The English band Caravan, hailing from Kent in the Canterbury region, emerged from the beat band Wilde Flowers and consisted of Pye Hastings (g, b, voc), David Sinclair (org, voc), Richard Sinclair (b, g, voc) and Richard Coughlan (dr). The other members went on to form Soft Machine. After touring with Soft Machine as the support act for Jimi Hendrix, the band signed a record deal with Verve Forecast. In October 1968, they recorded their self-titled debut album at Advision Studios in London. It was produced by Tony Cox and featured Pye’s brother Jimmy Hastings (flute) as a guest musician. Their album, released in January 1969 with the famous „Pillar Sleeve“, was the only one ever be released on Verve.

Thanks to Pye Hastings’ creative and highly catchy songwriting, as well as the band’s consistently outstanding musical quality, they created a blend of jazzy psychedelia and mid-1960s pop, underpinned by melodic organ sounds in the typical pre-Canterbury style. This established them as one of the founders of the Canterbury scene and the progressive rock movement in England. Alongside Piper at the Gates of Dawn, S.F. Sorrow and Mr. Fantasy, the album is regarded as a milestone and ranks among the finest British progressive albums of that era. Original British mono copies are extremely rare today.