SURPRISE SUPPLIES [AKA: HERE AM I]

"Surprise Supplies" is one of those albums which started life as a bootleg, but became legitimised when the band's then current label HTD released it officially.

The recording by a Japanese fan of the band was made in the US during the tour to promote the "Blind dog at St Dunstan's" album. All but one of the six tracks here are therefore taken from that album, "The love in your eye" from "Waterloo Lily" being the only other song.

"Blind dog.." was a decent, if unremarkable album, and while the performances here are competent and enjoyable, they do nothing to alter that situation. The stand out song by some way is "All the way", a laid back piece with an infectious hook.

"A very smelly grubby little oik" is substantially extended through a lengthy improvised section, and as a whole there is a jazz tinge to the entire set. The "Waterloo Lily" track is therefore appropriate given that that album had a much jazzier basis that the rest of the catalogue.

Perversely, the most notable thing about the album is the omission of a performance of "For Richard", surely the only live Caravan album to do so.

For collectors only.

The album was released in 2005 in identical format under the title "Here I am". With admirable attention to detail, the track title becomes "Very smelly grubby little oak"!

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