Robin Trower – Caravan to Midnight (1978) Review | For Record Executives Who Grow Plump in the Night
Kronomyth 7.0: Hardie and soul.
The follow-up to In City Dreams more or less follows the same approach: energized blues-rock numbers mixed with some funk/disco and wrapped up with a dreamy instrumental title track. If that sounds a bit all over the place, well, yeah. The album shifts from psychedelic, blues-based rock to disco (from Cream to Chic) without much warning. That was apparently the idea behind bringing in producer Don Davis and bass guitarist Rustee Allen in the first place: to give Robin Trower a more contemporary sound. The band’s appeal clearly lies in its proximity to Jimi Hendrix and Cream. Funky songs like I’m Out to Get You and It’s for You may be a good use of Allen’s talents, but not the band’s. Better by far are My Love, Lost in Love and Fool, which highlight the core trio’s strengths: passionate vocals and a pandora’s box of guitar tones. Also included here is the unexpectedly strange Birthday Boy, which may be the proggiest thing they’ve done to date. Having said all that, none of the Robin Trower albums depart too far from their original path. Consistency and quality have been their hallmark since Twice Removed from Yesterday. They do seem to have drifted a bit on the last two albums as Chrysalis tweaked their sound in the hopes of a quick commercial grab, so you may want to save this and In City Dreams until you’ve acquired the first four or five albums. There’s at least half a very good album here, arguably out of fashion on the eve of the punk revolution, but good rock ‘n roll never dies.
The Product
A1. My Love (Burning Love) (3:17)
A2. Caravan to Midnight (Robin Trower) (5:01)
A3. I’m Out to Get You (5:24)
A4. Lost in Love (4:27)
B1. Fool (3:45)
B2. It’s for You (4:38)
B3. Birthday Boy (3:51)
B4. King of the Dance (3:10)
B5. Sail On (4:02)
All songs written by Trower & Dewar unless noted.
Original 8-track version
A1. My Love (Burning Love)
A2. Birthday Boy
A3. It’s for You (Part I)
B1. It’s for You (Part II)
B2. Fool
B3. King of the Dance
C1. Caravan to Midnight
C2. Lost in Love
D1. I’m Out to Get You
D2. Sail On
The Players
Rustee Allen (bass), James Dewar (vocals), Bill Lordan (drums), Robin Trower (guitars) with Paulhino Dacosta (percussion on A1/A2/A3/B2/B4). Produced by Don Davis; engineered by Ellis “Peter” Bishop.
The Pictures
Art direction by Hipgnosis. Design and illustration by George Hardie.
The Plastic
Released on elpee, cassette and 8-track in August 1978 in the US (Chrysalis, CHR/CCH/8CH 1189) and Japan (Chrysalis, WWS-81130). Reached #37 on the US charts.
- Re-issued on compact disc in the US (Chrysalis, F2 21189).
- Re-packaged w. Victims of the Fury on 2-for-1 compact disc in 1997 in the UK (BGO, BGOC0352).
