Caravan have been going since 1968. (When they released their first album, The Beatles were in their prime.) Always at the forefront of the Canterbury Sound, they have (of course) broken up and reformed many times, but to all intent and purposes, this is their 54th year.
Six musicians create the sound for “It’s None of Your Business,” and you can actually hear the empathy between their playing.
Leading the band is Pye Hastings, lead guitar and now lead vocalist. His songwriting and performance are as strong as ever on this album.
The wonderful Geoff Richardson, who has been in the band since 1972, on this album is credited only with playing the viola, guitar and mandolin, but anybody who has seen Caravan live will know he is far more than that to the band. His onstage banter coupled with a spoons solo leaves him as the focal point. Invaluable.
Keyboard wizard Jan Scelhaas has been around since 1975.
Mark Walker is a splendid Caravan drummer and has been beating the tubs since 2010.
New Boy Lee Pomeroy has certainly made his presence felt with his assertive use of the deep notes.
Jimmy Hastings is the sixth Caravaner, having appeared on Caravan’s debut in 1968 and many other albums since then, only joining the band permanently for a year at the end of the nineties. But here, as ever, his flute playing adds so much to the overall sound.
In the plains of rock’n’roll, Caravan are as far away from heavy metal as it’s possible to be. But they are still a festival favorite with their pastoral landscapes.
“It’s None of Your Business” is Caravans 15th album and amongst their finest. All Caravan fans look forward to learning the band’s album titles, and this one is no different. My favorite title goes back to 1975 – “Cunning Stunts.”
Although recorded towards the end of the pandemic, Caravan members managed to meet up and record these pieces the old way, all sitting in one room, able to bounce off one another.
The album contains nine songs and a charming instrumental, “Luna’s Tuna,” to close.
“Down From London” opens, on which all of the front line musicians dazzle whilst their tongues remain rooted to their cheeks. Lovely, bright and bouncy music to start us off.
The album has its more serious moments with “Spare a Thought” sympathizing with those so badly hurt by the pandemic.
“It will never be the same,
Til we get back to our feet again,
So spare a thought for the friends we had,
Who never quite made it through,
This is our song for you.
There are also two typical Caravan epics, the longest being the title track which ebbs and flows nicely.
“I’ll Reach Out For You” is a typical piece of Caravanning, being a stick of pure classic rock with Whitstable running all the way through it.
Written by the St Dunstan’s Dog on Pattaya’s Darkside.
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