 |
Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink (Original Recording Remastered)Canterbury, late 1960s: Heaven knows what used to come out of the taps around there but rest assured, bands like Soft Machine and Caravan seemed to be sharing a cuppa or two from the same magic tea-pot. 1971's In The Land Of Grey and Pink is, by common consensus, the high-water mark of Caravan's career--it's Pye Hastings and co's most perfectly brewed infusion of mellifluous folksiness, jazz-inflected prog-rock and hippy pixilation (yeah, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci are fans).
Even if David Sinclair (organ, mellotron, piano) and Jimmy Hastings (flute, piccolo, sax) often strayed from the public footpath for a happy ramble in an extempore field of their own, the results (the 22-minute long "Nine Feet Underground" for example) somehow steered clear of any sticky ditches. And the succinct "Love to Love You" is a tuneful Brit-pop tonic 25 years ahead of its time. For Caravan connoisseurs, special bonus tracks include an instrumental version of "Winter Wine", an early recording of "Aristocracy" (subsequently reworked for the Waterloo Lily album), an alternative take of "Golf Girl" (with different lyrics) and "The Word", a track intended for but omitted from the original 1971 vinyl album. --Kevin Maidment... Read More » |
Average User Rating: 80% (22 Reviews) | |
| 5 / 5 | Naked ambition, and the resulting masterpiece
Guido Mina di Sospiro (Miami, Florida United States) - 16 June 2002 Re-listening to this album is a feast. The musicianship, originality, quality of production--all contribute to a stunning album. I feel sorry for today's youth, with my kids among them. Music as a source of energy and joy peaked some decades ago. It is now less than a travesty, and somehow I don't care if new technologies are killing the record industry--they've asked for it. But Caravan (who never reaped the benefits of talent which many far less talented groups did reap, and in abundance), Caravan must be thanked indefinitely for having released at least three marvellous, marvellous albums. And this one is not only their masterpiece, but an absolute masterpiece. Let us not call it "prog rock", it is reductive. This, back then, was, in a sense, world music--a blend of rock, pop, folk, jazz, and fantasy. Keep listening. And thank you David, Richard, Pye, Richard, and, occasionally, brother Jimmy.... Read Full Review » |
| 5 / 5 | A stunningky good album!
alextorres "musiclover" (Near Bristol, UK) - 26 March 2007 Caravan have been with me since my early teens; their music always inspirational, but probably never so much so as on this album, "In The Land of Grey and Pink". Their third album, it is one of three in a four year period that most Caravan fans pick out as their best, the other two being 1970's "if I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You" and 1973's "For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night". Caravan are still playing and recording to this day despite having suffered many line-up changes in the 40 years of their existence: the only ever-present member being its inspirational leader, Pye Hastings. Pye's sweet voice is a hallmark of the Caravan sound, whatever reincarnation of the band you listen to. On this album the band also comprised the cousins Richard and David Sinclair (on bass and keyboards) and Richard Coughlan on drums. Significantly, the band also brought in Pye's brother Jimmy for this album and his contributions on flute, tenor sax and piccolo are a significant factor in the overall mystique of the soundscape created. David Sinclair's keyboards are another big factor in this; the music on this album is almost like a painting; different songs corresponding to different areas of the canvas, but clearly all being a significant part of the overall picture, such is the nuance of the musical thread running through the album. The album is made up of 5 separate pieces: four are relatively short whilst the final one, "Nine feet Underground", is a relatively lengthy composition of over 22 minutes which originally took up the whole of side 2 of the LP. The complexity of this piece, together with the interweaving of similar complexities and soundscapes into the shorter pieces, have led to Caravan being labelled as a progressive-rock band. Certainly, for my money, this album is better than anything more famous prog-rock bands such as Genesis, Yes and Pink Floyd ever produced. Melody is a strong feature throughout: even during "Nine Feet Underground", there is plenty to hum or whistle along to. And by the time you get to it, your voice is already warm as you've sung along to some gorgeous songs - the boppy, tongue-in-cheek love song "Golf Girl", "Winter Wine", "Love to Love You" and the title track itself, "In the land of Grey and Pink". This is unashamedly about the pleasures of taking drugs and it is one of life's little mysteries to me why I, who have never taken drugs (and I wasn't even a boy scout!) should so much enjoy music either about drugs or obviously composed under the influence: Caravan, Hawkwind, Steve Hilllage, Spirit and many more. Wonderful! ... Read Full Review » |
| 5 / 5 | Absolute Magic
"jonesgth" - 16 October 2004 In the Land of Grey and Pink is one of the best albums of the 70's. The humorous and whimsical charm of 'Golf Girl' and 'In the Land of ...' are a sheer joy to listen to. The lyrics of the latter piece always remind me of Edward Lear, and help make this a very English album (despite Lear's extensive travels). 'Love to Love You' is rather naughty (as Caravan tended to be!) and a typical Pye Hastings composition. 'Nine Feet Underground' is a huge, rambling and ambitious piece which works brilliantly because of the band's ensemble playing, and in particular Dave Sinclair's keyboard work. But my favourite piece is 'Winter Wine'. It manages to create a happy-sad feeling, somehow, and makes you think of memories that you might have had ... It's hard to find another album that matches this one for variety and strength of song-writing. Although the band may not be the most accomplished musicians about, it doesn't matter as they play together so well. This album should be in everybody's record collection, if they have an interest in English rock/pop music of the 70's - even my sons, from the age of 7 - 14, love it. ... Read Full Review » |
| 5 / 5 | The most magical Canterbury album
gigidunnit (Tokyo, Japan) - 27 February 2001 I couldn't agree more with the review below. What sets the Canterbury sound apart from the rest of prog is its whimisical humour, and Caravan are the best exponent of this. The music, though sometimes extraordinarily complex, is carried off with a sense of fun which is utterly infectious. There aren't jokes as such, so don't be put off by this talk of humour -- but if you love the likes of Gong, Hatfield and the North or early Soft Machine, you'll love Caravan (and vice versa). "In the Land..." is the band's most magical album and it's a joy to have it on CD again, with a much better reproduced cover and a clutch of glorious bonus tracks. It was always perfectly produced, so the sound quality doesn't sound any better to me -- in other words, even this remastered copy is perfectly recognisable from old. Another thing Caravan shared with the other Canterbury bands, apart from their jazzy leanings, is a joy in exquisite melody, and this album is smothered in the things as if there's no tomorrow. "Golf Girl" and the title track are smiling teapot songs (if you know what I mean) while "Winter Wine" (the absolute stunner of the set) is more sensuous, that cheesy, instantly recognisable organ well to the fore while the lyrics have never been surpassed. "Love to Love You" is a short, exaltant track akin, to my mind, to "Moonshake" on Can's Future Days. Musically completely different of course, but it stands out in the same way. The whole of side two is the long, multi-part suite "Nine Feet Underground". And no, this isn't endless proggy noodling...well, not ENTIRELY. It's actually deeply moving when you reach the "Disassociation" section, even better than "For Richard" on their last album "If I Could Do It All Over Again". Once more the organ dominates. Though all their subsequent albums are excellent, Caravan would never sound quite this good again. I am madly in love with this album. Whenever I play it, it's like being with old friends, sharing a smile and a tear and all the enthusiasm of youth. There's room for you too. ... Read Full Review » |
| 5 / 5 | Wonderfully unforgettable...
nicjaytee (London) - 8 September 2006 So, why does an album sound so incredibly fresh & alive well over thirty years after its release? Well, if there was an easy answer everybody would be doing it, but sometimes things just work... and Caravan's masterpiece does just that. First time through its bizarre, often childish lyrics may leave you feeling that you've dropped into a whimsical Edward Lear-esque hippy-fest... but careful because it'll get to you, and once it does you'll be hooked. Why? Well in addition to being infused with catchy melodies, perfectly metered lyrics, excellent playing, clever arrangements, and a highly distinctive feeling of pastoral "Englishness", there's something running through it all that elevates it from an interesting, relatively obscure slice of early 70's folk-jazz-rock into a "classic". Don't ask me what but it's different, unforgettable and above all timeless.... Read Full Review » |
RRP
£9.13
Release Date
26 February 2001
Price Range
£2.99 - £7.99