Customer Reviews

For Girls Who Grow Plump in Night

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Caravan is one of those bands to which detractors loved to attach the deprecating 'art-rock' label. When translated into normal English, 'art-rock' refers to a musical ensemble that knew more than 3 chords, and wasn't too ashamed to let you know it. In the case of Caravan, this meant an ever-evolving style that wove together a strong underpinning of rock with tinges of jazz, a slight flavoring of the psychedelic era, and the faintest hint of classical chord structures. Depending on your point of view their music either suffered from or was enhanced by a constantly changing line-up, with new players bringing their own musical backgrounds not only to the table, but strongly into the mix.

It would be almost impossible to get Caravan fans to reach a concensus on which was their best album, but I've always favored "For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night." It was recorded during one of the many periods when the band was changing line-up. (Several of the bonus tracks are 'work in progress' recordings of songs on the album, but those earlier versions were not recorded by the same line-up as the one that recorded the final versions!)

The new line-up reunited Caravan with former keyboard player Dave Sinclair, as well as featuring viola player Geoff Richardson. A rock band with a viola player? You bet, and it worked really well. The instrumental sections of opening track "Memory Lain, Hugh/Headloss" are worth the price of the album by themselves (not to mention that the track also appears as a bonus track in its U.S mix AND as one of the early versions [minus the second section]). Add in my favorite Caravan song, the slyly titled "The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again" and you have a very nice album.

Very often you find that an album (or book, or movie, or whatever) that you loved in your younger days hasn't aged well. This album is definitely not in that category. If anything, I like it more now than I did almost thirty years ago.

Waterloo Lily obviously threw a few Caravan fans off. With David Sinclair out of the picture, new keyboardist Steve Miller (not to be confused with the American that gave us "Fly Like an Eagle" and "Swingtown") gave the band a more fusion slant. Might have not been a problem to those familiar with the more fusion-oriented Canterbury bands like Hatfield & the North. So after one album with Matching Mole, David Sinclair decided to rejoin Caravan, with two new members, Geoff Richardson on electric violin, and bassist John G. Perry who replaced Richard Sinclair. The results were this, their fifth album which was basically picking up where In the Land of Grey & Pink left off. The album starts off with "Memory Lane, Hugh", a nice, catchy piece with vocal harmonies that remind me of the Byrds. "Headloss" is really cheery and upbeat. There's "Hoedown", which basically revolves a repetitive but great rhythm. As you noticed, David Sinclair bought some new instruments, his organ doesn't get much use here, but he used a Davoli synthesizer, electric piano, and clavinet. "C'Thulu", given the song was obviously inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, is supposed to have a more sinister tone, even John G. Perry, who does some of the vocals here (as well as Pye Hastings, of course) sounds oddly like Ozzy Osbourne here! You can even hear the sound of wolves howling in the background. But the song has some ridiculously cheery passages as well. Side two demonstrates just as well how Caravan decided to stick to the sound they're best known. The ending of the album is largely orchestrated, with even an orchestrated theme from Soft Machine's Third (that is, "Slightly-All-The-Time"). If you're a Caravan fan, you're going to want this album, but if you're new, start with In the Land of Grey & Pink.

4 stars because the song writing and performances are very strong (minus 1 star because the production in some places are weak) - open guitar riffs of memory lain, hugh ripping through with the drums and bass syncopating it- just that is a powerful moment alone. caravan had tons of great musical ideas and talent; lyrically they have a good flow in the words although most of the words lack any substance (there are a lot of puns mostly dealing with sexual inuendos (at least they aren't totally lewd)), they are fun to sing. "The dog, the Dog, he's at it again" has a rolling easy melody with a cool entrumental breakdown. Besides the opening track of Memory Lain, Hugh/ Hedloss the other main song is the follow up to "For Richard"- "A Hunting We Shall Go"; this song has an incredible build up that is quite something to follow. Caravan was a constand chainging band both in style in personal with Pye Hastings as the only constant member and main song writer, and this album is very different from the underrated Waterloo Lily, as Dave Sinclair returned to the keyboards and they added a new instrument to their arsenal, violinist Geoff Richardson- which gave them a whole new feel while maintaining the constant Caravan sound bases. Every song is has something interesting to offer; and although not entirely consistent from start to finish like Land of the Grey and Pink, it is an excellent album.

I have always liked the general atmosphere of this album and L'auberge du samglier is certainly one of my favourite Caravan tracks. What I found at the time, was that the LP cover was a perfect companion to the mood of the music. Unfortunately these days a CD booklet has a far less powerful impact.

The progressive-rock group Caravan never really achieved much commercial success in the US. But, still had some loyal fans. They received a modest amount of radio airplay back on album rock stations in the early to mid 70's. This album probably was Caravan's Finest Hour! The best tracks on this one are Memory Lain Hugh Headloss, Hoedown, and A Hunting We Shall Go Pengola Backwards. The price is a bit steep, but may be worth it to those who still enjoy the days of classical rock music, like me.

For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night is my favorite CARAVAN
recording. Maybe because this is where I started listening
to them or because the music is incredible, I can't say, but
for the "early" CARAVAN sound, this is it and at it's best.

Also, I'd put this on my TOP 50 albums to take to that
desert island...

This is definitely 5 star material...this and music from Grey & Pink. I don't understand this 4 star nonsense. Gees, you want to get people listening to great stuff, not just thinking, eh, maybe, maybe not. I got introduced to Caravan from a friend whom I introduced The Incredible String Band to. I wound up keeping most of his Caravan LPs and he kept much of my Incredible String Band material (he's a physics professor now and I am ashamed to ask him for them back).

Ok, why 5 stars. Well, I keep turning people on to this and 2 other Caravan albums, and people actually steal this stuff from me (especially this one). Seriously, this music has worn better than most over the decades. It's lighter than most of the heavy phycheldelia of its time, and it's hard to pigeonhole into any category which it could fit. When you can't categorize music easily this is always a sign that the music is either abominable or uniquely superb. I am happy to say it is the latter one in this case. There is fine ( great by today's standards) musicianship, tempo changes & musical diversity, intensity, tightness, quirkiness, and just enough musical experimentation (art rock-jazz fushion) in this effort to make it a minor "sort of rock" classic - on par perhaps with Focus' first album.

If you are a fan of the hard to classify...get this one. You won't be disappointed.

The release of 1973's "For Girls Who Grow Plump In the Night" came on the heels of major personnel chances that saw Steve Miller replaced by keyboardist Dave Sinclair (returning for his second tour of duty with the band after a short stint with Robert Wyatt and Matching Mole), Richard Sinclair replaced by former Spreadeagle bassist John Perry and the addition of viola player Geoff Richardson to the line up. Produced by David Hitchcock, the album saw another change in musical direction with singer/lead guitarist Pye Hastings stepping back into the creative forefront. With Hastings responsible for 90% of the album, tracks like 'Memory Lain, Hugh'' and 'Surprise, Surprise' saw the band moving away from the previous set's jazz-rock moves to a more mainstream rock attack. That shift in direction was tempered to some degree by Richardson's cello and violin which occasionally recalled the "Waterloo Lily" jazz moves (check out the ten minute closing suite 'L'auberge du Sanglier'). Still, this made for one of the band's most accessible collections which probably ticked off loads of prog heads.

- For anyone who thought these guys were just a bunch of shaggy-haired pretentious blowhards, I suggest they check out the stunningly commercial 'Memory Lain, Hugh'. Penned by Hastings, this song managed to blend a surprisingly commercial melody, some of the prettiest progressive moves you've ever heard, and some meaty rock moves - kudos to new bassist Perry and long time drummer Richard Coughlan for their pounding performances on the track. rating: **** stars
- Actually the second part of the opening medley, 'Headloss' was even more commercial, complete with harmony vocals, one of Hasting's best lead solos, and a distinctive top-40 flavored sheen. Hum, imagining Caravan on the top-40 play list was certainly an odd picture. rating: *** stars
- Opening up with an immediately arresting Pye guitar riff and cowbell percussion courtesy of Rank Ricotti, 'Hoedown' was about as close to an outright pop number as these guys could come without exploding. Surprisingly Richardson's country-tinged violin solo made the song even better. rating: **** stars
- With bassist Perry handling lead vocal (?) 'Surprise Surprise' was a pretty, breezy mid-tempo number with some amazingly chirpy vocal harmonies. Every time I hear it I have to scratch myself to make sure I'm listening to a Caravan performance. rating: **** stars
- Apparently based on the H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Call of Cthulhu", 'C'thlu' opened up with John Perry's bass giving the song a dark, ominous feel. David Sinclair's wailing ARP synthesizers underscored the weird feel. And then the song suddenly hit the upbeat, poppy chorus. Strange, but one of my favorite songs on the album. rating: **** stars
- I cant really explain it, but occasionally a song just sounds like it came out of a certain timeframe and that was definitely the case for 'The Dog, the Dog, He's At It Again'. It may have been recorded in 1973, but had a distinctive mid-1960s feel (at least until Sinclair's ARP kicked in), that recalled such perennial favorites as Brian Wilson and The Fab Four. Instantly engaging with some stunning layered vocals and another album highlight with a wonderfully quirky lyric. rating: ***** stars
- Kicked along by a first-rate Pye solo, 'Be Alright' was interesting for showing these guys could actually belt out a true rock song. Another performance that would probably shock anyone who came to the band through their jazz-rock, or progressive moves. I love it. rating: **** stars
- 'Chance of a Lifetime' shifted gears into a pretty, acoustic ballad. Sinclair's synthesizer added a nice edge to the track, with Pye turning in his prettiest solo. Richardson's violin solo not so much ... rating: *** stars
- 'L'auberge du Sanglier' was a ten minute, four part suite that found the band returning to their earlier progressive roots,
- 'A Hunting We Shall Go' was a hard edged instrumental with a great rock edge that turned even better when Pye's guitar solo kicked in. Richardson's distinguished himself on this one with a true rock violin solo. rating: **** stars
- Showcasing Sinclair on keyboards and synthesizers (yes, his opportunity to grab the spotlight), 'Pengola' started out as a stark, atmospheric ballad. Quite pretty, though the impact was lost when the track morphed into the 'Backwards' segment where heavy instrumental backing kicked in reducing it to what sounded like incidental music out of a 'B' flick soundtrack. rating: ** stars
- The brief 'A Hunting We Shall Go' reprise was nice enough, though I'm not sure what the closing explosion sound effect had to do with it all. rating: ** stars

Caravan fans can seldom agree on anything, but I'll step up and say that in spite if a couple of missteps (the closing suite), this is my favorite Caravan album (extra half star for the great album title and packaging which they were forced to revamp when London marketing rejected the original photo of a naked pregnant woman).

"For Girls Who Grow Plump In the Night" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss (Pye Hastings) - 9:14
2.) Hoedown (Pye Hastings) - 3:18
3.) Surprise, Surprise (Pye Hastings) - 4:05
4.) C'thlu (Pye Hastings) - 6:12

(side 2)
1.) The Dog, the Dog, He's At It Again (Pye Hastings) - 5:38
2.) Be Alright / Chance of a Lifetime (Pye Hastings) - 6:35
3.). L'auberge du Sanglier - 10:05
i.) A Hunting We Shall Go (instrumental) (Pye Hastings)
ii.) Pengola (instrumental) (Pye Hastings)
iii.) Backwards (John Perry)
iv.) A Hunting We Shall Go (reprise) (Mike Ratledge)

This is one of those absolutely essential records that every grasshopper and bong brain should own for just those times when you know that you want to listen to some rock and/or roll but are unsure exactly what to bung in the Toshiba. 1973's Plump finds Caravan expertly blending the laid back with the robust while lobbing the occasional jazzy wackadoodle into the mix for good measure. The noodling and understated vibe throughout won't exactly blow the doors clean off but the overall effect is nevertheless one of a certain solid voodoo being finessed right in front of your ears. Plus the fact that you have a boatload of bonus material on this disk means the dang yoke pulses onward for upwards of 78 minutes--an album length you'd have to call generous at the very least. Soothes and suits me every time at any rate. Great production on this record too which makes it sound right beefy at high volume. All in all a bang-up job by the boys from Canterbury. Have at it I say.

This CD (originally an LP) came out around the 1973 - 1974 time period, when rock was heading off into many new, exciting directions, and becoming more and more complex.

Unfortunately, 1975 introduced disco, and much of this exploratory rock disappeared in favor of songs that had mass appeal and would sell quickly.

This album by Caravan is perhaps one of the most innovative I have heard. Quite obscure in many respects, Caravan, and its style was actually copied by the much more popular group "Camel", who actually came up with a much poorer rendition of Caravan's style. It is still a mystery to me why Camel succeeded when Caravan failed (at least in the US).

A must-buy CD for those who like very innovative rock in the European flavor.