If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You

I had forgotten how good this album was until I bought the remastered version recently on CD. I used to have the vinyl LP when I was a teenager and loved it very much back then, along with Caravan's other early masterpieces, "In the Land of Grey andPink" and "For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night". I have already replaced those other two LPs with CDs - and they both still sound stunningly good! - and now it was the turn for "If I Could Do It All Over Again....". Quite honestly, these three albums of Caravan's must rank amongst the very best of English progressive rock, certainly on a par with anything that more exalted bands like Genesis, Yes and Pink Floyd had to offer. Somehow they failed to attract the sort of commercial success that those other bands did - but, believe me, that was only ever due to marketing trickery rather than any lack of musical quality. Sumptuous melodies that will stay with you for ever, beautiful sung harmonies, integration of keyboards and wind instruments into the rock band format in an almost perfect fashion - this album is simply stunning. The remastered sound quality is very good. The bonus tracks are good too, but they are not the reason I bought the CD, which was to have a much loved LP, in its original form, back in my collection again.

I've been exploring the realms of Prog Rock for a few years now, King Crimson, Coliseum and the like. I'm also a bit of a folkie, with a lot of Pentangle and Fairport in my CD collection. Someone suggested I try this as something that would fit in with both genres. This is a great album. The feel is very pastoral English, and makes me think of autumn evenings, picnics by the river, walks through the forest and the like. Very much like The Kinks 'Village Green Preservation Society'. The tracks are often quite long and loose, typical prog rock style, but never seem to outstay their welcome. They aren't 'rockers' though, musically this sounds like folk blended with 60's pop. There are some odd combinations going on here, but the whole thing works, through strong song writing, excellent musicianship, very nice vocals, and a good 'feel' for what the next logical step should be in a track. To sum up - A very folky feeling album with a fair bit of experimentalism going on, which works really well. Laid back, relaxing, and note perfect. Recommended to anyone who likes Fairport, Steeleye Span, pastoral era Kinks, and 'Songs from the Wood' era Jethro Tull.

Great blast from days gone by , fond memories from the past ! but a bit disappointed in the so called remastered issue of this album Has anyone else happen to find that it seems to sound a bit woolly & muffled , can't help but think a better version could be had , come to think of it also reminds me of some of the Moody Blues so called remastered albums 🤔 that for me didn't quite hit the mark , came across quite muddy !

Great second album by a great band.

A strong album from the turn of the decade (1969-1970)which deserves a wider audience. Great fun, lovely cover photo and music that leaves you wondering why you can't find this album on the shelf of every decent music outlet across Europe (or the world, for that matter). My personal opinion is that this was their best album, better than the more well-known "Land of grey and pink", which is a fine album with some fine songs. This one is earthier and less sophisticated, but just as much fun. It's produced by Terry King and the band, and doesn't suffer from over-production. In fact, it's a very "together" album; a long one, too. Put it on, turn up the volume, and enjoy the journey through caravan's underworld. Plenty of extra material for those who want it. Great value for money.

I first saw Caravan at last years Cambridge Rock Fest and allthough i am somewhat shall we say getting on a bit and have been into music for as long as i can remember and had herd of Caravan before but never really listened to them i wish i had as i have been missing some very very good music indeed and anyone remotely interested in anything late sixties / early seventies this is for you it has everything you could want and more,this is the third Caravan i have got since i saw them and its as classic as In the land of pink and grey and for girls that grow plumb,i am so pleased i am still finding music from this era and time that is so great thanks Caravan.

Many a hippy / student party I attended in the early to mid 70's had this album providing some of the soundtrack along with Pink Floyd, Beefheart, John Coltrane, Zappa, Xenakis, Birtwhistle, Stockhausen - the Floyd would take you into Outer reaches of space and the others would open up abstract parallel universes. Thank goodness for Caravan to bring you to the Green Green Grass of Home. What pleasant joy it was to listen to this. There was a reassuring Englishness to this record with most of vocals delivered Wyatt-style in Estuary English by Richard Sinclair. The opening track, The jazzy structures are fairly safe but there is a sense of invention and adventure in them, I suppose an exploration of familiar territory rather than the bandit country of free-form; these can be found on tracks such as 'I wish I was stoned again', "As I Feel I Die" and 'Limits', all of which have a vibrancy and reassuring energy. This album provided such a good vibe at those parties until someone stuck on a Leonard Cohen LP.

Good album in the English style, like the Kinks. I know little about the members of Caravan. But they have that laid back vibe that reminds of bands like Kinks and the Strawbs. Just good music that in my opinion has stood the test of time.

Caravan apparait sur la scène musicale en 1968 sur les ruines du groupe The Wide Flowers dans lequel jouaient également Robert Wyatt et Kevin Ayers avant Soft Machine. Avec ces deux groupes emblématiques, l'école de Canterbury est née. Pye Hastings (chant, guitare), Richard Sinclair (basse, chant), Richard Coughlan (batterie) et David Sinclair (claviers), aidé de Jimmy Hastings aux instruments à vent, publient leur premier album éponyme en octobre 1968 (avant le 1er King Crimson, donc) sur le label de jazz Verve. Si ce disque s'avère aujourd'hui anecdotique, il a le mérite de poser les bases d'un style nouveau qui mélange rock psychédélique et jazz. Après ce galop d'essai, Caravan va signer sur Decca Records et trouver en David Hitchcock le producteur qui lui fallait. Pendant une année, il va tourner en première partie du Floyd, des Nice, de Zappa, Yes, Soft Machine, Captain Beefheart, Colosseum... et acquérir une solide expérience. Ainsi, lorsqu'il rentre aux Tangerine studios en 1970, un nouveau répertoire est constitué. Enregistré « live in studio », il enchante encore aujourd'hui par sa fluidité, sa force mélodique et sa fraicheur. Le titre de l'album à rallonge, un jeu de mot grivois, est le premier dans le genre. La pochette montrant le quatuor assis en pleine nature est également représentative du style bucolique que veut se donner Caravan. Il est étonnant que Jimmy Hastings, le flûtiste et saxophoniste ne soit qu'un membre fantôme, un invité, tant il est essentiel dans le son du groupe. 8 titres constituent l'album, alternant titres courts et légers (dont deux interludes évanescents de moins de 2 minutes : « Asforteri » et « Limits »), et suites à tiroirs nettement plus consistantes (au nombre de 3). La « guignolerie » d'ouverture, qui porte le nom de l'album, ne doit pas décourager l'auditeur qui se délectera de « And wish I were stoned / don't worry » (8'12), une ballade épique automnale et très british où la voix de fausset de Pye Hastings et celle plus suave de Richard Sinclair se marient à merveilles. Le mélancolique « As I feel I die » (5'12) m'évoque un peu le style de « Take a pebble » d'ELP, offrant dans sa phase finale un solo d'orgue ahurissant sur une rythmique hallucinante (quelle basse mes aïeuls !). Plus étonnant encore s'avère la suite de 10mn « With an ear to the ground you can make it » qui affirme encore le style caractéristique de Caravan : une musique faite de climats différents, tantôt jazzy, tantôt aérienne qui entraîne l'auditeur dans un voyage sonore des plus ravissants. La flûte de Jimmy Hastings est touchante, plus encore que celle de Ian McDonald sur « I Talk To The Wind » de King Crimson. Face B et suit la formidable chanson hippie, éditée en single : « Hello hello » à la mélodie très sixties à la mode de « Jesus Christ Superstar » ou « Tommy ». Mais c'est bien sûr à la suite « For Richard » que revient la palme du plus beau morceau de l'album : 14 minutes enchanteresses où le temps semble s'arrêter. De la douce ouverture apaisante où la flûte aérienne nous plonge dans une douce torpeur, au final jazz-rock complètement barré conduit par l'orgue saturé de David Sinclair (principal compositeur du morceau), tout inspire le respect. Je vous conseille l'acquisition du remaster de 2001 où l'on découvre le superbe inédit « A day in the life of Maurice Haylett » et quelques versions démo de titres de l'album. Caravan va sortir quelques autres albums de grande qualité (« In The Land Of Grey And Pink », « Waterloo Lily », « For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night »), mais l'inspiration se tarira au fil du temps. Côté album live, je conseillerais « Live At The Fairfield Halls, 1974 » avec Geoff Richardson au violon, donnant une couleur différente à la musique de Caravan.

Honestamente, el mejor disco de la banda de Canterbury. Infravalorado. Según las críticas, el mejor es el primero, In The Land Of Grey And Pink, y también se habla mucho del For Girls Who Grow Plump in The Night, yo tenía ambos hace ya mucho tiempo, pero hace unos 40 años, cuando adquirí In The Land Of Grey And Pink, era una edición muy rara, que no he vuelto a ver nunca más, era un vinilo doble cuyos discos eran In The Land Of Grey And Pink y el otro el que estoy reseñando en este momento, If I Could Do It All Over Again, I d do It All Over Too, el primero y el segundo respectivamente de la boda. A mi y a otros amigos míos nos gustaba más el segundo, con temas muy melódicos y extensos paisajes instrumentales. Extraordinariamente bello sinceramente. Además, hay un momento en el que el batería de la banda, hace pasar la batería de un bafle a otro, y lo escuchas en toda su línea, a la izquierda, en el centro, a la derecha, o sea en toda la trayectoria que va de un bafle a otro. Es que a parte de la parte instrumental, los temas de voz son exquisitos Un álbum de los maravillosos 70s, no podía ser de otra manera.

I've been a huge Caravan fan for years - literally 50 years - but only for ONE album - the classic "In the Land of Grey and Pink" with its distinctive English sound, mixing folk, jazz, and early "prog rock". I've occasionally tried to look up other stuff by them but have been disappointed. They changed their line up so many times, that their sound and approach altered a lot, and it seemed as if I didn't like anything else by them. Until now. Because it's so easy to find things these days, I finally tracked down, "If I could do it all over again etc". And to my delight - it's very nearly as good as In the Land of Grey and Pink. In fact it's the immediate precursor - and with the same line up - so it shares many of the characteristics - including several longish medleys with great keyboards and bass playing from the Sinclair cousins, and some dreamy, slightly psychedelic vocals from Pye Hastings, and a quirky, folky song by Richard Sinclair ,which is very much in line with the mood of the next album. Jazz, folk and rock again mixed together. I find I'm listening to it over and over again. Caravan are a cult band essentially - known mostly for Grey and Pink - and associated with the "Canterbury Sound" and they were extremely inventive, funny and excellent musicians. If you like Caravan, this is a great album to look up. I'm loving it. Also check out the bonus tracks, especially A Day in the Life of Maurice Haylett. Enjoy.

Aunque no se considera el mejor disco de CARAVAN, si se puede decir que es uno de los mejores. Esta edición es extraordinaria porque la remasterización hace que las canciones suenen como si se hubieran grabado apenas hace unos días; además contiene varios bonus tracks que valen mucho la pena y viene acompañado de un booklet con imágenes del grupo y comentarios del disco. Recomiendo ampliamente comprar este disco.

Très bon groupe et un bon album de rock progressif. Complète ma collection .Envois impeccable et rapide.