MIRAGE

I began listening to Camel somewhere around the end of 2003 but my first experience wasn't all that I expected it to be. This had to do with me picking I Can See Your House From Here as my introduction to the band which basically repelled me from trying anything new Camel-related until two years later when the great reception of the band's early output here on Prog Archives convinced me to give them another go!

By that time, Mirage was their highest rated album which was enough for me to assume it to be the perfect candidate for my re-introduction to Camel. Luckily all the praise that Mirage had received felt very much in line with my opinion of this release. Not only are all these compositions very beautiful but we also have the two longer pieces that propel it to a higher echelon of enjoyment for me.

Freefall is an unusually pompous album opener by Camel's standards and it's not that representative of what awaits the listener later on. Nonetheless, it does do an excellent job of kicking off the album and the guitar riff by Andrew Latimer is a real killer! Supertwister is the quietest and probably the least memorable out of these five songs, but that doesn't mean that it's bad and would have easily made a minor hit on any other of their releases. There are simply too many highlights here that overshadow what could have easily been a memorable performance. Earthrise is the last of the shorter songs and it makes for an perfect transition between the two lengthier compositions featuring a very distinct Camel instrumental jam between the band members.

Even though all of the shorter tracks are great, there's really no denying that Nimrodel Medley and Lady Fantasy is the bulk that makes Mirage the masterpiece that it really is! These compositions have a much spacier approach held together by Latimer's guitar and Peter Bardens' underlying keyboard arrangements. The results just have to be heard to be believed! Most importantly, Camel keeps these songs at perfect lengths without a single out-of-place moment in them!

Even if I haven't heard all of Camel's releases I can still safely conclude that Mirage is probably one of their greatest contributions to the progressive rock movement. With tracks Nimrodel and Lady Fantasy there is just no way I can give this release anything less than the masterpiece rating that is truly deserves!

***** star songs: Nimrodel (9:12) Lady Fantasy (12:46)

**** star songs: Freefall (5:47) Supertwister (3:20) Earthrise (6:42)