All Over You...Too

Album review

This is the second volume that the '90s reformation of Caravan has issued containing overhauled renditions of their most beloved material. As with the incipient volume All Over You, enthusiasts and purists alike will inevitably have differing opinions on their favorite music being presented in a sonically modern context. Fortunately, these tracks are rendered more often successfully than not. In contrast to the personnel on All Over You, this release features the '90s touring ensemble, adding noted sidemen Doug Boyle on lead guitar and bassist/vocalist Jim Leverton. Boyle's credentials include a high profile stint with Robert Plant's mid- to late-'80s solo band. Leverton has performed in seminal incarnations of Juicy Lucy, Fat Mattress, and Savoy Brown. Both display a tremendous grasp of Caravan's often quirky arrangements and peculiar performance styles. Their considerable skills may be a contributing factor to explaining why the modernization of the arrangements on this volume is nowhere nearly as jarring as it was on All Over You. ""Ride," chronologically the oldest track on this set, was originally issued in 1968 on Caravan's eponymously titled debut. Here it has been reworked in an Eastern-flavored acoustic motif that enhances the percussive nature of the original track. "The Dog the Dog He's at It Again" and "C'thlu Thlu" -- both from the ground- and genre-breaking For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night album -- are arguably the highlights of All Over You, Too. Boyle's raw and aggressive guitar licks update Caravan's sound without unwittingly becoming a parody akin to Spinal Tap. Also worthy of mention are the inclusion of a few oft overlooked mid-'70s tracks, most notably "Bobbing Wide" and "A Very Smelly Grubby Little Oik" from the 1976 Blind Dog at St. Dunstans long-player, as well as "Nightmare" from Better by Far. These compositions were wisely resurrected and benefit greatly from this new infusion of energy and talent.

© Lindsay Planer /TiVo