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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Place Of My Own | |||
| 2. Magic Man | |||
| 3. Love Song With Flute | |||
| 4. Grandma's Lawn | |||
| 5. Cecil Rons | |||
See all 13 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Golf Girl | |||
| 2. In The Land Of Grey & Pink | |||
| 3. Nine Feet Underground | |||
| 4. Winter Wine | |||
| 5. I Don't Know It's Name (Alias The Word) | |||
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See all 10 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 3 | |||
| 1. Waterloo Lily | |||
| 2. Any Advance On Carpet | |||
| 3. C'thlu Thlu | |||
| 4. Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss | |||
| 5. The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again | |||
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See all 11 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 4 | |||
| 1. Be Alright / Chance Of A Lifetime | |||
| 2. The Show Of Our Lives | |||
| 3. Keeping Back My Love | |||
| 4. No Backstage Pass | |||
| 5. Stuck In A Hole | |||
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See all 10 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Review
Although they are intricately entwined into the DNA of that sub-genre of progressive music known as the Canterbury scene, there’s nevertheless always been something of the “bridesmaid but never the bride” syndrome about Caravan.
Quite why this should be is slightly baffling given that their sound has always been on the light and accessible end of the progressive rock spectrum. Their straightforward songs and bright, unfussy noodling was the sunshine to the oft-dark complexities of their close Canterbury cousins, Soft Machine.
Whereas the Softs veered far from their shared pop roots, ploughing an acerbic, often ground-breaking furrow into improvisation, jazz-rock fusion and beyond, Caravan pretty much bumbled along on their old straight track in a benign, slightly sleepy but agreeable manner.
This handsomely appointed four-CD box set, whilst being skimpy on unreleased or rare material (only boasting a couple of previously-unreleased extras), offers a pleasantly winding stroll through their classic period, from which 1971’s In The Land of Grey and Pink remains their most enduring work.
All but one of its original studio tracks are presented here; filled with flutes, fuzz-pedalled organ and dreamy vocals about girls, freedom, and finding yourself, these agreeable, sun-dappled pastoral tunes are as English as Elgar.
Gracefully structured long-form suites were essential ingredients in the Caravan brew, but whilst Nine Feet Underground (1971), Nothing At All (1972) Memory Lain (1973) and several other notable epics all clocked up the minutes, these were genteel, subtle undertakings rather than vulgar exhibitions of technique.
Though they recruited a dedicated following it was never wide or deep enough to deliver them real commercial success. It always seemed that Caravan were only ever one album away cracking the market, but much to the frustration of the band and its supporters that happy event always eluded them.
At a time when bands like ELP seemed hell-bent on world domination via bombastic rock symphonics, Caravan generally opted for a kinder, whimsical non-competitive mode of expression when soloing, and perhaps it was precisely the lack of extrovert showmanship that prevented them from attracting wider attention.
Yet, as this set demonstrates, given that they sound a good deal less-arch and cliché-free than many of their more illustrious and fêted contemporaries, this was probably a good thing. A worthy introduction to a likeable but often unfairly neglected English institution. --Sid Smith
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CD Description
The World Is Yours - The Anthology 1968-1976 is an exhaustive remastered four CD box set from Canterbury sound band Caravan. The set includes previously unreleased studio recordings, album tracks, rare single mixes, BBC recordings and out-takes,a s well as a lavish book featuring an essay and previously unseen photographs plus sleeve notes by Mark Powell.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
You could never squeeze Caravan's "best of" music onto one or even two CDs, as has been attempted many times in the past. Four discs here, including all their landmark album tracks - Caravan were of course an album band first and foremost. Almost the entire Land of Grey and Pink album is included here, missing only the little ditty that somehow got squeezed in among the great pieces, and a true harvest of their best progressive rock music. It's a shame it ends with the 1976 album Blind Dog, which really marked their creative low point, after which they emerged somewhat changed but no less interesting - but none of their rebirth material is included. Perhaps that's being left for another box set?
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A wonderful overview of Caravan's musical journey, lovingly and carefully researched and compiled by Mark Powell who has also been involved in remastering many tracks.The whole package is a joy to behold and listen to from the dynamic and melodic early singles to the awesome "All the way", the beginning of which surely ranks as the best musical introduction I've ever heard. You will be humming the chorus long after the cd has finished. Simply awesome!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I guess this box first of all is aimed at hard-core fans of the "progressive" group Caravan that had its heyday in the period 1968-76.
The group's strength and trademark were the long and often epic tracks, which sometimes were tight through-composed and sometimes gave way to longer improvisations. Despite many line-up changes the band maintained a relatively uniform expression, where the jazzy elements in some periods were more prevalent than in others.
The band's compositions were often quite complex, with unusual rhythms and rhythm changes. Instrumentally the band members were highly competent, and willing to seek musical challenges. Conversely, one should not expect many catchy tunes, and the group achieved no real hits. Only in few cases their songs could be called commercial or catchy, most albums, however, do contain one or two numbers relatively straightforward and a playing time under 5 minutes.
The fact that the group's songwriting was something special and that they never created a real classic song, has meant that they never got wider recognition. Moreover the group also lacked a strong profile vocalist so a big breakthrough did not materialize.
Several of the group's albums, however, have gained considerable recognition as some of the best prog. rock of the early 1970s. Especially "If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You" from 1970 and "In the Land of Grey and Pink" from 1971, stand as significant releases.
A four CD box is a big mouthful and I must admit that I am mostly in for the shorter tracks. Among those I could bring forward "Place of My Own," "Magic Man", "If I Could Do it All Over Again" "And I Wish I were Stoned," "With an Ear to the Ground," "Love to Love You," "The World Is Yours," "The Dog The Dog" and "C'Thlu C'Thlu" as favorites.
The box is very well done, with a fascinating biography entertainingly describing the group's somewhat complicated history with frequent line-up changes and people coming in and out of the group. So even though some of the music may completely fall in taste, there are however many hours of fine entertainment with both reading and listening.
The group's strength and trademark were the long and often epic tracks, which sometimes were tight through-composed and sometimes gave way to longer improvisations. Despite many line-up changes the band maintained a relatively uniform expression, where the jazzy elements in some periods were more prevalent than in others.
The band's compositions were often quite complex, with unusual rhythms and rhythm changes. Instrumentally the band members were highly competent, and willing to seek musical challenges. Conversely, one should not expect many catchy tunes, and the group achieved no real hits. Only in few cases their songs could be called commercial or catchy, most albums, however, do contain one or two numbers relatively straightforward and a playing time under 5 minutes.
The fact that the group's songwriting was something special and that they never created a real classic song, has meant that they never got wider recognition. Moreover the group also lacked a strong profile vocalist so a big breakthrough did not materialize.
Several of the group's albums, however, have gained considerable recognition as some of the best prog. rock of the early 1970s. Especially "If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You" from 1970 and "In the Land of Grey and Pink" from 1971, stand as significant releases.
A four CD box is a big mouthful and I must admit that I am mostly in for the shorter tracks. Among those I could bring forward "Place of My Own," "Magic Man", "If I Could Do it All Over Again" "And I Wish I were Stoned," "With an Ear to the Ground," "Love to Love You," "The World Is Yours," "The Dog The Dog" and "C'Thlu C'Thlu" as favorites.
The box is very well done, with a fascinating biography entertainingly describing the group's somewhat complicated history with frequent line-up changes and people coming in and out of the group. So even though some of the music may completely fall in taste, there are however many hours of fine entertainment with both reading and listening.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Memory lane
Let's face it; the people who buy this are most likely Caravan fans already or at least used to be. I used to be and a sudden attack of nostalgia led me to buy this compilation. Read more
Published 5 months ago by ib
great
just got the, excell stuff, it's amazing that progs still so popular today, fantastic.same thoughts though,as i said on boxset for camel,prefer studio cuts over live ones.
Published 19 months ago by A. Kennedy
The quintessential English prog band.
Like Curved Air who I reviewed recently, Caravan were one of the many bands who made up the also rans of the great British rock/progressive rock era which coincided almost exactly... Read more
Published 20 months ago by D. Wright
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