Cunning Stunts is the sixth studio album by the progressive rock band Caravan, released in 1975. It was their first album with the bass guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Mike Wedgwood. The title of the album is a spoonerism for "Stunning Cunts", which is typical of their cheeky use of language. Three previous Caravan albums with titles that are also sexual plays on words are If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You (1970), In the Land of Grey and Pink (1971) and For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night (1973).
Contents
Background and recording
For a stretch of several days David Hitchcock was simultaneously producing Cunning Stunts and Renaissance's Scheherazade and Other Stories, so that he would have to work on Cunning Stunts at Tollington Park Studios during the day and on Scheherazade and Other Stories at Abbey Road Studios at night, an arrangement which Hitchcock felt negatively impacted both albums.
Reception
AllMusic described it as "a solid, varied, and interesting album with plenty of character."
Personnel
Caravan
Pye Hastings – electric guitar and acoustic guitars, vocals
Dave Sinclair – piano, organ, synthesizer, keyboards, string co-arrangement on "No Backstage Pass", brass co-arrangement on "Ben Karratt Rides Again" and "Sneaking out the Bare Quare"
Geoffrey Richardson – viola, electric guitar, Western concert flute, flute, night-shift whistle
Mike Wedgwood – bass guitar, congas, vocals, Moog brass on "Stuck in a Hole", string arrangement on "Lover" and "No Backstage Pass"
Richard Coughlan – drums
Additional personnel
Jimmy Hastings – brass arrangement on "Ben Karratt Rides Again" and "Sneaking out the Bare Quare"
David Hitchcock – producer