- Audio CD (1 Oct 1999)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Transatlantic
- ASIN: B00000J9QY
- Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 635,884 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album from 1995 was Caravan's first new studio-album since "Back to Front" from '82, and a great one it is. The line-up is: The Hastings brothers, Coughlan, Richardson, Dave Sinclair and new bass-player Jim Leverton, who is also the vocalist on one track. It's very much Pye Hastings album and a "song album" with no long organ-based instrumentals. Best songs are, in my opinion, the ballad "Somewhere in your Heart" and the faster tracks "This time" and "I know why you're laughing". Others may prefer the hard-hitting "Liar" or "Travelling Ways" with Jim Leverton singing. All in all the album shows Pye Hastings as a very talented songwriter and a great vocalist. I must admit I find the record a bit over-produced, but apart from that "Battle of Hastings" is nearly as good as the classic Caravan albums.
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love the classic early Caravan albums but curiosity got the better of me and I decided to try some of the later albums. I'm really glad I did. This is a great album, the songs have an obvious link back to earlier Caravan material but Pye Hastings has created a really interesting and modern sounding batch of songs. The playing and singing is (as ever with Caravan) excellent but there are new textures with instruments like mandolin coming through in the mix. Repeated plays is dangerous because the songs stick firmly in the brain and you'll be humming choruses everwhere you go. Onward to the other releases!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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2 reviews
Back to form!
11 Aug 2007
Format:Audio CD
After a hiatus of more than a decade, Caravan first re-recorded some of their old material (on "All Over You" & "All Over You ... Too") before they finally came up with new material on this album. Except for the "new" bass player (actually an old veteran, Jim Leverton, who had played in dozens of British bands including Savoy Brown & Fat Mattress & Spencer Davis Group), all our good old favourite members are back here again: Pye Hastings, Dave Sinclair, Geoffrey Richardson & Richard Coughlan).
The songs are more emotional & thoughtful and less quirky - tackling topics such as forgetfulness of elderly people (Sad, Sad Affair), corrupt tour managers (Liar) and Love of Nature (Travelling Ways). You won't find any long pieces in the "Nine Feet Underground" - "For Richard" vein, as Caravan have now become more song-orientated. But even within the confines of ballads and pop rock Caravan remain highly individual and unpredictable. Very often the traditional song scheme (1st verse - chorus - 2nd verse - chorus - solo - etc.) has been deliberately ignored, making for exciting twists and turns with unpredictable key and tempo changes, and the solos often come in when you least expect them.
A very pleasant surprise are the gentle folk touches by Richardson's mandolin and flute, whereas Dave Sinclair seems to take a back seat here, yet still he shines with a magnificent piano solo on "Don't Want Love".
The album might have benefitted from a less cottony sound (it was produced & mixed by Pye's son Julian Hastings), and a less grey and pink cover. Both could have almost cost them the fifth star in this review. And, of course, if you want exactly the Caravan sound of the seventies, there is lots of archive live material to be obtained elsewhere. This is definitely not a time machine! Thank God, the band have matured and added an exciting new chapter to their history of constant changes & development. If you like that unique typical Britishness, music that first appears to sound low-key, but grows on you with every new listening, well there is definitely plenty of it to be found
The songs are more emotional & thoughtful and less quirky - tackling topics such as forgetfulness of elderly people (Sad, Sad Affair), corrupt tour managers (Liar) and Love of Nature (Travelling Ways). You won't find any long pieces in the "Nine Feet Underground" - "For Richard" vein, as Caravan have now become more song-orientated. But even within the confines of ballads and pop rock Caravan remain highly individual and unpredictable. Very often the traditional song scheme (1st verse - chorus - 2nd verse - chorus - solo - etc.) has been deliberately ignored, making for exciting twists and turns with unpredictable key and tempo changes, and the solos often come in when you least expect them.
A very pleasant surprise are the gentle folk touches by Richardson's mandolin and flute, whereas Dave Sinclair seems to take a back seat here, yet still he shines with a magnificent piano solo on "Don't Want Love".
The album might have benefitted from a less cottony sound (it was produced & mixed by Pye's son Julian Hastings), and a less grey and pink cover. Both could have almost cost them the fifth star in this review. And, of course, if you want exactly the Caravan sound of the seventies, there is lots of archive live material to be obtained elsewhere. This is definitely not a time machine! Thank God, the band have matured and added an exciting new chapter to their history of constant changes & development. If you like that unique typical Britishness, music that first appears to sound low-key, but grows on you with every new listening, well there is definitely plenty of it to be found
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Collection of bad songs
1 July 2004
Format:Audio CD
The title is appropriate, because at this time, Caravan had become Pye Hasting's band. He wrote all the tracks on this album, except one. And the album is dominated by Hastings sound and vocals. The album consists of mostly shorter songs (around 3 to 6 minutes) and is 50 minutes long.
Note that this album has been re-issued with a different cover than what is shown here. If you buy this one, I don't know what you get.
This time the group includes Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlin (as always), David Sinclair, Geoff Richardson and Jimmy Hastings. But, Sinclair and Richardson have very little impact on this album. There is none Richardson's viola and the rest of his playing is relegated to the background. Sinclair's one composition, Traveling Ways, is one of the worst things he has ever written. Only Jimmy Hastings's flute and saxophone are featured beyond Pye Hastings's guitar work. And, for some reason, Pye Hastings never really opens up on guitar.
Other than Jimmy Hastings's playing at the end of some so of the songs, there is no emotion or energy on this album. The songs are just boring and tedious. But, Jimmy Hastings does have some wonderful moments.
There are a few good songs, like Emily, Don't Want Love, and It's Not Real.
After this album was released, Caravan went on a tour to support it. There is a CD from that tour called Live In London at the Astoria (or some variation...it has been released with several different titles and covers). I didn't like the live album either. There is also a video of the concert, but I haven't seen it. A better live album to get is called simply, Caravan Live and is from 3 years earlier and features the complete original band.
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