Cunning Stunts

In 1974, a heavy tour schedule consumed Caravan. Perry left in July, being replaced at producer David Hitchcock's suggestion, by ex-Curved Air bassist Mike Wedgewood. After a switch to Miles Copeland's BTM agency, the band undertook their first tour of the US in September. They entered the studio in the spring of 1975 to record their sixth album. Cunning Stunts kicks off with the proud "The Show Of Our Lives" (with Wedgewood on lead vocal), before sliding into "Stuck in a Hole". The latter, along with "No Backstage Pass", would be the only compositions from Pye Hastings. Dave Sinclair's "The Dabsong Conshirtoe" dominates the album's second side. Again, it's another great Caravan epic and the first contribution from Sinclair in nearly four years. Immediately his sense of melody takes hold, as the Wedgewood sung "From Real to the Real" attests. The track paces easily through its six sections. "Sneaking Into the Bare Quare" swings a bit while the finale "All Sorts Of Unmentionable Things" ends in grand Caravan tradition, though augmented here by some heavy backing tapes. Known for their ever too clever song titles, the album's title unfortunately ranks as one of their worst literary inventions. Reportedly though, an American band, Aerosmith, had usurped the original "Toys In The Attic". After a BBC In Concert in June, Dave Sinclair left the band (again). Dutch keyboard player Jan Schelhaas would replace him just before the album's release. It would become the first in the Caravan catalog to enter the charts. In the UK, the album rose up to No. 50, while in the US it would just reach No. 124. Although the record ended their relationship with Decca, Caravan would record a few albums for Arista before the decade ended, but in an increasingly less interesting direction. Lineup changes would cause further upheaval, including the return and departure (again) of both Sinclairs.