Founded in 1968, Caravan emerged from the ashes of the legendary Canterbury band Wilde Flowers. After the Wilde Flowers (which never recorded an album) disbanded, its former members—guitarist/vocalist Pye Hastings (b. 1947), bassist/vocalist Richard Sinclair (b. 1948), and keyboardist Dave Sinclair (b. 1947) (Richard’s cousin), and drummer Richard Coughlan (1947–2013) founded Caravan, while Robert Wyatt founded Soft Machine (which was later joined by another Wilde Flowers veteran, Hugh Hopper). With Caravan and Soft Machine, the most influential bands of the so-called Canterbury scene were now in place.
Whereas Soft Machine veered from the start toward more experimental and challenging territory, Caravan always operated in a somewhat more pop-oriented vein, although their music, like Soft Machine’s, certainly featured strong psychedelic and jazz influences.
Caravan’s untitled debut album was recorded in late 1968 and released in January 1969. It is an important part of the early days of progressive rock, even though it cannot quite be characterized as a fully mature example of the genre. The album has a charmingly captivating and slightly dreamy atmosphere. The music is cozy and accessible, yet never becomes bland.
The band’s young musicians may not be virtuosos, but they already have a solid command of their instruments at this stage. Dave Sinclair’s organ parts, in particular, have some impressive punch at times. There’s no excessive showmanship on the part of the musicians, and they don’t come across as rock gods in any way on the album; instead, there’s a pleasant sense of humanity throughout, and after listening to the album, you’re left with the feeling that it would be fun to chat about music with these guys over a pint at a pub.
A light-hearted, slightly Monty Python-esque sense of humor also plays an important role on the album. This combination of a certain warm, down-to-earth quality and a twinkle in the eye would go on to become a key element in the albums of future Canterbury bands as well.
The album opener, “Place Of My Own,” is a beautiful and wistful pop song that Pye Hastings sings with real charm. The next track, “Ride,” also works well. “Ride” brings to mind the Beatles’ later work. Starting off calmly and psychedelically, the song then explodes into action with the help of the organ—it’s solid stuff, until the whole thing comes to a slightly shaky conclusion as the music fades out rather abruptly.
The third track, “Policeman”—composed and sung by Richard Sinclair—is, on the other hand, a rather shaky effort that doesn’t really go anywhere. Fortunately, the next track, “Love Song With Flute,” is among the album’s best. A beautiful melody unfolds gently during the first minute and a half, after which the tempo picks up, and the song steadily builds energy while remaining laid-back, melodic, and inviting throughout. Pye Hastings’ vocals sound remarkably like Robert Wyatt’s on this track. Pye Hastings’ older brother Jimmy Hastings (1938–2024) plays a beautiful flute solo on the track (which he improvised in a single take without ever having heard the song before), after which this song, too, ends somewhat abruptly. “Love Song With Flute” is already quite a mature piece of Caravan’s work and also a good generic example of what the “Canterbury sound” sounds like.
Next up is “Cecil Rons,” which stands out from what we’ve heard so far with its rougher sound and more rhythmic approach, even though the chorus is once again quite melodic. And quite catchy! The highlight of the song is the vocalist’s raucous shout of “Cecil RoooONS!”. What a great moment!
The mood calms down again with “Magic Man,” a melancholic pop track somewhat reminiscent of “Place Of My Own,” but nowhere near as successful. After a promising start, the song ends up treading water a bit. “
“Grandma’s Lawn” is the second song on the album written and sung by Richard Sinclair. And thankfully, “Policemania” is significantly more successful. As a singer, Sinclair is still a bit rough around the edges, and Hastings handles the job better. In the years to come, the situation would turn completely around.
The album concludes with the 9-minute track “Where But For Caravan Would I?”, a humorously titled piece that best foreshadows the band’s progressive direction in the coming years; it had actually been conceived back in the Wilde Flowers era, which is why Brian Hopper (Hugh’s brother), a member of that band, also received a compositional credit. In this track—which is slightly more complex than the rest of the material—the band gets to let loose even more than before. The rocking instrumental section led by the organ, which begins around the three-minute mark, is a pleasure to listen to, though it could be even more impactful. David Sinclair, however, gets to play the longest and best organ solos on the album in this track.
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It is interesting to note that although Soft Machine had been formed long before Caravan, its debut album was not released until December 1968—just one month before Caravan’s debut, which came out in January 1969. If one were to judge solely by looking at discographies, the significance of Caravan’s debut might even seem a bit overstated. It is essential to remember that Soft Machine was a band greatly admired by the members of Caravan and an important role model even before the release of their first album. Soft Machine’s long history prior to their recording debut speaks volumes about how long the band had been developing its own musical expression.
Regardless of which band recorded first, Caravan’s debut is, in any case, quite an impressive achievement for a young band, even if not all of the album’s tracks are complete hits. Nevertheless, the album provided a strong foundation and clear building blocks for a band that went on to develop rapidly yet organically. Alongside Soft Machine, Caravan paved the way for the Canterbury scene and was right at the forefront of a new musical style—progressive rock—as it took shape in the years that followed.
Best tracks: ”Place Of My Own”, ”Love Song With Flute”, ”Cecil Rons”, ”Where But For Caravan Would I?”
Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI
Tracks
- ”Place of my Own” 4:00
- ”Ride” 3:41
- ”Policeman” 2:45
- ”Love Song with Flute” 4:09
- ”Cecil Rons” 4:05
- ”Magic Man” 4:01
- ”Grandma’s Lawn” 3:23
- ”Where but for Caravan Would I?”
Caravan:
Pye Hastings: vocals, guitars, bass guitar Richard Sinclair: vocals, bass guitar, guitar Dave Sinclair: organ, piano Richard Coughlan: drums
Guests:
Jimmy Hastings: flute
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