Waterloo Lily

Caravan's fourth album was a bit of a departure: new keyboard player Steve Miller had previously been in Carol Grimes' Delivery. With his background in British blues, Richard Sinclair brought Miller in to "jazz" up the Caravan sound. "Waterloo Lily", a song about a heavy-set hooker, would be one of the last songs Sinclair would sing with the band. It's a fairly simple number, but Miller's extended electric piano solo signals the change. The next track, "Nothing At All", is extremely out of character for the band; not to its discredit though, some strong soloing by guitarist Phil Miller (Steve's brother) and saxophonist Lol Coxhill grace the number. Miller's "It's Coming Soon" is similarly blues-based. The second side is book- ended by some more conventional Caravan numbers, but its highlight is the lengthy "The Love In Your Eye." Very much in the tradition of "For Richard", the track has several instrumental sections that flow together effortlessly, and as to be expected, some more fine soloing from the band as well. Producer David Hitchcock suggested the string accompaniment and fortunately, Decca anted up. The album remains a controversial one in the Caravan catalog, but still credible nonetheless. The band toured the UK in the summer, but both Miller and Sinclair would then leave the band. A short-lived lineup with Derek Austin on keyboards and Stuart Evans on bass toured Australia in early 1973, unable to recorded before they too had moved on.