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. 

Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink (1971)

Dan:

Caravan was a prototypical prog band from Canterbury, UK. They helped to define the genre in its earliest incarnations. All of my knowledge of Caravan comes from Steve, who has diligently investigated prog bands for decades. The lineage from Caravan to Camel is a connection I was unaware of until he traced it back from my copy of Camel's Breathless (1978).

Caravan's eponymous first album was released in 1969 and offered a thoughtful and clever alternative to the heavier prog bands of the time. Their next four albums took the promising beginning to more imaginative extremes, refining vocal and instrumental prowess despite frequent lineup changes. In the Land of Grey and Pink followed If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You, and stands as one of their greatest achievements on record. 

Side 1 opens with a light-hearted tale of infatuation with a "Golf Girl," followed by "Winter Wine," "Love to Love You," and the title track. All of these songs are delightful fantasies and recollections. 

Side 2 is a suite of ten songs comprising "Nine Feet Underground." It consumes 22:40 minutes and is classic prog at its best. Heard in one sitting, it touches all of the bases: excellent compositions, outstanding playing, coherence, and overall balance. Vocal duties are shared by Pye Hastings and Richard Sinclair. I especially like Sinclair's singing on "Dissociation" toward the end of the suite, which creates a nostalgic and wistful vibe:

And sometimes I think of wine

Songs and laughter flowing free

People talking all the time

And it brings it all back to me

Will the day be warm

And bright, or will it snow?

There are people waiting

Now who really have to know

For me, discovering In the Land of Land of Grey and Pink clarified a lot of prog's later developments. Caravan was a key band whose albums offer up much enjoyment 50 years after their first release. 

Steve:

As mentioned in our post for Soft Machine's Fourth, I bought In the Land of Grey and Pink on the same day as that album, and both albums were my first Canterbury prog albums. However, I do have an earlier memory of Grey and Pink. Dan and I would often shop at Yardbird Records in Coconut Grove (a section of Miami) and I specifically recall this album playing in the store long before I bought the album. It garnered my attention because of Richard Sinclair's singing, which is hard to miss - his presence on Camel's Breathless and Rain Dances is a defining characteristic of those two albums.  

During my junior year of college, the school year after I had bought this album and a few other Canterbury prog albums, my roommate (not much of a music fan, but he tolerated me well) heard this album so much he could sing along with "Golf Girl". I could tell that he was quite amused by the whimsical, goofy lyrics, sing-songy melody, and the innocent charm of Sinclair's voice. Meanwhile, my prog friend Rob (mentioned elsewhere in this blog) and I dug deeper into the more expansive thematic explorations of "Winter Wine" and "Nine Feet Underground". This album has a little something for everyone. "Love to Love You (and Tonight Pigs Will Fly)", sung by guitarist Pye Hastings, even sounds like a potential radio hit.

In the Land of Grey and Pink has rightfully earned the almost unanimous respect of the prog rock fanbase - I've never heard a negative word about it. I would even suggest it as a starting point for curious rock fans as to what this progressive rock thing is all about. Caravan are a very easy band to love.