DUST AND DREAMS

The contract with Decca was over. Andy Latimer knocked some major or less-known label doors which all of them deemed Camel as used-up and they had nothing to offer anymore. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise since Andy Latimer and Suzan Hoover decided to go DIY, they founded Camel Productions and they did a come-back which I don't know how many fans would have faith in. But it seems having shaken off the shackles of a label (consider a hit- single) was the catalyst for Andy Latimer to follow his heart. The first album that emerged from this setup was Dust and Dreams which was based on the widely known book The Grapes of Wrath. It was in the making since 1985 but it saw the light of day six years later. Musically, there is a return to Camel's core sound, but it isn't a case of reheating old stuff, actually some elements of their 80s body of work are present (Stationary Traveller mostly). The music flows continuously, only between Milk n' Honey and End of the Line there is an actual pause. That was a wise thing to do since there are eight songs that range from 0:35 to 2:34 minutes and it would make no sense at all if they were separated. Most of the shorter tracks are on the ambient side which means they are mostly keyboard-driven, in other words although half the album is entirely instrumental, the guitar of Andy Latimer remains silent quite often. I do love the album, but this the reason why I don't rate it higher since I miss the fully-fledged instrumental songs of Camel (where they are unbeatable) as Hopeless Anger is. Then again, Andy aimed to write music to serve the concept and went for wider instrumentations including the harmonica, oboe, French horns and also Mae McKenna on vocals (who would be recruited once again on the follow-up album) and some melodies on these instruments are meant to conjure up scenes from the book. It is of no use to mention some songs as highlights since the album, in my opinion, should be regarded as one single piece of work. And, personally, every time I hit the play button, it goes by in flash and I feel totally elevated.

Occasionally, I have given it some thought if I should regard it as an excellent addition to any prog music collection or as good but not essential. My mind can't reach any conclusion, so I left this task to my heart.

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