Caravan

Caravan

“Who Do You Think We Are?”

(Madfish, 2021)

On August 18th, Madfish, in collaboration with Snapper Music, released the definitive box set by Caravan, the British band that played a crucial role in the creation and development of the Canterbury sound in the Seventies, and is responsible for some of the most treasured legacies of progressive rock as a whole. It was the original blend of pop, psychedelic rock and jazz running through their discography that turned them into a cult band, revered and followed by generations of fans across the world.

“Who Do You Think We Are?” is a box set containing no fewer than 35 CDs offering, in newly remastered form, the band's official catalogue both in the studio and live, a DVD containing a complete live show from September 5th, 1971 at London's Marquee and a second live set filmed for French television on December 9th, 1972, a Blu-Ray of “In The Land Of Grey And Pink” (the band's undisputed masterpiece) in 5.1 Surround and 48/24 stereo mixes crafted by the skilled hands of Steven Wilson, by now the absolute benchmark in the world of reissues for the cleanliness and quality of his work (worth mentioning is the admirable job he's done on the discographies of Black Sabbath, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, Roxy Music, Tangerine Dream, Tears For Fears, Ultravox, Xtc, Yes, etc.).

The box set, considerable in size and weight, comes with a gorgeous 150-page hardback book featuring forewords penned by none other than Steve Hillage (Uriel, Egg, Khan, Gong, System 7) and Steve Davis. Divided into nine chapters that trace, in strict chronological order, the life, works and wonders of the band from its 1967 beginnings to its most recent (re)incarnations, it closes with a brief but interesting “questions and answers” session with Pye Hastings. All of this is accompanied by an orderly, precise and exhaustive contents list, featuring tracklists, details on musicians and producers, recording locations and dates, and all related information. The book also includes previously unseen photos of the band's various line-ups, reproductions of manuscripts, vinyl sleeves, concert posters and promotional material. Conspicuously absent, however, are the band's wonderfully imaginative lyrics, which would have been a pleasure to enjoy in such a lavish package.

The box set's contents continue with a color photo autographed by the three surviving members of the original line-up, namely Pye Hastings, Dave Sinclair and Richard Sinclair; a gorgeous, highly imaginative poster featuring a map of Canterbury; a second poster with the band's family tree, from its origins to the present day; two reproductions of promotional concert posters from shows held in the early Seventies alongside historic acts such as Camel and Black Sabbath; a twenty-odd page booklet featuring old articles and biographical notes on the band; a fanzine containing more or less recent but always enjoyable interviews with band members, musicians, promoters and producers; several reproductions of “press packs”, that is, the promotional folders the label issued for use by the specialist press. Finally, the CDs, individually packaged in small cardboard sleeves that faithfully reproduce the original LP artwork, liner notes included.

Then, of course, there's the music itself. Besides the official albums (14 studio and 4 live), the box set includes 11 CDs of previously unreleased live material. The audio quality is excellent for both the studio and live albums: the recent remastering has breathed new life into a discography that had long been in need of a refresh. This reaches its peak of perfection with Steven Wilson's 5.1 Surround mix, which makes “In The Land Of Grey And Pink” sound as if it were recorded tomorrow. Compared to the 2011 Deram reissue (a 2-CD + 1 DVD 5.1 Surround edition with new stereo mixes), the quality here is slightly superior, though the tracklist of the bonus CD has changed. The track order from the album's December 1970 recording sessions has been shuffled, while the three recordings of their performances on “Sound Of The Seventies”, the BBC programme broadcast on March 11th, 1971, and the two tracks recorded for John Peel's “Sunday Concert At The Paris Theatre” on May 6th, 1971, are missing entirely. A venial sin that doesn't invalidate the overwhelmingly positive verdict on the whole operation.

The box set is a joy for the eyes, the ears and the mind. It ranks among the finest productions of recent years (see Gentle Giant's “Unburied Treasure” and Steve Hillage's “Searching For The Spark” box sets, both released in 2019) in terms of craftsmanship as well as visual and audio content. It was released in two versions: one strictly limited to 100 copies (already sold out), the other to 2,500 copies worldwide, the two differing in that the former includes a numbered print signed by artist Bob Venables, responsible for the box set's artwork and the book's illustrations. The price reflects the considerable work that undoubtedly went into creating this genuine gem, and stands, on Burning Shed and Superdeluxeeditions.com, at £350.00 for the first version and £275.00 for the second (and, since the aforementioned online retailers are warehoused on British soil, Italian listeners wishing to order a copy of the box set will need to factor in customs duties and VAT on top of the already steep price, amounting to roughly €84.00 – thanks, Brexiteers!). A finely crafted release that, given its high cost and the depth of its content, is aimed at devoted fans of the band or the most extreme collectors.

(September 12, 2021)

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27/04/2026