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The Album (Caravan album)

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The Album
Original UK vinyl cover
Studio album by
Released31 October 1980
RecordedJuly 1980
StudioFarmyard (Little Chalfont, England)
GenrePop rock
Length43:41
LabelKingdom
Caravan chronology
Better by Far
(1977)
The Album
(1980)
Back to Front
(1982)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The Album is the ninth album released by English progressive rock band Caravan.[2] It was recorded at Farmyard Studios, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire in July 1980.[3]

Background and recording

[edit]

After a year of inaction followed by Caravan being dropped from Arista Records, Caravan reformed with a line up of Pye Hastings, Geoff Richardson, Dave Sinclair, Richard Sinclair and Richard Coughlan. After attempting to record a live album, Richard Sinclair dropped out of the line up and was replaced by Dek Messecar. The group decided to scrap the live album when it was learned that a studio album could be recorded with the same budget.[4]

Members Dave Sinclair and Geoff Richardson contributed to songwriting duties alongside main songwriter Pye Hastings. The material moved in the direction of shorter songs and more mainstream instrumentation than previous albums.[5]

The only promotional work undertaken was an appearance on French television to promote the "Heartbreaker" single release in France. Caravan's performance was interrupted by the news of the failed assassination attempt of John Paul II in Rome.[6]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heartbreaker"Pye Hastings3:38
2."Corner of Me Eye"Geoff Richardson3:39
3."Watcha Gonna Tell Me"Dave Sinclair5:48
4."Piano Player"John Murphy, Dave Sinclair5:23
5."Make Yourself at Home"Dave Sinclair3:27
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Golden Mile"Jim Atkinson3:11
2."Bright Shiny Day"Pye Hastings6:19
3."Clear Blue Sky"Geoff Richardson6:25
4."Keepin' Up De Fences"Pye Hastings5:21
Bonus tracks on Eclectic remaster (2004)
No.TitleLength
1."Heartbreaker (single version)"3:40
2."It's Never Too Late"6:24

Personnel

[edit]
Caravan
Additional personnel
  • Stephen W. Tayler – engineer, mixing
  • Ian Morais – engineer, mixing
  • Terry King – production co-ordinator
Releases information
  • LP Kingdom CDKVL 9003 (1980)
  • CD Eclectic 1011 (2004 remaster)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Caravan - The Album (1980) | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Caravan - The Album (1980) music reviews and MP3". ProgArchives.com. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  3. ^ "Caravan - The Album (1980) (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Caravan".
  5. ^ Powell, Mark (2004). Caravan: The Album (Media notes) (Re-issued, remastered ed.). Eclectic Discs. p. 2. ECLCD 1011.
  6. ^ Powell 2004, p. 6.