Review: Caravan - If I could do it all over again, I'd do it all over you

If I could do it all over again, I'd do it all over you
(Decca 1970)

1. If I could do it all over again, I'd do it all over you
2. And I wish I were stoned - Don't worry
3. As I feel I die
4. With an ear to the ground you can make it / Martinian / Only cox / Reprise
5. Hello Hello
6. Asforteri 25
7. Can't be long now / Françoise / For Richard / Warlock
8. Limits

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Now we're talking! Full frontal prog, with song lengths setting a standard that in 1970 was still to be assimilated by the prog community. Of course, song length is not a value in itself and if you can't justify it with good melodies and/or intriguing instrumental passages then it's just grating. Thankfully, Caravan at least partly succeeded in this respect from the very beginning although I feel that the closing suite consists too much of uninspired jamming and little actual songwriting, but up until then we're sorted.

The overall atmosphere is somewhat lighter than on the debut, despite the even more bombastic approach with all the multi-part suites because basically every song on here is built upon melodies lighter than a feather. Kinda reflective of the forest grove on the cover with all the 'foresty' organs and flutes abound. This atmosphere is especially present on "And I wish I were stoned", "As I feel I die" and "With an ear to the ground you can make it". Well, there's half the album already! However, it all begins with Caravan's already established brand of quirky pop in "If I could do it all over again, I'd make the title even longer", but I honestly don't think that it's very good. The looping melody with interweaving harmonies is inventive for sure, but I don't really care for the actual song.

But then we're going places, supposedly into that aforementioned forest. "And I wish I were stoned" is one of my favourite tracks on here, essentially just two oh-so-obvious pop ditties merged together with some tasteful organ-led passages and what is actually the first real guitar solo from Hastings. Then, still in the forest, we have "As I feel I die" beginning as a slow, almost unbearably quiet melody (that nonetheless rule) building up tension, only to suddenly shift gears and tipping its hat to their jazz-tinged legacy. Can't you imagine the elves skipping around in the morning sun finding its way down through the green foilage? Or yourself, for that matter.

But then we are ever so slightly running into trouble. The, once again, multi-part "With an ear to the ground" begins on a similarily quiet note, then gradually picks up steam but its first part (reprised at the end) doesn't really cut it. It gets better in the mid-section though, and as it slows down we are greeted with lush harmonies and a lovely flute solo so all in all it qualifies. "Hello hello" continues the line of the title track, although in a minor key this time and noticeably better. But then we have that closing suite which just seems to go nowhere. There are a few moments which approaches 'decent', like the reocurring organ theme that concludes the measures in the second part about four minutes in and onward, as well as after the sax/flute solos. I also like the part which follows, with that four-chord organ swirl adding at least some power to an otherwise lame exercise in pointless noodling. Why couldn't they make a proper song out of these neat little ideas instead of trying to one-up the... oh wait! This piece is actually breaking some new ground. Like I said, the side-long prog suites were still to be taken up by contemporaries like Genesis, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes (who at the time hadn't even released "The Yes album" which even there didn't boast anything longer than ten minutes. "For Richard" is over fourteen).

So that somewhat ruins the experience since it takes up way too much of the overall running length. Too bad, since some of the other tracks manages to surpass the quality of the debut. Their best work was yet to come.

Review: Oasis - Definitely maybe

Definitely maybe
(Creation 1994)

1. Rock 'n' Roll Star
2. Shakermaker
3. Live Forever
4. Up in the Sky
5. Columbia
6. Supersonic
7. Bring It on Down
8. Cigarettes & Alcohol
9. Digsy's Dinner
10. Slide Away
11. Married with Children

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First of all, let's consider the times which were numbered '1994' and it's easy to see that it didn't take much to make a serious artistic statement. Grunge had all but eliminated the concept of fun (even if the sleaze previously had all but eliminated the concept of good taste) so basically the main musical paradigm was in ruins and it took britpop to revive some of the good old values. And 'revive' is the word here, mind you, because the one thing that Noel Gallagher brought to rock history was the humble concept of merely writing a good song and get together a decent band to perform it to the masses, and I'd say in that respect that was enough to make this album a relative winner (with a little help from his cocky little brother, of course).

It all starts off in a very apt way with "Rock'n roll star" in which Liam belts out his (or Noel's) dream of making it big, which is exactly what they did and in that very light you simply cannot put it down. An upbeat rocker which sounds as fresh as ever. The following "Shakermaker" however, seems to strive for old blues values and within the context as well as through the Gallagher treatment (i.e. loud and messy guitars) that only makes it tedious, and I'd say that "Cigarettes & alcohol" suffers for the exact same reasons, only this time they try to emulate blues-rock as differed from just blues. Stay clear, boys! Another waste of space is the Blur-ripoff "Columbia" whose only trace of distinctiveness lies in the three chords that keep repeating over the trip-hoppy beat throughout the whole song. What made them think that would be a good idea? "Tomorrow never knows" it is not, I tell you! Yet another stinker is the punkish "Bring it on down" (are they trying to rip off Zeppelin as well?) which doesn't even have a melody and the guitars are just a big undistinguishable mess without a single hint of actual power to them.

Okay, there goes the crap (apart from the opening track then) so let's aim the spotlight on the numbers that makes the album worth our while, shall we? The appropriately titled "Up in the sky" continues the line of "Rock'n roll star" in its cheerfulness, and it's maybe even better if only for Liam's outstanding performance. I just love that line where he glides into falsetto at the end of each verse line and even the guitars gets a chance to breathe in the relatively airy atmosphere of the song. Swell! Same goes for the Kinks-like "Digsy's dinner" in which even the lyrics seem to draw upon the everyday imagery of Ray Davies, even if the prolonged dinner invitation ends up more parodic rather than honoring, and once again they could have toned down the distortion to make it even more crisp, but hey, it's short and direct so I'm not really complaining. Nice touch of relative variety with the piano too. The closing acoustic "Married with children", nice at it is, seems oddly out of place in the otherwise guitar-rich context and it would possibly have worked out better somewhere in the middle as a nice breather in between all the onslaught.

But the real chef d'oeuvres are the three tracks scattered in the midst of it all. "Live forever" is an instant classic and possibly one of the best songs to ever have come out from Noel's pen. And it was a hit too, imagine that! The verse lines in all their simplicity are just marvellous and together with the crashing chorus they provide us with some prime example of how to write a simple yet classic pop song. Nothing groundbreaking whatsoever, just a killer melody, that's all! The somewhat more bombastic "Supersonic", also a hit single, is no worse; borrowing the chords from The Who's "I can see for miles" and the rythm from Hendrix's "Purple haze" and leading into the magnificent chorus as self-evident as anything, it's another deserved classic. Even more bombastic is "Slide away" which may as well be the absolute highlight on the album as well as a could-have-been-great way to end it all, had it not been for that acoustic ditty afterwards. It milks the "Supersonic" vibe even further, although in a much more melancholic mode and Liam really gives it all with a desperate intonation that almost makes you feel that he for once knows what he's singing about, and sincerely at that.

So with the formula firmly in place from the getgo, this probably remains their best piece of work ever and with such a limited scope of talent within the band it couldn't help but going downward from here, even if the successor sure had its share of winners too. And like I already mentioned, the overall soundscape is next to unbearable if you're not able to oversee the monotonous guitar assault and lack of arrangement, although this is as good as they would ever get in that department, at least until the more recent releases when they finally began to grasp the subtle art of studio trickery. But until then, a little songwriting and youthful enthusiasm will do.