A NOD AND A WINK

I decided to contribute a review on this album because I've been going through Camel's back catalogue lately, really listening to albums I probably haven't given front and center in over 20 years. I've enjoyed them all (with a few exceptions) but it's hard to make an objective conclusion without the tinge of nostalgia coloring things. A NOD AND A WINK, being their last (hopefully not final) offering comes to these ears a bit fresher; that can work against a band as long lived as this. But after hearing their body of work again I still stand by my initial reaction that this is Latimer's masterpiece. He managed to do what almost no one else from the initial wave of prog bands have; write something that is firmly in the style of their glory days without the pointless "updating" and yet not feel like they're repeating themselves. Sure, ANAAW uses digital keyboards (although there's something in there that is a damned good imitation of a mellotron, if not the real thing) but the overall impression is organic and pastoral. Camel's strengths here are some amazing guitar work, tasty flute (sometimes invoking Ian Anderson) and most of all strong melodic lines that run through every track. It reminds me of solid Trick of the Tail era Genesis in that the final composition is what counts, not pointless grandstanding.

"For Today" may well be my favorite Camel track of all time . . . . it's a mature and very moving tribute to 9/11.

Side note - although I enjoy "Fox Hill" doesn't it cover almost the exact same territory lyric-wise as Steeleye Span's "The Fox" from the TEMPTED AND TRIED album? Those brits and their foxes . . . . ;-)