Genuinely a Canterbury band, Caravan represent the more commercial, easy to listen to end of the genre, and are a band I've struggled with, and never liked as much as I felt I should, despite having seen them live several times over a forty year period.
On seeing their debut album cheap on EBay, I thought I'd risk a couple of quid, and try to see how it all began.
Most obvious point, it's 1968 and everyone's trying to make their own sound, with Caravan's not being too different to the psychedelic end of things. The CD contains the eight original mono tracks, followed by the same thing again in stereo. The sound quality is the same mediocrity on both.
It's the early fumblings of a group who became, if not big, popular enough to earn a living for many years, and lots of it feels derivative, and dated. But there's a few sparks of innovative and ambitious stuff which would come to be associated with Caravan later on.
Opener Place Of My Own has a solid feel, a decent enough song, followed by Ride, an Eastern influenced, but otherwise ordinary song. Policeman is very Beatles influenced, and while a bit plodding, has a certain charm. Unlike Love Song With Flute, which is tedious. Cecil Rons is a more experimental, darker psychedelic number which doesn't quite come off, but Magic Man works well, a gentler song with an interesting organ accompaniment. Grandma's Lawn growls into being, with an almost Doors sound (until the vocals kick in), but there's something there which appeals. Final track is the nine minute Where But For Caravan Would I? It's ambitious, and shows intent, even if it's not as polished as some of the longer pieces Caravan would later become known for.
Bonus track, Hello Hello, was a later single from about a year later, and the band's development is evident.
It's an album with some historical interest, but not too much which makes the listener want to return. perhaps tellingly, I don't recall the band playing any of these songs all the time I've seen them live.
2* - only glimmers of what the band were to become.
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