IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK

Even after years of negativity toward Caravan I now hold In The Land Of Grey And pink in some sort of minor esteem. While listening passively it certainly can appear that the band have very little to offer but once inside and delving across the landscape of their idiosyncratic stylings the band have a special aura and a unique brand of progressive rock, and a trait that ties them to the famous Canterbury scene. A stone faced dead pan humour with a mind to explore whether musically or lyrically. Musically the band prog along at a minimalistic rate but it is the lyrics and stories that catch the attention, and only then does the music come into play. "Golf Girl" is so obscenely ridiculous it is simply excellent, and no doubt laced with sexual innuendo. The music on In The Land Of Grey And Pink almost lacks an urgency but I feel this is the bands muse. They roll along slowly at a stoned out pace that enraptures the listener to fuse into the songs and concept of the entire album, even if there lacks one, and by the time the first side of the album was over (after numerous plays I must add) I was thoroughly enjoying the world of Caravan and their music. The title track is all quirky and hazy and just like what you would imagine from the cover artwork. The lengthy B side is a triumphant piece of extended workouts under the title "Nine Feet Underground" as it changes tone and atmosphere through out the eight sub pieces, a hint of fellow Canterbury heads Soft Machine came to mind on a piece, but Caravan weave plenty of wild noises on this suite. For their time they were surely a breath of fresh air, this can be easy to forget. Even now it has a fresh sense to it even if the production tends to be static, but a fine example of what the Canterbury scene had to offer in a rock world that was becoming rather generic in the early seventies.