RICHARD SINCLAIR

This feels like two separate albums. The first seven tracks are studio recordings. These all have a light, jazzy vibe (in a Canterbury way, of course). The last five tracks are live, and are much more energetic.

The studio tracks are not bad, but all are much too pastoral to have any lasting impression on me. Despite that, I do enjoy Sinclair's fretless bass work on these songs. And to me, they provide a nice soundtrack to hot summer nights on the front porch.

The live tracks are where the action is. Felafel Shuffle opens the set. It's a nice, uptempo blues-based instrumental, with some cool fusion breaks. After that, the last four songs are strung together, with the beginning and ends being the Hatfield & The North songs Halfway Between Heaven & Earth and It Didn't Matter Anyway. It's a very nice medley, that really makes the album worthwhile.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Hinting to Heather?

This album is actually credited to a band called Richard Sinclair's Caravan of Dreams. Sinclair is of course one of the founding fathers and general good guys of Canterbury Prog. He is probably best known for his work with Caravan, hence the band name. The line up here draws from the great and the good of Canterbury, including Richard's cousin Dave, Jimmy Hastings of Caravan, and Andy Ward, drummer with Camel. Assistance with the lyrics came from the luminaries Pip Pyle and Hugh Hopper.

There are two distinct aspects to the album. The first seven tracks are studio recordings on which Sinclair is very much the main player. He is assisted by the who's who of Canterbury mentioned above, but the completions and performances indicate that this is very much a solo effort. Several of the songs feature the whimsical flippancy of Caravan's lighter numbers such as "Golf girl" and "In the land of grey and pink". It is though the more sensitive songs such as the corny named "Plan it earth" and "Keep on caring" which are the signature tracks, with both running to over 7 minutes.

"Heather" is a touching dedication to Richard's long term partner, who is now his wife, perhaps inspired by the wedding bells at the end of the song! "Emily" appears to be an altogether much younger lady.

The latter part of the album has five songs performed live at the Wilde Theatre in Bracknell in the south of the UK, hence the titles of tracks 10 and 11. These tracks tend to be much looser affairs based around improvisation. As such they are closer to the prog side of bands such Caravan and Hatfield and the North. The final four tracks, although listed individually, merge together to form a coherent whole.

Being essentially a solo album, this release naturally focuses on one aspect of what made Caravan such a fine band. It does though remind us what a significant part of that band Sinclair was (is?). This release can easily be accepted as a lost Caravan album, it is certainly worthy of such an accolade.

"Caravan of Dreams" is currently out of print, but Sinclair's website promises a re- release "this year".

Two decades after "Winter Wine" and "Golf Girl," canterbury singer and bassist Richard Sinclair released his first solo album with an band containing Jimmy Hasting on woodwinds, Dave Sinclair on his trademark fuzzy keyboards, and Andy Ward on drums. Two thirds of the album are studio recordings of never before seen tracks while the last third is an excerpt of a live concert, containing a couple Hatfields classics and some amazing vamps. The set starts with "Going for a Song" a never recorded Hatfield and the North warhorse with a gorgeous jazzy melody carried by guitar, flute, and Sinclair's beautiful voice, which has only improved with age. It sets the tone for the entire album, gentle and breezy compositions which combines whimsical folk with jazz in short 3 to 7 minute bursts. The lyrics, written by Pip Pyle, Hugh Hopper, and Richard himself are of the same quirky and good natured style as classic Canterbury. "Only the Brave" brings us up to speed on the non-musical endevours of scene stalwarts Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlin, Dave Sinclair, and Daevid Allen in a little under two minutes. The high point of the studio work is the recording debut of Sinclair's 80's composition "Keep on Caring" which is one of his best compositions ever, with lyrics imploring you to keep on dreaming even though you have abondoned the dreams of youth and got a job. Heavy stuff, but in the Sinclair style it sounds profound and childlike; "all week struggle/to earn those green vouchers/to pay for the beer/and somewhere to sleep it all off." The concert material is highlighted by the new quirky instrumental "Felefal Shuffle" and spritely versions of "Didn't Matter Anyway" and "Halfway Between Heaven and Earth," segued together with an exciting passage of the band trading 8's. Canterbury's smoothest crooner is still playing and still writing songs that live up to the legacy.

This is a definite recommendation for collectors only. Appreciating all that Richard Sinclair has done musically in his past, his contributions to classic sounds within Caravan, Hatfield and the North and some may even argue Camel, as an individual artist or solo artist on Caravan Of Dreams he fails to deliver. There is the unmistakeable Canterbury feel, the musicians hearts are all in the right places but at times the lyrics are so inept and lame they make ' Golf Girl' sound like ' Stairway To Heaven'. The album overall falls into major easy listening category with no real progressive testers, if anything simple Herne Bay pub songs.I do like ' Going For A song' and the live ' Felafel Shuffle', even the quirkiness of a loved one on ' Heather'. A great cast of musicians too, Andy Ward on drums, the irreplacebale Jimmy Hastings and cousin David Sinclair on keyboards. The bass lines delivered by Richard Sinclair as usual so distinct to his style of playing. Enjoyable at times but for Canterbury fans only.