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Caravan - Waterloo Lily (1972)

Track listing:
  1. Waterloo Lily 6:48
  2. Nothing At All 10:23
  3. Songs & Signs 3:40
  4. Aristocracy 3:04
  5. The Love In Your Eye 12:33
  6. The World Is Yours 3:40
  7. Pye's June Thing 2:58
  8. Ferdinand 2:57
  9. Looking Left 6:56

Notes

Waterloo Lily is a 1972 released album by Caravan on the Deram label. It is the only album made by Caravan with Stephen Miller as the keyboard player. He brought a jazzier feel to the sound of Caravan than had been heard on the previous album.[1] The stand out track is "The Love in Your Eye" which has been featured as a live track for many years by the band.

Before the recording of Waterloo Lily, David Sinclair departed Caravan to join forces with Soft Machine skinsman Robert Wyatt and form Matching Mole. With the subsequent arrival of former Delivery member Steve Miller and an overwhelming jazz influence, the edgier progressive rock and folk elements that were so prevalent on their previous albums are somewhat repressed. The band's performance level did not suffer in the transition. In fact, the addition of Miller only punctuates Caravan's previously honed improvisational skills. Beginning with Waterloo Lily's leadoff title track, there is a sound more akin to the jazzier efforts of Traffic. Miller's "Nothing at All" incorporates the jazz fusion even further as the long instrumental introduction more than hints at Steely Dan circa Katy Lied. The up-tempo staccato bop featuring Miller's electric piano accents, when juxtaposed with Pye Hastings' liquid-toned electric guitar could easily be mistaken for that of Walter Becker and Donald Fagan.

The remainder of the album centers on a couple of pieces that evoke the sound and spirit of the previous Caravan outings. Most reminiscent of the classic sound is Hastings' epic "The Love in Your Eye" suite. The track recalls the laid-back intensity and phenomenal improvisational synergy of earlier tracks such as "For Richard" and "Where, but for Caravan Would I," while wisely incorporating Miller's formidable jazz chops to give the instrumental sections sustained substance throughout. The remastered CD offers three additional compositions circa the Waterloo Lily sessions. "Pye's June Thing" and "Ferdinand" are two of Hastings' acoustic demos. A considerably more complete "Looking Left, Looking Right" is a treasured recovery from the vaults. Originally vaulted due to the time limitations of vinyl, this track, along with "Pye's Loop" — which acts as a coda to "Looking Left..." — mark their debut release here.