1976: Caravan y el perro ciego de San Dunstan

Contenido de esta entrada:

Introducción

El álbum Blind Dog at St. Dunstans

Anterior artículo de Caravan:  1975: El álbum Cunning Stunts de Caravan

Siguiente artículo de Caravan: 

Portada del álbum Blind Dog at St. Dunstans

Enlaces interesantes sobre Caravan:

 

Introducción

En un anterior artículo comentamos el cuarto álbum Waterloo Lily de la banda de rock progresivo Caravan de la zona de Canterbury. Tras la marcha de David Sinclair a Matching Mole y su sustitución por el tecladista Steve Miller (excomponente de Delivery), la banda quedó formada por Steve Miller, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings y Richard Coughlan. 1972: Caravan en la taberna de Waterloo Lily

Portada del álbum Waterloo Lily

En un anterior artículo continuamos su historia hasta la publicación de su quinto álbum For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night publicado en 1973. 1973: Caravan y las chicas que crecen rollizas por la noche

Un anterior artículo lo dedicamos al álbum Caravan and the New Symphonia publicado en 1974:  1974: Caravan y la New Symphonia Orchestra

Portada del álbum Caravan and the New Symphonia

En un anterior artículo nos ocupamos de su sexto álbum de estudio Cunning Stunts: 1975: El álbum Cunning Stunts de Caravan.

Portada del álbum Cunning Stunts

Este artículo lo dedicamos al álbum Blind Dog at St. Dunstans publicado en 1976.

El álbum Blind Dog at St. Dunstans

Producción

Cunning Stunts (1975) fue el último álbum lanzado en Decca. Esto precedió a una serie de problemas en la banda. David Sinclair se fue después de que se grabara el álbum y fue reemplazado por Jan Schelhaas, con lo que el sonido de la banda se volvió más convencional, alejándose de los largos temas instrumentales acometidos por Sinclair al órgano, mientras que Schelhaas prefería el piano y el sintetizador.

Jan Schelhaas

El grupo firmó con BTM Records de Miles Copeland con el que grabaría su siguiente álbum que se titularía Blind Dog at St. Dunstans. Gracias al fichaje con BTM actuaron con otra banda del sello, Renaissance el 22 de marzo de 1975 en el Corn Exchange de Cambridge.

Ante la ausencia de Dave Sinclair, Pye Hastings asumió el liderato en el álbum. Escribió y cantó ocho de nueve canciones. De esta manera, el álbum tiene una sensación más ligera que los anteriores álbumes, cambiando a canciones más cortas y más pop.

La banda estaba formada por el guitarrista Pye Hastings, el violista Geoffrey Richardson, el tecladista Jan Schelhaas, el bajista Mike Wedgewood y el batería Richard Coughlan.

David Hitchcock

El álbum fue producido durante el mes de enero de 1976 por David Hitchcock. Las pistas de respaldo fueron grabadas en los estudios Basing Street de Londres con el ingeniero Phil Ault asistido por Dave Hutchins, Barry Sage y Robert Ash. Las sobregrabaciones se realizaron en el Graveny Village Hall, Kent con el estudio móvil Manor. con el ingeniero Django Johnny Punter asistido por Alan, Chris and John. El álbum fue mezclado en estudios AIR de Londres con el ingeniero Django Johnny Punter asistido por Steve Prestage.

Django Johnny Punter

Portada y título del álbum 

La portada y el título reúnen varios elementos relacionados con Canterbury.

San Dunstan fue arzobispo de Canterbury y santo patrón de los ciegos, que dio nombre a un hogar para ciegos.

El título proviene de una explicación que dio el compositor inglés Noël Coward a un niño de por qué un perro estaba montando a otro: un perro era ciego y el otro lo empujaba a St. Dunstan's. Las notas de portada agradecen especialmente a Coward. De esta manera siguen con temas relativos al sexo en este álbum.

Noël Coward en 1972

Al final de la canción "Jack and Jill", entre los ladridos de los perros, se escuchan dos voces que hablan:

Primera voz: "¿Qué están haciendo esos dos perritos allí?" Segunda voz "Bueno, el perrito de adelante es ciego y su amigo de atrás lo está empujando hasta St Dunstan's"

La portada del álbum muestra la calle de San Dunstan que conduce a la antigua Puerta Oeste en Canterbury. Los miembros de Caravan solían frecuentar los pubs cerca de la zona de St. Dunstan.

Portada del álbum

Lanzamiento

El 23 de abril de 1976 se publicó con BTM el álbum en el Reino Unido. 

El álbum alcanzó la posición 53 en la lista británica pero solo permaneció una semana en ella.

Pantallazo de la lista británica

El álbum fue publicado por Arista en los Estados Unidos. También fue publicado en Países Bajos, Alemania, Italia, Francia y Japón. En España fue publicado en 1977.

AllMusic lo describió como "un gran giro para peor" y dijo que el álbum fue perjudicial para la carrera de Caravan.

Un sencillo se extrajo del álbum con los temas All The Way / Chiefs And Indians publicado en 1976 únicamente en el Reino Unido con BTM. No llegó a las listas. 

Contraportada del sencillo

Lista de temas

Todas las canciones compuestas por Pye Hastings, excepto donde se indique.

Lado 1

1. "Here Am I" 6:19

2. "Chiefs and Indians" (Mike Wedgwood) 5:13

3. "A Very Smelly, Grubby Little Oik" 4:15

4. "Bobbing Wide" 1:13

5. "Come on Back" 4:50

6. "Oik (reprise)" 2:26

Lado 2

7. "Jack and Jill" 6:26

8. "Can You Hear Me?" 6:17

9. "All the Way (with John Wayne's Single-Handed Liberation of Paris)" 9:03

Enlace a la lista de reproducción del álbum: Blind Dog at St. Dunstans

Videos

Caravan A Very Smelly Grumbly Oik - YouTube

Opinión personal sobre el álbum

El álbum es de agradable escucha gracias a la suave voz de Pye Hastings y las alegres melodías, menos progresivo y más pop, lo que no gustó a sus fans y a la crítica. Pero a mí me parece un buen álbum. Comienza con Here Am I, un tema agradable que me gusta mucho y anima a seguir escuchando. El resto de la cara uno, aunque dividido en cinco cortes es en realidad una suite con partes instrumentales muy buenas a las que puedes reconocer al autentico Caravan. Y el álbum cierra con All The Way, suave, melódico y armonioso, que me recuerda al estilo de Camel.

Reediciones

Fue publicado por primera vez en CD en Alemania en 1994. En 2006 se publicó remasterizado en CD en Japón con Air Mail Archive. En 2001 se publicó una edición ampliada con tres bonus tracks.

Imagen del libreto de la reedición de 2005

Créditos

Caravan

• Pye Hastings – voz (pistas 1, 3-9); Guitarras eléctricas y acústicas
• Geoff Richardson – viola, guitarra eléctrica, flauta, silbato nocturno
• Jan Schelhaas – teclados
• Mike Wedgwood – voz (pista 2); bajo, congas
• Richard Coughlan – batería

Personal adicional

Jimmy Hastings – flauta, saxofón alto, saxofón tenor, clarinete

David Hitchcock – productor

Chanter Sisters - coros

Contraportada del disco

Versiones en directo

Surprise Supplies (más tarde renombrado Here Am I) es un álbum en vivo publicado en CD en 1999 con todas las canciones de Blind Dog at St. Dunstans, excepto "Jack and Jill", grabada en un concierto el 4 de mayo de 1976 en el New Victoria Theatre con Jimmy Hastings como invitado.

El concierto fue retrasmitido parcialmente por la BBC por lo que apareció en álbumes pirata.

Caravan Canterbury Everywhere BBC in Concert 1976

Al día siguiente, el 5 de mayo de 1976, Caravan tocó en el programa de John Peel para BBC Radio One. Las grabaciones de este programa aparecen en el lanzamiento de 1998 Ether Way: BBC Sessions, 1975-1977: "All the Way", "A Very Smelly Grubby Little Oik", "Bobbing Wide", "Come on Back" y "Grubby Oik Reprise".

Portada del álbum Ether Way

Letras

1. "Here Am I"

When doin' it all late at night

I feel a thousand faces

All lookin' at me pale and white

From most peculiar places

They keep tellin' me that my life

Tell me that my life could be better

If all I want is love

My hands are holding traffic jams

That's full of crazy ladies

All trying to get home at the same time

To feed full fats of babies

And all they want is life

All they want is life to get better

Cause they like them going for love

Yes, I'm going for love – I'm taking arms

Stand, know what you can do

With all the running times you've given me

I don't wanna stay, going where I'm feeling even sure it's taking me

Why, you can see there's been a definite change in my eyes

Love, where are you, I'm needing you to keep me satisfied

So here am I, here am I

I never did ask what I might have been

When I could see their faces

I could have stayed home and got stuck right in

Or gone a million places

But then I wanted life

All I wanted was life to get better

So I could feel your love

So I could say to you

Know what you can do with everything

Loving all the same, be a pain

And still be what you need if you wanted to

Life it's through our love it's making all the change in my eyes

Love need no shove to keep the life I lead so satisfying

So here am I, here am I...

2. "Chiefs And Indians"

It's not very clear to me

Why we continue

I happened along just to see

If there's anything new

And I don't want to be the one to argue

If there's a part to play

I'll play it my way

And if you don't like what I say

My voice will just die away

I don't want to be the one to argue

Talking about chiefs and indians

And you really must agree

You've got to be a chief for one day

If you're an Indian for three

Talkin' bout dealin' with business

And lazy lethargy

I'll tell you a game you must play

And the name's diplomacy

Talkin' about making a fool of you

While you're makin' a fool of me

You've got no time to boogaloo

When you've got so many people to see

I'm talkin' about Chiefs and Indians

And lazy lethargy

You can take your false confidence

And stick it where nobody can see

It's not very clear to me

Why we continue

I happened along just to see

If there's anything new

And I don't want to be the one to argue

3. "A Very Smelly, Grubby Little Oik"

Though only 5'4, you could see he was a man among men

Kickin' him to the floor, right, his eyes would only water

Thankin' one once again you could hear him saying in that order now

Ease him while you can, start pickin' what you oughta

Some say he's a little crazy

'Bad Smell' is passing by

Maybe he's living in a haze

But you should see that boy fly

Standing not far away, you could see him with a finger up his nose

Can't bring myself to say what he's doing with the other

Twice in the afternoon he would come out with his head up in a cloud

Selling hot-air balloons to the people who could bother

His smile would send you senses reeling

From your toe jump to your head

And his breath would guarantee you see

That you would rather be dead

Though he may seem a little crazy

Distasteful to your eye

He may be living in a haze

But you should see that boy fly

Some said he's a little crazy

'Bad Smell' is passing by

He'll change the expression on your face

When you just see that boy fly...

4. "Bobbing Wide"

[Instrumental]

5. "Come On Back"

For you I would change the day

Wrap it up and take it all away

Give the night to the morning

Let it ride on into the sky

You know you just came to see

Not what was right, but what was wrong with me

And I got strength from your feeling

When you smiled you'd pass me on by

Come on back, come on back

Lord knows I got a lack

Only when you come, you know that we'll be one

So come... back

With you, all the world would be

So small that you could hardly see

The amount of confusion

Leading all who'll pass life on by

Some time when you're feeling low

We can take the time to get up and go

From this world to another

By balloon I'll take you there, so...

Come on back, come on back

Lord knows I got a lack

Only when you come, you know that we'll be one

So come... back

6. "Oik (Reprise)"

Oik, what an oik

Very smelly, grubby little oik

Who only knows who could be smelling so grubby?

What a bum, what a bum

Makes you think that something's gone wrong

You could catch the stem and then-a run like hell, so grubby

...

7. "Jack And Jill"

I'd lost all the breath within me

As I went up on the hill

When there she was, with a sad expression

Saying, oh my name is Jill

And I can't find how to get some water

Can you help me? Say you will!

For your time I will reward you

And you know I surely will

How could I refuse a lady

When she'd put it quite so well?

There was I in a situation

With no-one around to tell

So all that day, I put some water

In the bucket by the well

When she smiled, I felt her harder

But on the way I fell... down

Down – right down the bottom

Ooh ooh ooh, right down the bottom

I didn't mind spilling all the water

If I'd satisfied myself

There the time didn't really matter

It could have been somebody else

She would say I will reward you

And even thought it cost a crown

Now I find my life is sweeter

Every time I fall down...

So all that day, I put some water

In the bucket by the well

When she smiled, I felt her harder

But on the way I fell... fell... fell... fell...

Down – right down the bottom

Ooh ooh ooh, right down the bottom

8. "Can You Hear Me?"

Leaving all the days when I was right in your eyes

Through all these days of something better

Give it all you got, you've learned to try really try

Take it out of you more work on better

Don't let it grow, let it show

Let me know how you feel

Was ever a love in my life, it was you

I would hardly contrive to conceal

My surprise, didn't know when I would realize

Oh, oh I can't doubt with you, it's all right

Many times before I've turned my back on the days

Out of one of gold it turned to silver

So the time to choose had come when down in a haze

Given you and me a long forever

Don't let me down, don't you frown

You may drown in your tears

Was ever a time you won't mind

It was now, can you hear me, oh, can you hear?

Oh, all right, did say when I was passing by

Oh, only came by below recalling me

So can't you see

All the love you pay for you take forever?

Go slow, you could be

Something's always sometime what you ever

When it's going for me, I'm going to take what I like

When it's not I surely set for better

If I know I'm wrong I'm gonna make it all right

If it keeps you loving me forever

Don't let me down, don't you frown

You may drown in my fears

Was ever a time you won't mind

It was now, can you feel me, oh, can you feel?

9. "All The Way"

(with John Wayne's Single-Handed Liberation of Paris)

Well, if I say to you I could forget it

Believe it out of lying

Easy come, easy go my time had been

Until you came into my life

If I could do again I'd beg and borrow

For a second time around

But I wouldn't change my life by a single day

If I couldn't have you for dreaming of

Takin' it all the way

You and I, we had much better than before

Better than all after

Doin' it all the way

You and I, we had time for nothing more

Time to keep on loving, still...

In what you say, you'd never make a mountain

Though you sometimes disappear

Leaving me with all my own, so I could see

All the seed I'd planted could be grown

Diving in all the way

Must admit we had much better than before

Better than all after

Doin' it all the way

You and I we had time for nothing more

Time to keep on loving... till

All alone and ridin' home while you'd always find me there

Getting on, whatever comes into my mind while you'd always find me there

Oh-oh, if you got to be someone, let it shine on out of your eyes

Till the feeling gets to you so strong that you can open up the skies...

A year or so, the day it comes tomorrow

I saw you on the line

Between the worlds of fantasy and swollen girls

Never knew I'd see a better time

Takin' it all the way

You and I we had much better than before

Better then or after

Doin' it all the way

You and I we had time for nothing more

Time to keep on loving...