MOONMADNESS

Camel's "Moonmadness"; the album that started my love for prog. With Camel's classic lineup and the re-instatement of vocals, comes a magical musical masterpiece, words cannot begin to describe. Let me put it this way: this is the 'if you only had one album on a desert island' album for me.

The album begins with a 2 minute instrumental that sets the mood for the second track "Song Within A Song"; my favorite track on the album. "Song Within A Song" is a mellow prog classic, which features amazing vocals and beautiful guitar work. Strings wailing in the background behind a very calm guitar solo as the song progressively gets louder and more layers continue to build upon each other. As the song continues it becomes more upbeat and 'happy' in contrast to the beginning of the song, the drums continue to become more aggressive until the closure of the song.10/10

"Chord Change", while very good, doesn't appeal to me as much as the rest of the album. It begins as an upbeat bluesy tune. Then it transitions beautifully into a very mellow guitar and keyboard piece. Ending in the same upbeat fashion as it began.7/10

"Spirit of the Water" is another outstanding track for me. It begins with stunning piano and flute combination. The flute piece reminds me a bit of "Rhayader". The combination of piano, organ, and flute with stunning vocals make this a masterpiece of a song. The dark, haunting atmosphere is a huge plus in my opinion.10/10

"Another Night" is another favorite of mine, with semi-prominent bass compared to the previous songs. This is a more rock oriented song, with great vocals. The mellow, spacey interludes make this song almost perfect in my opinion. As the song progresses, the drum pattern becomes a bit more complex as they go into a beautiful instrumental improv, when they switch back to the original riff from the beginning of the song.10/10

"Air Born" Begins with a beautiful flute tune, transitioning into a very mellow bluesy tune. Simplistic drumming, synths and a beautiful guitar riff. It then goes into a very atmospheric, spacey interlude with, yet again, amazing vocals, and a ethereal acoustic piece accompanied by some more flute. As the keyboard piece travels back and forth through your head, a guitar sings and bass thumps warmly in your ear, transitioning into the final piece of the song. 10/10

"Lunar Sea" opens with a foray of different synths, and other sounds that meld beautifully together. By now your mind is drifting away into another world. Bass emerges, as do the drums and a melodic guitar piece. A very proggy beginning to the song. The song continues with awesome synth improvs accompanied by a very precise drum beat and a prominent bass-line that will stay stuck in your head for days. Nearing the end of the song the speed greatly intensifies and the drums continue to get more complex. And, to end this masterpiece of an album, you hear what sounds like an airplane in the sky as it flies away. This is a great ending to a terrific album that you can get lost in very easily.

Overall, 5/5

If you are just getting into Camel, this is most likely the best place to start. Although Mirage and The Snow Goose wouldn't hurt either ;)