Caravan - For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night (1973)

Steve:

As mentioned in my commentary on In the Land of Grey and Pink, Caravan were among the first progressive rock bands I adopted once I had graduated from the "big guys" of Yes, Crimson, Genesis, Floyd, etc. and explored the lesser-known stuff. Caravan's If I Could Do it All Over Again, I'd Do it All Over You; In the Land of Grey and Pink; Waterloo Lily; and For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night were all frequent spins by both me and my chum Rob in that year at college. I have a pleasant memory of Rob and I listening to a Charlotte NC classic rock station at night, and noticing the DJ's selections were leaning pretty hard in the prog direction. We called the station and talked to him and made a request for some Caravan. "Caravan! I love them! What song?" We replied, "how about 'Memory Lain Hugh/Headloss'?" (from For Girls Who Grow Plump... hang on... all these long titles are making me tired). And he did - except he chose a different song from the same album, "The Dog, the Dog, He's at it Again", which was perfectly welcome as well because this album is solid all the way through.

On Caravan's 5th album, the band seemed to finally settle into a pair of shoes that they would wear comfortably for the remainder of their existence. Bassist and co-lead singer Richard Sinclair had left to join Hatfield and the North, leaving Pye Hastings as the primary composer and sole lead singer. A key new addition to the band was Geoff Richardson, providing ecstatic violin work that adds a good-time hoedown atmosphere to the progressive rock seriousness. There actually is a song called "Hoedown", though you'll never mistake it for New Riders of the Purple Sage with its 7/8 meter.  

Most importantly, the production values improved noticeably over their prior albums. There is a depth to the arrangements and the mix that gives the impression that this is a big budget mainstream album. Caravan were able to take advantage of this new sonic broth with consistently enjoyable songs that even your friends can smile and bob their heads to, while maintaining the element of surprise with unusual compositional decisions and exciting twists and turns. All this makes For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night the Caravan album that has aged the best for me. 

Dan:

Thanks again to Steve for turning me on to Caravan. For Girls opens with an exuberant suite of happy songs comprised as "Memory Lain, Hugh Headloss" and continues for the rest of Side 1, disturbed only slightly by the shifts to minor themes in "C'Thlu Thlu." Side 2 is basically two longer suites, similar to the wonderful "Nine Feet Underground" on Grey and Pink. "Chance of a Lifetime" appeals to me most, given its optimistic whimsy. It's also marked by a lovely viola solo by Richardson, who proves that he's not just a hoedown fiddler. "L'augerge de Sanglier" kicks off the final five-part suite that includes what I take to be the lovely "Pengola" before bringing the album to an exciting conclusion.