THE SINGLE FACTOR

A much maligned album, but as I listen to it now, I find myself enjoying it a lot. It's been said before, but the involvement of Chris Rainbow and David Paton means this sounds a lot like the Alan Parsons Project, so if that brand of pop prog bugs you, stay away. There are a couple of schmalzty pseudo-rockers worth skipping here (You Are the One, Manic), but also some lush, gorgeous ballads (Heroes, A Heart's Desire) and several lovely instrumentals (with help from Pete Bardens, Anthony Phillips and Francis Monkman) like Sasquatch, Selva and End Peace. The latter two pieces feature some of Latimer's prettiest playing on record. Certainly anyone interested in collecting Camel's discography should not pass this up if they should come across it at the right price. It's far from the best album Latimer's made, but considering the high quality of his output, that's no shame. I found the used LP for $5.00 CDN, and having heard it, I may pick up the CD as well.