The original version of "Blue Caravan"!

[Reileen]

I love this song to death, so I was excited when I was able to finally DL a recording of its live debut. Currently listening to it right now!

But a weird thought struck me during listening. It's in the key of C minor, instead of the...um...other key that it's on in the album version (I think it's like F# minor? Maybe?), and...it kinda reminds me of "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. The key and the piano melody sort of sounds vaguely like that song...

I'm probably just crazy, aren't I?

[cmooreNC]

I love this song to death, so I was excited when I was able to finally DL a recording of its live debut. Currently listening to it right now!

But a weird thought struck me during listening. It's in the key of C minor, instead of the...um...other key that it's on in the album version (I think it's like F# minor? Maybe?), and...it kinda reminds me of "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. The key and the piano melody sort of sounds vaguely like that song...

I'm probably just crazy, aren't I?

I haven't noticed the similarity, but if true.... I'm sure the late, great Harry Chapin wouldn't mind. He'd probably be flattered, actually. I met him several times (promoted his last concerts at his old stomping grounds in Ithaca, NY, where he once attended Cornell University, back in November of 1980 --- the year before his death) and have also worked with his brother Tom on several occasions since then. Harry remains one of my idols. Talk about an incredible person. So selfless and giving. He truly cared about others, particularly his fans. Much like someone else we know today, in that way.

[Norm]

Yes, Harry's hit Taxi is a pretty haunting song that sticks in your mind.

What was the name of Tom's kids show that used to be on TV? My brothers and I always used to watch it. The theme was a catchy tune he played on his guitar as he floated up in the end.

[cmooreNC]

That would be "Make A Wish". Tom actually won an Emmy for that prior to Harry's "making it big", so Tom was the first in the family to have widespread "acclaim". He's since been nominated for several Grammy's in the "children's music" category, although he prefers to call it "family music". Although I never saw the show myself, I think the theme song was "All My Life's a Circle", wasn't it? If so, Harry wrote that, of course. And it became the "closer" for all of Harry's live performances.

Funny story about "Make a Wish".... Tom credits the success of the show to the fact that it aired back-to-back with "Rocky and Bullwinkle". He says a lot of viewers tuned in for the moose & squirrel and wound up watching Tom Chapin, too! Back in the days before remote controls so people were too lazy to change the channel!

I should add that "Taxi" would be an amazing song to hear Vienna perform. One might think it wouldn't work, since it's a first-person story song from a guy, but I used to have a very good female friend with a beautiful voice who used to sing that song in peformances back in my college days and it worked extremely well. It's just such a haunting song, as you say. I'll bet that Vienna could do some wonderous things with "Taxi". She already has written and sings "Homecoming" from the first-person perspective of a male, so I'm sure it would work. After all, with the opening line of "it was raining hard, in 'Frisco...." it seems to have Vienna's name written all over it!

[Norm]

That would be "Make A Wish".

I'll bet that Vienna could do some wonderous things with "Taxi". Vienna's name written all over it!

Ah, it's coming back to me now.

I heartily agree!

[Norm]

From a Google search:

"Glad to see a lot of people remember this show! I remember it being on ABC on Sunday mornings at 10 or 10:30am (like a previous poster said, right after Bullwinkle). The way they explored words and phrases with free association definitely was imaginative and captivating, and the accompanying picture/image collages got a bit "out there" at times, but all in all it was a fun way to spend Sunday mornings. Tom Chapin was also a very likeable host, and he was truly gifted with his ability to communicate with folks of all ages. The show is definitely the epitome of the 70s, and I concur with previous comments regarding the shaggy, bell-bottom feel of the program. And now... here they are... the theme lyrics as I remember them: "Make a wish... Have a ball... Dream a dream... Be it all! If you want it, you can get it, But to get it, you've got to want it; Anything you want to try, just let go, fly high... and Make a Wish!" "

Uh...this is a bit before Vienna's time - her being born 1979

Norm

[cmooreNC]

The theme definitely wasn't "Circle", then. But still sounds like a catchy tune.

[sheeba]

I'm crazy for this song too. I just play it over and over and somehow never get sick of it.

[tanthalas]

Which concert was the debut of Blue Caravan? I want!

[Reileen]

Which concert was the debut of Blue Caravan? I want!

Oh, wow, I can't remember. I'm pretty sure I got it off archive.org, though.

[tanthalas]

Well the earliest concert I can find there is 2004-11-21 at Jammin Java. Does that sound familiar?

I guess I could just download the whole concert and find out!

[Scot]

Which concert was the debut of Blue Caravan? I want!

Well, I just happen to have access to a resource which has such information :>: http://www.warmstrangers.com/cgi-bin/VTdate.cgi?date=20041121&band=VT.

I recently worked a few bugs out of the system; my next step is to add searching features so you can find out things like this...:>

s

[tanthalas]

Oh, awesome! Good thing I did download the whole show a couple hours ago. Thanks.

[dbeattie]

Yay; yeah, I was listening to literally every recording of Blue Caravan that is on archive.org, 'cause I'm making sheet music for the song now, and I'm hearing all these changes over time! The biggest one that I noticed is that at the end of the second verse ("I believed him and I walked away") there's a different melody than she eventually recorded, on just about every recording out there (before, say, December 2005 when she had probably recorded the album by then). But anyway, when I heard the one we've been talking about here, Jammin Java on 2004-11-21... you guys are right, mostly. The key of the song on the album and all the other recordings is indeed F# minor... but this recording is in F minor (easily confused with C minor, Reileen, since they're only one step apart in the circle of 5ths). It definitely makes for a different sound! Not to mention she hadn't written the signature bass part for the song yet (the part that Marika would always play on her cello in concert if she played with a trio, or in the left hand on the piano whenever Vienna plays without a cellist). So the chords are the same (well down a half step) and the basic feel of the song is there, but the details really aren't fleshed out yet. Kinda interesting. I also noticed the words at the beginning of the song are different! They may not even quite rhyme. Did anybody else catch that?

I do like the arrangement that made it onto the album better,... which is probably good, since that's the arrangement that's going to get sheet music.

[Reileen]

I also noticed the words at the beginning of the song are different! They may not even quite rhyme. Did anybody else catch that?

I caught that - "Blue, blue caravan/Take me anywhere but where I've been/For my true love is a man/Who would hold me for ten thousand years" is I think what she originally sang at Jammin' Java, though it's been a while since I've listened to that recording.

I do like the arrangement that made it onto the album better,... which is probably good, since that's the arrangement that's going to get sheet music.

I'm personally fond of the one she played recently at the Independent on December 23 (24?), but I imagine that that's fairly close to the album version anyway, despite the fact that Vienna's doing it solo.