MIRAGE

This was one of the first rare (if you can call it that way) prog albums I have heard when entering to this site. At that time I was amazed with Camel's music and they still get some listening time.Often known as a second league band , Camel still manages to produce a signature sound. They music must be one of the jazziest symphonic bands you may listen. They also have in Andy Latimer one of the best axemen in business. This record , having heard all their output with the exception of A Nod and A wink is their most agressive , for camel's standards. Do not expect a full blown Ys or Brain Salad Surgery , since Mirage combines both gentle parts and some abrupt changes.

As for the record itself. There are not weak tunes on Mirage( the only thing I can consider to be weak is Latimer's singing but that's not exclusive to this release) . However not even the much revered Lady Fantasy seems to be a mindblowing song to my ears. The main problem with Camel and this record in particular is that if you have heard lots of symphonic and jazz rock bands before , Mirage won't change your life for sure. There are lots of memorable melodies here and it's a very enjoyable album but nothing close to being unique.

My rating: 3.75 stars