IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

It's hard to believe that CARAVAN has existed in one form or another as a band since 1968. That's well over a half century! Regarded as one half of the original Canterbury Scene along with Soft Machine this band released five classic albums beginning with its 1968 eponymous debut and ended with 1973's "For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night" before succumbing to the same record company pressures that many prog bands experienced. Starting with 1975's "Cunning Stunts" CARAVAN began to water down its Canterbury jazz-rock roots and instead deliver sometimes bland AOR and cheesy pop that alienated fans of yore and attracted little if any new followers.

Somehow through it all band leader and only band member to embark on the entire CARAVAN journey, Pye Hastings has continued to sporadically release albums throughout the 80s, 90s and 21st century and while few have probably been sitting back waiting for the next chapter of the CARAVAN canon, here it is! IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS is the first studio album since 2013's "Paradise Filter" and released on the MadfishMusic label. The album features nine tracks with the current lineup of Pye Hastings (guitar, vocals), Geoffrey Richardson (viola, mandolin, guitar), Jan Schelhaas (keyboards) and Mark Walker (drums). Lee Pomeroy guests as the bassist and Jimmy Hastings adds some additional flute sounds.

Given CARAVAN's fall from grace so very long ago, one may ask why another CARAVAN album so late in the game? After all it's only the first five albums that have any sort of epic status and the remaining 11 albums that followed merely forgotten filler that even very few CARAVAN fans get excited about. Well it makes a little more sense when you realize that Pye Hastings wasn't one of those Canterbury dudes that went from band to band like many of his compatriots did. Nope, CARAVAN was and remains his baby and the ONLY band he has participated in since leaving The WIlde Flowers so very, very long ago. Born in 1947, Hastings is now in his 70s and no spring chicken and unfortunately his classic vocal style has deteriorated a lot as has his songwriting bravado.

IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS is an earnest attempt to recreate the classic CARAVAN sounds of yore circa 50 years ago when "If I Could DO It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You" and "In The Land Of The Grey And Pink" were circulating in the British underground. Unfortunately this latest offering falls flat in capturing those long abandoned moments and Pye Hastings' vocals haven't aged well as the entire album sounds like your grandfather telling tales of yore in musical form although the lyrics are purportedly in reference to the more recent pandemic and other events. While CARAVAN has always been more of a progressive pop band shrouded in Canterbury mystique, IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS unfortunately points to the albums that came after the classic big 5 era rather than returning to past glories.

Right from the start with the opening "Down From London," it's clear that Hastings is trying to rekindle the magic that has elevated CARAVAN into classic prog status but unfortunately doesn't succeed in doing so. The tunes do employ catchy pop hooks that are indeed out of the CARAVAN playbook but missing are the progressive touches that made albums like "Waterloo Lily" and "For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night" so utterly addictive. The album comes off as a soft rock tribute to 70s folk rock without ever going where a classic CARAVAN fan would hope. While nobody really expects an artist well past his prime to deliver a product that will outdo the classic era, i was hoping for at least something progressive.

What really is the deal breaker for me with IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS is that Hastings' vocals sound so feeble and weak. We can probably safely say that CARAVAN hit its prime close to 50 years ago and will never rekindle those classic moments but you can't blame an old timer for trying. Unfortunately this album does nothing for me whatsoever. If only a few time signature deviations were inserted or some jazzy moments. Nope, this is just simple songwriting that is pretty straight forward with only a few flute sounds to give any indications of a prog connection. It unfortunately appears the classic past masters are no longer capable of delivering what the fans truly want from them. So it would be best to give this album a miss and instead turn to Norway's Needlepoint who HAS successfully reconstructed those classic CARAVAN sounds circa "In The Land Of The Grey And Pink" with amazing acumen. Oh well, Pye. We still love you! Just not this newest edition to your post-classic era canon.

It's been eight years since the last studio album of new material from legendary Sixties rockers Caravan, and 2021's `It's None of Your Business' has just enough to offer more forgiving fans of the iconic Canterbury-related group. Admittedly side-long keyboard dominated epics may be mostly out, replaced instead with pleasant AOR, gentle rock and cheerful pop, but band leader Pye Hastings' charming persona is still front and centre, and there's thankfully a welcome increase in little `Caravan elements' this time around that were largely absent from their rather anonymous 2013 effort `Paradise Filter'.

An instant plus for the album is long-serving member Geoffrey Richardson's viola and the returning Jimmy Hastings on flute (in particular, his contributions immensely lift much of the disc and call to mind fleeting memories of the Caravan of old). Richardson's instrument of choice drifts stirringly through sedately strolling opener `Down from London', and swoons dramatically throughout `Ready or Not'. The encouraging `I'll Reach Out for You' is enlivened by warmly quivering Hammond organ, Mark Walker's peppy drumming and Geoff's ringing mandolin, its eight minutes allowing for a little longer of an instrumental reach-out.

`Wishing You Were Here' benefits from a couple of heavier up-tempo bursts (cool little Hammond run from Jan Schelhaas too, though it should have been triple the length!), `Spare a Thought' is a sweetly chiming acoustic ballad with breezy flute, and `Every Precious Little Thing' a strident acoustic rocker with trilling organ percolating in the background.

`If I Was to Fly' is one of the best foot-tapping clap-along ballads with a lovely melody, dreamy lyrics and a positive vocal, and the delicately melancholic `There Is You' holds a thoughtful longing. Both of these tracks could have slotted in sweetly on many of the classic earlier albums.

Special mention needs to go to the near ten-minute, two-part title-track `It's None of Your Business'. It may not quite reach the much-cherished heights of `Memory Lain, Hugh/Headloss' or `I Wish I Were Stoned/Don't Worry' of past Caravan eras, but there;s so much good still contained within this one! A brisk tempo, spirited acoustic strums, confident piano runs, Lee Pomeroy's busily murmuring bass and a sprightly Pye vocal weave together, before a brief ambient middle then joyfully romantic finale. The longer length means the band takes the opportunity to work in a number of extended instrumental flourishes, and it's likely to be the standout favourite among listeners here.

The album closes on a haunting and mysterious instrumental `Luna's Tuna', with crystalline synth shivers, aching viola and sparkling piano ringings evoking memories of the more sedate parts of `Better by Far's `The Last Unicorn;. It's a shame that it's just over three minutes, but it does close the LP in a very evocative and elegant fashion.

Yes, there's a bit of blandness that creeps in, the band is pretty much operating on nostalgic goodwill these days, and they certainly sound their age, but...real fans of the group know that whimsical moods, cheery ditties and thoughtful tunes were just as much `trademark' touches of the classic Caravan era as the dynamic keyboard workouts were (and the increase again of flute and viola helps bridge that gap a little more here). The album also proves to be a charming grower after plenty of listens.

Expect a constant prog-blowout and you'll be sorely disappointed, but go in with a soft heart and listen closer for those `other' Caravan trademarks, and an undemanding and pleasing listen with hints of the old magic can still be found here.

Three stars.

For a good while now, Caravan have been putting out only one studio album every decade or so; if they stick with that model, their 2020s offering is It's None of Your Business. As has been the case since at least as far back as Better By Far, the band are very much not trying to produce any prog epics here - this is, once again, an album indulging their less complex side.

Not, however, their lighter side - there's an extra shot of energy here. It's not Caravan going heavy metal (or even hard rock) by any stretch of the imagination, but there's just a bit more oomph to proceedings, making this a striking contrast from the fairly laid-back approach they have taken in their recent history.