RAIN DANCES

Although Camel wasn't exactly a Canterbury band, their symphonic prog style was recurrently related to the sound created by the most melodic bands of this genre (mostly Caravan), and now, with the entry of newcomer bassist Richard Sinclair, the Camel thing really got as Canterbury as it could get, despite the preservation of the band's original symphonic essence, which is, after all, the core of its 'inner self'. The entry of semi-permanent collaborator Mel Collins also helped to develop this recycling process. Ward's ever-increasing jazz interests had become quite obvious and relevant in the "Moon Madness" album - albeit some hints could also be found in the first 2 albums -, and now, with the support of Latimer and Bardens plus the shift from Ferguson to Sinclair on the bassist's role the thing became official and effective. That's what we get from the opening track 'First Light', which shows off the band's enthusiasm for the brand new step that they were taking in their career: Sinclair and Ward speak the same idiom with absolute fluidity, while Bardens and Latimer deliver their melodic sensibilities with total ease - Collins' sax solo near the end is a proper icing of this delicious jazzy prog cake. The same goes for 'Metrognome', another excellent symptom of this universe, although not as excellent as 'Skylines', which includes some of the best guitar and synthesizer solos in the album. Richard Sinclair didn't play on this one, but what he did on it for the "Live Record" rendition is really superb. but that's a matter for another review. 'One of These Days I'll Get an Early Night' takes the jazz thing further, quite beyond the land of Canterbury right into the land of funk-oriented American West Coast jazz: even though Camel stands in foreign territory here, they do a great job while having fun at soloing over a simplistic basic motif. 'Tell Me' is an introspective ballad that shows Bardens and Latimer's to create simple beautiful melodies and enrich them with effective ornaments on synth and woodwind - the way that Collins' bass clarinet complements Latimer's flute lines is simply mesmerizing. By the way, does anybody know that this ballad is not a love song but a suggestion for all punk rockers to start saying something really meaningful through music instead of cursing at random and for no reason? Go figure. 'Highways of the Sun' and 'Unevensong' (the latter being one of my fave tracks from this album, together with 'First Light' and 'Skylines') are the closest to what Camel had been doing and developing in their previous albums, although the new winds are still very present in them, especially regarding Ward's drumming. 'Elke' is kind of a Latimer solo venture: supported by Brian Eno on synth and bells, plus a female harpist, he builds an ethereal landscape of flute/keyboards/fuzz guitars that stands in unison with Eno's minimalistic approach. This piece serves as an effective interlude between the easy-going fun of 'On of These Days.' and the splendid architecture of 'Skylines'. The namesake closure is a reprise of the opening track, fusing the meditative vibe of 'Tell Me' and the cosmic nuances of 'Elke': a nice ending for a monster album. IMHO, "Rain Dances" is yet another Camel masterpiece, and so, in ProgArchives terms, I give it the maximum rating.