18th August 2021: Prog legends Caravan announce the release of their new album It’s None Of Your Business to be released on CD format on 8th October 2021 and as a vinyl LP, on 8th November, on Madfish Music.
It’s None Of Your Business is Caravan’s first album since Paradise Filter (2013) and features nine new songs plus one instrumental track influenced, to a degree, by the events and restrictions placed on society over the past 18 months.
Caravan are Pye Hastings (guitar, vocals). Geoffrey Richardson (viola, mandolin, guitar), Jan Schelhaas (keyboards) and Mark Walker (drums). Lee Pomeroy (ELO, Rick Wakeman and Take That) has guested as bass player, following the departure of Jim Leverton, while Jimmy Hastings has also guested on flute.
The album was recorded, as restrictions allowed, ‘in the old-fashioned way’ between 24th June and 4th July 2021 at Rimshot Studio, Bredgar near Sittingbourne. “Sitting round in a circle having eye to eye contact, a large sound room was required,” Pye Hastings explained. “I much prefer this method because you can bounce ideas off each other as they occur, and voice encouragement when the whole thing begins to click.
“And it is much more rewarding to be able to throw insults at each other in person rather than down a telephone line or via email. This is something we are all very experienced at, believe me!”
This togetherness characterises It’s None Of Your Business with Caravan’s trademark warmth and humour and, also, a sensitivity reflecting the times in which we are living. Sitting among Caravan’s typically whimsical tales Down From London and If I Was To Fly sit the heartfelt and poignant Spare A Thought and Every Precious Little Thing which looks forward to a return to normality.
“’Spare a Thought’ is a song that I hope will jog people to remember those unfortunate people caught up in the pandemic,” Hastings explains. “‘All those people who denied’ refers to the idiots who don’t follow the scientific advice. I get angry about that and the line ‘Sure are interesting times’ refers to an old Chinese saying: ‘may you live in interesting times’”
“Lyrics can sometimes be my Achilles Heel, trying to find anything meaningful to write about. But sitting in front of a blank screen with a pandemic raging all around, it was hard not to be influenced by the dreadful events going on. The lockdown certainly focused the mind when it came to writing the lyrics.”
It’s None Of Your Business cover and artwork has been created by renowned illustrator Bob Venables
( https://www.bobvenables.co.uk/)
It’s None Of Your Business Track Listing:
01. Down From London (4.03)
02. Wishing You Were Here (3.55)
03. It’s None Of Your Business (9.40)
04. Ready Or Not (4.45)
05. Spare A Thought (4.06)
06. Every Precious Little Thing (4.25)
07. If I Was To Fly (3.23)
08. I’ll Reach Out For You (8.07)
09. There Is You (4.26)
10. Luna’s Tuna (3.14)
Produced, engineered and mastered by Julian Hastings with assistant engineer Mike Thorne.
It’s None Of Your Business is released on 8th October 2021 on CD & digitally with the LP on black vinyl released on 8th November through Madfish Music. PRE ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW HERE
(https://CaravanBand.lnk.to/ItsNoneOfYourBusiness)
CARAVAN LIVE
Caravan will also be on tour, supporting the release of their new album, in the UK in October:
Wednesday 6th October Basingstoke The Haymarket
Thursday 7th October Islington The Union Chapel
Friday 8th October Brighton/Hove The Old Market
Thursday 14th October Chester The Live Rooms
Friday 15th October Leeds The Bridenwell
Saturday 16th October Bury The Met
Sunday 17th October Wolverhampton The Robin 2 (Bilston)
Thursday 21st October Bury St Edmunds The Apex
Friday 22nd October Newcastle The Cluny
Saturday 23rd October Glasgow Òran Mór
Wednesday 27th October Bristol The Fleece
Thursday 28th October Exeter The Phoenix
Friday 29th October Dover The Booking Hall
About Caravan
Caravan are one of the doyens of the progressive rock and the ‘Canterbury scene’, formed in 1968 and blending rock, jazz, folk and classical influences into a warm and distinctive sound.
Founder member Pye Hastings (guitar/vocals) remains as Caravan’s guiding light and primary songwriter. Geoffrey Richardson (viola, mandolin, guitar) first played with Caravan between 1972 and 1981 and returned to the fold in 1995. Their previous 14 studio albums and numerous live recordings have seen them attract a large and faithful following and Caravan toured regularly until the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have a UK tour scheduled for October 2021 and have interest, from abroad, for overseas tours to Japan, Canada and South America.
The legends of the Canterbury scene band are being celebrated in a lavish 37-disc box set, entitled Who Do You Think We Are, released on Madfish on 20th August.
What a bummer that they are playing The Fleece when they get to Brizzle. The air inside there must be the world’s most concentrated viral soup at the best of times. I’m not going anywhere near the place for at least a decade, if not longer. Not to mention the charming shipping-container acoustics. What a shame – I think that, apart possibly from Van, the Canterbury boys are the band I’ve seen most often over the centuries.
They’re not known for coming to Ireland. I saw them once only, at the Stables. Mrs H read a book the whole time.
Friday 15th October Leeds The Bridenwell
Think this should be The Brudenell.
Even though the cover looks like it could be from the 80s (looks a bit like Primitive Dance by Paul Brady), I quite like it. I always had a soft spot for Caravan.
I saw them twice in the late sixties, first at The Magic Village, Cromford Court, Manchester where they were magnificent in such a small room venue. The history of The Magic Village is worth looking at by the way. I saw them a year later in the gym in Stockport College where they wowed a capacity crowd. i look forward to their new release. Thanks for the alert Colin
I thought we were getting a Haven Holidays thread for a minute there
‘If the ‘vans’ a rockin don’t come knockin’ – that sort of thing?
I find a sly temptation, even if it is LoGaP that is my go to, finding the ‘later’ stuff (post 1975!!) less enthralling. Saw them once, Reading 75, Geoff Richardson in his first spell with them, and they were great.
I’ve always thought Richard Sinclair to be one of the great underappreciated vocalists of English Prog. A fine bassist too.
Richard Sinclair has been playing a bit around his local ‘hood of Italy’s heel. Both solo and with some Italian musicians.
Last year he collaborated with an Italian group, Julius Project, on their album Cut The Tongue, singing on the title track:
I only recently realised that Geoff was a member of Caravan, having been a Penguin Cafe Orchestra fan for ages. Lee Pomeroy in Hackett’s band always strikes me as a better fit as bassist than the others. He certainly channels his inner Mike Rutherford, with his custom doubleneck, which uses Shergold bits.
*puts his glasses back on*
Jesus! Thank Christ for that. I thought for a moment there that you said he had a custom doubleneck that used Shergar’s bits.