Caravan(2)

:(This page is about the Thai band. For the British band of the same name, see Caravan).
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Caravan (Thai: ฅาราวาน, Kharawan), was a Thai folk-rock band that formed out of the 1973 democracy movement in Thailand. It launched the Phleng pheua chiwit (เพลงเพื่อชีวิต) (songs for life) genre that has since been popularized by Thai bands such as Carabao. The members of the band consisted of Surachai "Nga Caravan" Jantimathawn (vocals, acoustic guitar), Wirasak Sunthawnnsi (guitar, vocals), Mongkhon Uthok [vocals, phin (a kind of Thai lute), wut (a panpipe-like Thai instrument), harmonica] and Thongkran Thana (lead guitar, slide guitar, violin, vocals).
Caravan was known for combining Thai and Western folk music in arrangements dominated by acoustic guitars, but spiced up with Uthok's use of traditional Thai instruments, as well as frequent use of Thai-style percussion. Most of their Thai-influenced songs took the form of folk ballads, but they also made frequent use of the faster and more percussive "Maw Lam" rhythms. In their early days, they often took melodies directly from American and British folk songs like "Song to Woody" "Yellow Bird" "John Barleycorn Must Die" and "A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall" and adapted them with political lyrics in Thai.
== Links To Peel ==
Peel played a track from the group on his 15 February 1990 show, when a listener sent a Thai tape, which Peel could not decipher the artist or title because of the cassette and its cover written in that language. Peel thought the letter was meant to be for Andy Kershaw, but it turned out it was supposed to be for him. Peel then asked listeners if they could recognise the tune. The track though turned out to be Caravan's 'American Antarai'.
Five months later on the 23 July 1990 show, Peel picks up the Thai letter topic again and mentions this time, three Thai tapes with a letter was originally sent, which Peel had lost the letter. Complaining that he wished he was organised when receiving requests, Peel went on to play three Thai songs ranging from classical to folk-rock via the cassettes. The folk rock track consisted of Caravan doing a song called 'Tens Deaths Growing Up Hundred Thousand' using the melody of Bob Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna To Fall. Peel mentioned that he played the track from the band before, which turns out to be on the 26 March 1990 show.
== Shows Played ==
thumb|330x330px|The Caravan track is played between 4:37 and 8:47 of the video
;1990
*15 February 1990: อเมริกันอันตราย (American Antarai)
*26 March 1990: ตายสิบเกิดแสน (Tens Deaths Growing Up Hundred Thousand) (The track uses melody of Bob Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna To Fall)
*23 July 1990: ตายสิบเกิดแสน (Tens Deaths Growing Up Hundred Thousand) (The track uses melody of Bob Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna To Fall)
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Official Website
Category:Artists