I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE

And then we were two...Not as bad as I thought at the time I first heard it in the 80´s, but still the band was going down. Slowly, yet they were going down the drain. Without founding member Peter Bardens Camel became almost the backing musicians for guitarrist and vocalist Andrew Latimer (drummer Andy Ward´s drinking problems would soon take him out of the band too). And the pop elements that were already showing on Breathless are enhanced here.

Not that is a disaster. There are good moments (if you ´re looking for pop music, of course). I can enjoy songs like Wait and Who We Are because I do like pop music. But even then there are some really embarassing numbers like Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine and, specially, the hideous new wavish Remote Romance. The new two keyboards configuration suggest a more progressive approach that unfortunatly reveals to be quite deceiving. Good musicians as they are Kit Watkins (Happy The Man) and Jan Schelhaas (Caravan) can´t do much about the songwriting direction of this album.

Of course there is the great instrumental track Ice, an inspired and enthralling tune that would fit greatly on any Camel´s first four albums with honors. This is the only moment that really makes us believe that this is the same Andrew Latimer that we once knew as one prog´s most influential guitarrists. Unfortunatly .it is too little to save this album.

If PA was a pop site I guess I Can See Your House From Here would deserve a 3 or maybe 3,5 stars rating. But, remember, this a PROG site! And one great song can only grant two stars. Definitly not one for starters on this great band.