MIRAGE

I think the album cover is so cool. Funny that Camel cigarettes were actually given out free at their concerts, all because of this album cover. Anyway i'm one of the few I guess who prefers the debut record to this one, although it's so close I keep changing my mind.

"Freefall" is my least favourite track on the album.To my ears it's a pretty straight forward song. The positive is the guitar that seems to relentlessly play throughout. "Supertwister" is more like it. This is a Bardens composition and one of my favs. I should mention that Peter Bardens was involved in composing every track except the third one (Latimer). I love it when CAMEL slows it down and plays that melancholic brand of music. It's almost haunting. This one is led by the beautiful flute playing of Latimer. A gem. And yes it ends with someone opening a beer and then pouring it. "Nimrodel / The Procession / The White Rider" was inspired by Lord Of The Rings. It opens sadly with synths before the marching style drums come in with flute for "The Procession" section. The best part is "The White Rider" that opens with mellotron and guitar 2 minutes in. Vocals follow. A change 4 minutes in as the tempo picks up as synths and drums lead the way. Guitar comes in at 5 1/2 minutes followed by vocals as it settles back down. It gets kind of spacey after 7 minutes as guitar starts to soar as drums pound away. Nice. Great ending.

"Earthrise" opens with the wind blowing as organ comes in with gentle guitar. An uptempo section led by drums and synths takes over. Guitar takes the lead 3 1/2 minutes in before synths take over again. Excellent instrumental. "Lady Fantasy" is my favourite track on here. Love the drum intro with the synths and guitar. Impressive. It settles down a minute in and vocals follow. The organ is such a highlight beginning 1 1/2 minutes in. It always reminds me of THE DOORS. This continues until the tempo picks up 4 minutes in with the guitar leading the way. It settles down after 5 minutes. It calms down even more 7 minutes in. Vocals are back after 8 minutes. It kicks back in a minute later with prominant guitar then organ. It again calms down with tasteful guitar to end it.

Amazing album from CAMEL, without a doubt one of their top three.