FOR GIRLS WHO GROW PLUMP IN THE NIGHT

For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night is better by far (pardon the pun) and is definately my favourite Caravan album.

The addition of a violinist to the line up was a fantastic idea, and the sound here is rich and full (it's actually a viola and not a violin, but I can't tell the difference). The warm acoustic instruments; the viola, the flutes, the acoustic guitars, together with the sweet vocals contrast very well with the electric guitars, the organ and the electronic keyboards. The violin is sometimes played in a folky way (think Fairport Convention), and sometimes in a grand symphonic way (think Kansas).

The melodies are often very sweet and lovely, but on the other hand, the music sometimes rocks quite hard! This is definitely Caravan's hardest rocking record, something not often associated with the Canterbury Scene. This balance between the soft and sweet vocals and melodies and the harder guitar riffs is also very appealing. This album has a bit of everything and yet is flows perfectly from start to finish.

Yet another thing that I appreciate is the relative absence of silly and whimsical songs like Golf Girl and Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly), I never could get into those songs. Sure, there is The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again, but it doesn't stick out as much as the two other ones I mentioned (both from the In The Land Of Gray And Pink album). Besides, there is an excellent instrumental break in The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again.

Caravan's best and highly recommended!