Caravan (band)

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Caravan
General information
Genre (s) Canterbury sound
founding 1968, 1980, 1990, 1995
resolution 1978, 1985, 1992
Website http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/
Founding members
Pye Hastings
Dave Sinclair (until 1971, 1973–1975, 1980–2002)
Richard Sinclair (until 1972, 1978, 1981–1993)
Richard Coughlan †
Current occupation
Vocals, guitar
 Pye Hastings
Keyboard
 Jan Schelhaas (1975–1978; since 2002)
Guitar, viola , violin
Geoffrey Richardson (1972–1981, 1995–1996, since 1997)
bass
 Jim Leverton (since 1995)
Drums, percussion
 Mark Walker (since 2010)
former members
Steve Miller (1971–1972)
Keyboard
 Derek Austin (1972-1973)
bass
 Stuart Evans (1972-1973)
percussion
 Simon Bentall (1996-1997)
guitar
 Doug Boyle (1996-2007)
Vocals, bass
 Mike Wedgwood (1974-1976)
bass
 John Perry (1973–1974)
bass
 Dek Messecar (1977–1981)
Jimmy Hastings (1996-1997)

Caravan is a British band whose style u. a. was classified as progressive rock , art rock or avant-garde rock .

The most appropriate is probably the origin-related indication of ' Canterbury Sound ', as Caravan was formed in 1967/68 from the tightly woven network of that style-forming music scene in Canterbury , which also produced the groups Soft Machine , Matching Mole and Hatfield and the North and in which musicians like Kevin Ayers , Hugh Hopper , Robert Wyatt and the Australian native Daevid Allen were important focal points.

history

The first mother of the Canterbury scene was the group Wilde Flowers , founded in 1963 , which disbanded in June 1967. Some of the founders of Soft Machine (Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Hugh Hopper) had belonged to it by 1966. Four of the remaining Wilde Flowers formed Caravan in early 1968, namely guitarist Pye Hastings, bassist Richard Sinclair, his cousin Dave Sinclair on keyboards and Richard Coughlan on drums. The first line-up of Caravan was complete with these four members and in October 1968 the debut LP Caravan was released with, it is said, moderate and initially limited to Great Britain success. However, through radio, television and festival appearances, the group increasingly managed to draw attention to itself and also to gain followers on the continent.

The final breakthrough came with the other albums If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You and In the Land of Gray and Pink , which were released by July 1971 . The first three LPs are still considered to be the ones that authentically represent the classic caravan sound: funny lyrics; catchy, but not simple topics; Jams that take up half an LP side, with a jazzy and sometimes psychedelic touch; Music that is more geared towards easy listening compared to Soft Machine. Characteristic are David Sinclair's organ playing and Pye Hastings' singing.

From mid-1971, frequent changes in group composition can be recorded; only Hastings and Coughlan turned out to be constants in the line-up. (Amusingly understandable also based on the annotated "Canterbury Family Tree", which was included in the 1977 Soft Machine album Triple Echo ). In the opinion of many fans and critics, especially after the fourth album Waterloo Lily from May 1972, the musical direction of Caravan has since changed to their disadvantage. Firing up jobs for Slade and Status Quo in Australia made a partial turn to conventional song structures seem advisable. Nevertheless, the band mostly managed the balancing act between artistic instrumental passages and the worldly demands of the rock business quite well. The album Cunning Stunts was able to fight its way to position 50 on the album charts in the United Kingdom and reached number 124 in the USA. Blind Dog At St. Dunstan's made it to number 53 in the British charts.

In 1978 Caravan officially broke up for the first time, only to come back to life several times since 1980 with a different composition - now mostly as a live band. In the meantime, the starting line-up met again.

In 2006 Jim Leverton and Geoffrey Richardson appeared as members of Paul Roland's band on his album Re-Animator .

Discography

  • 1968: Caravan
  • 1970: If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You
  • 1971: In the Land of Gray and Pink
  • 1972: Waterloo Lily
  • 1973: For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night
  • 1974: Caravan and the New Symphonia
  • 1975: Cunning stunts
  • 1976: Blind Dog at St. Dunstan's
  • 1976: Best Of Caravan (Canterbury Tales) 1-CD edition
  • 1977: Better By Far
  • 1979: Songs and Signs
  • 1980: The Album
  • 1982: Back To Front
  • 1988: Looking back
  • 1990: Caravan Live
  • 1991: With an ear to the ground
  • 1991: BBC Radio One Live in Concert (1975)
  • 1994: Cool Water
  • 1994: Best Of Caravan (Canterbury Tales) 2-CD edition
  • 1995: The Battle of Hastings
  • 1996: All Over You
  • 1997: Canterbury Comes to London (Live)
  • 1998: Back on the Tracks (Live in Holland)
  • 1998: Songs For Oblivion Fishermen
  • 1998: Ether Way
  • 1998: Show of Our Lives
  • 1998: Traveling man
  • 1999: Surprise Supplies
  • 1999: All Over You Too
  • 1999: Headloss
  • 2000: The HTD Years (Compilation)
  • 2002: Live at the Fairfield Halls 1974
  • 2002: Green Bottles For Marjorie; The Lost BBC Sessions
  • 2002: Traveling Ways
  • 2002: For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night (Remastered with bonus tracks)
  • 2003: The Unauthorized Breakfast Item
  • 2003: Live UK Tour 1975
  • 2005: Gray, Pink & Gold
  • 2007: The Show of Our Lives - Caravan at the BBC 1968–1975
  • 2010: The World Is Yours - The Anthology 1968–1976 (4CDs)
  • 2013: Paradise Filter

Filmography

Web links