In 1977,
Caravan entered the studio to finish their tenth LP. The music recorded during these sessions was shelved for almost two decades before Pony Records released the newly mastered tunes in 1994. The collection, entitled
Cool Water, has a distinctly raw sound that suggests much of the material was still in development when the album was scrapped. Without the benefit of a complete production treatment, the songs are reduced to their fundamental elements, adding to
Cool Water's pop overtones. Gone are the 20-minute epic noodle-fests and indulgent solos. Echoes of
Brian Wilson and
John Lennon can be heard in guitarist/vocalist
Pye Hastings' work during highlights like "Just the Way You Are," "Poor Molly," and other straight pop numbers. The only real miscalculations on
Cool Water are the fluffy rock tracks, especially "Tuesday Is Rock 'N' Roll Night." Despite these missteps, this lost treasure is sure to delight fans of the Canterbury Scene. Listeners who can do without the genre's most excessive musical elements will be especially pleased.