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POOR MAN'S RICH MAN
Tracklist: As Long as She Knows; I'm Looking Through You; Roll on Babe; In My Time; Paul's Dance; Old Heaven and Hell; It Won't Mean Much to You; Bright New Way; Girl Across the River; Poor Man's Rich Man; Follow
Your Heart.
'Poor Man's Rich Man' is the second CD to be released by Geoff Richardson and Jim Leverton, both of who can be found in the current line up of one of the great progressive bands of the old school - 'Caravan'.
Geoff Richardson has been an essential member of the band since way back in 1972; he has spent time playing with the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, as well as doing session and live work for various artists including Murray Head and Bob Geldof.
Jim Leverton's musical career is equally worthy of brief discussion.
Starting out in the early 1960's he has played with many artists including Frankie Miller, Savoy Brown and Joe Brown. A very successful long term partnership begun in 1978 with Steve Marriott, of the Small Faces and Humble Pie fame, a partnership which was brought to an abrupt end by Marriott's tragic death in 1991. It was soon after this that Jim first met up with Geoff Richardson and the two began working together and then, having joined Caravan in 1995 as a result of a proposal from Richardson, the two produced their first album, 'Follow Your Heart', in 1996.
There is a very wide array of instruments used throughout this album; Jim provides main vocals as well as playing acoustic, electric and bass guitars and some keyboards, while Geoff supplies violin, viola, cello,
guitar (acoustic and electric), ukelele,clarinet, penny whistle and kalimba. As if this were not enough, they are supported by a talented ensemble of musicians (including Caravan colleague Dave Sinclair) who
provide additional instrumentation in the form of drums, harmonica, accordion, banjo and saxophones!
So what of the music? The album features a total of eleven tracks, which, for the most part, sit comfortably in the three to four minute category - there are no long running epics to be found here. The
majority of the songs are written by Richardson and/or Leverton, although in the case of the latter some are a result of previous writing partberships, but there are also a few cover tracks featured as well.
The album begins with 'As Long as She Knows', a very restful and laid back track that seems to be uncannily close to the Bob Seger classic 'We've Got Tonight' - so much so that I find myself trying to fit Seger's
lyrics to the main melody. This is not intended as a negative criticsm however as the song is well put together and features some really nice backing vocals which, I believe, are sung by Julie Palliser.
Furthermore, there are some nice cello and violin touches which add considerably to the texture of the piece and lends an almost Beatles like quality.
This is perhaps more than coincidental since 'I'm Looking Through You' is a Lennon and McCartney piece which first featured on The Beatles' 'Rubber Soul' LP back in 1965.
While some purists may have objections to this cover on principle, my own view is that the upbeat style in which the song is performed really brings something new and vibrant to the song. The inclusion of fiddle, accordion and the occasional low notes from the saxophone really put a whole new slant on the piece and it is hard not to feel positive about the result.
Keeping the mood going, 'Roll on Babe' comes next.
This song has a feel that is reminiscent of early period Rod Stewart - the track 'Mandolin Wind' in particular is brought to mind by some of the instrumental arrangements in this track.
'In My Time' is the only track that is solely written by Geoff Richardson, which is perhaps a shame since this is a very strong number.
Delicate keyboard work is intermeshed with superb acoustic guitar play and the track develops well, building from a soft rock number into a more evocative piece with strong backing vocals adding to the experience.
'Paul's Dance' is a short, slow tempo, instrumental played out primarily on the acoustic guitar.
The music was written by Simon Jeffes and Steve Nye, and the piece was originally performed by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. In fact a live version of the track played by Geoff Richardson appears on the PCO album 'When in Rome', which was recorded back in 1987 and, even after making allowance for the possibly unfair comparison between a live track and a studio recording, I still much prefer this current version.
In complete contrast comes the excellent 'Old Heaven Hill', which is an older song written by Jim Leverton and Steve Marriott.
This is a fun, no nonsense, upbeat R'n'B number with strong bass and piano work and a vocal performance which is stylistically akin to Elvis Presley.
Changing the pace once again, 'It Won't Mean Much to You' is a soft acoustic rock number which shows an occasional nod towards folk influences. The rich vocal tones and beautiful orchestration make this
compulsive listening, and the inclusion of the penny whistle at stategic points through the song put the sound close to bands such as Celtus and Mostly Autumn.
The next two tracks formed a bit of a lull in the proceedings for me, both are competent enough but neither really fired me up.
From the outset 'Bright New Way' shows itself to be an upbeat number with a humming guitar line which has a country edge to it. 'Girl Across the River', on the other hand, is a laid back, almost easy listening number, the most notable feature of which was some of the saxophone pieces.
Things start to look up again however with the title track 'Poor Man's Rich Man' which is actually another Leverton / Marriott composition. This song features passages with a strong rag time blues rhythm which
is enhanced by some excellent clarinet work.
For me however, the best is left for last as we come ultimately to 'Follow Your Heart'.
This is essentially a slow moving ballad with the piano as the principle instrument. As the song progresses beyond the opening section the vocals start to take on a slightly harsher edge, prompting comparisons to Gary Brooker - a fact further emphasised by the Gospel style backing vocals and subdued keyboard work behind the main piano section. Later in the track listen out for the low down sax playing - very nice!
It should be clear by now that despite the duo's association with Caravan, listeners would be well advised not to expect to this album to simply contain more of the same. Certainly there are some strong
references to the Canterbury sound to be found within, but essentially Richardson and Leverton have combined their talents to produce an extremely colourful album that is rich in melody in the very best of singer /
song writer traditions.
Simon 14th March 2001
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