IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, I'D DO IT ALL OVER YOU

With a compositional sophistication on full display and an array of compelling tunes, right after being signed by a new label, Caravan released their second studio album 'If I Could Do It All Over Again...' in September of 1970, with the record becoming one of the all-time classics of the Canterbury scene. Following up on the band's playful psychedelic-pop debut, this release seems much more like an ode to innocence and boyhood perhaps, yet it exhibits a much more progressive approach to the various pieces of music on here, ranging from minute-long interludes to long and winding jazz-rock instrumental bonanzas. Of course, there is an eclecticism and an ingenuity to this album, as it all seems quite experimental, daring and somewhat provisional, with the music here paving the way for future recordings like 'Nine Feet Underground' or 'L'Auberge du Sanglier'. Narrowing down the psychedelic elements and expanding their musical vocabulary with jazzy tropes, Caravan had delivered a promising and expansive work very early on in their career.

The lineup featured here is the same as on the band's debut album, yet the musicianship and the chemistry between the band members seems ameliorated by far, as one could tell while inhabiting the headspace of the gorgeous arrangements here, always sufficiently elaborate but never really technically pretentious or overindulgent. There are also several catchier tunes, the "remnants" of that brilliant debut album - just breathe in the laid-back euphemisms of the opening title track. An interesting song lulls gently for eight good minutes in the face of 'And I Wish I Were Stoned', while the organ-heavy 'As I Feel I Die' works excellently and still sounds quite cerebral, as opposed to the outdated soundscapes of the preceding song. A 10-minute mini-suite closes off side one, this one is a less successful patchwork of sounds. 'Hello Hello' by Richard Sinclair is a fairly good pop number, while the centerpiece here is the gargantuan 14-minute jazz-rock suite 'Can't Be Long Now', simply capturing the band at their most extravagant and forward-thinking. Needless to say, 'Limits' is a lovely little closing piece, on an album that sounds impressive and adventurous for 1970, with its jazzy swindles and carefree pop tunes, just a fantastic LP.

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