| CARAVAN - Decca Catalogue Remasters (Decca/Universal) Release date : February 2001
Musicians: Pye Hastings (vocals/guitar) - Richard Coughlan (drums) - David Sinclair (keyboards) - Richard Sinclair (vocals/bass) - Geoff Richardson (viola) - Jimmy Hastings (sax/flute/clarinet) - Steve Miller (keyboards) - John G. Perry (bass/backing vocals) - Mike Wedgwood (bass/vocals)
Recorded : 1968-75, England
Tracklist: refer to the Canterbury Online Discography for more details; bonus material detailed below Comments : Opportunities to discover over two hours of unreleased top-quality material by one of your favourite bands are very rare, but this is what has just happened with Decca/Universal Music's Caravan reissue programme. February 26th saw the release of 6 CDs, which cover the entire output of the band on Decca/Deram between 1970-75. In addition to remastered album material, each CD contains a wealth of bonus material which is detailed below. For this we have to thank in particular Mark Powell, mastermind of this project and author of the extensive booklet liner notes, as well as remix engineers Paschal Byrne and Julian Hastings (son of Pye). THE BONUS MATERIAL - DETAILED REVIEW IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, I'D DO IT ALL OVER YOU (1970) * A Day In The Life Of Maurice Haylett (5:40) This outtake from the If I Could sessions was already included on the Where But For Caravan Would I compilation issued in 2000, but reappears here as it should have, since it is a song that largely deserves to be heard in conjunction with the album. If I Could... was quite a long album for this time period, and there was no room left to include it. Why it was never used until now remains something of a mystery, apart from the fact that everyone seemed to have forgotten about its very existence. Apparently there was no shortage of material during this period, and unlike later outtakes, most of which surfaced on subsequent albums, this didn't. "A Day..." is very typical of early 70s Caravan, in that it starts very quietly and then builds into something much bigger, culminating with a classic Sinclair organ solo. Excellent stuff. * Why? (demo version of "And I Wish I Were Stoned") (4:22) * Clipping The 8th (demo version of "Hello Hello") (3:13) * As I Feel I Die (demo version) (4:39) These are pro-quality studio demos dating from the period between the first and second Caravan albums, at at time when the band was without a label and self-financed recordings of then-new material with a view to getting a new contract. These versions are very similar to those which appeared on the finished album, just a bit less polished, especially in the vocal department. "And I Wish..." has Pye singing lead all the way through, rather than Richard. Understandable since this is his song, but with the lack of any songs by Richard on the album, it was later decided that he should perform the lead vocal (in contrast, the demo of "Hello Hello", yet another Hastings song, already has him singing lead). IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK (1971) * I Don't Know Its Name (alias "The Word") (6:12) One of this set of reissues' most enjoyable revelations - a totally unknown Caravan song (actual title "Frozen Rose") written and sung by Richard Sinclair. Being quite similar in structure to "Winter Wine", and not a major departure from Caravan's style at the time, it's understandable why it was left off the album, although on the other hand it's a minor tragedy that it has remained unheard until now. Classic Caravan, and along with "A Day In The Life Of Maurice Haylett", one of the two major album outtakes from the original line-up. * Aristocracy (3:42) This is one of Pye Hastings' shorter songs on the subsequent album Waterloo Lily, heard here performed a year earlier with Dave Sinclair still in the line-up. The arrangement is quite similar apart from the obvious difference in keyboard instrumentation, but the overall performance, vocal and instrumental, is less assured than on the WL version, as exemplified by the final collapse. * It's Likely To Have A Name Next Week (instrumental demo of "Winter Wine") (7:48) While not as fantastic as the released version (especially in the organ department - Dave's solo on it seemed to capture the very best of hundreds of improvisations, which is not the feeling you get here), this is interesting since it featured Richard humming the tune rather than singing the lyrics, which were penned some time later. The opening section is totally different to its final incarnation, but other than that the structure of "Winter Wine" is already in place, only waiting for the extra touch of Caravan perfection to become the classic it remains to this day. * Group Girl (first version of "Golf Girl" with slightly different lyrics) (5:04) Very similar to the final version, with the exception of the wind instruments (John Beecham's trombone on the intro - who remains uncredited for his performance except for the Canterbury Tales compilation which restored his credit - and Jimmy Hastings' flute and piccolo) and some early lyrics that were later considered too personal and abandoned in favour of a more 'universal' story (of the "Pat" in the song, Richard sings that she "became a Missus", and that they "had a son... called Jason"). An interesting alternate take, in much the same way as a lot of the stuff on the Beatles' Anthology series. * Disassociation / 100% Proof (new mix) (8:35) This is an attempt to illustrate the amount of instrumental contributions committed to tape during the sessions for "Nine Feet Underground", the final result being assembled from countless different takes in order to create the best possible performance (an easy process nowadays with the computer technology, an unbelievable mess of master tape thirty years back!!). Even Richard Sinclair's vocals are slightly different, with a couple of minor changes in the lyrics. The most obvious addition in the final jamming section is an energetic guitar solo by Pye, which is fine but certainly not up to the level of Dave's organ solos, but still an interesting alternative to the version we know so well. WATERLOO LILY (1972) * Pye's June Thing (2:57) * Ferdinand (2:57) These two solo voice/guitar performances by Pye Hastings date from the last days of the original line-up, in early June 1971. Pye's songs from this period have a certain charm that is particularly in evidence on these stripped down (except for some lead acoustic guitar overdubs), acoustic takes. Very much in the style of "The World Is Yours" or "Aristocracy", and equally attractive. * Looking Left, Looking Right (5:37) An outtake from the early sessions for Waterloo Lily, in November 1971, with Steve Miller's unique electric piano playing well to the fore. The song itself, written by Pye Hastings, I find more typical of late-period Caravan (it especially brought to my mind "Make Yourself At Home" from The Album), with a slightly funk-rock feel and bluesy structure. It is also notable for a guest appearance by trumpet player Mike Cotton, who also plays on part of "The Love In Your Eye". Not an unforgettable classic but certainly a complete song that fully belongs with the rest of the album. * Pye's Loop (1:21) Actually segued to the previous track at the mastering stage, this is a riff from Looking Left used as the background for a trumpet solo by Cotton which makes use of the delay pedal in the manner of some of Miles Davis' work from that era. Nice. FOR GIRLS WHO GROW PLUMP IN THE NIGHT (1973) * Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss (US Mix) (9:18) The US single of the duo of songs that still opens Caravan's shows to this day, has a significantly different mix to the original. No alternate solos or vocal takes, but a different focus on the wealth of instrumental layers committed to tape - especially on "Memory Lain, Hugh", in which Jimmy Hastings floating flute solo is heard better than ever before. * No! / Waffle (aka Be Alright / Chance Of A Lifetime) (5:10) * He Who Smelt It Dealt It (aka Memory Lain, Hugh) (4:43) * Surprise, Surprise (3:15) * Derek's Long Thing (11:00) Possibly the most exciting stuff to appear in this series!! These four tracks amount to about 25 minutes of material recorded by the previously unheard line-up of Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlan, Geoff Richardson, Derek Austin and Stuart Evans, which existed between August 1972 and February 1973. These tapes were the original sessions for what was to eventually become the For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night album, and were recorded at Chipping Norton Studios between December 1972 and January 1973. That line-up disintegrated following a tour of Australia and New Zealand, and the album was started again with John G. Perry and David Sinclair. Apart from the one totally unreleased piece, these early versions are sometimes significantly different ("Memory Lain..." is noticeably slower than the known version), especially so since these recordings are instrumental - with the exception of a wordless vocal by Pye Hastings, singing the melody line on "Surprise, Surprise". Overall, I'd say these recordings are a welcome rehabilitation of a line-up that, in this writer's eyes, had every right to call itself Caravan. In the liner notes, Pye Hastings is quoted as saying that he didn't think Derek Austin's compositions, of which "Derek's Long Thing" is a prime example, was Caravan music, nor was his organ playing. This is probably true to the extent that Caravan can't really be Caravan without Dave Sinclair, but other than that, this long instrumental epic is Caravan at the peak of its prowess - Richardson and Austin's solos are excellent, and the general atmosphere of quiet, elegant jamming is a classic example of the band at its prime. Let's note that, while this is the same piece, this is not the same recording as "Austin Cambridge" on the Canterburied Sounds series, which was probably a (good) rehearsal tape. This version is slightly shorter, sometimes different, and has top-notch sound quality. CARAVAN & THE NEW SYMPHONIA - THE COMPLETE CONCERT (1974) One of the major achievements of this series, and a dream come true for a lot of Caravan fans - the complete concert with the New Symphonia. In truth, the extra 'symphonic' material is limited to the encore, "A Hunting We Shall Go", which many in attendance that night said was the peak of the evening. And it is indeed a superb piece, although not a major departure from the album version. The 'original' album is of course included, but with the original order in which the songs were performed at last restored, and the between-songs 'banter' included as well. This part of the CD has only been remastered, not newly remixed as the rest, but the mixing engineers at the time did a fine job and it sounds really great. Those present at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane that night will remember that Caravan began their performance with a 'solo' set, without the orchestra. This 20-minute section has been mixed from the original tapes, as for "A Hunting We Shall Go", and it is quite typical of Caravan's concerts from that period (setlist: "Memory Lain, Hugh" / "Headloss", "The Dog The Dog He's At It Again" & "Hoedown"). It's the first release of (non-orchestral) live material featuring what Pye Hastings has described repeatedly as the best performing line-up Caravan ever had in its career. The CD clocks in at 78:20 - enough extra stuff to justify buying this album again if you already had the original CD reissue (I didn't - seems it's been out of print for years). CUNNING STUNTS (1975) * Stuck In A Hole (single version) (3:11) Well, this is longer than the album version by 3 seconds, but I personally can't tell the difference. For completists only. * Keeping Back My Love (5:15) This one sounds vaguely familiar... doesn't it? In fact this is an early version of "Behind You" from Better By Far, with completely different lyrics. This is an outtake from the earliest sessions for Cunning Stunts, in August 1974, so it has David Sinclair and Mike Wedgwood on keyboards and bass respectively, rather than Jan Schelhaas and Dek Messecar, but other than that the performance is largely similar (an exception being the synth solos, played here by Richardson on viola and, later in the track, Sinclair on organ). All in all, an extreme example of how Caravan songs are first and foremost tunes, with lyrics often an afterthought - or a set of words that can later be dropped altogether in favour of something else. * For Richard (live at Fairfield Hall 1974) (18:33) Fans of The Best Of Caravan Live, rejoice - this is the best you can expect at this time as far as a CD reissue of this album is concerned. The legal situation surrounding this double-LP, a French-only release from 1980, is quite complex (although I understand there is hope for an eventual reissue), but this excerpt, which had appeared some four years earlier on the original Canterbury Tales compilation, is free for Decca to use and appears here in pristine digital sound quality. This concert, one of the first played with Mike Wedgwood in the line-up, arguably captures Caravan at its peak, so let's hope the remainder follows... The spoken introduction by Geoff is quite hilarious. [Note: Since this review was written, The Best Of Caravan Live has been reissued as Live At Fairfield Hall 1974] | 
