Camel: Album Ratings

How many stars would you assign to each of Camel's albums listed below?

 

These are my album ratings:-

 

Camel (1973)

Mirage (1974)

 The Snow Goose (1975)

Moonmadness (1976) -

Rain Dances (1977)

A Live Record (1978) 

Breathless (1978)

I Can See Your House from Here (1979) 

Nude (1981)

The Single Factor (1982)

Stationary Traveller (1984)

Pressure Points - Live in Concert (1984)

Dust and Dreams (1991)

Harbour of Tears (1996)

Rajaz (1999)

A Nod and a Wink (2002)

The Snow Goose Re-Recorded (2013)

 

Camel is my second favorite band ever and has my favorite song ever, Song Within a Song. So needless to say they're very special to me.

Camel - 4 Stars

A very solid debut with no bad songs. Never Let Go, Separation and Arubaluba are great in particular. Fun fact, drummer Andy Ward was only 18 when this album was released. 

Mirage - 5 Stars

It's really a prog essential. Nimrodel is one of Camels finest songs and Freefall is one hell of an opener. I'm actually not as crazy about lady fantasy as most people are but its undoubtedly a great prog classic.

The Snow Goose - 5 Stars

As far as instrumental prog goes, this album has something for everyone and it was the album that made me fall in love with the band. The album is just gleaming with positivity and theres no dull moments imo

Moonmadness - 5 Stars

Words cant describe how much this album means to me. It's my second favorite of all time and it's the first time music has brought tears to my eyes. They combine the best of the past 3 albums into what I consider their masterpiece. How I wish this lineup survived for one more album. Moonmadness is the clear cut winner to me, however.... another comes close in my eyes....

Rain Dances - 2 Stars

A big drop off, First Light and Metrognome start things off very promising but the albums dips after that. It comes back briefly in unevensong with that ending jam of pure bliss, but I feel everything else is filler.

Breathless - 3 Stars

A album that is definitely full of life and positivity. It contains the absolute powerhouse song that is Echoes. There seems to be a bit of a stylistic identity crisis at times with a couple disco influenced songs. But everything here is a lot of fun. It's 3 stars, but its in the upper range of that rating.

I Can See Your House From Here - 3 Stars

Certainly not a bad album, however, remote romance is a big stinker. Songs like Wait, Ice and Hymm to Her showcase the best qualities of Camel. Who We Are and Neon Magic are strange for Camel, but are fun tracks. The album is far from perfect, but it has a charm.

Nude - 4  Stars

A beautiful delicate album and a return to what makes Camel great. Songs like Drafted, Nudes Return and Pomp and Circumstance have those incredible melodies. While Songs like Beached have that intensity that I look for in the band. A great, underrated album.

The Single Factor - No Rating

Stationary Traveller - 2 Stars

I know this album has a lot of fans but as of writing this, I'm not one of them. I have to listen to it more but on my 2-3 listens it just sounded like a different band. Though Stationary Traveler and Long Goodbyes have some memorable guitar moments, it isn't enough to draw me back to the album.

Dust and Dreams - 3 Stars

The production is the weakest link of this album. Generally when I listen to this its the live version off never let go which has a certain magic to it. The main problem is theres a lot of short filler atmospheric tracks that don't add much. But within this, theres lots of great guitar moments that can keep me interested.

Harbour of Tears - 2 Stars

This is another one I haven't been able to get into. Once again the production hurts it a lot but other than Coming of Age, none of the songs do much for me.

Rajaz - 5 Stars

This is the one, the second best Camel album. The production is finally nailed down and Andy Latimer holds nothing back. Right out the gate this is a one of a kind album. Heavy middle eastern vibes with unbelievable guitar solos on songs like Lawrence and Straight to My Heart. You also have these marching deserty songs such as the title track and The final encore (which is badass). One of my all time favorites.

A Nod and a Wink - 4 Stars

A lovely album which also happens to be my profile picture. I think the drums are a little underdeveloped at times but there isn't a weak track here. Returning are the wonderful melodies and this time around we get plenty of whimsical songs. The thing I really love here is how heartfelt and genuine it sounds. There's themes of loss and time passing throughout that can get pretty emotional.

That's all we got so far! 

 You can get it for 10 pounds at Amazon UK.

- Mirage, The Snow Goose and Moonmadness would get 5 stars (I'm dead certain about Mirage);

Mirage - 5 stars

The Snow Goose - 5 stars

Moonmadness - 4 stars

Rain Dances - 3 stars

Breathless - 3 stars

They're the closest so far to my album ratings, although I think only 2/5 for The Single Factor is a bit harsh.

I could make my listened once I refresh my memory. I usually listen to 70s Camel when I am in the mood for them, obviously.