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Camel - Coming Of Age CD (album) cover

COMING OF AGE

Camel

Symphonic Prog


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5 stars Andy and Colin with the support of Foster Patterson and Dave Stewart (from Fish`s band) develop an amazing, espectacular performance full of Passion and Power where Andy despite the years plays the guitar like any master in the world besides the achieve a good process of understanding at stage. No just the 2 CDs are excelent, also the video tape is wonderful it`s a place where different landscapes of Camel are together. EXCEPTIONAL SHOW. I`d better to the news fans of Camel to buy this album so getting a great knowledge of the band by one trigg!!
Report this review (#2481)
Posted Monday, March 8, 2004 | Review Permalink
lor68
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Fantastic comeback by Latimer & Company, witnessing his splendid "Harbour of Tears Tour". The title track is unforgettable, as well as those ones from the concept album based upon the novel by J. Steimback'd "The Grapes of Wrath", that is "Dust and Dreams", the definitive imprinting of CAMEL in the early nineties. Long Live CAMEL!!
Report this review (#2482)
Posted Thursday, April 1, 2004 | Review Permalink
5 stars I think that Camel discography has real masterpieces ("Moonmadness", "Snow Goose" and "Nude") and forgettable albums ("Pressure Points", "Stationary Traveller"). This live recording it's an incredible demostration of what Camel can do on stage. Great versions of "Lunar Sea", "Drafted" and "Ice" and the mise-en-scene of "Harbour of Tears" it's really amazing. Maybe one of the best prog/live cd's of the 90's. Great work of Colin Bass and... well, what I can say about Mr. Latimer, a gentleman of the stage and a great guitar player... A beautiful and melancholic masterpiece...
Report this review (#40387)
Posted Tuesday, July 26, 2005 | Review Permalink
Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars There is something about Andy Latimer's voice that really touches my heart, when I hear him sing he has my full attention. Not to mention he's one of my favourite guitar players as well, so you might guess i'm a huge CAMEL fan. To me, CAMEL makes soul music. And this double live record taken from the "Harbour of Tears" tour is a "must have".

I love the way it starts with "Lunar Sea" with the great keyboards and arrangments on it. And the guitar intro on "Hymn To Her" and the whole song actually is awesome. The next four songs are from the "Snow Goose", enough said, but the flute and guitar are beautiful. The next three songs are from "Nude" and begin with a beautiful piano line and when the vocals come in it's emotional. "Spirit Of Water" is a fragile, gentle, haunting song.Then the guitar solo on "Ice" is both jaw-dropping and mind-numbing ! Highlights on the second disc for me are "Harbour of Tears" and "Coming of Age", but it's all good.

Highly recommended !

Report this review (#92702)
Posted Saturday, September 30, 2006 | Review Permalink
5 stars well I love the early camel very very much, and I love to late camel too, and this album take the early camel and the late camel and bind them together perfectly.

with an amazing sound of live conecert, Andrew Latimer the leader of this show bring to us and amazing, exiting peaces of music, colling bass the preety old camel member help a lot to andy to bring this album to life.

so If you are and old camel fans or new camel fans this album is for u! and the DVD too!

Report this review (#126157)
Posted Sunday, June 17, 2007 | Review Permalink
erik neuteboom
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Camel is one of my favorite symphonic prog bands and I have seen them many times since their Nude tour in 1981, I love to be carried away by Andy Latimer his moving guitarwork! This 2-CD is a registration of a concert in Los Angeles (1997) with an integral version of the album Harbour Of Tears (on CD-2), to me this live version sounds superior to the less dynamic and less captivating studio performance. CD-1 contains 'classics' like Lunar Sea, Rhayader Goes To Town, Drafted and Sasquatch and Ice that delivers my favorite Andy Latimer guitar solo, what a great build-up and emotion! Although the band (featuring bassplayer Colin Bass, Foss Patterson on keyboards and Dave Stewart on drums) plays tight and inspired, to me this concert doesn't sound very exciting, I miss a spark like during the line-up with Mickey Simmonds on keyboards. Nonethless, this 2-CD is still a wonderful symphonic prog experience, I hope Andy Latimer will recover soon from his disease at this moment! My rating: 3,5 stars.
Report this review (#155149)
Posted Tuesday, December 11, 2007 | Review Permalink
3 stars Coming of Age is a wonderful song in a rather dull CD, The Hour Candle a close second. But hearing them in a live CD makes them sparkle.

This a double CD and You can hear a band trying to keep Its cool but They are tired and You can hear It in the versions but if You as Myself are Camel fans We need to have this CD in our collection.

Ice is good, Sasquatch is short but sweet and all in all is a good CD to listen once in a while. I'll give 4 stars because I am a rabid fan otherwise is a 3 stars record.

Report this review (#563925)
Posted Monday, November 7, 2011 | Review Permalink
SouthSideoftheSky
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Symphonic Team
5 stars Milk n'Honey

When I reviewed the DVD version of Coming Of Age--a long-standing personal favourite of mine--some five or more years ago, I assumed that this 2CD version of the same concert had the exact same audio content and thus that I didn't need not bother with it. Some days ago I noticed that this assumption was mistaken and that there are actually three tracks on this double CD release that were edited out from the video. These are Preparation and Dunkirk (both originally from The Snowgoose album) and Milk n'Honey (originally from Dust And Dreams). This means about ten extra minutes of music that was not included on the DVD. This justifies reviewing this double CD separately now that I have finally heard it.

There is about 15 minutes each from the albums The Snowgoose, Moonmadness, I Can See Your House From Here, Nude, and Dust And Dreams respectively, while nothing at all from Stationary Traveller, Breathless, Rain Dances, Mirage, or the self-titled debut. This might seem a bit lopsided, but everything that is here is excellent. One might speculate that one reason that the first two albums were overlooked is that this concert was recorded in America where these early albums may be less popular(?)

There is a strong focus here on the band's conceptual albums: The Snowgoose, Nude, Dust And Dreams, and Harbour Of Tears. The tracks taken from these albums are performed together in little sections, and in the case of Harbour Of Tears it is here in its entirety. There are four tracks from The Snowgoose (Rhayader, Rhayader Goes To Town, Preparation, and Dunkirk); three from Nude (Drafted, Docks, and Beached); four from Dust And Dreams (Milk n'Honey, Mother Road, Needles, and Rose Of Sharon); and, as I said, the complete Harbour Of Tears.

Moonmadness is represented by a brilliant version of Lunar Sea as well as the mellow Spirit Of The Water; I Can See Your House From Here by Hymn To Her and the superb Ice; and, finally, The Single Factor is represented by Sasquatch. Overall, about half of the numbers are instrumentals. The performances are absolutely top notch and filled with emotion. These versions are generally superior to their studio counterparts.

Coming Of Age is a live masterpiece. Having either this double CD or the DVD is essential, but having both is probably only essential for fans like me. Since neither is clearly superior to the other I have to give the CD version the same rating as the DVD, which is undoubtedly five stars. But also don't miss out on the equally fantastic Never Let Go live double album.

Report this review (#1104219)
Posted Tuesday, December 31, 2013 | Review Permalink
Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Camel is one of vintage prog bands that has become my attention even though I never cllam myself as their die-hard fan. But for sure, I enjoy their music - not as much with things like King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd or Marillion. To me, Camel is like good band that I should not miss any album but not something that I really want very much. It;s similar with my liking of neo prog where I love bands like IQ and Marillion but not so much enjoying the music of Jadis. Well, yeah ... I can compare Jadis and Camel ....as both are good bands but they do not always create good melody that are memorable. Of course I love the melodic one like Lady Fantasy.

Recorded in 1997 on a West Coast tour, this two hour concert includes an array of classic Camel material, as it includes "Harbour of Tears," "Spirit of The Water," "End of The Day," and many more. I am quite happy to enjoy Hymn to Her (6:34) being played at the beginning part of the concert. This was the first track I first knew the band in the seventies and I like it very much. And of course the two piece Rhayader (2:53) and Rhayader goes to Town (5:03) that I consider as classic tracks. I also enjoy Harbours of Tears that is performed well here.

Overall, it's a very good live record even though the vibes and energy are note typical any prog concerts performed by other classic bands. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Report this review (#1133383)
Posted Tuesday, February 18, 2014 | Review Permalink

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