Caravan (band) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Caravan are an English band

Rock Band

Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

from the Canterbury

Canterbury

Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....

area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair

Richard Sinclair

Richard S. Sinclair is a progressive rock bassist, guitarist and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene.-Biography:...

, Pye Hastings

Pye Hastings

Julian Frederick Gordon 'Pye' Hastings is a British musician. He is the guitarist, vocalist and leader of the Canterbury scene band Caravan and brother of Jimmy Hastings.-References:...

and Richard Coughlan

Richard Coughlan

Richard Coughlan is an English musician, best known as the drummer and percussionist of the Canterbury scene progressive rock band Caravan. He was one of the founding members of Caravan in 1968 and has remained with the band for its over 35-year existence...

. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene

Canterbury Scene

The Canterbury scene is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians, many of whom were based around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s...

, blending psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...

and jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

to create a distinctive sound like their contemporaries Soft Machine

Soft Machine

Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...

. Caravan still remains active as a live band in the 21st century.

History

Following the dissolution of their former band, Wilde Flowers

Wilde Flowers

The Wilde Flowers were a popular music group based in the vicinity of Canterbury, England. The group was active between 1964 and 1967 but never released any records during its existence; however it led to the formation of two other groups that became well-known and influential: Soft Machine and...

, David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair

Richard Sinclair

Richard S. Sinclair is a progressive rock bassist, guitarist and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene.-Biography:...

, Pye Hastings

Pye Hastings

Julian Frederick Gordon 'Pye' Hastings is a British musician. He is the guitarist, vocalist and leader of the Canterbury scene band Caravan and brother of Jimmy Hastings.-References:...

and Richard Coughlan

Richard Coughlan

formed Caravan in 1968. The band became the first British act to sign for American record label, Verve

Verve Records

Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...

, who subsequently released the band's debut LP, Caravan, later the same year. After this Verve closed their rock and pop division, causing Caravan to move to Decca Records

Decca Records

Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

for the release of If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You in 1970, from which the title track gained the band an appearance on Top Of The Pops, and then Deram (Decca's progressive subsidiary) for 1971's In the Land of Grey and Pink

In the Land of Grey and Pink

-Side Two:The following bonus tracks were included on the 2001 remastered edition of CD:* Remastered by Paschal ByrneTrack list and timings from the 1971 London LP :-Side One:-Side Two:-Personnel:* Pye Hastings – guitars and vocals...

. After the third album's release David Sinclair chose to leave the group, to be replaced by Steve Miller. The change in keyboardist caused a change in musical direction, and the band's next album, Waterloo Lily, was distinctly more jazz influenced than earlier work. This caused some unrest for followers of the group and the band disintegrated soon after Waterloo Lilys release, leaving just Hastings and Coughlan. The duo recruited viola

Viola

The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...

player Geoffrey Richardson, bassist Stu Evans and keyboardist Derek Austin and toured extensively. This line-up did not make any recordings before Evans was replaced by John Perry and Dave Sinclair rejoined the group in 1973. The resulting album For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night

For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night

-Side two:The following bonus tracks were included on the 2001 remastered edition of the CD.- Musicians :*Pye Hastings – singer, vocals, guitar*Geoff Richardson – viola...

was well-received critically. Perry left soon afterwards and was replaced by Mike Wedgwood

Mike Wedgwood

Mike Wedgwood is an English bassist and singer. He is related to the Wedgwood family of pottery fame.Wedgwood joined The Overlanders in 1968 following their biggest hit, a cover of The Beatles song, "Michelle", and remained with them until 1971.Following a stint with Arthur's Mother from 1971–72,...

.

Despite considerable success in Continental Europe – particularly in France, the Netherlands and Germany where they played some of those countries' most prestigious venues and enjoyed healthy record sales – the band's chart performance in the UK and US was minimal, charting one album, Cunning Stunts at US#124. In the UK, Cunning Stunts (#50) and Blind Dog at St. Dunstan's (#53) were their only hits. A loyal following has ensured steady back catalogue sales and a lengthy live career for the band, who continue to this day featuring founder members Pye Hastings (guitar, vocals, songwriting) and Richard Coughlan (drums). Caravan's best-known recording is the 1971 set In the Land of Grey and Pink

In the Land of Grey and Pink

, their second album for Decca. Thirty years after its release this album finally received a platinum disc for sales of over one million units.

The album "showed off a keen melodic sense, a subtly droll wit, and a seductively smooth mix of hard rock, folk, classical, and jazz, intermingled with elements of Tolkien-esque fantasy". A fair summary of Caravan's late sixties to late seventies work. Prolific and inventive, the band appeared to have too many ideas to produce direct, radio-friendly singles. 21st century reissues of their albums featured lengthy tracks, previously unreleased, demonstrating the huge amount of releasable material that had failed to make their 1970s albums.

The band were largely dormant in the eighties until a 1990 reunion, planned as a one-off for television, reinvigorated their career. Latterly they have also achieved steady sales and a fan following with the support of the more eclectic corners of radio, like BBC Six Music's "Freak Zone" and the growing re-emergence of progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

. After performing at NEARFest

NEARfest

The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, is a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event is held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, approximately one hour north of Philadelphia...

in 2002, they released The Unauthorized Breakfast Item

The Unauthorized Breakfast Item

-Disc two:-Personnel:* Pye Hastings – vocals, guitars* Richard Coughlan – drums* Jan Schelhaas – keyboards, backing vocals* Doug Boyle – lead guitar* Geoffrey Richardson – viola, banjo, ukelele, acoustic guitar, backing vocals...

album in 2003.

In 2010, Pye Hastings announced that the band had resumed activity in anticipation of a one-off concert recording at Metropolis Studios for ITV, which took place in December 2010. New material was written for a debut performance and the band was joined by Mark Walker on drums and percussion. The DVD of this gig was released in May 2011 and the recording will also be shown on ITV as part of the Legends series

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"
{|
!Year
!Album details
!Guitar, Vocals
!Keyboards
!Bass
!Guitar, Viola, Violin
!Drums
!Flute, Alto sax
!Guitar
|-
| 1968
| Caravan
| rowspan="12" bgcolor="#DDA0DD" | Pye Hastings
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | Dave Sinclair
| rowspan="4" bgcolor="#5BE85B" | Richard Sinclair
| rowspan="4"|
| rowspan="12" bgcolor="#ccccff" | Richard Coughlan
| rowspan="8" bgcolor="salmon" | Jimmy Hastings
|-
| 1970
| If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You
|-
| 1971
| In the Land of Grey and Pink

In the Land of Grey and Pink

|-
| 1972
| Waterloo Lily

Waterloo Lily

The following bonus tracks were included on the 2001 remastered edition of the CD.- Personnel :*Pye Hastings - guitars & vocals*Steve Miller - electric piano, organ*Richard Sinclair - bass & vocals*Richard Coughlan - drumsOther Players:...

For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night

-Side two:The following bonus tracks were included on the 2001 remastered edition of the CD.- Musicians :*Pye Hastings – singer, vocals, guitar*Geoff Richardson – viola...

Cunning Stunts (Caravan album)

Cunning Stunts is the sixth studio album by progressive rock band Caravan, released in 1975. The title of the album is a spoonerism for 'Stunning Cunts', which is typical of their cheeky use of language...

Blind Dog at St. Dunstans

Canterbury Scene rock band Caravan released Blind Dog at St. Dunstans' in 1976, their 7th studio album.This album has a lighter feel than Caravan's previous releases, shifting toward shorter "poppier" songs...

Better by Far

Better by Far is a 1977 release by Canterbury scene rock band Caravan. -Side one:# "Feelin' Alright" – 3:31# "Behind You" – 5:04# "Better by Far" – 3:27...

The Album (Caravan album)

Bonus tracks on Eclectic remaster :- Personnel :*Pye Hastings – vocals, guitar*Geoff Richardson – guitar, viola, flute, vocals*Dave Sinclair – organ, piano, electric piano, synthesizer*Dek Messecar – bass guitar, vocals*Richard Coughlan – drums...

Back to Front (Caravan album)

Back to Front is the 1982 album released by Caravan.- Track listing :#"Back to Herne Bay front" – 5:55#"Bet you wanna take it all / Hold on hold on" – 5:20#"A.A...

Battle of Hastings (album)

The Battle of Hastings is the 1995 album released by Caravan.- Track listing :# "It's a Sad, Sad Affair" – 3:23# "Somewhere in Your Heart" – 5:42# "Cold as Ice" – 4:09# "Liar" – 6:07...

The Unauthorized Breakfast Item

| rowspan="1" bgcolor="#FF8020" | Jan Schelhaas
| rowspan="1" bgcolor="green" | Doug Boyle
|-
|}

Live albums

{| class="wikitable"
{|
|-
!Release Year
!Album details
!Guitar, Vocals
!Keyboards
!Bass
!Guitar, Viola, Violin
!Drums
!Flute, Alto sax
!Guitar
!Performance Year
|-
| 1974
| Caravan and the New Symphonia

Caravan and the New Symphonia

-Side two:- Track listing :- Personnel :*Pye Hastings - guitar, vocals*Geoff Richardson - electric viola*Richard Coughlan - drums*John G Perry - bass guitar, vocals*Dave Sinclair - electric piano, organ, synthesizer...

BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert (Caravan album)

BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert is the 1991 album released by Caravan.- Track listing :#"Love In Your Eye" – 15:30#"For Richard" – 16:55...

Live 1990

Live 1990 is a 1993 live album released by a reformed line-up of Canterbury scene band Hatfield and the North. This marked the band's first manifestation since its 1975 break-up. Original keyboard player Dave Stewart declined to take part and was replaced by French jazz pianist Sophia Domancich, at...

Live: Canterbury Comes to London

Live: Canterbury Comes to London is a live recording of the progressive rock band Caravan from 17 September 1997, being released 20 April 1999.- Track Listing :#"Memory Lain" – 5:04#"Headloss" – 4:53...

Surprise Supplies

In 1976, Caravan played concerts to support the release of their latest album Blind Dog at St. Dunstan’s, a recording of the show at the New Victoria Theatre in London on 4 May 1976 was released as Surprise Supplies featuring songs from Blind Dog at St...

Live at Fairfield Halls, 1974

Live at Fairfield Halls, 1974 is an album by Caravan. It remained unreleased in the UK until 2002, though most of the set was issued as an album in France called The Best of Caravan Live in 1980. This issue is now very rare and was only available for 3 years...

| rowspan="1" bgcolor="goldenrod"| Mike Wedgwood
| rowspan="5" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | Geoff Richardson
| rowspan="4" |
| 1974
|-
| 2003
| A Night's Tale
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="00CED1" | Jim Leverton
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="green" | Doug Boyle
| 2002
|-
| 2003
| Nowhere to Hide
| 2002
|-
| 2003
| With Strings Attached
| 2002
|-
| 2007
| The Show of Our Lives - Caravan at the BBC 1968-1975

The Show of Our Lives - Caravan at the BBC 1968-1975

This is a double album of tracks recorded for the BBC in the period 1968-1975, for John Peel's Top Gear amongst others.-Track listing:Disc One#"Place of My Own" – 4:12#"Ride" – 4:17#"If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You" – 2:45...

| bgcolor="#cccccc" | Dave Sinclair / Jan Schelhaas / Steve Miller
| bgcolor="#cccccc" | Richard Sinclair / Mike Wedgwood /Jim Leverton
| rowspan="2" bgcolor="salmon" | Jimmy Hastings
|
| 1968–1975
|-
|}
Note: Live 1990 was released as Live in Nottingham in 2002 and Bedrock in Concert (with additional DVD content) in 2003.

Boxsets and compilations

Songs and Signs (1991)
Cool Water
Cool Water (Caravan album)
Cool Water is the 1994 album released by Caravan.- Track listing :#"Cool Water" – 4:07#"Just The Way You Are" – 3:43#"Tuesday Is Rock And Roll Nite" – 4:21#"The Crack Of The Willow" – 5:35...

(1994)
The Best of Caravan – Canterbury Tales (1994)
All Over You (1997)
Songs for Oblivion Fishermen
Songs for Oblivion Fishermen
Songs for Oblivion Fishermen is a live album of the progressive rock group Caravan. The material was recorded for the BBC, spanning the years 1970 to 1974.- Track listing :- Personnel :* Richard Coughlan — Drums...

(1998)
Travelling Man
Travelling Man
Travelling Man is a compilation album of the progressive rock group Caravan.- Track listing :- Personnel :* Kevin Ayers — Keyboards* Pye Hastings — Guitar, Vocals* Richard Sinclair — Bass, Vocals* Robert Wyatt — Drums...

(1998)
Headloss (1999)
All Over You...Too
All Over You Too
All Over You...Too is the second volume of the '90s reformation of the progressive rock band Caravan released in 1999.-Track listing:#"Hoedown" – 4:08#"A Very Smelly Grubby Little Oik" – 3:28#"Bobbing Wide Hastings" – 3:01...

(2000)
Traveling Ways: The HTD Anthology (2000)
Where But For Caravan Would I? (2000)
The World Is Yours (2010)

External links

|title=allmusic ((( Caravan > Discography > Main Albums )))
|publisher=www.allmusic.com
|accessdate=2009-04-15
|last=
|first=
}}

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.