CUNNING STUNTS

Early 70s prog bands must have lived in totally cognitive dissonance knowing they were crafting some of the most cutting edge music but well beyond the ability of the public to access it given the record companies weren't exactly good at promoting rock's next best thing since sliced bread. CARAVAN, of course, is one of the fundamental pillars of the Canterbury Scene, yet even this band that was probably the most accessible of any band later thrown into that designated niche of prog rock had a difficult time making ends meet in terms of financial survival. True the band's first five albums are NOW classics in the world of prog rock but it took over four decades for the rest of the world to catch on therefore it's no wonder that as other pop rock bands were raking in millions in album sales, bands like CARAVAN were struggling just to feed themselves and therefore the temptation to hop the fence was intense!

Everybody knows the woes of the 1970s where around the middle of the decade even the few popular prog bands that DID manage to eke out a living like Yes, ELP and Jethro Tull started to tame their progressive tendencies in lieu of more accessible pop flavored music (bands like Pink Floyd were the exception since they already were crossover bands). Amazingly CARAVAN was already considered the most pop of what is now known as the Canterbury Scene yet despite critical acclaim and small loyal fanbases never managed to break into the profitable crossover world of rock music. It's no wonder by 1975 when King Crimson called it a day and other bands started caving to the pressures from their respective record labels that CARAVAN would begin to jettison most of those progressive attributes that separated them from the "mainstream" rock scene. After five albums ending with "For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night," CARAVAN ventured into the next phase of its career, one that true fans despised and also one that attracted very few new followers.

CUNNING STUNTS was CARAVAN's sixth studio album and the first to feature newbie bassist Mike Wegwood. At this stage CARAVAN was trying to play both sides of the fence with insipid pop shlop like the AOR ballad "Lover" as well as still trying to refrain from alienating prog stalwarts with the 18-minute "Dabsong Conshirto." The results are clearly a step down from what had preceded but while many will write this album off as a total train wreck, after a few careful listens it does redeem itself as an album that while not in the same league as what came before, isn't nearly as bad as many make it out to be either. CARAVAN's music had always been imbued with catchy pop hooks but the problem many have here is that the band had pretty much abandoned the Canterbury jazz flavors that decorated the albums of yore.

The shock sets in immediately with the opening "The Show Of Our Lives." Wow. Is THIS really CARAVAN? If you thought "In The Land Of Grey And Pink" was too poppy, well you've been set straight after hearing this! The band also tried to adopt a Nazareth sound with "Stuck In A Hole" by going the harder rock route but unfortunately it's not hard enough to be hard rock and sounds a bit wimpy. Like many prog bands turning to the pop side of the music industry, CARAVAN threw the most accessible tracks out near the beginning but starting with "No Backstage Pass" the tunes become more orchestrated and slightly progressive until we get to the massive 18-minute "Dabsong Conshirto" which on paper sounds like a good idea but doesn't quite scratch the itch for an mega-comp of that running time. Still though it's not bad and is even catchy enough to warrant return visits.

Perhaps the backlash against CUNNING STUNTS is due to the fact that everyone wanted the same music as they had become accustomed to but at the time were unaware there was sort of a retrograde effect in the music industry where profits were becoming more and more the driving force over musical innovation. Given the knowledge of the obstacles bands like CARAVAN was facing at the time albums like CUNNING STUNTS can be appreciated a bit more but let's not mince words here. This album was and remains one of the lowest points of the band's career and although the tracks are melodic and catchy from a pop rock point of view, aren't exactly worthy of classic rock radio status either. For better or for worse CUNNING STUNTS very much signifies the point in CARAVAN's history where they transmogrified into stunning cunts and thus living up to their spoonerism title. Sad but true but despite it all this album isn't as bad as many make it out to be. The bonus tracks on the Decca remaster somewhat make up for it. OK, only marginally.