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Caravan - If I Could Do It All (1970)

Track listing:
  1. If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You 3:08
  2. And I Wish I Were Stoned-Don't Worry 8:20
  3. As I Feel I Die 5:07
  4. With an Ear to the Ground You Can Make It 9:54
  5. Hello Hello 3:45
  6. Asforteri 1:21
  7. Can't Be Long Now-Francoise-For Richard-Warlock 14:22
  8. Limits 1:36
  9. A Day in the Life of Maurice Haylett 5:07
  10. Why (And I Wish I Were Stoned) 4:22
  11. Clipping the 8th (Hello Hello) 3:13
  12. As I Feel I Die 4:37

Notes

Japan SHM-CD Remaster

If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You is a 1970 release by Canterbury scene rock band Caravan. According to Allmusic, "If I Could Do It All Over Again contains significant progressions over the first album." It was the second album by the band, the predecessor to their most well-known album In the Land of Grey and Pink. The album is known as the epitome of Canterbury rock, featuring representative organ solos and melodic vocals typical of the band's style. The album was released on Decca Records, as was the title track as a single release.

This record began to define what became the best-known Caravan sound that was heard on most releases through 1975. "For Richard" (the 14:21 medley) became a staple of Caravan shows and was typically heard as the closer. A fully orchestrated, live version can be heard on the 1974 release Caravan and the New Symphonia.

Caravan followed up their eponymous debut with the cryptically titled If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You in the fall of 1970. If I Could Do It All Over Again contains significant progressions over the first album. These include the intricacy with which compositions are sculpted around some of the finest instrumental improvisation in British rock at the time — or arguably since. Caravan's uncanny ability to create a montage that effortlessly maneuvers through acoustic folk and electric progressive rock is best exemplified on the "With an Ear to the Ground" suite. The extended instrumental passages weave in and out of each other, creating a hypnotic and otherwise psychedelic soundscape that would become a trademark of the European progressive rock movement. Another epic, "For Richard" quickly found solid standing as the Caravan live performance closer for decades after first appearing on this album. Juxtaposed against these pieces are several shorter works, which in essence clear the palette for the longer ones. The title track, as well as "Hello, Hello" are perfect examples of how Caravan was able to one-up many of their progressive contemporaries, creating shorter and more accessible songs for radio airplay — resulting in a guest appearance on BBC TV's Top of the Pops program.