirement and producing this with just over a day’s rehearsal, when snow held them up, but also for knocking out two new tunes in that time.For a live CD set, their Live at Fairfield Halls is probably the best you will get; but as a DVD combination pack – and for great value – this is probably essential for fans, while for newcomers, it could be the doorway to a whole new catalogue of listening pleasure.
Derek Walker 23.06.2012
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