Caravan was one of the bands to come out of the Canterbury progressive scene of the late 1960s. The band's early output could cause one to roll one's eyes, such as the reference to Boy Scouts as "grumbly grimblies" and the gargling vocals on "In the Land of Grey and Pink." (It must have come with the territory with those Canterbury bands and their rather bizarre sense of humor.) The band, however, could go on some fascinating instrumental excursions, and the quality of the musicianship left little to be desired. They recorded from 1968 to 1982 and went through a revolving door of musicians. "Songs from Oblivion Fisherman" is a compilation of the band's early work recorded between 1970 and 1974. The songs were recorded from Top of the Pops sessions, Alan Black sessions, and John Peel sessions. The personnel on this CD is: Pye Hastings, guitar and vocals; Dave Sinclair, keyboards and vocals; Richard Sinclair, bass and vocals; Richard Coughlan, drums; John Perry, bass; and Geoffrey Richardson, viola.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2002 Year Book Volume 1 at  garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2001-and-2002.