Caravan

Caravan's history begins as half of The Wilde Flowers, the original hotbed of musical proclivity that originated in Canterbury, Kent in 1965. Soft Machine, of course, was the other half. With its members drifting both in and out of the band, The Wilde Flowers ranks were constantly revolving. At some point, the reins were left to guitarist/singer Pye Hastings, drummer Richard Coughlan and organist Dave Sinclair. Adding Dave's cousin Richard Sinclair on bass, they became Caravan in early 1968. Caravan's music contained an uncompromisingly British character—and a penchant for whimsy—that is best exemplified by their lightheartedness and exquisite song-form. In comparison to the Soft Machine, Caravan was far more psychedelic than jazzy; though they did have some similarities: Much like Robert Wyatt, Hastings's vocals are undeniably accented and English, and like Mike Ratledge, Dave Sinclair was a first-rate organist. A particularly strong appearance at Middle Earth Club led to a recording contract with the Verve Forecast label. Together with producer Tony Cox, they headed to Advision Studios to record their debut album. The opener "Place of My Own" is classic Caravan; highly indicative of the band's songwriting, it intertwines deft instrumentality with a keen melodic sense into their unique brand of psychedelia. Tracks like "Ride" and "Love Song with Flute" (featuring Pye's brother Jimmy Hastings) are of the era, while "Cecil Rons" is surely Pink Floyd-inspired. Dave Sinclair's organ solo is a standout on Brian Hopper's trippy "Where but for Caravan Would I." Unfortunately, the album's echoey production is unfitting for the material. The album saw release in both the UK and US, and in both stereo and mono formats. But in what would become another unfortunate Canterbury tradition, it failed to chart in either country.