See Caravan for other bands and songs and uses of the word "caravan".
Caravan is a British rock/ jazz band from the Canterbury area. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene which also included Soft Machine. They still continue a part-time gigging existence into the 21st century. A feature of the Canterbury sound is the blending of psychedelia and jazz.
A regular cult favourite, the band's chart performance in the UK and US was minimal, charting one album, "Cunning Stunts" at US#124. In the UK "Cunning Stunts" (#50) and "Blind Dog at St. Dunstans (#53) were their only hits. A loyal following has ensured steady back catalogue sales and a lengthy live career for the band, who continue to this day featuring founder members Pye Hastings (guitar, vocals, songwriting) and Richard Coughlan (drums). Caravan's best known recording is the 1971 set "In The Land of the Grey and Pink", their second album for Decca. The All Music Guide states that it 'showed off a keen melodic sense, a subtly droll wit, and a seductively smooth mix of hard rock, folk, classical, and jazz, intermingled with elements of Tolkien-esque fantasy.' A fair summary of Caravan's late sixties to late seventies work. Prolific and inventive, the band appeared to have too many ideas to produce direct, radio-friendly singles. 21st century reissues of their albums featured lengthy tracks, previously unissued, demonstrating the huge amount of releasable material that had failed to make their 1970s albums.
The band were largely dormant in the eighties until a 1990 reunion, planned as a one-off for television, restarted their career. Latterly they have also achieved steady sales and a fan following with the support of the more eclectic corners of radio, like BBC Six Music's "Freak Zone" and the growing re-emergence of progressive rock.
