Caravan Albums and Canterbury Classics

Caravan, from Canterbury, England, was a progressive rock band that reached the peak of its creative and commercial success in the late Sixties and early Seventies. The band was one of the cornerstones of the “Canterbury scene” of English progressive rock. They produced melodic and generally upbeat music which displayed great musicianship on songs that revealed a very active and ribald sense of humor.

The band formed in 1968, with guitarist/vocalist Pye Hastings and the Sinclair brothers, Dave and Richard, on keyboards and bass, respectively. Their debut album, “Caravan” (1968), was an auspicious start despite its psychedelic leanings that was the cliché of the day. Their sound would change significantly in the wake of the debut. The follow-up, “If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You” (1970), found the band drifting away from the psychedelic sounds of the debut and toward more fully-progressive ground.

On their third album, “The Land of Grey and Pink” (1971), Caravan made the full transition to progressive rock material. The album is often cited as their masterpiece, and includes a wide selection of inspired tracks. In 1973, they produced the last of their classic albums, “For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night.”