FOR GIRLS WHO GROW PLUMP IN THE NIGHT

Caravan returns to shape in full swing, and in order to do so, they had to refurbish its line-up decidedly: the return of a keyboardsman, the entry of a new bass placer and the decisive entry of Geoff Richardson on viola (and later on, on clarinet and other woodwinds). The rocking energy that somehow had got missing in "Waterloo Lily" returns on "For Girls who Grow Plump in the Night" in a very evident manner, although the fact remains that Caravan still lean son heavily on elements of melodic artsy rock and jazz in order to construe its own typical progressive voice. This is also the first time that the band allows the synthesizer get in as part of its arsenal, albeit only for occasional ornaments: sometimes it is not played by Dave Sinclair, but by Rupert Hine. There is also an enhancement of the sonic power in the rockier numbers, and that's something to thank new bassist John Perry for. As usual, there is a myriad of guests (including an orchestral ensemble) that help a few songs to exploit some specific ideas contained in the basic compositions. That is, for example, the case of the building climax that gets expanded during the second half of the strong opener 'Memory Lain, Hugh'. Next come 'Headloss' and 'Hoedown' (the former, segued to 'Memory Lain, Hugh'), which make the album keep a very strong vibe during its first 13 minutes. 'C'Thlu Thlu' bears a moderately weird ambience, with the viola laying some psychedelic sounds over the catchy guitar riffs, and both Hastings and Perry sharing vocal duties perfectly. On the other hand, 'Surprise, Surprise' and 'The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again' showcase Hastings' particular taste for kind-spirited songwriting: these two pieces feature the presence of acoustic guitar (strumming and harmonies) as the nucleus of the whole instrumentation, while Richardson delivers nice viola solos. My favourite tracks in this album are the last two. The pair of 'Be All Right' and 'Chance of a Lifetime' displays an interesting set of variations, starting with a Blood Sweat & Tears kind of groove, then coming to a second section based on a slow, melancholy Latin-jazz infected acoustic section. Once again, a special mention has to go to Richardson's viola interventions, really magical. The closure is a very epic 'A Hunting We Shall Go', one of the most demanding compositions ever written by Hastings. This multi-part track includes an interesting expansion on a Mike Ratledge's piece that was part of Soft Machine's "Three". The section is called 'Backwards', and here it is retaken under a more symphonic treatment. The whole track is a monster of a closure, and it will find its definitive incarnation in the live album released by Caravan plus an orchestra one year later. All in all, comparisons are annoying most of the times, and this studio version is very good in its own terms. Conclusion: "For Girls." is an excellent Caravan effort that tends to be a bit overlooked due to the relevance of previous albums such as "In the land of Grey and Pink" and "If I Could Do It Again", but in my opinion, this one should not be overlooked at all, but be labelled as an excellent piece of prog rock.