SPEED OF LIGHT

"Westward Ho!" is just a newage instrumental with very few or nothing of Camel. Not bad if considered as a chillout newage song, but it's not what one should expect from one of the two composers of the Camel's golden age.

"This Could Be Paradise" Is a kind of follow-up to Seen One Earth. Same kind of sounds, similar chords as "The Stargate" and a mood quite close to Breathless. It's listenable, but unnecessary as the previous song.

"Black Elk" could have been a better song with a real drummer instead of the electronic drums. Also the fairlight sound was starting to be outdated in 1988. I can imagine the chorus with Latimer's classical guitar replacing the fairlight, Andy Ward replacing a drone and Latimer's voice. It could have been a great song. With this arrangement it's just a quite poor late 80s electronic chillout.

"Aftertought" even if extremely melodic is a piano instrumental which reminds to better times. It can be considered another newage thing, but it's the first good moment of the album.

"Gold" is another electronic newage song but with a bit of guitar inside. It sounds like an attempt to be the commercial one, but it wasn't a hit single. Again it's not totally bad, but it sounds like another revisitation of "The Stargate".

"Speed Of Light", the title track, is one of the best songs of the album. Nothing exceptional also this time, but it's a good song not as cold as the previous ones, and very reminding of late 70s Camel. If the title track let's us hope in something good, "Whisper In The Wind" destroys all the hopes. Was he trying to sound like Blondie or Wang Chung? My suggestion is: skip this track.

"Heartland" is just another newage instrumental based on a trivial sequence of chords and a quite good piano.

"Columbine" closes the album. It's not a bad song even if there's not much prog inside. A sort of Alan Parson's love song. It looks like the one on which Bardens has put more effort in the songwriting. I have to admit that I personally like this song but honestly I can't recommend it to others.

There was no need for a "Gold" reprise in the last minute of the album.

If you consider it a newage album it's not totally bad, but if you are looking for Camel please forget it.

A collector's item which can't be of any interest for non-camel or non-bardens fans. Even if I like it for some strange reasons, I'm sorry but it's between 1 and 2 stars

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