IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, I'D DO IT ALL OVER YOU

One of the amazing phenomena of the early 70's is the endless variety in progressive rock aromas all over Europe: RPI, Kraut, UK Sympho and Space-Rock,... It's just a few examples of subgenres that all accommodated a broad diversity of bands, sometimes as far from each other as the subs themselves. The creative energy of those years must be unsurpassed in rock history!

One of the instantly recognizable sounds is the Canterbury style, with Caravan as a typical exponent of this soft-jazz tinged psychedelic rock, with its charming woolly sound, dreamy vocals and dirty grinding organs. Especially that last feature is the one that brings prog heaven on earth for me. It adds tension and edge to this dominantly pleasant, pastoral and harmonious music.

Compared to the symphonic Prog, the songwriting is fairly straightforward and poppy, and the instrumental parts are rather jammy in nature. Combined with the infectious grooves on this album, it creates a very loose and charming vibe, quite psychedelic at times, but always cool, relaxed and genuine. Only the vocals are a less satisfying element. There isn't anything wrong with the vocal melodies as such but the voices seem a bit subdued at times. The next album would bring a large improvement in that area.

I admit I'm fairly new to this whole Canterbury scene, with only the more spacey Gong and Soft Machine's Third as long-standing acquaintances. So far I haven't found my 5 star album yet, but given the vocals I doubt whether this one will be a contender for it. 3.5 stars