MIRAGE

Make no mistake, this is a masterpiece of progressive rock and the best thing that Camel recorded in the Golden Age of Prog. Sure, they get more "progressive" in their next two classic albums, but they somehow seem to lose the "rock" in progressive rock. In this album, the mix is nearly perfect. Especially note the two instrumental tracks. "Earthrise" is a brilliant instrumental. It's better than everything on Moonmadness and just as good as anything on Snow Goose. But it's the WEAKER of the two instrumentals. Supertwister is an epic work, despite it's short running time. I'd be happy to listen to an extended version three or four times as long. My only complaint about it is the stupid sound effect at the end.

The Tolkein based song (Nimroedel et. al.) is also a brilliant masterpiece. Add in two very solid outings in "Freefall" and "Lady Fantasy" and we get an album that equals anything that the best prog bands ever released. This is the Camel album that cannot be ignored! If you haven't heard it, get it!