CARAVAN OF DREAMS

Two decades after "Winter Wine" and "Golf Girl," canterbury singer and bassist Richard Sinclair released his first solo album with an band containing Jimmy Hasting on woodwinds, Dave Sinclair on his trademark fuzzy keyboards, and Andy Ward on drums. Two thirds of the album are studio recordings of never before seen tracks while the last third is an excerpt of a live concert, containing a couple Hatfields classics and some amazing vamps. The set starts with "Going for a Song" a never recorded Hatfield and the North warhorse with a gorgeous jazzy melody carried by guitar, flute, and Sinclair's beautiful voice, which has only improved with age. It sets the tone for the entire album, gentle and breezy compositions which combines whimsical folk with jazz in short 3 to 7 minute bursts. The lyrics, written by Pip Pyle, Hugh Hopper, and Richard himself are of the same quirky and good natured style as classic Canterbury. "Only the Brave" brings us up to speed on the non-musical endevours of scene stalwarts Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlin, Dave Sinclair, and Daevid Allen in a little under two minutes. The high point of the studio work is the recording debut of Sinclair's 80's composition "Keep on Caring" which is one of his best compositions ever, with lyrics imploring you to keep on dreaming even though you have abondoned the dreams of youth and got a job. Heavy stuff, but in the Sinclair style it sounds profound and childlike; "all week struggle/to earn those green vouchers/to pay for the beer/and somewhere to sleep it all off." The concert material is highlighted by the new quirky instrumental "Felefal Shuffle" and spritely versions of "Didn't Matter Anyway" and "Halfway Between Heaven and Earth," segued together with an exciting passage of the band trading 8's. Canterbury's smoothest crooner is still playing and still writing songs that live up to the legacy.