You should get more Canterbury albums: Hatfield & the North's both albums, Khan's Space Shanty, Picchio dal Pozzo's debut and Caravan's Waterloo Lily, if you like some jazzy/jams in your music.

Winter wine, In the land of grey and pink and Alias the word are great tracks. Don't think anything on the previous album reach this level

The difference is that when they got to "For Girls", they made a concentrated effort to be more of a solid rock band, instead of a poppygolucky something or other band. Pye has stated that the difference, was the Bass Player who was well versed academically in music and tried to get the band to get tighter and more detailed and rehearsed, than they were before, when some of the music could be said ... just filler in various spots.

 

And the result of that, is one of the best orchestrated albums of all time ... Caravan and the New Sinfonia. Many folks don't seem to like this, but it does show, how symphonic the music design in Caravan really is ... and how well their music fits this kind of thing. Sadly, it is not considered "progressive", when in the end, what they did was one of the gutsiest and toughest things to do ever ... something that rock music was not exactly known for at the time ... which was a level that stood way higher than just popular music, which of course, Caravan showed right away ... this is not a bunch of kids not knowing what they are doing!

 

The earlier you go with Caravan, the more "pop" music it gets. However, they did not exactly let go of the song mentality with pop innuendos, and eventually became very good even for satirizing that style very well -- which was a touch they had from before, which was very Brittish and the Kinks, The Who, and others had indulged in quite well and successfully.

 

In the end, when you listen to 15 of Caravan's albums, the only thing you can say is ... it's very good music, and never mind the "progressive" label or any other silly description, because in the next album they might not be that progressive when they have a different set of musicians with them.

 

I don't think, that a band like Caravan, really had any "musical" aspirations, other than just ... do their thing, and do it well! That they became some sort of a progressive darling is actually weird, because only one or two of the albums would be considered that, by rigid standards of definition. But I seriously doubt that any one of us would not say some very nice things about a group of people ... that were very good musicians, and gave us some incredible music -- that we still remember.

 

One last thing ... that Caravan concert on DVD at Nearfest ... I have to tell you that towards the end I had tears ... because there was so much music of theirs that I have loved for so many years! ... and at that point, you and I could never give a damn if it was whatever it was.

 

It's great music!

That would be advisable - Hatfield's two albums and National Health's first two are essential.  Caravan (IMO) also has better albums - try If I Could one of these days at the least.
 

You really should, I'm not an expert on canterbury either, but this is a wide genre and missing bands like Hatfield and the North just because you didn't like Third and Caravan would be a huge mistake... If you like Hatfield & National I recommend you to check out some of Alan Gowen's related bands, and if you're into jazz-fusion, Bruford is a cool mixture of fusion and canterbury...

 

I would not say that the Canterbury folks that made up Hatfield and the North and all the other permutations were necessarily Frank Zappa fans. I would prefer to say that they took their music seriously enough, but also decided to keep some of their own humor, which of course was visible in Frank's work ... which kinda helped ... it meant ... we can play serious music and have fun while at it -- instead of the conventional jazz rigor mortis, which Soft Machine had already busted up with the famous ABC's!

 

But Frank and his work was well known in London ... specially since even the likes of John Lennon had spoken highly of it already!

 

To me one of the reference points of 'Canterbury',  the quirky very English song, sung in English not American.

 

While I have 2 or 3 favourite Caravan albums, If I Could Do.. is way out in front - btw the remastered version is very good.  I've thought for a long time it was the one album by Caravan, that attempted to take on Soft Machine (of immediate post -psychedelic/pre- avant fusion period,e.g. as heard on  Volume 2 and Live At Paradiso), because it is slightly more jazzy than the others. I think, as Robert Wyatt discovered in Matching Mole, that Dave Sinclair was not the best of improvisors and prefered to stick mostly with the rehearsed arrangements - hence limiting Caravan's options in that direction.The premier Canterbury bands that evolve out of Wilde Flowers, Caravan and Soft Machine then musically went on quite different paths -which largely define the boundaries of the Canterbury style of music.

 

Interesting to see Richard Sinclair critically praised for his 'English' jazz singing in the last years - as has Robert Wyatt

One of these days, I'll get more of their albums...

 

Thanks for the review of 'Id Do It All Over You.' I've never heard a note of it, and I can never seem to find it at the seemingly only record store left in town (and my old lady won't let me order anything off of Amazon.com). I think 'In the Land...' is a little overrated myself, but I am a fan of "Nine Feet Underground." It's successor, "Waterloo Lily" is a grand piece of Canterbury, and I highly recommend it! Stay away from their debut, "Caravan" as it's entirely dated and strictly for purists.