CARAVAN : IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

CARAVAN : IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

Down from London
Wishing You Were Here
It's None of Your Business
Ready or Not
Spare a Thought
Every Precious Little Thing
If I Was to Fly
I'll Reach Out for You
There Is You
Luna's Tuna

Label : Madfish

Release Date : October 8, 2021

Length : 50:19

Review (ProgWereld) : "It's None Of Your Business" is het eerste album van de legendarische Canterbury band Caravan sinds "Paradise Filter" (2013). Het album bevat negen nieuwe nummers plus één instrumentaal nummer en is tot op zekere hoogte beïnvloed door de gebeurtenissen en beperkingen die de samenleving de afgelopen anderhalf jaar heeft moeten ondergaan. Opmerkelijk feit: het album werd, voor zover de beperkingen het toestonden, op de 'ouderwetse' manier opgenomen, eind juni dit jaar, in een tijdsbestek van twee weken. Zittend in een kring, met voldoende oogcontact, in een grote opnameruimte. Gitarist/zanger/componist/oprichter en bandleider Pye Hastings zegt daarover met veel gevoel voor humor: "Het geeft veel meer voldoening om elkaar persoonlijk te beledigen dan via een telefoonlijn of e-mail. Dit is iets waar we allemaal heel veel ervaring in hebben, geloof me!" Het leeuwendeel van de composities is van diezelfde Hastings, terwijl zoonlief Julian de productie, de opnames en de mastering voor zijn rekening heeft genomen. Het hoesontwerp is van de hand van de beroemde illustrator Bob Venables. Down From London is een lekkere opener over lui die vanuit Londen verhuizen naar het zuiden om zich daar 'country life' aan te meten, tot en met jacht(ongeluk) toe. Dit is humor in een folk-achtige progsong, typisch Caravan. Wishing You Were Here is een naar Caravan maatstaven stevige rocker over 'life on the road' vergezeld van gitaarsolo halverwege en karakteristiek Hammond orgel aan het einde. Titelnummer It's None Of Your Business is het meest representatief voor de typische Caravan sound en met tien minuten ook het langste en meest progressieve nummer. En dan die teksten; het nummer begint met Hastings die zijn partner (?) geïrriteerd van repliek dient op een serie verwijten, uitmondend in zijn 'het gaat je niks aan' respons. Dan volgt een heerlijk instrumentaal tussenstuk met alle elementen die Caravan typeren: de viool- en gitaar solo's, de vintage toetsen. Aan het einde is alles weer koek en ei: de partner wordt liefdevol toegezongen, hij kan haar/hem nog niet missen: 'You are the best thing in my life'. Heerlijke humor en typisch Brits, precies zoals de Canterbury school of music voorschrijft. Het album herbergt een aantal lekker in het gehoor liggende nummers met een duidelijke herkomst, zoals openingsnummer Down From London, maar ook Ready Or Not en Every Precious Thing vallen in die categorie. Spare A Thought, met fluit van Jimmy Hastings en de viool van Geoff Richardson, betreft een emotionele, melancholieke ode aan de slachtoffers van de pandemie, terwijl If I Was To Fly een van de minst opvallende nummers is op het nieuwe album. Maar Caravan zou Caravan niet zijn als ze het beste niet voor het laatst hadden bewaard. I'll Reach Out To You is al weer zo'n typisch Caravan nummer, zowel instrumentaal als tekstueel. Dat laatste gaat over het belang van goede vriendschappen/relaties, een regelmatig terugkerend thema. There is You is een breekbaar liefdesliedje met prachtige pianoklanken van Jan Schelhaas, stemmige vioolbegeleiding en fretloze bas. Het slotakkoord mag er zijn: Luna's Tuna is een wonderschoon en pakkend instrumentaal einde van het album met een hoofdrol voor de altviool van componist Richardson en de toetsen van Schelhaas, een passend en sfeervol einde van het nieuwe album van de Britten. Wat vooral opvalt is de lagere toonsoort waarin het merendeel van de nummers is geschreven. Het is duidelijk, de zangstem van Pye Hastings heeft zowel aan kracht als hoogte moeten inboeten. Op zich geen schande, we heten niet allemaal Jon Anderson. Jammer is wel dat de octaaf lager hier en daar tot een (te) lage toon leidt, zoals in het openingsnummer Down From London en There is You. Daar staat tegenover dat het toch al rijke geluid van de band ditmaal ook nog eens versterkt wordt door de dwarsfluit van oudere broer Jimmy Hastings, al eerder lid van het ensemble. Ook 'oproepkracht' bassist Lee Pomeroy (ELO, Steve Hackett, Yes ft. ARW) doet een behoorlijke duit in het zakje. Hoewel er wel wat zwakkere momenten tussen zitten (If I Was To Fly) mag dit album toch wel tot de betere van de afgelopen decennia gerekend worden. Je kunt de passie horen waarmee vooral gitarist/zanger Pye Hastings achter de schrijftafel is geklommen. Het overwegende thema van het album is overduidelijk 'relaties/vriendschappen' en het belang daarvan, vooral in tijden van nood. Hoewel geen specifiek pandemie album is de inspiratie toch wel duidelijk aanwezig. "De lockdown heeft zeker de geest aangescherpt als het ging om het schrijven van de teksten" geeft Hastings toe. In navolging van generatiegenoten Strawbs, Styx en PFM laat ook Caravan zich van zijn beste kant horen op "It's None Of Your Business". Het album klinkt verrassend eigentijds en toegankelijk. En dat is best een compliment aan het adres van een band die al in 1968 opgericht werd, al zal de reactie wel zijn: dat gaat je helemaal niks aan.

Review (ProgArchives) : The album opens on the wings of a great viola line delivered by the sensible hands of Geoffrey Richardson, and that sounds immediately like good news, since no one can disdain a classic touch of taste and feeling. Pye Hastings' voice, now raspy and old, conveys however those hardly definable, but always lovable "Caravan moods", as acid, disenchanted and sweet as ever did. The song material proves that they can still pull a trick or two from the old hat. Particularly memorable to me results the flamenco-tinged track 4 Ready Or Not, with outstanding vocals and great viola ornaments in pizzicato. Also track 5 Spare A Thought is a nice quiet song, with an intimate delivery that brings the listener closer to the lovely lyrics. Both this and the following track Every Precious Little Thing feature the invaluable assistance of Mr. Jimmy Hastings with his transverse flute. But, hey, I don't want to spoil you the fun of discover track by track this album, so I'll avoid to go into more details. I just have to say that listening to this I just think "What an excellent addition to my library!"

Review (The Progressive Aspect) : Caravan return with the release of their first new album since Paradise Filter in 2013. They have continued to burn the Canterbury scene flame, combining jazz, folk and melodic rock elements which bridge the gap between psychedelia and progressive rock. It's None of Your Business features nine new songs plus one instrumental which have been influenced, to a degree, by the events and restrictions placed on society over the last 18 months. This is a theme that occurs in many releases these days, and that is understandable, but Caravan have approached it with warmth and their trademark musical style in an almost sensitive way. What differs here is that this album was recorded, as restrictions allowed, between June and July 2021 at Rimshot Studio near Sittingbourne, in what may be called the "old fashioned way", in a large sound room with all band members sitting together in a circle with eye contact. As singer and guitarist Pye Hastings explained, "I much prefer this method because you can bounce ideas off each other as they occur, and voice encouragement when the whole thing begins to click". Amusingly, he also added "and it is much more rewarding to be able to throw insults at each other in person rather than down a telephone line or via email. This is something we are all very experienced at, believe me!" Caravan have a long recording history against which new releases are naturally going to be measured, and often unfairly judged, with conclusions that they sometimes do not match the standards of the classic albums. For me, this is unfair as all bands develop and change through time and each album should be judged on its own merit. What caravan do well is hold on to their trademark sound whilst keeping it sounding fresh. This album is just that, no retro sounding release here, just the Caravan sound in a modern setting, in keeping of the times, you might say. Things get off to a start with Down from London in the characteristic bright Caravan style, Geoffrey Richardson's viola leading the song to start and adding embellishments throughout with some humorous lyrics. Off to a fine start. This is a cheerful song with the trademark tongue-in-cheek element, repeated on If I Was to Fly later on in the album. In contrast to this are two tracks which appear to have been inspired by the current pandemic and recent events. The first, Spare a Thought, is a touching and almost delicate song, led at the start by acoustic guitar which is joined by flute and viola. With the music and lyrics together it gives us an emotional remembrance of those who didn't quite make it through these awful times, the song ending with these poignant words: "It will never ever, ever be the same 'Til we get back on our feet again So spare a thought for the friends we had Who never quite made it through. This is our song for you." In the next track, Every Precious Little Thing, they look at the things that we used to take for granted and reflect on how we should live in the moment, keeping the little things precious. Again, this is relevant to the situation we find ourselves in and should encourage us to cherish all we have. The title track is the longest, It's None of Your Business putting us into classic Caravan territory with a great ebb and flow and some great keyboards and guitar work, with strong bass support throughout. The sole instrumental track, Luna's Tuna, closes the album in satisfying style, led by some beautiful viola from Richardson to create a fitting conclusion to the album. Founder member Pye Hastings remains the principle songwriter and guiding light, surrounded by great musicians who have created a fine album which sits well within the extensive Caravan catalogue. If you like Caravan then this is well worth a listen, but if you're new to the band, give it a go, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I mean, what's not to like?

Review (Folking) : Back in the late 60s and early 70s, Caravan, along with Soft Machine, were the leading lights of the so-called Canterbury Scene, in effect a music press invention that tried to link together various musicians like Kevin Ayres, Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt who had some sort of connection, however tenuous, to the city. In musical terms what they mostly shared was a form of jazz influenced progressive folk that tended to involve a lot of keyboards, improvisation and numbers that stretched out into infinity. Formed in 1968, while beloved of tastemakers such as John Peel and Bob Harris, they never achieved the predicted success on the back of early albums If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You and In the Land of Grey and Pink, not figuring in the album charts until their sixth release, Cunning Stunts, which peaked at No 50, the follow-up and their only other 'hit', Blind Dog At St Dunstans faltering at No 54. They called it a day in 1985, briefly resurfacing for two years in 1990 and then returning on an ongoing basis in 1995. Still fronted by founder member Pye Hastings with guitarist/violinist Geoffrey Richardson and keyboard player Jan Schelhaas regulars since 2002, It's None Of Your Business is their fifteenth album, their first in eight years and, much to the relief of loyal devotees, not much has changed, although only two go past the eight minute mark. A walking drum beat kick starts 'Down From London', one of the more immediate, poppier numbers, a whimsical account of some city type aspirant country squire ("all tweedy and brogued") accidentally shooting himself in the foot, much to the amusement of the gathered locals. All prog keyboards intro and guitar solos, 'Wishing You Were Here' is a somewhat inconsequential lyric about getting a postcard from friends touring America though does tip the hat to the sentiments of Robert Browning's Home Thoughts From Abroad ("Don't matter where you travel, all alone/Something reminding you, of home") The first epic arrives with the near 10-minute title track, basically about not pushing our noses into other people's affairs, starting off briskly with a scampering drums and piano 70s pop rock rhythm and catchy title refrain then, just over three minutes in, it transforms into a lengthy instrumental passage, changing shape midway into a sort of extended keyboards-based jam before the vocals and choppy hooks return as it enters 'The Best Thing in My Life' section and a vaguely cacophonous finale. To their credit, it never feels self-indulgent or its running time. Classical influences were another characteristic of the scene, and things get a tad ELO with the strings opening 'Ready Or Not', again a number where the lyrics (paranoia, I guess, "Time is gonna come when gotta show your face/I'll be waiting for you no escape") are secondary to the catchy melody line and staccato refrain, (echoed with pizzicato strings), but then things take a more serious turn for the pandemic-informed 'Spare A Thought' ("for the friends we had/Who never quite made it through/This is our song for you/We can never, ever, thank you all enough/You never failed and still remained so tough/So spare a thought for the ones who tried/And never gave up the ghost"). Hastings would be the first to admit, lyrics aren't his strongest suit, but he's effective enough in capturing the mood and sentiments, as for example on 'Every Precious Little Thing', which, opening with guitar strums, is a breezy number about getting back on the road and back to normalcy ("Can't see how it can ever be the same/Whatever comes we'll take it") and lessons learnt ("I'm living for the moment/Before this precious time just fades away/ I've come to realise/It's the smallest things that means the most"). The upbeat mood continues with the jolly shuffling swayalong 'If I Was To Fly', a number built to get the festival crowds waving their arms, then, keeping the mood positive and optimistic ("Gotta know that something good is a coming") comes the second marathon, 'I'll Reach Out For You', key and drums laying down a train wheels rhythm as Hastings takes a turn (turn, turn) from Ecclesiastes ("There's a time for living/A time for dying/There's a time for less/And a time for more/There's a time to make a stand/A time to lend a hand"), fluttering mandolin entering proceedings as the tempo slows for a lengthy shimmering keys and guitars mid-section that still keeps the mood light and buoyant before a finale that invites pastoral Jimmy Hastings' flute to the party. It ends with, first, the nocturnal piano and bass arrangement of the reflective love song 'There is You' ("If we are apart/I search through those memories and places/ Each time I start/I find you") and, finally, because this is, after all, a progressive album, an instrumental, Richardson's ethereal viola, bass and piano soaked 'Luna's Tuna', which is far more atmospheric and intoxicating than such a title warrants. They never had the success or acclaim afforded like-minded contemporaries such as Yes, King Crimson or the early Gabriel era Genesis, but this album, while clearly rooted in those formative years, is a sterling example of how they have stayed accessible and fresh where so many peers succumbed to stamina and attention-challenging experimentation in which the audience became something of an afterthought.