Prog legends Caravan announce the release of their new album It's None Of Your Business to be released on CD format on October 8, 2021 and as a vinyl LP, on November 5, 2021 on Madfish Music.
It's None Of Your Business is Caravan's first album since Paradise Filter (2013) and features nine new songs plus one instrumental track influenced, to a degree, by the events and restrictions placed on society over the past 18 months.
Caravan are Pye Hastings (guitar, vocals). Geoffrey Richardson (viola, mandolin, guitar), Jan Schelhaas (keyboards) and Mark Walker (drums). Lee Pomeroy (ELO, Rick Wakeman and Take That) has guested as bass player, following the departure of Jim Leverton, while Jimmy Hastings has also guested on flute.
The album was recorded, as restrictions allowed, 'in the old-fashioned way' between 24th June and 4th July 2021 at Rimshot Studio, Bredgar near Sittingbourne. "Sitting round in a circle having eye to eye contact, a large sound room was required," Pye Hastings explained. "I much prefer this method because you can bounce ideas off each other as they occur, and voice encouragement when the whole thing begins to click.
"And it is much more rewarding to be able to throw insults at each other in person rather than down a telephone line or via email. This is something we are all very experienced at, believe me!"
This togetherness characterizes It's None Of Your Business with Caravan's trademark warmth and humor and, also, a sensitivity reflecting the times in which we are living. Sitting among Caravan's typically whimsical tales "Down From London" and "If I Was To Fly" sit the heartfelt and poignant "Spare A Thought" and "Every Precious Little Thing" which looks forward to a return to normality.
"'Spare a Thought' is a song that I hope will jog people to remember those unfortunate people caught up in the pandemic," Hastings explains. "'All those people who denied' refers to the idiots who don't follow the scientific advice. I get angry about that and the line 'Sure are interesting times' refers to an old Chinese saying: 'may you live in interesting times.'"
"Lyrics can sometimes be my Achilles Heel, trying to find anything meaningful to write about. But sitting in front of a blank screen with a pandemic raging all around, it was hard not to be influenced by the dreadful events going on. The lockdown certainly focused the mind when it came to writing the lyrics."
CARAVAN LIVE
Wednesday 6th October - Basingstoke - The Haymarket
Thursday 7th October - Islington - The Union Chapel
Friday 8th October - Gloucester - Gloucester Guildhall
Saturday 9th October - Brighton/Hove - The Old Market
Thursday 14th October - Chester - The Live Rooms
Friday 15th October - Leeds - The Bridenwell
Saturday 16th October - Bury - The Met
Sunday 17th October - Wolverhampton - The Robin 2 (Bilston)
Thursday 21st October - Bury St Edmunds - The Apex
Friday 22nd October - Newcastle - The Cluny
Saturday 23rd October - Glasgow - Òran Mór
Wednesday 27th October - Bristol - The Fleece
Thursday 28th October - Exeter - The Phoenix
Friday 29th October - Dover - The Booking Hall
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