Caravan - Caravan & The New Symphonia (Uk) [LP]

Working with the New Symphonia Orchestra, conducted by Martyn Ford, Caravan played London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane in October 1973 to promote their brand new work, For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night - Although the whole show was recorded, only a single LP was released - Here, for the first time on vinyl, Caravan & The New Symphonia is extended to incorporate the whole show on a 2LP set. For those who still believe prog is a four-letter word, Caravan remain a mystery. More fool them, for they are missing out on some of the sweetest and most tuneful melodies in 70s rock. Formed, like Soft Machine, from the group The Wilde Flowers, Caravan have much in common with UK 70s prog, punning titles, gatefold sleeves, many songs well over 10 minutes long, frequent line-up shifts, but they always had an innate accessibility partly due to guitarist and lead vocalist Julian 'Pye' Hastings' easy-on-the-ear singing style. After one album on MGM in 1968, Caravan signed to Decca and released their calling card, If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You. It's title track became a turntable hit in 1970, leading to a Top Of The Pops appearance, and the rest of the album parades the group's variety of styles and includes fan favourite For Richard. The following three years at Decca saw the release of some of their most loved work, including In The Land Of Grey and Pink, so there was much anticipation for the Theatre Royal Drury Lane show.