CAMEL

This is a "beat the bootlegs" release, rushed out when Camel became aware that a bootleg sampling much of this material was being honed for release. It consists of the God of Light track that Camel contributed to the Greasy Truckers - Live At Dingwalls Dance Hall compilation and a clutch of material from early BBC sessions.

As a compilation it is a little redundant now - if you're a big enough Camel fanatic to want to trawl this sort of archival matetial, you're probably better off saving your pennies for the Air Born collection, which includes all of this material (and more complete versions of the various BBC sessions represented), and if the Air Born box is too much Camel for you, then there's not much here that feels outright essential. Still, if you just want a quick overview of what they sounded like live in their early years, you could do a lot worse than this.

After their first four seminal albums, Camel underwent a change in their previously stable quartet line-up when Doug Ferguson stepped aside due to musical differences with his peers. Both the incorporation of Richard Sinclair (ex-Caravan) on bass and vocals, replacing Ferguson, and Mel Collins (ex-King Crimson) on sax, nourished Camel's sound with more jazz-oriented textures and nuances, conserving progressive details, although it is true that on a smaller scale. The result of this rearranged scenario is "Rain Dances", the band's fifth album.

From the spacey "First Light", where Latimer's crystalline guitars, the sea of effects from Peter Bardens' keyboards (especially the moog) and Collins' elegant saxophone support the track, relaxed melodies run through the album, such as the introspective "Tell Me", with Sinclair contributing his voice in watery mode to create a warmly cloudy atmosphere, or the beautiful fragility of "Elke", well wrapped by Latimer's flute, Brian Eno's keyboards (invited for the occasion), and Fionna Hibbert's harp (also invited), or the agile "Highways of the Sun", a piece of simple auditory digestion.

But Camel's also marked orientation towards jazz demanded instrumental pieces, such as the persistent and carefree "One of These Days I'll Get an Early Night" and "Skylines", where Latimer's prolonged guitar solos, Bardens' keyboards and Collins' saxophone merge and compete for the limelight, sustained by Andy Ward's remarkable fluency on percussion. Finally, "Rain Dances", an orchestrated, pared-down recapitulation reminiscent of the opening "First Light", brings the album to a circular close.

While "Rain Dances" is a more than acceptable album, it did not reach the heights of recognition of its predecessors, partly because of how difficult it was for Camel to sustain the high standard of their previous productions, and partly because of the shift in their musical approach towards more accessible paths.

3/3.5 stars

After the excellent "The Snow Goose", which allowed Camel to finally have a greater appreciation and general recognition, the British band maintains a superlative level with "Moonmadness", their fourth album. Without being a conceptual work like that of the famous goose, the album maintains a coherence and sense of unity despite the fact that not all the tracks have a common storyline, relying on sung passages to reinforce the instrumental developments.

With atmospheres generally vaporous and detached from the ground, from the lunar and marching "Aristillus", where Peter Bardens is the protagonist with his cosmic sounds courtesy of the synthesizers, "Moonmadness" opts for sculpting relaxed landscapes and transcendent connections, like the sensorial "Song Within a Song", the hypnotic "Spirit of the Water" and the aquatic voices of Bardens, or the restful "Air Born" and Latimer's flute sweetening its lysergic becoming.

And just as at the beginning of the album, "Moonmadness" concludes amidst spacey sonorities with the mysterious "Lunar Sea", drawn from Bardens' keyboards and Latimer's lively guitars in jazz mode, both musicians determined to move away from earthly limits, correctly backed by Doug Ferguson's persistent bass and Andy Ward's incisive drums.

Most valuable of the 2002 and 2009 remastered editions is the 1976 London concert, with very good sound, where the band demonstrates all their instrumental mastery and, on the other hand, that the vocal part was not their strongest point.

After "Moonmadness", disagreements over the musical direction the band should take led to Ferguson's departure, thus culminating Camel's most recognisable and glorious period.

4/4,5 stars

After the excellent "Mirage", Camel embarked on the creation of a conceptual work using "The Snow Goose", the literary text by American writer Paul Gallico set in the English town of Essex during the years of WWII, as a source of inspiration. Initially intended to accompany the music with a narrative taken from the book to give it greater support, Gallico's refusal to use it as a reference led the band to opt for a completely instrumental album. However, this setback did not prevent the duo Andy Latimer and Peter Bardens, the band's main composers, develop a clear timeline and a very successful portrayal of the personalities and different moods of the protagonists based on the circumstances they have to face. And therein lies a fundamental part of the charm of "The Snow Goose".

As the music unfolds, "Rhayader", the hermit and deformed bird keeper secluded in the town's coastal lighthouse, makes his appearance in the piece that bears his name, guided by Bartens' keyboards and minimoog and Latimer's delicate flute, also a protagonist with the bluesy guitar and sharp solo in the excellent "Rhayader Goes to Town". Rhayader is not alone, the luminous acoustic guitar arpeggios of "Fritha" introduce the young girl who, despite Rayhader's appearance, is not afraid to bring him an injured snow goose to heal. The beautiful relationship built by the characters is shattered by the departure of the recovered goose, and Bartens' sorrowful organ reflects the lighthouse keeper's desolation in the grief-stricken and plaintive "Rhayader Alone". Drama and tragedy climax when Rhayader dies helping to rescue Allied soldiers off the French coast of Dunkirk. "Preparation", "Dunkirk" and "Epitaph" admirably depict the sad situation with an eerie choir of angels of death, ghostly and disturbing keyboards from Bardens and Andy Ward's unleashed drumming. However, the story has a positive and hopeful twist, the goose returns to the British coast and Fritha recognises Rhayader in the bird, flying free on the beautiful and understatedly festive "La Princesse Perdue".

Given the ambition of the project, the band invited the London Symphony Orchestra, which, while not particularly prominent, contributes to the dramatic atmospheres.

From the remastered 2002 edition, the extended live version of the song "The Snow Goose" is worth mentioning; and from the 2009 edition, the interesting live recording for BBC Radio of part of the album.

"The Snow Goose" is not only an excellent album and an obligatory reference of the genre, but it also consolidates Camel as one of its most representative exponents.

4/4.5 stars

Despite the meagre commercial results of their eponymous debut album, Camel's proposal already showed more than interesting musical structures and an enormous potential to be exploited. "Mirage", their second album, is the reflection of a consolidated band that is much more focused on the construction of instrumental atmospheres in which the music transmits sensations by itself, without the need to verbalise too much and relying on the rock/jazz fusion as a fundamental pillar.

It is in this context where elements are incorporated that envelop and nourish the pieces, such as the spatial beginning of "Freefall", the delicate flutes of Andy Latimer in the restful "Supertwister", or the tireless drums of Andy Ward in the jazzy and agitated "Earthrise". But above all, in the two pieces that stand out clearly, the Tolkenian suite "Nimrodel / The Procession / The White Rider" and its psychedelic textures and medieval rolls, and the extensive "Lady Fantasy", full of contrasting moods, between reflective and euphoric, where Latimer's guitars unfold without complexes and with enviable ease, in symbiosis with Peter Bardens' arsenal of keyboards, and which, after the first half of the song, leads to one of the memorable moments of the album and surely one of the most outstanding in the discography of the British band. A gem.

The live pieces from the concert at the Marquee Club in London in 1974 added to the 2002 remastered edition of the album are not very different from the originals, except for a small extension in "Arubaluba", so their contribution in general is marginal.

Beyond the curious and anecdotal skirmishes over the use of the slightly retouched logo of the famous cigarette brand on its cover, which forced the band to change it for the North American market, "Mirage" is a serious album that exudes maturity and flashes of brilliance, and by which Camel climbed several rungs on the ladder to the top of progressive rock in its most symphonic vein.

Excellent

4/4.5 stars

At the height of the progressive rock effervescence, Camel released their first album of the same name in 1973, and thus began their musical adventure as one of the bands that, although they did not reach the levels of popularity of Yes, Genesis or similar legends, managed with their particular style, which combines elements of blues, jazz and rock, to make a place for themselves and be considered a cult band and a reference of the genre.

The musical proposal of "Camel", in spite of having a somewhat raw and still to be polished sound, surprises with an uncommon solidity for a debut album, being guided by the intensity of Andy Latimer's electric guitars and the constant counterpoint with Peter Bardens' dynamic keyboards, as in the opening "Slow Yourself Down", or the lively "Separation", as well as by the construction of powerful instrumental walls in complicity with Doug Ferguson's bass and Andy Ward's jazzy drums, in the intricate and sublime "Arubaluba".

On the other hand, Camel also show their skills with the more laid-back tracks, such as the Pinkfloydian "Mystic Queen", with a development and chorus that could well be part of the marathon "Echoes", or the crystalline opening arpeggios of Latimer's acoustic guitar on the anxious "Never Let Go", one of the album's best.

The remastered 2002 edition includes an interesting extended live version of "Homage to the God of Light", a track from Bardens' solo album "The Answer".

At the time "Camel" was not very well received and went unnoticed, and the band was even forced to change record labels, but the passing of time has positioned it in a place more in keeping with its value.

Very good

3.5/4 stars

If A Live Record was the major live release documenting Camel's 1970s symphonic prog prime, Pressure Points offers a 1984 show from deep into their 1980s phase, in which they dialled back their symphonic aspect, got a little more poppy, and put out albums like Stationary Traveller.

Indeed, if you get the expanded version of this (and I recommend that - it flows better and if you like this at all, you'll want as complete a version of the setlist as possible) you find that the track list includes a large majority of the songs from Stationary Traveller, with proceedings rounded out with a generous helping of Nude, a diversion into I Can See Your House From Here, and a brief dip into The Single Factor (the instrumental Sasquatch perhaps being the most salvagable piece from that particular misstep). It's only right towards the end that we get anything from Camel's original golden age, with two cuts from The Snow Goose and Lady Fantasy playing us out.

Is this a good or a bad thing? Well, it depends on how you feel about Camel in that phase they went into after Breathless and before Dust and Dreams. If you're the sort of purist who thinks they lost it at some point in the 1970s and can't stand Stationary Traveller, you can pretty much forget about this. For my part, though, I think that phase of the band has plenty of charm, even though it's far from my favourite, and this live set puts Camel's pop-prog phase in about as palatable a package as it ever received.

Tracks which came off as slightly chilly on Stationary Traveller get a little extra warmth here, and at its best the album sort of finds Camel staking a claim to being elder forerunners of neo-prog; the sonic lineage from Camel to early Marillion can be clearly discerned. On the whole, it's rather pleasant and lovely but not mind-blowingly groundbreaking, and so an accurate reflection of this era of the band.

This album started a new era for Camel and more specifically, Andy Latimer. He was the only member of the classic lineup remaining. The Camel sound was no longer what it was. As I have pointed out before when you remove half the signature sound a band is known for fit really is no longer the same band. Peter Bardens had his own style and methodology he brought to his playing and writing and he and Andy Latimer worked well together for a long time until Latimer wanted to try to push the band to be more commercial seeking out the hit single the record company desired. Peter Barden said that Andy felt that Bardens was "holding him back" and they started having issues with the writing of the album Breathless which resulted in a bit of a shock since so much of it is poppy. But the sound is still Camel as Peter's keys were still very audibly visible.

Every album after Breathless has sounded less and less like Camel so it is hard to review these albums (for me) when it is too easy to grade them based on a sound that cannot be duplicated easily. The back-and-forth interplay between guitars and keys is not at all there and that was one of the biggest joys of Camel's music.

Dust and Dreams was the first album with a reformed Camel who relocated to the US into California. It is their first and only double album to date. Andy started his own company Camel Productions with his wife Susan Hoover who ended up contributing a great deal to his songwriting and thus the sound. But there are parts of this double album that have some of the classic Camel sound to it. I appreciate that in some ways Andy tried to keep that classic sound but also pushed for a more modern sound. The keyboard sounds are so much different and are up to date for the time on tracks such as Milk and Honey which is a dark song, Storm Clouds has some good combination or keys and guitar, Cotton Camp is a good song with great guitar licks. Broken Banks sounds like classic Camel and is a nice reminder of old. Hopeless Anger is one of the best tracks in strength of guitar work.

This concept album is filled with good music and I think it really is the last of the best work of the band. Interestingly, every studio album after The Single Factor is a concept one. The albums after this all seem to try and go somewhere but never really get there.

This IS Camel! I just cannot get enough of this album and each time I hear it, the album still sounds fresh. I was brought up listening to Camel and my first taste was Mirage which is a fantastic album. The Big 3: Mirage, Snow Goose & Moonmadness are the band's best and most incredible music pieces ever made. Sadly this would be the last one before there was a disturbance in the Force and Andy Ward, wanting to be more jazzy, insisted Doug Ferguson (bass) had to go. Doug was the quiet one, the peace maker, the one who handled most of the business for the group. Bardens and Latimer would later say it was a big mistake. I think it was a massive tragedy to break this band up just as they put out what could be the absolute pinnacle of their work.

Latimer and Bardens retired to a retreat place and wrote this album. It consists of mostly instrumental passages. They decide that rather than cave into the record company's desire for hit singles they wrote 4 of the songs each one as a picture of each member of the group: "Air Born" for Andrew Latimer, "Chord Change" for Peter Bardens, "Another Night" for Doug Ferguson, and "Lunar Sea" for Andy Ward. It is ingenious and knowing the personalities of each member, the songs really do represent them well. By this time the band were very comfortable and confident in their playing and it is obvious here. Each track is filled with a great deal of rich textures and interplay. It is a thinking person's album. Slapping on a pair of good headphones and closing your eyes sends your mind on a journey.

My favorites are all of the songs but the ones that really display their best are Song Within a Song, Another Night and Lunar Sea. The latter is explosive and really stands out as one of the best tracks Camel ever did. As usual the solo pairing with guitar and keys is great. Camel just is not Camel without Peter Bardens in my opinion. His playing and sound are as Camel as Latimer's guitar playing. I rarely give a 5 for anything but this album is great start to finish and I can see nothing to complain about. The only thing that would make it better would be to have them remix this album into the new 5.1 stereo format that Steven Wilson has done for several prog bands.

I'll just say it: Camel has not been Camel since Peter Bardens left the group. He was the second half of the songwriting and solos. His keyboards are as much a Camel sound as Andy Latimer's guitars and flute are. In his and Bardens words the beginning of the end of the core four (Latimer, Bardens, Ward & Ferguson) was at the end of the Moonmadness tour when Andy Ward started complaining that Ferguson's bass work was not jazz driven enough and he wanted to move in that direction. So he essentially informed Latimer & Bardens that it was either him or Doug. After cutting Doug out and bringing in Richard (Caravan) Sinclair and putting out the more jazz influenced Rain Dances, the music began to suffer. That album is good but not as good as the previous ones.

Sinclair didn't meld personality wise that well and ended up gone after the Breathless tour. Andy Latimer started seeing "hit single" in his mind wanting to shift the band more in the direction of being more commercially viable and that conflicted with Bardens and his desire to keep the progressive bent alive. Breathless was the result and aside from a few tracks it was a sharp departure from the past but still?? the sound was Camel again due to Peter's keys. Once he was forced out after that album was released Andy got his wish and put out I Can See Your House From Here (ICSYHFH). He later admitted it was a mistake to be something you are not. That was a poor album save a few songs but it started the new Camel sound.

At that point no matter who was behind the keyboards which is some cases were 2 people, the sound was never the same because the albums became mostly guitar dominated. Andy is a great guitar player but his strengths are more in the area of emotion and slower passages. When Nude was released after ICSYHFH, it was a concept album with mostly instrumentals which was seen as "a return to form" but it wasn't. The keyboards were lacking and the songs seemed not as complex.

I say all of this to point out there are really 2 Camels: The Classic cut and the Latimer cut. They are 2 different animals. While the Latimer cut can do classic stuff really well in a live setting with the keys the songwriting is only coming from one of the original 2. Peter had a strong hand in the songwriting department. When Camel went on break and Andy moved to California and started his own label, Dust & Dreams was the result and it along with this album, Harbour Of Tears & A Nod And A Wink are all Andy albums. So one really cannot grade these albums using the classic years as a judge.

I do like some of the songs on this album and it seems more relaxed than Dust & Dreams but it never really does much for me. I wish that Andy would work with the keyboard players and have that back and forth rapport that he had with Bardens. Camel always was a heavy keyboard band and what made the classic lineup so good was that chemistry the 2 songwriters had with each other. So while this album has some moments, it really just isn't all that Camel to me.