CAMEL

Review Nº 895

"Camel 73-75 Gods Of Light" is the eighth live album of Camel and despite being recorded between 1973 and 1975 it was only released in 2000. We can see some similarities between this album and their third live album "Camel On The Road 1972". Despite "Camel On The Road 1972" being recorded in 1972 and released in 1992 and "Camel 73-75 Gods Of Light" being recorded between 1973 and 1975, both live albums are bootlegs and three of the live versions are based on the same original songs of the band. However, they're different versions taken from different performances of the band.

While "Camel On The Road 1972" has only four tracks, "Camel 73-75 Gods Of Light" can be divided into three parts because it has three sorts of live performances. The first part is an illegal bootleg titled "Famous Rock Dreams". It was produced in Italy and was directly ripped off two vinyl record albums. The first album was titled "Greasy Truckers, Live At Dingwalls Dance Hall", but the title of the second vinyl recording remains a mystery. The second part is a recording taken directly from BBC Broadcast, in 1974. The third and last part was taken from BBC Radio One In Concert, in 1975.

As on "Camel On The Road 1972", the line up is the same and corresponds to the best and most important on the band's life and which is in general considered the golden era of Camel's long career. So, the line up is Andrew Latimer (vocals and guitar), Peter Bardens (vocals and keyboards), Doug Ferguson (vocals and bass) and Andy Ward (drums).

"Camel 73-75 Gods Of Light" has five tracks. The first track "God Of Light Revisited" was originally written by Peter Bardens and was never released on any studio album of the band, despite being regularly performed in many of their live shows, during the first musical period of Camel. This song was originally released on the debut studio album of Peter Bardens, "The Answer". The song is very experimental and aggressive and that was probably the main reason why it was never performed on any studio album of the band. The second track "White Rider" was written by Andrew Latimer and was originally released on their second studio album "Mirage". The third track "Lady Fantasy" was written by Camel and was also released on "Mirage". The fourth track "Arrubaluba" was also written by Bardens and was originally released on their eponymous debut studio album "Camel". The fifth track "Excerpts From The Snow Goose", as the name indicates, are excerpts taken from the original suite on their third studio album "The Snow Goose".

Unlike "Camel On The Road 1972" which is a very short live album, a kind of a live EP, "Camel 73-75 Gods Of Light" is an album with the normal length of time, with about 70 minutes long. The three tracks that are part of the illegal bootleg, "God Of Light Revisited", "White Rider" and "Lady Fantasy" are new versions of the same songs that appeared on "Camel On The Road 1972". "Lady Fantasy" and "White Rider" are two fantastic songs which have contributed to "Mirage" being one of the best studio albums of the band, but in particular on this live album they're better performed live than on "Camel On The Road 1972". "God Of Light Revisited" is an instrumental song more psychedelic and experimental that goes very well when performed live. However, if I consider the live versions of "Lady Fantasy" and "White Rider" better, the live version of "God Of Light Revisited" is even much better. This live version is absolutely brilliant, the best version I know of this song. "Arubaluba" is the song which replaced "Six Ate" on this live album. This was a better choice because this is a much better song and its live performance is absolutely wild and fantastic. Finally we have the highest point of this album, the performance of the live excerpts of "The Snow Goose". This live performance is completely unique, fantastic, brilliant and unforgettable. This is a shorter version of the original suite, more energetic. Completely without an orchestra, this version rocks a lot more than the original and gives the concept work a special, harder note. So, we can say this is an entirely new version with the same quality level of other versions.

Conclusion: From the seemingly endless Camel archives, Latimer repeatedly brings to us some very interesting live recordings to the light of the day. As a continuation of the series of the official Camel's bootlegs, this one fortunately differs from the majority of the usual bootlegs in terms of sound quality. The early recordings from this phase of Camel show a much rougher, more untamed, but also a very playful side of the band. So, it isn't really strange that "Camel 73- 75 Gods Of Light" be a fantastic live album of Camel and an absolutely indispensable live document of the band. What amazes me most is why it took so long to see the light of the day. The sound quality of the album is amazing for a bootleg album of 1973 and so my congratulations to this re-mastered edition. This is truly a live masterpiece of Camel and one of the best live albums released in the 70's, for my taste. Despite what happens with Camel, like happens with King Crimson, where most of the bootlegs legalized are intended more for the hardest fans of the band, given the quality offered, it's an album that can be recommended without hesitation to fans of the melodic rock of the early 70's.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Inspired by the success of their previous concept pieces, Camel approached their third studio album in a way that is very much in line with some of the greats of the progressive rock genre. 'The Snow Goose' is a majestic instrumental symphonic prog set that sees the Andrew Latimer-led band present a lavish collection of atmospheric and moody pieces that make up a suite inspired by the Paul Gallico's novella of the same name (originally published in 1940). Fantastic musical passages inspired by classical music and fusion seem to be interwoven into the fabric of this elegant and melodic concept album, with Camel refining their sound and offering their most expansive and cohesive work yet, with the music on the album ranging from sweeping symphonic rock, to medieval-esque folk interludes, acoustic preludes, and some gorgeous, blues-inspired passages of atmospheric instrumental rock.

And while 'The Snow Goose' definitely carries some cinematic qualities, the mere fact that this concept album was realized as an instrumental piece renders it even more special - this is an intriguing attempt and a risky one, too, but Camel deliver a good dozen of beautiful motives that re-appear across the album, occasionally moody and mellow, and rarely more uplifting and fast-paced, the record mostly remains as still as an ocean. Yet the haunting beauty of the pieces and the tremendous guitar work elevate the listener's experience, as Camel allow their work to be infiltrated by a plethora of progressive tropes and quirks. Peter Bardens also shines here as his keyboard offerings are as rich and vivid as ever, making this one of the more recognizable prog albums of the mid-70s, with the soaring interplay between him and Latimer. And of course, 'The Snow Goose' gives us classics like 'Rhayader Goes to Town' and the preceding prelude, the fantastic title track with the main theme of the album, the epic 'Dunkirk' and the symphonic majesty of 'La Princesse Perdue', just a very strong work and a really ingenious one as well.

Camel followed up their eponymous debut album with the brilliant 'Mirage', released in March of 1974 by the classic lineup of Andrew Latimer, Peter Bardens, Andy Ward, and Doug Ferguson. This second studio album seems to be following closely in the footsteps of the band's melodic and moody first album from one side, but from another it also introduces an array of new and exciting sounds, this time with an even greater influence from the Canterbury scene, especially Caravan and their jazz-tinted explorations. Composed of just five tracks, two of which are multi-part suites, 'Mirage' is naturally one of the more accessible and successful Camel albums, with its strong melodies and chiseled arrangements, through which the listener could appreciate the majestic interplay between the guitar work and the organs; just wonderful musicianship from a band that tends to focus more on melody, structure and mood, rather than technicality and flamboyancy, which might also be the reason why this recording lacks some of the bombastic and cathartic qualities associated with the progressive rock genre.

The entire album flows evenly and is a rather enjoyable listen, starting off with the up-tempo rocking opener 'Freefall', one of the more straightforward Camel songs, definitely carrying great commercial potential. Yet the musicianship and the prudent playing on this track are never compromised. This one is followed by the first instrumental on the album called 'Supertwister', a song that sees Andy Latimer's enchanting flute playing, a nice addition to the sound palette of the album and a really mellow piece. The three-part suite 'The White Rider', closing off side one, might as well be the most exciting number on here, the instrumental work on this track is relentless and the gorgeous melodies seem to be in-tune with the aim of the song, simply an excellent work of prog. 'Earthrise' is the second instrumental off the album, a more ambitious and more complex arrangement here, that showcases the more experimental side of Camel's music. Finally, there is the iconic epic 'Lady Fantasy', seen by many as one of the hymns of 70s prog rock. A worthy piece of music, this three-part song carries some excellent and memorable sections as well as some of the most relentless Andrew Latimer playing yet. The entire 'Mirage' album is a very eclectic Camel release and an excellent one, too, but it also seems to be a bit one-dimensional and safe, always moody and never overly flamboyant - its strengths lie in the excellent songwriting and tremendous instrumental work, and despite the lack of experimentation, 'Mirage' remains not only a Camel essential but also a 70s prog gem.

Breathless us the sixth studio album released by Camel. This album was released in 1978 and is considered by a lot of people to be less progressive than some of their previous albums (Moonmadness, Mirage, etc.) but it still is a solid album in my opinion. Andrew Latimer is a fantastic guitarist and composer, and you can hear his brilliance all over the album.

I also really enjoyed all the songs that Richard Sinclair sang on and his bass work on some of the tracks especially "Echoes" and "The Sleeper" are beautiful. "Breathless" the title track is great. I really like the mellowness of the whole album. "Echoes" by far is my favorite song on the album and a great prog song. "Wing and a Prayer" is a solid pop sounding song. "Down on the Farm" is a fun whimsical track as well and I also really enjoyed the last song on the album "Rainbows End". The lyrics invoke a sense of sadness but like a happy sadness. The synthesizer on this track is what I love the most. It's warm and I love the overall tone and vibe of this song. It makes you feel like you are floating on a cloud and with no worries or stress.

Overall, I enjoyed the album. If you want a nice mix of some mellow songs with some complex prog elements you will enjoy the album. Even the more pop sounding songs are fun to listen to. Camel is a great band, and I think everything they do is great. They are passionate musicians who know how to write great songs no matter the style or complexity. I would give this album 3/5 stars. If you are a fan of Camel, I think you should listen to and own this album. If you are just getting into Camel or not really a fan, I would say this album is not essential to listen to or to own.

The contract with Decca was over. Andy Latimer knocked some major or less-known label doors which all of them deemed Camel as used-up and they had nothing to offer anymore. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise since Andy Latimer and Suzan Hoover decided to go DIY, they founded Camel Productions and they did a come-back which I don't know how many fans would have faith in. But it seems having shaken off the shackles of a label (consider a hit- single) was the catalyst for Andy Latimer to follow his heart. The first album that emerged from this setup was Dust and Dreams which was based on the widely known book The Grapes of Wrath. It was in the making since 1985 but it saw the light of day six years later. Musically, there is a return to Camel's core sound, but it isn't a case of reheating old stuff, actually some elements of their 80s body of work are present (Stationary Traveller mostly). The music flows continuously, only between Milk n' Honey and End of the Line there is an actual pause. That was a wise thing to do since there are eight songs that range from 0:35 to 2:34 minutes and it would make no sense at all if they were separated. Most of the shorter tracks are on the ambient side which means they are mostly keyboard-driven, in other words although half the album is entirely instrumental, the guitar of Andy Latimer remains silent quite often. I do love the album, but this the reason why I don't rate it higher since I miss the fully-fledged instrumental songs of Camel (where they are unbeatable) as Hopeless Anger is. Then again, Andy aimed to write music to serve the concept and went for wider instrumentations including the harmonica, oboe, French horns and also Mae McKenna on vocals (who would be recruited once again on the follow-up album) and some melodies on these instruments are meant to conjure up scenes from the book. It is of no use to mention some songs as highlights since the album, in my opinion, should be regarded as one single piece of work. And, personally, every time I hit the play button, it goes by in flash and I feel totally elevated.

Occasionally, I have given it some thought if I should regard it as an excellent addition to any prog music collection or as good but not essential. My mind can't reach any conclusion, so I left this task to my heart.

One of the most impressive Prog concept albums of all times, Camel's 3rd album remains a beacon shading its light up to this very day upon the desolated shores of today's music. Brilliantly composed, orchestrated and performed, this subtle music symbolizes everything that was the great musical eruption, which happened in the early 1970s. Completely disregarding any commercial influences, the band and mainly the two members, who composed this magnificent music, keyboardist Peter Bardens and guitarist Andy Latimer showed that music has no boundaries and ambition and talent are rewarded in the long run. Bassist Doug Ferguson and drummer Andy Ward support the two soloists with taste and passion and the entire piece immediately achieved the status of a timeless classic. As with all works of substance, in retrospect the music still sounds uplifting and inspiring 34 years later with no trace of getting outdated. This new edition adds bonus material and a whole second CD with live recordings done for the BBC, an endless source of historic material. Simply outstanding and an essential piece of music history.5.0

The re-recording absolutely butchered "Rhayader Goes To Town". The highlight of the song, its deeply memorable chorus (about 1 minute 14 seconds in), was completely neutered in this version. It's one thing for a remix to be indistinguishable from or add little to the original, and another for it to actually make it worse. It's just so lifeless by comparison.

That's basically the extent of my review. Of course if the original Snow Goose never existed and this were the original, then it would be a fine album taken as a whole. But I think it's fair game to judge a re-recording in more relative than absolute terms. I'm taking the rating scale very literally here: 2/5, for collectors and fans only. I listened to it once and will never go back.

With Stationary Traveller Camel seem to dig even deeper in the 1980s. The keyboards truly dominate the music and the guitars are pushed back more than any other Camel release and most of the time its role is restricted in delivering rhythmic parts. This isn't clear from the instrumental intro Pressure Points, but the subsequent three tunes make it plain. This fact doesn't mean that the songs lack quality - quite the contrary. The title-track is the second instrumental piece of the album and this time Andy Latimer takes the lead, both in the guitar parts and the wind-instrument section (Pan pipes - no flute!). Its quality is such that it wouldn't fall short in any other Camel album, even the huge ones. Side B I would say is a bit closer to the sound the band has forged from I Can See Your House From Here onwards. West Berlin is pretty much like the stuff so far, but in the end it features Andy's signature technique with the volume knob. The fretless bass of David Paton and the saxophon of Mel Collins steal the show in Fingertips and it's one the absolute highlights of the album. Missing and After Words are two intrumental pieces (the former a fully-fledged one, the latter a two-minute one that reeks with emotion). The album comes to its end with Long Goodbyes, the only song where we can hear Andy's flute. David Paton picks up his fretless bass again and Andy's Gibson emanates a truly poignant solo. This is the way that Camel chose to deliver the story about refugees who chose to cross the then Berlin Wall. Although it is far from calling it a classic Camel album, I truly love it all these years and I spin it quite regularly. To my ears it has aged pretty well and judging by other fans reaction, it is held in high esteem by a large portion of them. It's an album that its collective quality surpasses the tracks' individual one.

Review Nº 870

"Never Let Go" is the fourth live album of Camel and was released in 1993. It was recorded from a live performance of the band in Enschede, Holland, in 1992, and as with "Camel On The Road 1972", "Camel On The Road 1981", "Camel On The Road 1982" and "Camel 73 ? 75 Gods Of Light", "Never Let Go" is also a live bootleg, a common thing with Camel.

"Never Let Go" is a double live album with twenty eight tracks. It was released to support the live tour of "Dust And Dreams". When "Never Let Go" was released, Camel had eleven studio albums, "Camel" released in 1973, "Mirage" released in 1974, "The Snow Goose" released in 1975, "Moonmadness" released in 1976, "Rain Dances" released in 1977, "Breathless" released in 1978, "I Can See Your House From Here" released in 1979, "Nude" released in 1981, "The Single Factor" released in 1982, "Stationary Traveller" released in 1984 and "Dust And Dreams" released in 1991.

So, as we can see, at the time of "Never Let Go", Camel had already a very extensive and amazing career. But, as many of we know, Camel had some problems with their lines up in the 70's. Camel only had a stabilized line up on their four first studio albums. Of their original line up, Camel saw the departure of Doug Ferguson in 1977 after "Moonmadness", the departure of Peter Bardens in 1978 before the supporting tour of "Breathless" and the departure of Andy Ward after "Nude". Besides that, Camel had also some legal problems. For a few years Andrew Latimer was fighting with lawyers to get some due royalties and to resolve the problems with their former manager. After the end of the contract with Decca, Camel was able to create their own record label, and after seven long years they released "Dust And Dreams".

"Never Let Go" has twenty-eight tracks. From all studio albums of Camel, at the time, almost all are represented here. The only exception is "Stationary Traveller" without any of its tracks represented on "Never Let Go". Thus, from "Camel" we have only one track "Never Let Go". From "Mirage" we have two tracks "Earthrise" and "Lady Fantasy", which is divided into three parts "Encounter", "Smiles For You" and "Lady Fantasy". From "The Snow Goose" we have two tracks "Rhayader" and "Rhayader Goes To Town". From "Moonmadness" we have only one track "Spirit Of The Water". From "Rain Dances" we have only one track "Unevensong". From "Breathless" we have only one track "Echoes". From "I Can See Your House From Here" we have only one track "Ice". From "Nude" we have two tracks "City Life" and "Drafted". From "The Single Factor" we have only one track "Sasquatch". From "Dust And Dreams" we have sixteen tracks "Dust Bowl", "Go West", "Dusted Out", "Mother Road", "Needless", "Rose Of Sharon", "Milk 'N' Honey", "End Of The Line", "Storm Clouds", "Cotton Camp", "Broken Banks", "Sheet Rain", "Whispers", "Little Rivers And Little Rose", "Hopeless Hanger" and "Whispers In The Rain". So, "Dust And Dreams" was entirely performed live.

The line up on "Never Let Go" is composed by Andrew Latimer (vocals, guitars, flutes and keyboards), Mickey Simmonds (keyboards), Collin Bass (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards) and Paul Burgess (drums). Camel gave a very extensive live show, a kind of a nostalgic time trip, a voyage for almost all Camel's studio works, starting from some of their best and oldest musical material in the 70's and ending with what was, at time, their last studio creation. The pieces are largely kept on the originals, but overall appear stronger than on the studio versions. So, it contains some of their best jewels from their various studio albums. We may say that "Never Let Go" is divided into two distinct musical parts. The first disc contains some of their best studio material from some of their best studio albums, and begins with a song from their debut studio album, and goes forth following a perfect chronological order with songs from their first to their eighth studio album. The second disc contains the complete live performance from their eleventh studio album "Dust And Dreams". No major changes have been made to the studio version, but the game is played with more pressure. "Never Let Go" ends with the encore of two songs from other two studio albums, which represents a kind of two bonus live songs of the show, the instrumental "Sasquatch" and the classic "Lady Fantasy".

Conclusion: Another Camel's bootleg live album. What can I say? I can say that we are in presence of another live masterpiece from Andy Latimer and his friends. And once more and despite we are in presence of a live bootleg album, the quality of its sound is once more very good. I even dare to say that it's completely irreproachable. Fortunately, their weakest albums "Breathless", "I Can See Your House From Here" and "The Single Factor" are each represented with some of their very best songs, "Echoes", "Ice" and "Sasquatch". So, "Never Let Go" is a fantastic live album of Camel, and is an excellent place to start your journey through Camel's world, if you aren't used with Camel's music, especially if you want to explore some stuff that desn't belong to the so-called golden era, that comprises their first four studio albums. Overall, "Never Let Go" is one of the best of Camel's numerous live albums due to the great selection of songs.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Doug Ferguson gone, Peter Bardens now gone, maybe it made sense that the original title of the album was Endangered Species - fans and critics alike were not too confident about the future of the band. But Andy Latimer had other plans in mind. Colin Bass took over the bass and he would remain in the band until the very end. In the place of Peter Bardens it took two keybordists to fill the gap, Kit Watkins ( Happy the Man) and Jan Schelhaas (National Head Band, Caravan). Special mention should be made of Phil Collins who played percussion. All well and good, but what about the music itself? Well, personally I like it a lot, though it has its ups and downs (and also a pinnacle). The opener Wait is fast-paced and full of energy and it showcases the abilities of the two newly arrived keyboard players which is the song's highlight. On Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine Collin Bass takes over the vocals for the first time and he's doing more than fine. It's an upbeat tune, pretty much in the vein of the opener and it was released as a single (with Neon Magic as the B side). Mel Collins on the saxophone makes an appearance on this track, too. From now on there is a significant leap in terms of quality. The four subsequent tracks with their tremendous melodies is a good reason why this album is a favourite of mine. I'd like to make a special mention of Hymn to Her which kicks off with a stunning melody, then goes on like a soulful ballad and suddenly the song takes such a prog twist that is hard to believe that it gelled so naturally. Every time I listen to it, though I know the song note-for-note, I can't believe my ears. No one else but Camel can do that. After this formidable quartet, the album takes a slight dip with the aforementioned Neon Magic (there is a superb instrumental section halfway the song) and a sharp one with Remote Romance (amazingly, it was this song that was included in the collection Chameleon - The Best of Camel, the album that got me into their music and all I can think is why this one!). But the best was saved for the last and not only for this album but it is a highlight in Camel's output and one the best songs in music in general. I'm talking about Ice and we should thank our lucky stars that Andy Latimer was freezing cold in the Netherlands some time when he was on tour and inspiration was still around when it was studio time when the solo was recorded in a single take. There isn't much to say: if you don't like this one, then probably you will never get into Camel - and maybe prog music.

I have a really hard time to decide if three or four represent better the quality of this album (3,5 would be more accurate), but the bottom line is to listen to Ice. Don't miss out on this tremedous song.