Biography
Camel certainly has
reserved for them a special place in my music collection, being
one of the first progressive rock groups I ever discovered,
and their classic albums never fail to cast their subtle, melodic,
magical spells every time I play them. The band seems to have
gotten a relatively late start as far as the other great English
bands were concerned, with the magnum opuses from the likes
of Genesis, King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator and Yes already
having been released by the time Camel managed their first classic,
Mirage, in 1974. Indeed, in hindsight, it seems that
the group had a relatively small window in which to make their
mark, and the fact that growing commercial disinterest in this
style of music that began during their period of greatest creativity
(1974-1976) goes a long way in explaining the band's perceived
"second-tier" status in the English progressive rock hierarchy.
Camel was
formed in 1972 when Andy Latimer, Andy Ward and Doug Ferguson
hooked up with the older and more experienced Peter Bardens,
formerly of a group called Them. Their first release was for
MCA records, and showed a still maturing, but capable ensemble.
After this album they signed a deal with Decca records, which
would see them through their prime years. Over the next three
years, the lineup would remain remarkably stable and churn out
a trilogy of seminal progressive rock albums. The first of these,
Mirage, is a stunning, instrumentally based prog tour-de-force.
The album effectively establishes Camel as a major player, and
innovator, in the scene. The next album, the all instrumental
Snow Goose, which was based on a novel by Paul Gallico,
was the band's breakthrough album commercially, reaching the
top 30 on the British charts. This album in particular stands
out today as perhaps the band's defining work, a brilliant,
emotional album length piece that to some helps define the genre
as a whole; undoubtedly an essential album. The next release,
Moonmadness, is another that could contend as their finest,
this time with more prevalent vocals, but no less of a somber
and beautiful mood.
The first
change in the band's lineup would occur here, and their real
renaissance, for all intensive purposes, would draw to a close.
Although the ousting of bassist Doug Ferguson would seem relatively
minor, the situation was caused, and exacerbated by, an apparent
rise in band tensions. The addition of former Caravan bassist
Richard Sinclair must have seemed like a match made in heaven,
as the band would finally posses a true vocalist as part of
the package. The resulting album, Raindances, while certainly
very good, takes an expectedly jazzier turn than their previous
work, which in and of itself could have been great, but something
holds the album back from standing solidly on the same high
plateau as the three prior albums. This was unfortunately a
sign of things to come.
The remainder
of the decade would be riddled by changing public taste, shuffling
lineups and inconsistent output. Bardens would depart after
Breathless, and though the band would be complemented
at one point by superstar keyboardist Kit Watkins of Happy the
Man, they failed in the ultimate end of producing a great album.
The next important album of the band's career would probably
be 1981's Nude, which was a slight return to form. In
1982, Andy Ward broke his hand and was forced to step down,
leaving Latimer as the only founding member. After a number
of albums that flirted with slicker structures and formats,
Camel became embroiled in a tenuous legal struggle with their
former manager, halting the release of any new music until the
late 80s. After winning their lawsuit, the band founded their
own label, Camel Productions, and have since reentered a stage
of dramatic productivity. Their more recent albums, 1991's Dust
and Dreams, 1996's Harbour of Tears, 1999's Rajaz,
and their latest, 2002's A Nod and a Wink, have been
accompanied by numerous archival live releases and a slew of
compilations, illustrating a definite resurgence of interest
in the group. After some 30 years, Camel are still in the business
of making progressive rock without compromise, one of the few
members of the old guard that can attest to such an accomplishment
.
- Greg
Northrup [October 2001]
The
Snow Goose (1975)
This is
an all instrumental album, but being that Camel has always been
mostly instrumentally based, The Snow Goose comes across
as a totally singular, natural and flowing classic of progressive
rock. There is definitely something intangible and inherently
wonderful about Camel's music. You won't pick it up on
first listen, I didn't. But after a while, their music penetrates
you.
This is a concept
piece based on a book by one Paul Gallico, the 16 tracks on
the album apparently reflecting various points or themes throughout
the story, although picking up on the actual plot is obviously
impossible without lyrical clues. "Rhyander" is an achingly
beautiful ditty that reminds me why progressive rock is so great.
The delicate flute melody gives me goose bumps literally every
time I listen to it. The rest of the album is no worse.
The absence of vocals and the changes in mood to a sometimes
near silence require a pretty healthy attention span, which
is why this album probably hasn't sustained my interest quite
as much as Moonmadness or even Mirage, but this
is definitely another real classic from this band.
- Greg Northrup [2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Moonmadness
(1976)
This was
really the first Camel album I purchased, and rivals Mirage
as my favorite album by this classic band. The album is
wonderful from beginning to end. They decided to add vocals,
and in fact they are seemingly more prominent than on any of
the earlier albums. However, the addition of vocals is in no
way detrimental, and the sparkling atmospheres of Snow Goose
are carried over and arguably even still intact. The keyboard
melodies weave in and out with the guitar in a magical synthesis.
The title, cover and lyrics, plus the music itself, give off
a very spaced out and dreamy image. The prominence of vocals
contribute to the whole dreamy affect, they are very ethereal
as usual.
The album leaves
me spellbound every time I listen to it, though it definitely
took me a few listens to really get into it. Once I began to
anticipate everything, the music clicked and took on a special
significance, I've never been able to get enough Camel since.
This is a great starting place for prospective fans.
- Greg Northrup
[2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Rain
Dances (1977)
With Raindances,
we see the first of many Camel line-up changes with the
departure of founding bassist Doug Ferguson and the addition
of Canterbury stalwart Richard Sinclair. As can be expected,
there is more of a jazz influence, and this is what the
band was looking for when they added Sinclair, whose satirical
lyrical slant is felt immediately when looking at song titles
like "Metrognome" and "One of These Days I'll Get an Early
Night". The slight shift in direction is also evident with
the addition of saxophonist Mel Collins as a full-time member.
Along with the added jazz slant, Raindances is much
more atmospheric and synth driven than the previous albums.
It is also the starting point for the band's quest after
a hit single due to record company pressure, as is evident
in a few songs.
Raindances
is a very vocal heavy album in comparison to the past works
of the band, with duties split between Latimer and Sinclair.
This highlights the more mainstream direction the band would
pursue in the following years. Despite the more streamlined
aspects of this album, there is plenty of the signature
Camel sound evident; lush melodic passages, Latimer's evocative
guitar playing and Barden's strong keyboard presence. "First
Light", "Skylines" and the title track are all good examples
of the prime Camel instrumental sound. Brian Eno makes a
cameo appearance on the beautifully haunting "Elke", playing
synths. Despite being the beginning of a shift the band
would take towards becoming a more pop oriented band, this
is still a strong album and should definitely be pursued
by fans. For those just getting into Camel, stick with Mirage,
The Snowgoose or Moonmadness.
- Mike Prete [March 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
A
Live Record (1977)
A double live
release documenting the band's history to that point in
1978, A Live Record features songs from both lineups, including
a full live performance of The Snow Goose with the London
Symphony Orchestra. Included are songs from each album,
including the appreciated addition of "Lady Fantasy". The
sound quality varies form track to track, as most of the
songs have been recorded at different venues and varying
dates. There is also the previously unreleased "Ligging
at Louis" which was originally a Pete Bardens composition.
Not a necessary addition, as no song really outshines its
studio counterpart, although the live rendition of The
Snow Goose with an orchestral backing is an enticing
reason to pick this one up.
- Mike Prete [2001]
Nude (1981)
1981 saw a return to form for
Camel, after multiple personnel shifts. Following up on the
success of their last concept album, The Snow Goose,
Andy Latimer and company set down the concept path once again,
this one being the story of a Japanese soldier stranded on
a deserted island during World War II, who stayed there, oblivious
to the outside world, for 29 years before being discovered
and unsuccessfully integrated back into society.
In
returning to the type of musical narrative that typified earlier
releases, most of the story is told through instrumental means,
which is what makes this album of interest to fans of the
band's earlier work. Of particular interest are: "Docks",
"Beached", "Landscape", "Captured" and "The Homecoming", the
latter sounding similar to the procession in "Nimrodel". The
album flows together as a whole very well, despite the presence
of some more pop oriented tracks.
Among
the more progressive tracks are typical songs that would come
to the forefront of "The Andy Latimer Project" (three members
of the Alan Parsons project would constitute the majority
of the Camel lineup for the next three albums). While not
a rehashing of the traditional Snow Goose sound, there
is plenty to satisfy fans of early Camel in this solid, yet
unspectacular release.
- Mike Prete [2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Rajaz
(1999)
Camel is one of the leading
lights of British progressive rock. Unlike Yes, ELP or Genesis,
they never "sold out" to become a more commercially viable
product. Staying true to their sound, the band released several
albums of consistently high quality during the 1970s and 1980s
(excepting Stationary Traveler), despite a band lineup
that was constantly in flux. Then Andy Latimer, the band's
sole original member, packed up for the United States and
recorded two albums of lush, symphonic rock during the nineties
(Dust and Dreams and Harbour of Tears). At the
end of the nineties, Camel released Rajaz and it is
one of the band's finest albums. All the ingredients that
make Camel so special are included on this CD; Andy Latimer's
beautiful, weepy guitar solos, the symphonic keyboards as
well as memorable compositions that rank with the band's best.
Rajaz
opens with "Three Wishes", a gorgeous instrumental in which
the spacey, Pink Floydish intro gives way to a passionate
Latimer guitar flight. This piece is highly reminiscent of
the band's Moonmadness album. "The Final Encore" is
another highlight, and as with the rest of album is fused
with an Eastern theme, which conjures images of the vastness
of an Arabian desert. Incredible stuff!! The title track is
also quite lovely, opening with acoustic guitar and a sweetly
melancholic melody sung by Latimer, after which he performs
a bluesy guitar solo. A couple of folksy acoustic guitar ballads
follow before the album closes with a pair of emotional tracks-the
instrumental "Sahara" and "Lawrence".
Both tracks have plenty of great guitar solos and keyboard
breaks.
Though
Rajaz is generally mellow, a la Dust and Dreams,
this album has much more of a band feel to it. Whereas Dust
and Dreams and Harbour of Tears sound very studio
crafted and, at times, too cinematic for their own good,
Rajaz has a looser, earthier "live" quality that is much
appreciated. In general, the keyboards serve as a backdrop
for Andy Latimer's copious guitar solos and warm voice, which
is fine by me. I was slightly disappointed in the cold, artificial
digital keyboards on the last two CDs and was therefore very
pleasantly surprised with Rajaz. This is an altogether
terrific album. -
Steve Pettengill [October 2001]
