Caravan
For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night

THE REVIEW

What a long title for this album by Caravan released in 1973; I've always wondered about the meaning (for girls who grow plump in the night, or something similar) of the title in relation to the cover, then by buying the CD, I understood, the girl who sleeps blissfully is expecting, and then everything became clearer.

Coming to the album, it can be considered the last noteworthy work by the English group, the return of David Sinclair brings back consistency and less predictability to the band's complex melodies, above all, they are less verbose than those present in "Waterloo Lily". The opening of "Memory Lain, Hugh/Headloss" with its nine minutes is a pleasure to savor, a great performance by the collective that performs in a very immediate and above all well-sung track. The sound heads towards grittier paths with "Hoedown" with guitar highlighted throughout the piece, it's not very convincing and ends up being a bit irritating. However, the most successful parts of the work are the more Pop tracks, like the beautiful "Surprise, Surprise" which recalls the West Coast in the use of the voice and "The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again" which again showcases a good play of voices. Where the record has to pull out its prog soul, it disappoints a bit, "Be Alright / Chance Of A Lifetime", opting for fast and more guitar-rock tracks penalizes the success of the pieces, breaking the good continuity between the slow sung songs and the instrumental ones, like the successful "L'Auberge Du Sanglier".

Reissued by Deram recently, numerous repetitive and boring bonus tracks like "Derek's Long Thing" have been added, yet the album is still suitable for progressive rock scholars, simple enthusiasts are unlikely to fall in love with it.