The Album is the ninth album released by English progressive rock band Caravan. It was recorded at Farmyard Studios, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire in July 1980. After a year of inaction followed by Caravan being dropped from Arista Records, Caravan reformed with a line up of Pye Hastings, Geoff Richardson, Dave Sinclair, Richard Sinclair and Richard Coughlan. After attempting to record a live album, Richard Sinclair dropped out of the line up and was replaced by Dek Messecar. The group decided to scrap the live album when it was learned that a studio album could be recorded with the same budget. Members Dave Sinclair and Geoff Richardson contributed to songwriting duties alongside main songwriter Pye Hastings. The material moved in the direction of shorter songs and more mainstream instrumentation than previous albums.

Better by Far is the eighth studio album by Canterbury scene rock band Caravan. Caravan are an English rock band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings, and Richard Coughlan in 1968. The band have never achieved the great commercial success that was widely predicted for them at the beginning of their career, but are nevertheless considered a key part of the Canterbury scene of progressive rock acts, blending psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical influences to create a distinctive sound.

Blind Dog at St. Dunstans is the seventh studio album by Canterbury Scene rock band Caravan. It was released in 1976. This album has a lighter feel than Caravan's previous releases, shifting toward shorter, "poppier" songs. The lighter feel is due in part to the prominence of Pye Hastings on the album. He wrote and sang eight of nine songs. Moreover, Jan Schelhaas had replaced Dave Sinclair on keyboards, moving away from lengthy organ-based instrumentals toward piano and synthesizer.

After a string of mediocre Caravan albums, Pye Hastings decided to reconvene all four original members for Back to Front. In an unusually democratic move, he divided the writing between himself, Richard Sinclair, and David Sinclair (with drummer Richard Coughlan abstaining). The result was a generally uneven album, but one that maintains a certain nostalgic charm. Surprisingly, the best songs here were written by David Sinclair, who was usually overshadowed by vocalists Hastings and Richard Sinclair in the early days. On "Sally Don't Change It" and "Videos of Hollywood," David reveals a soft romantic side previously hidden (and which would later blossom on his wonderful solo CD Moon Over Man, actually recorded before this record).

The 21st century version of Caravan is here to entertain the die-hard Canterbury heads, and fans of the group should be pleased by some familiar names from the good old days of the '60s and '70s, who appear either as members of the core sextet or as special guests. Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlan, Geoffrey Richardson, Jan Schelhaas, Dave Sinclair, and Jimmy Hastings can all be heard at one point or another on the whimsically named The Unauthorised Breakfast Item, the 2003 CD whose title track references an apparent run-in of sorts with hotel restaurant staff when the band appeared at the 2002 NEARFest in Trenton, New Jersey.

For their first album, Caravan was surprisingly strong. While steeped in the same British psychedelia that informed bands such as Love Children, Pink Floyd, and Tomorrow, Caravan relates a freedom of spirit and mischief along the lines of Giles, Giles & Fripp or Gong. The band's roots can be traced to a British blue-eyed soul combo called the Wilde Flowers. Among the luminaries to have passed through this Caravan precursor were Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, and Hugh Hopper and Brian Hopper (pre-Soft Machine, naturally). By the spring of 1968, Caravan had settled nicely into a quartet consisting of Pye Hastings (guitar/bass/vocals), Richard Coughlan (drums), David Sinclair (organ/vocals), and Richard Sinclair (bass/guitar/vocals). Inspired by the notoriety and acclaim that Soft Machine encountered during the burgeoning days of London's underground scene, Caravan began a residency at the Middle Earth club. Additionally, the band was shopping a homemade demo tape around to local record companies.

Blind Dog at St. Dunstans is the seventh studio album by Canterbury Scene rock band Caravan. It was released in 1976. This album has a lighter feel than Caravan's previous releases, shifting toward shorter, "poppier" songs. The lighter feel is due in part to the prominence of Pye Hastings on the album. He wrote and sang eight of nine songs. Moreover, Jan Schelhaas had replaced Dave Sinclair on keyboards, moving away from lengthy organ-based instrumentals toward piano and synthesizer.

This album features three complete John Peel sessions recorded in 1975, 1976 and 1977. None of these have ever been released before. This CD is the second volume of Caravan's BBC radio sessions and between them the albums feature every available session that the band performed for Radio1. The John Peel sessions include tracks from the albums, "Cunning Stunts", "Blind Dog At St Dunstans" and "Better By Far". Personnel includes Pye Hastings, Mike Wedgwood, Geoffrey Richardson, Dave Sinclair, Richard Coughlan, Jan Schelhaas and Dek Messecar. The CD is released with the full cooperation of the band and features an eight-page booklet with comprehensive liner notes, band photos and detailed recording information.

This is the first of two collections of material Caravan recorded for the BBC, spanning the years 1970-1974. Caravan is one of the most versatile of the Canterbury family of English psychedelic and progressive rock, capable of winsome, witty pop songs as well as complex but melodic extended workouts. Songs for Oblivion Fishermen features examples of both styles. Half the disc features the band's original lineup with highly rated bassist Richard Sinclair. For the seasoned Caravan enthusiast, the repertoire is somewhat predictable, including standards "If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You," "Hello Hello," "In the Land of Grey and Pink," and "Memory Lane Hugh." To the band's credit, it does not attempt to recreate its studio recordings note for note, adding interest for longtime fans…

Contrasting the clever spoonerism from which Cunning Stunts derives its name, Caravan are heard on what is arguably their most uninspired material to date. The effort is certainly far from a total loss, but nowhere nearly as creative as their former studio effort For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night (1973) - the likes of which sadly would not be equalled. Instead of commencing the affair with the aggression and spirit that informed previous LPs - such as "Memory Lain, Hugh" or "Waterloo Lilly" - which had christened their earlier albums, "The Show of Our Lives" comes off comparatively heavy and practically dirge-like. Caravan's trademark instrumental agility while perhaps temporarily mired, is not lost on Pye Hastings' uptempo rocker "Stuck in a Hole." Heavy-handed, superfluous orchestration - possibly a residual effect of their New Symphonia project from late 1973 - mars "No Backstage Pass" and the 18-minute "Dabsong Conshirtoe"…