Blind Dog at St. Dunstans: Difference between revisions

Blind Dog at St. Dunstans
Blind Dog at St. Dunstans
Studio album by Caravan
Released	23 April 1976
Genre	Progressive rock, Canterbury scene
Length	46:20
Label	BTM (UK); Arista (US)
Producer	David Hitchcock
Caravan chronology
Official audio
	"Jack and Jill" (Remastered) on YouTube

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Blind Dog at St. Dunstans is the seventh studio album by Canterbury Scene rock band Caravan. It was released in 1976.

This album has a lighter feel than Caravan's previous releases, shifting toward shorter, "poppier" songs. The lighter feel is due in part to the prominence of Pye Hastings on the album. He wrote and sang eight of nine songs. Moreover, Jan Schelhaas had replaced Dave Sinclair on keyboards, moving away from lengthy organ-based instrumentals toward piano and synthesizer.

Album cover and title

The cover art and title bring together several elements relating to Canterbury.

Saint Dunstan was Archbishop of Canterbury and patron saint of the blind, after whom a home for the blind was named.

The title comes from a Noël Coward explanation to a child for why one dog had mounted another: one dog was blind and the other was pushing him to St. Dunstan's. The cover notes gives special thanks to Coward. At the end of the song "Jack and Jill", amongst dogs barking, two speaking voices can be heard:

First voice: "What are those two doggies doing over there?" Second voice "Well, the doggie in front is blind and his friend behind is pushing him all the way to St Dunstan's"

The album cover shows St. Dunstan's Street leading to the old West Gate in Canterbury. Members of Caravan used to frequent the pubs near the St. Dunstan area.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

AllMusic described it as "'A major turn for the worse'" and said the album was detrimental to Caravan's career.^[1]

Track listing

All songs composed by Pye Hastings, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Here Am I"		6:19
2.	"Chiefs and Indians"	Mike Wedgwood	5:13
3.	"A Very Smelly, Grubby Little Oik"		4:15
4.	"Bobbing Wide"		1:13
5.	"Come on Back"		4:50
6.	"Oik (reprise)"		2:26

Side two

No.	Title	Length
7.	"Jack and Jill"	6:26
8.	"Can You Hear Me?"	6:17
9.	"All the Way (with John Wayne's Single-Handed Liberation of Paris)"	9:03

Personnel

Caravan

Pye Hastings – vocals (tracks 1, 3–9); electric and acoustic guitars
Geoffrey Richardson – viola, electric guitar, flute, night-shift whistle
Jan Schelhaas – keyboards
Mike Wedgwood – vocals (track 2); bass guitar, congas
Richard Coughlan – drums

Additional personnel

Jimmy Hastings – flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet
David Hitchcock – producer
Chanter Sisters – backing vocalist, backing vocals

Credits

Lead vocals on all songs by Pye Hastings, except track 2, by Mike Wedgwood.
"Here Am I": lead guitar – Pye Hastings
"A Very Smelly, Grubby Little Oik": lead guitar – Geoffrey Richardson
"Bobbing Wide": flutes – Geoffrey Richardson
"Come on Back": lead guitar & flute – Geoffrey Richardson; tenor sax and clarinet – Jimmy Hastings
"Oik (reprise)": lead guitar & flute – Geoffrey Richardson; tenor sax and clarinet – Jimmy Hastings
"Jack and Jill": lead guitar – Pye Hastings
"All the Way (with John Wayne's single-handed liberation of Paris)": flute, alto sax – Jimmy Hastings

Live recordings

Surprise Supplies (later renamed Here Am I) is a live album featuring all the Blind Dog at St. Dunstans songs, except for "Jack and Jill", recorded at a concert of 4 May 1976.^[where?]

The next day, 5 May 1976, Caravan played on the John Peel show for BBC Radio One. Recordings of this show appear on the 1998 release Ether Way: BBC Sessions, 1975–1977: "All the Way", "A Very Smelly Grubby Little Oik", "Bobbing Wide", "Come on Back" and "Grubby Oik Reprise".

Charts

Chart (1976)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)^[2]	53

References

^ ^a ^b Foss, Richard (2011). "Caravan - Blind Dog at St. Dunstans". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

External links

"Calyx, the Canterbury website". Retrieved 15 July 2007.
Eric, Grey. "Where but for Caravan Would I? No. 6" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
Eric, Grey. "Where but for Caravan Would I? No. 16" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
Sleeve notes: CD, Blind Dog at St. Dunstans
Caravan - Blind Dog at St. Dunstans (1976) album review by Richard Foss, credits & releases at AllMusic.com
Caravan - Blind Dog at St. Dunstans (1976) album releases & credits at Discogs.com
Caravan - Blind Dog at St. Dunstans (1976) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
Caravan - Blind Dog at St. Dunstans (1976) album to be listened as stream at Play.Spotify.com

[AllMusic-1] Foss, Richard (2011). "Caravan - Blind Dog at St. Dunstans". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 23 June 2011.

[ac_UK2_-2] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
-{{Infobox album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
+{{Infobox album|
- | Name        = Blind Dog at St. Dunstans
+| name       = Blind Dog at St. Dunstans
- | Type        = Album
+| type       = Album
- | Artist      = [[Caravan (band)|Caravan]]
+| artist     = [[Caravan (band)|Caravan]]
- | Cover       = Blinddogatstdunstans.jpg
+| cover      = Blinddogatstdunstans.jpg
- | Released    = 23 April 1976
+| alt        =
+| released   = 23 April 1976
- | Genre       = [[Progressive rock]], [[Canterbury scene]]
- | Length      = 46:20
+| recorded   =
+| venue      =
- | Label       = BTM (UK)<br>[[Arista Records|Arista]] (US)
+| studio     =
- | Producer    = [[Dave Hitchcock|David Hitchcock]]
+| genre      = [[Progressive rock]], [[Canterbury scene]]
- | Last album  = ''[[Cunning Stunts (Caravan album)|Cunning Stunts]]''<br /> (1975)
+| length     = 46:20
- | This album  = '''''Blind Dog at St. Dunstans'''''<br />(1976)
- | Next album  = ''[[Better by Far]]''<br />(1977)
+| label      = BTM (UK)<br>[[Arista Records|Arista]] (US)
+| producer   = [[Dave Hitchcock|David Hitchcock]]
+| prev_title = [[Cunning Stunts (Caravan album)|Cunning Stunts]]
+| prev_year  = 1975
+| next_title = [[Better by Far]]
+| next_year  = 1977
+| misc       = {{External music video
+ | 1      = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMyybsQb7Pg "Jack and Jill" (Remastered)] on YouTube
+ | header = Official audio}}
 }}
 '''''Blind Dog at St. Dunstans''''' is the seventh studio album by [[Canterbury Scene]] [[rock music|rock]] band [[Caravan (band)|Caravan]]. It was released in 1976.
-This album has a lighter feel than Caravan's previous releases, shifting toward shorter, "poppier" songs. The lighter feel is due in part to Pye Hastings prominence on the album. He wrote and sang eight out of nine songs. Moreover, [[Jan Schelhaas]] replaced [[Dave Sinclair]] on keyboards, moving away from lengthy organ-based instrumentals toward piano and synthesizer.
+This album has a lighter feel than Caravan's previous releases, shifting toward shorter, "[[pop music|poppier]]" songs. The lighter feel is due in part to the prominence of [[Pye Hastings]] on the album. He wrote and sang eight of nine songs. Moreover, [[Jan Schelhaas]] had replaced [[Dave Sinclair]] on keyboards, moving away from lengthy organ-based instrumentals toward piano and synthesizer.
 ==Album cover and title==
@@ Line 24: / Line 32: @@
 The cover art and title bring together several elements relating to [[Canterbury]].
-[http://www.saintdunstan.org.uk/section/24 St. Dunstan] was Archbishop of Canterbury and patron saint of the blind, after whom a [https://web.archive.org/web/20090722101318/http://www.st-dunstans.org.uk/ home for the blind] was named.
+Saint [[Dunstan]] was [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] and [[patron saint]] of the blind, after whom a home for the blind was named.
-The title comes from a [[Noël Coward]] explanation to a child for why one dog had mounted another: one dog was blind and the other was pushing him to St. Dunstan's. At the end of the song "Jack and Jill" can be heard two speaking voices amongst dogs barking:
+The title comes from a [[Noël Coward]] explanation to a child for why one dog had mounted another: one dog was blind and the other was pushing him to St. Dunstan's. The cover notes gives special thanks to Coward. At the end of the song "Jack and Jill", amongst dogs barking, two speaking voices can be heard:
-<blockquote>First voice: "What are those two doggies doing over there?"<br>Second voice "Well, the doggie in front is blind and his friend behind is pushing him all the way to St Dunstan's"</blockquote>
+<blockquote>First voice: "What are those two doggies doing over there?"
-The album cover shows St. Dunstan’s Street leading to the old West Gate in Canterbury. Members of Caravan used to frequent the pubs near the [[St. Dunstan's, Canterbury|St. Dunstan]] area. The cover notes gives special thanks to [[Noël Coward]].
+Second voice "Well, the doggie in front is blind and his friend behind is pushing him all the way to St Dunstan's"</blockquote>
+The album cover shows St. Dunstan's Street leading to the old [[Westgate, Canterbury|West Gate]] in Canterbury. Members of Caravan used to frequent the pubs near the [[St. Dunstan's, Canterbury|St. Dunstan]] area.
 ==Reception==
 {{Album ratings
 | rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
-| rev1Score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/r32302 |title=Caravan - ''Blind Dog at St. Dunstans'' &#124; AllMusic |first=Richard |last=Foss |work=AllMusic.com |year=2011 |accessdate=23 June 2011}}</ref>
+| rev1Score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/r32302 |title=Caravan - ''Blind Dog at St. Dunstans''|first=Richard |last=Foss |work=AllMusic.com |year=2011 |accessdate=23 June 2011}}</ref>
 }}
@@ Line 65: / Line 75: @@
 | title8          = Can You Hear Me?
 | length8         = 6:17
-| title9          = All the Way (with John Wayne's single-handed liberation of Paris)
+| title9          = All the Way (with John Wayne's Single-Handed Liberation of Paris)
 | length9         = 9:03
 }}
 ==Personnel==
+;Caravan
-* [[Pye Hastings]] – vocals (tracks 1, 3-9); electric and [[acoustic guitar|acoustic]] guitars
+* [[Pye Hastings]] – vocals (tracks 1, 3–9); electric and [[acoustic guitar|acoustic]] guitars
-* [[Geoffrey Richardson (musician)|Geoffery Richardson]] – [[viola]], electric guitar, [[Western concert flute|flute]], night-shift whistle
+* [[Geoffrey Richardson (musician)|Geoffrey Richardson]] – [[viola]], electric guitar, [[Western concert flute|flute]], night-shift whistle
 * [[Jan Schelhaas]] – keyboards
 * [[Mike Wedgwood]] – vocals (track 2); bass guitar, [[congas]]
@@ Line 83: / Line 94: @@
 ;Credits
 * Lead vocals on all songs by Pye Hastings, except track 2, by Mike Wedgwood.
-* "Here Am I": lead guitar – Pye  Hastings
+* "Here Am I": lead guitar – Pye Hastings
 * "A Very Smelly, Grubby Little Oik": lead guitar – Geoffrey Richardson
 * "Bobbing Wide": flutes – Geoffrey Richardson
@@ Line 89: / Line 100: @@
 * "Oik (reprise)": lead guitar & flute – Geoffrey Richardson; tenor sax and clarinet – Jimmy Hastings
 * "Jack and Jill": lead guitar – Pye Hastings
-* "All the Way (with John Wayne's single-handed liberation of Paris)": flute, alto sax – Jimmy Hastings
+* "All the Way (with [[John Wayne]]'s single-handed liberation of Paris)": flute, alto sax – Jimmy Hastings
 ==Live recordings==
-''[[Surprise Supplies]]'' (later renamed ''Here Am I'') is a live album featuring all the '''''Blind Dog at St. Dunstans''''' songs, except for "Jack and Jill", recorded at a concert of 4 May 1976.
+''[[Surprise Supplies]]'' (later renamed ''Here Am I'') is a live album featuring all the ''Blind Dog at St. Dunstans'' songs, except for "Jack and Jill", recorded at a concert of 4 May 1976.{{where|date=July 2021}}
-The next day, 5 May 1976, Caravan played on the [[John Peel]] show for [[BBC radio]], recordings of this show appear on the 1998 release ''[[Ether Way|Ether Way: BBC Sessions, 1975–1977]]'', these are : "All the Way" / "A Very Smelly Grubby Little Oik" / "Bobbing Wide" / "Come on Back" / "Grubby Oik Reprise".
+The next day, 5 May 1976, Caravan played on the [[John Peel]] show for [[BBC Radio One]]. Recordings of this show appear on the 1998 release ''[[Ether Way|Ether Way: BBC Sessions, 1975–1977]]'': "All the Way", "A Very Smelly Grubby Little Oik", "Bobbing Wide", "Come on Back" and "Grubby Oik Reprise".
+==Charts==
+{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
+! Chart (1976)
+! Peak<br />position
+|-
+{{Album chart|UK2|53|date=19760509|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 8, 2023}}
+|}
 ==References==
@@ Line 101: / Line 120: @@
 ==External links==
 * {{cite web
-  | last =
-  | first =
   | title = Calyx, the Canterbury website
   | url=http://www.calyx-canterbury.fr/caravan/index.html
@@ Line 110: / Line 127: @@
  |first=Grey
  |title=Where but for Caravan Would I? No. 6
  |url=http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/fanzine/uploads/fanzine6-sep1977.pdf
- |format=PDF
  |accessdate=15 July 2007
  |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817115246/http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/fanzine/uploads/fanzine6-sep1977.pdf
  |archivedate=17 August 2007
+ |url-status=dead
- |deadurl=yes
- |df=dmy
 }}
 * {{cite web
@@ Line 122: / Line 137: @@
  |first=Grey
  |title=Where but for Caravan Would I? No. 16
  |url=http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/fanzine/uploads/fanzine16-feb2003.pdf
- |format=PDF
  |accessdate=15 July 2007
  |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817115315/http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/fanzine/uploads/fanzine16-feb2003.pdf
  |archivedate=17 August 2007
+ |url-status=dead
- |deadurl=yes
- |df=dmy
 }}
 * Sleeve notes: CD, ''Blind Dog at St. Dunstans''
@@ Line 137: / Line 150: @@
 {{Caravan}}
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Blind Dog at St. Dunstan's}}

v t e Caravan
Pye Hastings Geoffrey Richardson Jan Schelhaas Jim Leverton Mark Walker Richard Coughlan Richard Sinclair Dave Sinclair Steve Miller Derek Austin Stuart Evans John G. Perry Mike Wedgwood Dek Messecar Doug Boyle Simon Bentall Jimmy Hastings
Studio albums	Caravan If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You In the Land of Grey and Pink Waterloo Lily For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night Cunning Stunts Blind Dog at St. Dunstans Better by Far The Album Back to Front Cool Water The Battle of Hastings The Unauthorized Breakfast Item Paradise Filter It's None of Your Business
Live albums	Caravan and the New Symphonia Live at the Fairfield Halls, 1974 BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert Live: Canterbury Comes to London Songs for Oblivion Fishermen Ether Way: BBC Sessions 1975-77 Surprise Supplies Green Bottles for Marjorie: The Lost BBC Sessions
Compilation albums	The Show of Our Lives The Best of Caravan – Canterbury Tales Travelling Man All Over You...Too The Show of Our Lives – Caravan at the BBC 1968–1975 The World Is Yours – The Anthology 1968-1976
Related bands	Bruford Camel Delivery Earthworks Egg Gong Hatfield and the North In Cahoots Khan Matching Mole National Health Soft Heap Soft Machine Uriel The Wilde Flowers