BREATHLESS

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Some bands I appreciate enough to not come down too hard on them when they made a weak album but others ...... Not!

And I am no great fan of Camel but they did put out some fine records early in their career but by this time all hopes of a masterpiece was gone and even the facts that other great musicians from other bands came in , they could not stop the decline of the band. Peter Bardens and the Sinclair cousins got out after this dud. The Sleeper and Echoes would have been fillers on Rain Dances but are the highlights on this one. Sad .... so Sad.....

"Breathless" has pop accessible songs, but it is never a simple album: the songs are loaded and subtle. Because of Richard Sinclair on bass and on some lead vocals, it can sound like CARAVAN ("Down on the Farm"). There are some very good flute parts. "Echoes" has beautiful modern keyboards patterns, and there is on the second half part a very catchy and swinging rythmic patterns (the bass surrounded by all other instruments). The bass can be very rythmic. Pete Barden's keyboards are really good, varied and elaborated. The electric guitars are well played. A couples of songs are ordinary ("You Make Me Smile"). "The Sleeper" keeps the same good old CAMEL's style ("Moonmadness"). A colorful and alive album.

Once again Breathless tests the true admirer of Camel and succeeds. If you are a Caravan fan then Sinclair's influence will be highly pleasing. Breathless arrived when the world hated Progressive music so consequently falls foul of high criticism, however for me it is an extension of Rain Dances and has a beautiful feel to it. Remember these guys were maturing and the music with it. Echoes, Summer Lightning and You Make Me Smile being the main highlights. Vinyl covers were at an all time high and Breathless certainly did not disappoint. Musically though very solid even with Bardens' imminent departure.

Not the best album they released but Breathless has its moments. Pete Bardens and Andy Latimer didn't get on well during the recording sessions which would led to the departure of Bardens after the album was finished. Only "Echoes" and "the sleeper" still have the Camel trademark which consists of magical duels between the guitars of Latimer and the keyboards of Bardens. Especially "Echoes" would become a concert favourite for the band. These tracks justify the buy of the album for fans of progressive rock Other tracks tend to late seventies pop although some tracks are still quite enjoyable like "Breathless" or "On a wing and a prayer". "Summer lightning" has some nasty influences form pop and even disco, but the melody is fine and the guitarplaying of Andy Latimer is brilliant. Other tracks are forgettable. Usually the weak point in Camel is the vocal but not on this album. In 1977 and 1978 the famous Caravan singer Richard Sinclair was the band lead vocalist and he does a far better job than Andy Latimer could have ever done. Sinclair delivers "Down at the farm" a funny and uplifting song about life in the country, the song has a catchy melody and excellent flute playing of Mel Collins, one of the highlights of the album.

Don't judge Camel on this album, they can do better, still the album is a must have for the fans and I still would choose this album above "I can see your house from here".

Camel's sixth studio album saw the quartet of Latimer, Bardens, Ward and Sinclair (with reed player Mel Collins a semi-permanent member) continue the group's evolution towards a more modern commercial sound. Made under strange circumstances, with Bardens having decided on his departure before recording commenced, it's a more consistent statement of the "new" Camel than its predecessor Rain Dances, and actually emerges as one of the strongest albums the group ever made.

Despite the move towards commercialism, this album contains some truly outstanding slices of melodic progressive pop. The lead off track Breathless for example, has one of the most beautiful melodies I've ever heard a prog band compose. In addition Collins' flute touches are simply glorious and Latimer's clean playing is a joy to behold. It's a song that doesn't go too many places yet is something I can listen to a dozen times in a row.

Other quality tracks include Wing And A Prayer, another really nice "pop" and Sinclair's Down On The Farm which is a real curiousity as its mock hard rock intro turns into one of the finest slices of Canterbury prog you'll ever hear (even if it isn't from a Canterbury band!) Try listening to this and see if you feel like putting on your boots and joining Betty the Barmaid down on the farm ... I certainly did! Perhaps the ultimate highlight of the new concise Camel style is Starlight Ride, a delicate dreamy piece with a lovely melody, and quasi-Baroque playing by Latimer, Bardens and Collins that could make a grown man cry. It's a real gem of a song.

Of course it wouldn't be classic Camel without a prog epic, and Echoes is a real throwback to the glory days of Mirage. If anything, the band's playing is now more confident, and Latimer in particular delivers some of his strongest playing in ages. When Bardens comes in halfway through this seven minute cut, it's like a brilliant last hurrah. I'm not sure if the vocal melodies match up to the standards of the rest of the song but it's still unforgettable.

Unfortunately the album runs out of steam towards the end. I suppose the disco-prog of Summer Lightning is a failed experiment that someone had to make (but did it have to be Camel?). Latimer turns in some more delectable playing, but it's hard to get past the disco beat that goes on for six minutes! You Make Me Smile is another one ... it's basically a really lousy song until Bardens gets his foot in the door with some great playing and then after his solo it turns back into rubbish ... Another dud is the seven minute instrumental The Sleeper which wastes an interesting intro by turning into a boring jazz-fusion exercise. These songs offer ample evidence that Bardens and Latimer pulling in different directions could really hurt Camel.

Thankfully, Camel don't let this album end on a sour note and its closer Rainbow's End is a return to the wistful melancholy we've come to expect from the lads. With a lush, unforgettable chorus that belies the sparse arrangement built around Bardens' keyboards, it's a poignant farewell to a marriage that couldn't last.

This album certainly isn't the straight-forward pop that Camel would later attempt, but it's also not what prog fans might expect (and yet I suspect a lot of proggers will enjoy this album). After Bardens' departure Camel would revamp its sound quite dramatically and while they still went on to make some great music, things would never be the same again. ... 68% on the MPV scale

Let's get it clear at the start; this is no Moonmadness or Snow Goose, not even near - but nor is it a bad album either. Breathless, Echoes, Summer Lightning and The Sleeper are great pieces of progressive music and Rainbow's End is a lovely end to the album. However, Down on the Farm, with its quirky, humorous lyrics, sung in typical Richard Sinclair style, would have fitted a Caravan album much better than a Camel one and the rest are not much better than fillers. There's still lots of brilliant guitar work, some fine keyboards and Mel Collins' sax work is reliable as ever. However, the strains over the band's musical direction that had been building up between Latimer and Bardens do show somewhat and led to the latter's decision to leave. (Just to put Hugues Chantraine right (yet again, I'm afraid), Richard Sinclair was sacked - he did not choose to "get out".) And the changes did result in an eventual return to top form with Nude a couple of years later, albeit with a very different line up. So to sum it up, a good album but not a great one.

Excellent album from Camel with good contribution of Richard Sinclair (ex Hatfield And The Noth, ex Caravan). Ok, there's an evident drift to a more "popish" sound, but there's not enough to say that Breathless (album and song) is not a good one! Self evident is the greatness of The Sleeper and ECHOES. The last one is for me one of the 10 best tracks from Camel (Rhyader, Supertwister, Lady Fantasy, Song Within A Song, Another Night, Spirit Of The Water, Air Born, Unevensong, Ice).

This is a good album, don't get me wrong, it is just far from Camel's best. Like other reviewers have noted, this album definitely has a hodgepodge of musical ieas. Richard Sinclair contributes that distinctive "Canterbury" voice of his, while writing and performing songs that make Camel sound like Caravan (e.g. Down on the Farm). Now, a track by track run-through:

The first track, "Breathless," is a very catchy, solid pop tune, but does not really sound like the old Camel. Mel Collins does a fine job with the winds on this track as well.

"Echoes" is probably the proggiest track on the entire album. It also is the track that most sounds like the old Camel. Great guitar work by Latimer on this one. This is definitely the best track.

"Wing and a Prayer" is another pop song that sounds very similar to "Breathless." It too is extremely catchy. Mel Collins again contributes some nice wind parts on this one as well.

"Down on the Farm" is a funny and enjoyable track that sounds like it could have come off of a Caravan album. Props to Sinclair's humor and songwriting abilities on this one.

The next track, "Starlight Ride," is pretty much a short, forgettable track that ends the first side of the album, although the Classical feel in it is interesting.

The second side of the album begins with "Summer Lightning," a Camel song that can be anced to. It has a shuffle/disco feel, which is interesting.

"You Make Me Smile" is again similar to "Breathless." It is a decent pop song, but is definitely not the best (also has a dance feel to it).

"The Sleeper" is another one of the proggier tracks. However, it is just not quite as good as "Echoes." Again, they attempt to sound like the old Camel.

"Rainbow's End" finishes off the album nicely. It is a calm track similar to "Starlight Ride," but better in my opinion.

Overall, this is a nice album to have, but is definitely not the place to start for those who are new to Camel. This album is too spotty to be highly recommened, but is an interesting listen nonetheless.

This issue was regarded as their partial decline, above all regarding of the last period according to the commercial exigencies of that time. "Echoes" probably was the unique exception along with a few pleasant episodes. The sound was almost in the vein of such "Disco-music" in some circumstances, while in other moments it could be considered as a different kind of a light fusion-genre, being anyway suitable for the common listener. This is not "prog" not the AOR music, but I should rather say an elegant pop- rock enriched with a few elements of light fusion.after all in the early eighties They produced a good album (always as AOR music) such as "Nude" (this latter enriched by means of some symphonic and "ethnic" features), before their long break which brought them to compose their excellent work "Dust & Dreams" and afterwards the other remarkable album entitled "Harbour of Tears". All these recent events confirm that "Breathless" alone, lacking of inspiration, represented the unique critical phase of their remarkable career; nevertheless the production was excellent and - moreover - the track "Echoes" became soon a classic song, also during their stunning performances live!!

For their collectors only, anyway!!

In appreciating a music, I have a general rule of thumb. If the first track is not compelling, the next tracks might not be compelling also. But usually I don't stop here and I give another chance to listen next tracks. But if it has consumed about half way of the overall duration and there is no such compelling track at all, forget it the album must be not a compelling one to enjoy. It happens with this sixth studio album of Camel. It truly disappointed me at first listen as it experienced major drop from their ground breaking "Moonmadness" album. I could sense the drop since "Rain Dances" album. Honestly, nothing wrong with composition and musicianship as both are still good. But I'm questioning these two things: where is the melody? Where is the harmony? There is no such thing demonstrated here. Camel who has been famous with their melody, has lost its power here with this album. Sorry to say, the first track is totally out of focus in terms of melody and harmony. It does not seem improving even until track 2, track 3 and track 4. What happened with the band?

Through track 5 "Starlight Ride" the band has put its effort to rejuvenate on melody department with a sort of melancholic style with sweet and nice opening augmented with guitar, flutes, and keyboard. But it sounds to me not elevating much on the spirit of good and melodic music. Track 5 is not really bad at all actually but it's not representing the full potential of the band creativity. Track 6 "Summer Lightening" (6:03) is another song with a very weak structure and melody. "You Make Me Smile" (4:13) is also weak in melody. With "The Sleeper" (7:02) Camel wants to present the music in different style, i.e with brass section and some jazz/rock fusion music. It's a good track even though it's not typical sound of Camel. But the song helps elevate the overall image of this album. "Rainbow's End" (3:00) closes the album with a "bit" melodic style.

Overall, this album is good for collectors or fans only. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Why is no one talking to me?

While Camel are often listed as a "Canterbury" act, this appears to stem primarily from their association with Caravan, and in particular the Sinclair cousins. Camel themselves were not originally from the Canterbury area, nor indeed did they spend a great deal of time there. Furthermore, they do not feature the unique keyboard sound which is often associated with that sub-genre.

The band have a happy knack of coming up with a really strong opener for their albums, and the title track here is no exception. It's a lilting, melodic piece, with some infectious instrumental hooks which are guaranteed to make you feel good. Unfortunately, the feel good factor was the one thing which was missing for the band themselves when they recorded "Breathless", with Peter Bardens being all but ostracised by the rest of the band. By this time, Mel Collins had formally joined the band, his sax contributions once again providing an extra dimension to the sound. Despite the bitter acrimony during the recording of the album, Bardens and Latimer worked together on many of the songs.

The track "Breathless" provides early evidence of the generally lighter feel to this album. Richard Sinclair may have had more influence than he did on "Rain dances", but it is his whimsical side which comes through, rather than anything resembling the early work of Caravan. Sinclair's vocals certainly help to make tracks such as "Breathless" more melodic though.

There are effectively three feature tracks here. "Echoes" (no relation to the Pink Floyd track) a melodic upbeat number, "Summer lightening" which has a superb long guitar solo by Andy Latimer, and "The sleeper", the intro to which was inspired by seagulls flying in Cornwall where Bardens and Latimer wrote together. On "The sleeper", Andy Latimer uses different guitar sounds to create both fusion and rock feels within the track.

There are several weaker tracks too. "Wing and a prayer" is dull, with a lifeless melody, and an overt pop influence. "You make me smile" takes the blandness a step further, being a nondescript love song, with cringe inducing lyrics.

The story behind the track "Down on the farm" illustrates the divisions in the band well. Peter Bardens had submitted a track for inclusion on the album, but such was the desire of the rest of the band to evict Bardens from the band that they rejected the song, on the pretext of allowing Richard Sinclair to include one of his. Bardens disliked Sinclair's song so much, that he does not play on it at all. To be fair to Bardens, Sinclair's dominance of the track, and its whimsical nature make it sound more like a discarded Caravan outtake than a Camel song. In retrospect, Bardens was right, the song should have been left off the album.

The final track, "Rainbow's end" was written by Latimer for Bardens, the soft reflective nature and delicate vocals conveying the end of an era nature of the album.

In all an uneven album, with some tracks which are well up there with the band's best, but with others which should have been left in the studio.

Even before recording of the album had been completed, Bardens had left Camel to work with Van Morrison, and to rekindle his solo career. For the tour to promote "Breathless", Bardens was replaced by two keyboard players, including Richard Sinclair's cousin Dave, who had guested (without being credited) on two tracks on the album. Both the Sinclairs would leave the band after the tour, which had taken its toll on all the band members.

2.2 Stars

What is it?: An average album from Camel. Here, the band seem to have pursued the pop, but realized that they didn't put enough quality songwriting to make it very enjoyable. While the first songs are solid, the second half of the disc is disappointing.

You can already feel it in the title track. Title tracks are usually supposed to be strong, and this one passes as merely above average. The instrumentation is nice and lovely in moments, but don't you think Camel can do better than this? Echoes manages to be the best track of the album because the band is at its best in terms of musicianship and dynamics. This track is a concert favourite and recalls their first 3 albums. It is also the only track that can safely be called prog. Wing and a Prayer is a catchy pop tune and slightly stronger than the title track. That's it: it all goes downhill from here:

Down on a farm is a light-hearted tune that does nothing for me.

Starlight Ride is a soft dreamy piece that is also uninteresting.

Summer Lighting: An uptempo song with a disco-like rhythm. Not bad, but somewhat overlong. I love the extended guitar solo.

You Make me Smile: uninteresting disco song that only has a decent solo preventing it from being total garbage. The melodies are very weak.

The Sleeper: Just when you think it will be a prog classic since it's long, it ends up being a jazz-fusion jam, something that Camel is not very good at. Stick with George Duke instead of this.

Rainbow's End: Not bad. This is a symphonic closer that reminds me of Genesis' Wind and Wuthering.

Highlights: Echoes Let-Downs: You Make me Smile, Down on a farm, Starlight Ride

My Grade : D+

Yes - this album sometimes crosses the border to Pop.

But nevertheless i like to hear it because of its great melodies. "Echoes", "Summer lightning" and "The sleeper" are the best songs for me.

Richard Sinclair is with the band - so this is not CAMEL at the beginning of the 70s. But this music is not simple or monotonous. And you have to listen several times to get in touch with.

2.8/5.0As others reviewers noted, this is a mixbag; lot of great stuff there... but also lot of crap! Some of the great songs: "The Sleeper" (one of the finest songs after Moonmadness album), "Echoes" with great "moonmadness style" rhythm, "Rainbow's End" which is really the end of it all for Bardens and Sinclair... But the rest of the album is not very good, with a pop sound and... really ordinary music.

I would give a lower rating to this album, but I just can't. Even if the music is sadly unimaginative on the majority of the tracks and highly boring, there are some times when there is that reminescent typical Camel sound which creates some highly emotional nostalgia in my brain, like meeting an old girl-friend and remembering the nice time we HAD. "HAD" is the key word here; everything is at past tense; there is no future for Camel with this album; sadly enough, the band that created the two best prog-music albums of all-time in my opinion (The Snow Goose and Moonmadness) is quietly fading in the end and the echoing sound of their decline is overwhelming and can't get compensation by two or three good songs on this album.

If it wasn't for "Echoes" and "The Sleeper", I would have to give between 1 and 2 stars. This is sad. But hey, who said it was fun to review a great band when it becomes an has-been band? 2.8/5.0

I might say this is a great album. I think this band doesn't has weak albums specialy in the '70. Maybe is not so good as Mirage or Snow goose, but i like most than the album from '75. Some really good moments are for me Echoes, Summer lightning and The sleeper. The entire album is a great one, and the drumer is very energic, the voice of Latimer is good as always, one of the the warmest voice i ever heard. So my rate is 4 stars. My favorite from them remains Mirage but this one is close.

Best way of entering into the vast world of pop-ish Camel. And I'm not entirely joking. This follows the way of Rain Dances, one to which terms of greatness and of music spectacle cannot be anymore attributes, and goes even lower. Not to an extent of awful conception, still nothing brilliant, even in deceiving or mellow terms, within it. It's a sad thing of course, but a clear fact and a reality check upon which Camel went serious. The album is not a lamento towards the ol' good times, but the main reflection is of nostalgia for those who loved the great form of Camel sheer insane excellence. If the masterful asset of their vision ended before this, here comes an end in keep up a good standard. For Breathless have nothing of resonance, nor of things to claim incredible feature. It's a casual walk through a rather desolated, lonely voice and through scapes that don't match with beauty or (too much) with quality or with the great feeling of music governing your spirit, in that moment of listening. Made in a rudimentary way, everything resumes presumably to expectation and points of construction that were low, unprolific, with impurities as well. Breathless is far from my favorite Camel expression, but certain features do make me give the least of credit I can. One feature would be the "optimistic" detail, if it can be ever be called that way, that the fall shall go on into a complete bruised next expression, plus it will stagnate upon the senseless 80s. So this is not the zenith of Camel and you can still match him in preferences using these criteria. One other feature would be the presence, though hidden and voiled, of a pulse that keeps the music onto a reasonable perception. Though I don't fully feel up for such a definition, you can conclude the experience's look with a classic reference or a vicinity with the classics one. But it's one highly fragile, if it is.

So it's not a "breathless" emotion, but neither a "breathless" coma. It's a breath stubborn in its form, ruthlessly making out of simplicity a strong way of life and of music. Judge yourself.

As I hardly like (in a :like like" way) the Camel easy flow, I resign myself in advance. By the depth of the meaning, epic-sized composition or profound significance in short ones in nowhere to be found. Breathless means a repertoire made out of slow dynamics, rapid-strike (by this mean quick and short) impression and a general flow that comforts only the undesirable. The pieces aren't bad, but they do miss a fluency that, developed, could have done quite some positive effects over character and expression, a constant movement and an open imaginative process (something that until now did find ways of manifestation) and a context whose message isn't quite clear or impressive. Not a redundant work, but neither one of the professional caliber. It's mainly an obvious compromise or a denied necessity.

Things are clear enough, still consens lacks in many ways. An authentic sound is pronounced in several places, so you won't hear Camel playing anything else than Camel, but it's a strange manifest, through no dexterity and through the missing touch that would balance things much more into a satisfying surround. Should be interesting through individual moments, for fragments or micro-shocks of musical interpretation exist here and there. But besides that it is a very open and direct touch with the knowledge of Breathless a knowledge that posses not too many things. It's done systematically (if such a word can even find comprehension with music!) and not artistically. That personally is a great defect. Generally it can go unappealing. The nucleus seems broken for good.

So a rather low spot in Camel music, wouldn't recommend this above too many others. An experiment with one's taste is a symbolic feature. One with which I myself have fought.and, concerning this album...have lost. For I ultimately remain the one who likes music to be great and to a have a more than acceptable pulse. Nothing like this is the Breathless speech. For the fans. For the reality check that will follow.

It seems that the mastermind of 'Caravan', Richard Sinclair was unable to bring a magic touch to camel but he was able to help the band create some good, above average music. "Breathless" and "Rain Dances" primarily see Camel taking a completely different course to their preceding albums. Their style of music changed from symphonic experimental music to a more popish type of music. Their new style of music in these albums till retains several classic Camel elements and the poppy side of the music isn't bad. Mel Collins also makes an appearance in the band at this point and he brings with him Saxophones (and Flutes) which were unique for Camel at that time, and still are I suppose. The two flutes in the band allow for two flute parts (really?) and fantastic interplay between Latimer and Collins on guitar and woodwinds respectively.

The quality of music on "Breathless" is reduced in the way of complexity and it lacks the original flow of the first four albums. One example is that the guitar and synthesizer solos seem to be mixed very quiet and they are almost fillers here, while on previous albums they stand out and can be easily heard. The synthesizers and guitar also take on a more conventional sound, the band probably intended on making these changes without knowing what the reaction would be, that in it's self is an experiment.

Some of "Breathless" is good, and some is damn right average, take "You Make Me Smile" for example, it just makes me angry, grrrr. On the other hand songs like "Echoes" and "The Sleeper" are at the other end of the spectrum. "Breathless" has a more laid back feel in the music and nobody strains themselves in any aspects of the album. All the vocals and instruments don't really have serious strain to them, if you know what I mean. This feel is refreshing in ways but it also rises the point that perhaps they weren't fully devoted to the making of "Breathless."

The song "Echoes" basically by its self pays for Breathless and it is the most similar to that of the band's opening period. The guitar and synthesizers stand out here and provides a good ride. "The sleeper" is another good listen; it is all instrumental and puts emphasis on woodwinds and guitar relationships. "Summer Lightning" is the best of the poppy songs and the last three minutes is an almost inaudible guitar solo, but it is a good inaudible solo. "Wing and a Prayer" is okay I guess, catchy, happy and it displays many other desirable features, I like it. "Down on the Farm" is, a rap I guess as everything is spoken. Written by Richard Sinclair and it has his genuine feel. "Breathless" has some nice woodwind melodies. Most of the rest is pop drivel, not very interesting.

1. Breathless (4/5) 2. Echoes (5/5) 3. Wing and Prayer (4/5) 4. Down on the Farm (4/5) 5. Starlight Ride (2/5) 6. Summer Lightening (4/5) 7. You Make me Smile (1/5) 8. The Sleeper (4/5) 9. Rainbow's End (2/5)

Total = 30 divided by 9 (number of songs) = 3.333 = 3 stars Good, but non-essential

"Breathless" has earn its three stars, the stand out songs luckily overshadow the ordinary ones. It is a good listen and I'd recommend it after the first four Camel albums to everyone interested. I have to admit I almost gave Breathless four stars. The End.

This album left me rather breathless when I heard for the first time. It is Camel's Abacab or Big Generator (if you see what I mean) IMO.

I purchased almost their entire catalogue based on their first four studio albums, and this one is not worth the money (it will not be the last one from Camel, unfortunately). The title track sounds really awful (or is it just candid ?) : it tries to be poppy, but fails. Unfortunately it is not the only one (listen to "Wing and a Prayer", "Down on the Farm" to be convinced).

"Starlight Ride" is a melancholic tune with no inspiration at all. "Summer Lightning" is a disco / pop tune to be forgotten as soon as you have heard it. Real bad, I tell you. I guess they tried to adapt themselves to the external world of the era but hell! they didn't pick up the good direction (if any was available for a band like Camel at that time).

"Echoes" is the best track here : a traditional good Camel song, maybe harder than usual. "The Sleeper" is not bad either, but is by no means a masterpiece. Fortunately those two songs are the longest ones : almost one third of the whole album. The closing number "Summer Lightning" is a track that reminds me sub-par ELO.

Only two average to good songs could not save this effort for being very poor. They should have released a single instead. One star.

'Breathless' hails from 1978, a year where many (not all, though) excellent progressive bands toned down on complexity in favour of a more accessible, song oriented style. Camel followed this path on this effort. Opening with an easy-listening track, 'Breathless', it sounds more like 'Adult Contemporary' music than prog - it's pleasant, but not really characteristic of what one has come to know and love from this great band's earlier compositions. 'Echoes' is possibly the masterpiece of this release, with stunning instrumental displays all around, particularly Richard Sinclair's superb bass playing, and Pete Bardens' mini-moog runs. 'Wing and a Prayer' is a rather forgettable pop-song. Next we have the Sinclair-penned 'Down on the Farm', a quirky little tune that has more in common with his previous band Caravan, than Camel - it never fails to bring a smile to my face. 'Starlight Ride' is a pretty little song, with great flute and sax from Mel Collins, and some lovely Rhodes e-piano.

Side 2 greets us with 'Summer Lightning', an up-tempo, almost danceable (eek!) tune with its 4/4 beats, but the excellent bass guitaring, atmospheric keyboard work and Andy Latimer's great lead-guitaring more than makes up for its lack. It is a track I find deserves more recognition. 'You Make Me Smile' is a *very* poppish tune, but features a nice mini- moog solo. 'The Sleeper' is a great 7 min. instrumental track, starting out in atmospheric fashion, giving way to some tricky rhythms and more stunning playing from Collins, Latimer and Bardens. I find the last song, 'Rainbow's End', to be a little dull, and along with 'Wing and a Prayer' culminate as the weakest moments on the album.

The second album with Collins/Sinclair on board keeps watering down the sound and is much weaker than its predecessor, "Rain Dances". It is amazing to hear how such a fine group of competent musicians feel restricted to open-up their minds and step into more adventurous exploration of music. "Breathless" sounds like a "lite version" of CARAVAN and in a few songs with Sinclair on lead vocal you could wonder is this really CAMEL? However, this is not a classic CARAVAN sound I am talking about - rather it is the late 1970s sound of mixing pop, AOR and new wave influences in a quite disasterous way. "Echoes" and "Sleeper" are probably the best moments, which bring some of the old CAMEL pleasure, especially in Latimer's fine guitar work and Bardens' keys. The rest of the album, although not entirely unlistenable, contains nothing worth of attention. Jazz-rock elements are more present, particularly towards the second half of the album, but it is unfortunately the style closer to awful Muzak than to any adveturous prog rock. This is only for CAMEL collectors.

Last album that still features founder member Peter Bardens on keyboards. Although it contains some fine songs, it is quite different from the sound Camel created and ultimately influenced so many people. Only Echoes does reflect their glorious past and it´s the CD´s best track. No wonder many fans remember this album solely by this tune. Unfortunatly it can´t really save the whole album. The title track is a good pop song, as are others here and there. Some are quite embarassing (`Down On The Farm`) . And Summer Lightning is too much a disco track: not bad, it has a good melody and guitar solo, but again does not sound like Camel at all.

Breathless is a mixed bag that is partially saved by the great muscicanship of all members involved. If you like pop music you´ll probably enjoy this album. For the prog fan I´d suggest to look somewhere else. 2,5 stars.

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The downward trend continues here. Camel really starts to bring the pop out out here, as evidenced by the rather weak title track which opens the album. The main riff of the song isn't bad at first, but by the end of the song you are left quite bored and almost angry at these guys for making you sit (or stand, or run in place, or whatever you do when you listen to music) through that. But then! They quickly redeem themselves with "Echoes," a track that harkens back to the band's former musical glory. I'll admit, this is a solid song, and it was worth letting the first song finish so I could get to it, but disappointment peaks it's head out from around the corner and then comes over to hang out for the rest of the album.

For being a predominantly poppy record, Breathless isn't awful, but pop songs were never the forte of the 70's symphonic bands. The pop songs here are far better than those on their next record, but other than that, there isn't anything positive to say about this album. In hindsight, "Echoes," while being the highlight of this album and "The Sleeper" also standing out as a decent instrumental, really don't have anything on the good tracks from Rain Dances. Oh well.

Nothing special is the best description for this album. Nothing real bad or poor either so a typical 3 star album is the conclusion for the first of a serie of lesser albums by Camel. I'll illustrate it with song by song ratings:

Breathless (4:17) 3,25*. Average song for Camel standard, no specific features, just nice.

Echoes (7:17) 3,5*. Pretty good instrumental effort in the beginning, but again no spectular stuff.

Wing and a prayer (4:41) 3*. This is not average, this is mediocre. Almost below par.

Down on the farm (4:19) 3*. Rock song, vocals in Caravan style with Richard Sinclair. No more than nice.

Starlight ride (3:19) 3*. This one is insignificant as well with some nice wind instr.

Summer Lightning (6:00) 3,75*. Finally a stunning track thanks to an excelling Andy.

You make me smile (4:14) 3*. Starts off surprisingly with some soul/disco like sounds in Raydio style. Well, at least it's original but how low can you sink ?

The Sleeper (7:02) 3,75*. The other highlight of this album. The boys prove here they can still do it. So why only with this 8th track ?? This is 70-s Camel really !

Rainbow's End (2:59) 3*. And then this senseless closer again. What can I say indeed ?!

Good album and that's all, so three stars (3,25).

First of all, let me get one thing straight: I like this album, and since I bought it I have listened to it more often than I have, for instance, to the likes of "Relayer". As a matter of fact, there are times when something like "Breathless" hits the spot, while a more complex album would just flow by unnoticed. Sometimes you just need music that, while undoubtedly well-played and eminently listenable, it is certainly not intellectually challenging.

Well, Camel can certainly play, and the added bonus of Richard Sinclair's vocals is not to be despised either. However, considering the collective talent of the musicians involved, this album cannot be called other than a disappointment. The poppy tendencies already displayed by "Highways of the Sun" on "Rain Dances" are here brought forward and developed in a way that makes Camel nearly undistinguishable from many chart-friendly bands of the late Seventies.

With the exception of the instrumental "The Sleeper", the album is mostly song-oriented. The songs in question, while not intrinsically bad, are not a patch on what Camel had been doing in the previous years. Sinclair's gorgeous vocals are given more space here than on "Rain Dances", but nothing reminds the listener of his awe-inspiring performances on the likes of "In the Land of Grey and Pink" or "The Rotters' Club". Even the funny, upbeat little ditty "Down on the Farm" (a song many hate, though I've always found it rather endearing), while undoubtedly catchy, is light years away from the humorous prog-pop masterpiece that was "Share It". And then, we have Camel's take on Seventies' disco music, "Summer Lightning", which is rescued by Sinclair's vocals and a great guitar solo at the end.

Richard Sinclair would be more or less booted out of the band after this album - his stint in Camel had unfortunately proved anything but a marriage made in heaven. Moreover, the tension between Latimer and Bardens, the two musical masterminds of the band, led to the latter's departure as well. It took a long time for Camel to bounce back, though they never again reached the heights of their early Seventies output. As for "Breathless", it is indeed a pleasant, undemanding listen for those days when King Crimson are really too much to take for our stressed brains - little more than a pop album with a bit of prog thrown in for good measure.

This is the best of the Richard Sinclair line-up, sort of like their _Wind & Wuthering_(as per Genesis). A perfect fusing of the best parts from Caravan and Camel. The instrumental The Sleeper is a real treat which is regularly featured on XM Radio's _Deep Tracks_. A mentioned in a few reviews I've read elsewhere, this album has a spring/summery feeling to it. _Down On The Farm_ has some creative sound effects and wonderful lyrics which appropriately describe the rural area lifestyle and local gatherings. I rate this as one of Camel's finest _vocal_ albums...and their last great stab at prog. in the '70s. Also, this is the last album with keyboardist Peter Bardens. _Summer Lightning_ is the best tune Steely Dan never wrote.

Camel's second album with the heavy Caravan influence, thanks to both the times and personnel, "Breathless" leans more to the quirky pop side of that act, and dispenses with most of the jazzy qualities of its predecessor. In summation, yet another piece of the Camel saga that involves significant change, albeit within the context of producing quality in a generally progressive format.

The first side is, in its own way, as strong as anything Camel has done. The title track is a pleasant prog pop componsition with more of an acoustic feel than most of Camel's repertoire. The most old style Camel track is "Echoes", with a brilliant 4+ minute introduction of recurring themese and stellar synthesizers and guitars, one of Latimer and Bardens best and last synergistic tunes. "Wing and a Prayer" is an inventive Caravan style slice of whimsy, and even more so is "Down on the Farm", both howing Camel at its most undeniably English sounding. This is probably not to the taste of a lot of people on the list but is nonetheless captivating and clever pop music with more than enough ingenuity to outclass 90% of what comes out of that genre. "Dtarlight Ride" is the type of ballad we got used to on Moonmadness - mellow, cosmic, with a gently unfolding melody.

Side 2 is somewhat polarizing, containing a mixture of decidedly disco beats and some of Latimer's best lead work, sometimes in the same song, such as in "Summer Lightning" and the somewhat superior and decidedly jazzy "The Sleeper". "You Make me Smile" is more slick pop oriented than anything on side 1. "Rainbow's End" provides the goodnight kiss in the form of another thoughtful mellow ballad.

With the benefit of retrospect, Camel maintained a high quality throughout their career, occasional missteps notwithstanding, and this album constitutes another breathtaking change of pace on the group's fascinating journey.

The worst of all Camel albums. Similar in style to the previous record Raindances, but with much less memorable songs. Make no mistake, this is well played music by great musicians. But this time it is missing the most important ingredient of all - good songs.

Also, I think that Richard Sinclair never was good for Camel. On this album Sinclair's influence became too large, and some songs sound like Caravan, even more so than on the previous album.

Still, a fair album that might appeal more to Caravan fans than to Camel fans.

Breathless is the sixth studio album from symphonic prog rockers Camel. The album was released in 1978. Breathless shares the same lineup as the previous album Rain Dances from 1977 which means that in addition to founding members Peter Bardens ( organ, synthesizer, piano, keyboards, mellophonium, vocals), Andy Latimer (flute, guitar, vocals ) and Andy Ward ( percussion, drums) Camel consisted of Richard Synclair ( Caravan, Hatfield & The North) on bass and vocals and Mel Collins ( King Crimson) on Sax. Rain Dances was one of those albums that I remembered was not to my liking. After listening to it again before making my review here on Prog Archives I ended up loving the album though and I was curious if the same thing would happen with Breathless which I had an equal distaste for when I heard it the first time in the mid nineties. Lets say that things have changed for the better between me and Breathless but that I don´t think it´s as good as Rain Dances.

One thing I noticed listening to my CD version of Breathless is that the songs have changed places compared to my original LP version. I haven´t heard my LP in years so I won´t comment on if it´s a good or a bad thing. Generally I think that you should leave the original albums as they were, but there is probably an explanation.

The music on Rain Dances had moved towards a more commercial sound and with Breathless Camel takes this development in their music one step further without totally sacrificing their prog rock sound. There are some pretty good songs here in Breathless, Echoes, Starlight Ride, The Sleeper and the funny Canterburian ( Well partially) Down on the Farm. Whenever Richard Sinclair sings the lead vocals I can´t help being reminded of Caravan and Breathless, Down on the Farm and Summer Lightning could almost have been Caravan from circa Cunning Stunts to Better by Far. Camel´s music has more exciting instrumental parts though.

All is not well on Breathless though and I could have done without the commercial Wing and Prayer and the disco beat in Summer lightning. You Make me Smile sounds like one of the boring pop songs from Caravan´s Better By Far and doesn´t really help my impression either.

The musicianship is as tight and excellent as ever. Richard Sinclair is really a great addition to Camel with his warm voice and clever basslines.

The production is good allthough not as good as the one on Rain Dances.

Breathless is a step down from Rain Dances IMO. The songwriting isn´t as inspired as on that one but there are still some truly excellent moments on Breathless that convinces me that this is a small 3 star album and not a big 2 star album. This would be the last album with Peter Bardens and Richard Sinclair and that´s a real shame IMO. This is probably the strongest lineup Camel would ever have. Too bad Breathless didn´t turn out better.

If Rain Dances had found Camel refurbishing their musical direction and absolutely capable of creating yet another prog masterpiece for their catalogue, the follow-up effort "Breathless" turned out to be a partial disappointment. The band's sound somewhat deviates from the increased Canterbury orientations that had been developed in "Rain Dances" (and used in the live versions of old material with support wind player Mel Collins, as it is shown in A Live Record) and fully returns to the intensely melodic drive that had signalled the band's earlier symphonic prog albums. Richard Sinclair didn't prove to be the determining influential force that he could/should have been, while the tandem Bardens-Latimer was falling apart at the seams before the eyes of everyone else in the band. Even before the album's actual completion, Bardens had announced his decision to part ways with the reast of the band. There was tension in the meantime in a high degree: proof of that is the fact that Bardens refused to play in the Sinclair-penned track 'Down on the Farm' (actually, it is a very entertaining song, very much related to the simplistic humorous side of Caravan, but actually not as inspired as what he wrote in the 'Waterloo Lilly' song, for instance). On the other hand, the beautiful closing ballad 'Rainbow's End' was written by Latimer as a kind farewell to his longtime partner and fellow musician. Of course, the creator of that special background that characterized vintage Camel sound deserved no less than a beautiful song as a parting homage. But before getting to this moving closure, there are other brilliant songs in this album. 'Echoes' is not only the album's highlight but one of the most brilliant Camel compositions ever. The dynamics and refined arrangements that solidify the links between motifs and tempo shifts cry out the echoing rumours of the "Mirage"-era, while Ward's drumming continues to provide that kind of swing that he eagerly explored in the "Moon Madness" and "Rain Dances" albums. More tracks like this, recapitulating the current and pre-Sinclair eras in a tight fashion, were what this album needed to be truly excellent. More focused on the jazzy leanings are the powerful instrumental 'The Sleeper' (still reminding us of Moon Madness in some specific moments) and the effectively appealing 'Wing and a Prayer' (this is the kind of Canterbury-friendly songs that Sinclair should have come up with in order to make his contributions really interesting). Also, the romantic eponymous semi-ballad and the pastoral-related ballad 'Starlight Ride' are eficient in their respective musical ambitions: sonic colorfulness delivered with melodic sensibility and a clear sense of elegance. I'm not so sure about what Camel intended to accomplish with 'Summer Lightning' and 'You Make Me Smile'. The former has an excellent guitar lead and magical multiple synth layers, the latter bears effective synth solos - granted. But all in all, these are indefinite pieces that apparently intended to create a ridiculous marriage of disco/pop and art-rock, ultimately failing. General balance: a very irregular album with two great tracks, a few good songs and some inane numbers that sabotage the repertoire as a whole. "Breathless" is essential to understand the evolving vision of Camel at a certain point of the band's history, not an essential album in itself.

"Breathless" continues where "Rain Dances" left off,although this is even lighter and more difficult for me to digest.Same lineup as well, but there would be major changes after this was released.I must admit that giving this even 3 stars didn't seem possible after my first couple of listens,this is just too close to that soft seventies rock sound,but fortunately after many listens i started to appreciate the instrumental work a little more. "Breathless" has a pleasant and light melody with vocals.Collins comes in before 2 minutes and later. "Echoes" is far and away the best track.The drumming,guitar work and bass play are all outstanding.A calm with flute 2 minutes in.It kicks back in more aggressively than before after 3 minutes.Vocals after 4 minutes. "Wing And A Prayer" features light keys and vocals.When the vocals stop the sax comes in at 2 1/2 minutes.Flute comes in late. "Down On The Farm" is very much a CARAVAN-like track written by Sinclair of course.As Tom Ozric says this one always makes me smile.Great lyrics with Richards understated vocals. "Starlight Ride" is another mellow song with keys,vocals and flute standing out. "Summer Lightning" sounds really good for the first 30 seconds then it turns too soft for my tastes.The long guitar solo to end it helps though. "You Make Me Smile" is too commercial, although i don't mind the chorus. "The Sleeper" is an instrumental.I like the atmosphere to open.It kicks in with an uptempo melody after 1 1/2 minutes.Collins comes in after 3 minutes. "Rainbow's End" is again mellow with vocals. Very difficult to give this even 3 stars,but hey there's enough here to say it's pretty good.Barely.

Folk-oriented album by Camel! The most folky sounding album for Camel up to that date. The vocals and flute works made by Andy Latimer contribute to that. Really much better than the previous one - Rain Dances. The synchronism returns to the band. The musicianship is perfect and there're not anything boring and needless on Breathless. The album is softer than Moonmadness, but it's more folky and jazzy than it. That means it's different, but not weaker than Moonmadness. Of course, it's weaker than the first three albums, but they are samples of classic progressive rock. I want to say, that Breathless is above 3.5 stars album, but under 4 stars surely. Something like Moonmadness - around 3.75 for me! Interesting is, that the album produce a couple of jewels like the previous one - Rain Dances. Here the best track is The Sleeper: true masterpiece. The other very original song is Down on the Farm. Very interesting and very innovative and different. It's made by Richard Synclair - the newcomer (this is his second album for Camel). The other lond song - Echoes is another fresh-sounding song. The worst songs are Summer Lightening and You Make Me Smile. But that only shows how constant is the quality of the album. Most of the songs are 3.5, while on Rain Dances most of the songs are 3 stars with some boring elements. That's why Rain Dances is the weakest album to that date for me!

A Odd Breath of Pop, Jazz, Prog and Canterbury..

Rain Dances was a great mix bag of Fusion, some old Proggy roots, and a bit of Pop, with Breathless Camel decided to leave almost for completely their classic melancholic, symphonic, caracteristics, while exploring more Richard's specialised territory: Canterbury. While obviously Canterbury is really not a 'sound', it's a movement *thinks*, Camel sounds a bit too much to Caravan in some tunes, unfortunately, which makes them sound un-inspired, rather than using Canterbury influences to create something unique.

However the jazz influences, can't be possibily gone having Mel Collins on board, while his presence is less frequent and less virtuosic, his appearances add that special touch, he always gives, like in the poppy song Wing and Prayer, even if the song itself is quite average in composition and musicianship, Mel's sax always gives it a honorable presence/touch. As well as in the opener, the title track, which again it's a quite poppy song, features some delightful, subtle sax, making the song a bit more bareable.

Now to the obvious Canterbury-esque tunes. One of these is Down on the Farm with a very AOR-band-like riff intro, while the rest of the song has nothing to do with that, it oddly moves to Richard's soft, lovely voice, unfortunately he delivers too much Caravan-cliches, which makes it impossible to think you're listening to Camel. Also, not that the song is really good, it's just decent, with some constant flute going on. Summer Lightning also features Richard's voice, however the Canterbury-esque is reduced, with almost Disco-rythm in moments, though it isn't that harmfull, believe me. Again, I barely see Camel here, however it's quite good, compared to Down on the Farm.

Up to now it seems Breathless is a un-inspiring record, however Echoes and The Sleeper are here to save the day. Echoes, while a bit overrated IMO, features 7 complete minutes of Andy's great guitar, which was being really missed already from the previous album, with some good moog here and there, as well as a good rythm section. While The Sleeper, is a bit out of place, could have fit perfectly in Rain Dances, and directly improving it's rating, the song is a even more jazzy version of Lunar Sea from Moonmadness, now with saxophone to complete the jazzy feel, definitely the best song from the album, however like I said earlier, a bit out of place pittily.

Breathless ends up being a sloppy mix of Canterbury-cliches, with some decent pop tunes, and 2 great, though a bit out of place, songs. Definitely weaker than Rain Dances, however it's not worse than what other Prog bands were doing at the moment. I would have really liked that the Fusion influences would have developed a bit more than what they did in Rain Dances, unfortunately, the time this album was released, that wasn't convenient to do.....

2 stars, a weak record for Camel in inspiration and composition skills, however still enjoyable.