WELCOME TO LPCDREISSUES
A leading light of the Canterbury scene, Caravan formed in 1968 from ex–Wilde Flowers members Pye Hastings (guitar/vocals), Richard Coughlan (drums), and cousins Dave and Richard Sinclair. Their music marries psychedelia with jazz/classical flavors and dry English wit; despite many lineup changes, they’ve resurfaced regularly into the 2000s.
Cunning Stunts, the band’s sixth studio record, was issued 25 July 1975 on Decca and produced by David Hitchcock. With newcomer Mike Wedgwood on bass/vocals alongside Hastings, keyboardist Dave Sinclair, multi-instrumentalist Geoffrey Richardson, and Coughlan, the album balances a hooky first side—“The Show of Our Lives,” “Stuck in a Hole,” “Lover,” “No Backstage Pass,” “Welcome the Day”—against the side-long suite “The Dabsong Conshirtoe,” which weaves brass and strings into Caravan’s supple, jazz-tinged flow. True to their humor, the title is a spoonerism. It reached UK #50 and US #124, and is often praised as a varied, characterful set (~41 minutes).
TRACK LISTING
