CANTERBURY TALES - THE BEST OF CARAVAN

This double (record) album used to be the best possible introduction to classic 1970s Caravan. It's through this set that I got to know the band, and I can honestly say all my favourite pieces are included. Since we are talking about LPs, there are only 90 minutes of music here (less material than on that double CD released in the 1990s, also entitled CANTERBURY TALES) but every single song is superb. Moreover, the 18-minute performance of 'For Richard' included here is the gorgeous 1974 version which can now be found on the album LIVE AT FAIRFIELD HALLS, featuring Geoff Richardson in a starring role on viola. The general sequence of songs is excellent: 'Headloss' follows 'Memory Lain, Hugh', as it always should; and ending the album with 'The Dog, the Dog, He's at it again' is a masterstroke. So if, for some strange reason, you're an LP-freak and you haven't got any Caravan, this set is definitely worth checking out.