Camel

3 1/2

The early progressive underachievers combined user-friendly classic rock with some impressively intense jamming to put out a challenging record without being too pompous. Some of the production elements along with a few vocal-guided sections have not dated as well as the instrumental peaks, but it remains a nice intro into more sophisticated older rock for those skimming the surface.

Camel is unique and very creative and they have made some great
avante-garde rock music. There is no group that I am aware of
which makes music like theirs. If you are into instrumental music
and appreciate quiet music as well as loud and wild, I strongly
recommend this CD.

Luis Mejia (son) - The follow up to Camel's debut album, Mirage prooves to be a much more cohersive and astonishing, comprehensible album than its predecessor. In this case, the progresive rock seen is much more compelling, profesional, and correctly prepared and arrange, with subtle, rhythmical jazz expressions ("Freefall") and exponential, infectious, elongated riffs ("Lady Fantasy", which may stand as their magnum opus), the album has become one of their classics and most loved. The problem of their satiric and insipid improvisation is obvious in the customized prog pieces "Earthrise" and "Nimrodel", but as far as it goes, music is down to earth, and the classic lineup plays for the first time in a fine manner, but still they were not into any concrete fashion.

YES!!! You lovers of Moonmadness and SNOW(overrated)GOOSE(I did
not just write that?)I first heard Mirage in 75("OUCH,AGE")and
had the u.s.a. album cover(not the smokes cover)I thought it was
so cool to see this buffed camel with wings holding cut pieces
of diamonds. I quickly put it on the turntable scratching the hell
out of it(sorry mom)but heard such wonderful music I could not
believe it.Nimrodel for me will always be my personal fav.I-I
don't know why till this day there is a lyric in this masterpiece
song,I guess the way it's sang still makes my eyes blurry and wet.
Anyway I never heard there debut album and will buy,but for me
this will always be my FAV. Camel album and easily in my top 10
of ALL time,it is to bad that more people don't know of them.For
they are a fantastic band.Adios you lovers of Camel and great music.
And shame,shame on you who graded this 4 stars or even less????????
You naughty naughty lil boys and girls you! "As if he never there
but somehow far away. Although he seem far,like a distant star
HIS FORM...BEGAN TO FADE......................................

A great buy for any lover of this band

The Who had Tommy, Jethro Tull had Thick As A Brick, Pink Floyd had Dark Side of the Moon, and Camel had this, The Snow Goose. Just a gorgeous piece of music, excellent playing, production, sound engineering and musical composition. Peter Bardens, Andrew Latimer, Andy Ward and Doug Ferguson put together a masterpiece. I have never tired of this album/CD; it is always inspirational and deeply moving. These guys were just great, and this is their best work ever.

Luis Mejia (son) - Based on Paul Gallico's novel, The Snow Goose seems to be Camel's piece which moved into an important place in progressive rock, and a hughe vantage point for the band. The album is fully instrumental, in this aspect, the vocal problem Latimer had always presented is covered into a mainstream of sounds and atmospheres, in which the tltle itself says "music inspired by the snow goose", the music covers each important passage of the novel through their own music, the plot and characters, as for me, I've never read the novel, but readers could be surprised, I'm not saying they'll be pleased, because even Paul Gallico was about to take legal action because the name of the band had always been confused with a branch of cigarettes called camel, and he didn't want that kind of publicity!

All in all, the music has had some of the most famous riffs even in rock music, the flute in "Rhayader", the arrangements in "Rhayeder Goes To Town", the guitar potential and charisma of "The Snow Goose", and the reprising "La Princess Perdue" are some of the most recognizeable examples. The special thing of the album is that Camel finally got their musical sense into interpreting novel pieces, and that finally gave sense to their direction, and as many fans may say it is overprized, what it is so special is that it is one of their most accessible pieces of their original era, but yet there is the problem of the music itself, the style is outreaching, but the music is simplistic prog, no gem, no archaic effort, but I think that was the purpose itself Camel always expected from their music, plus, the album reached silver status in sells, and had become somewhat of a legend in prog history.

I am a huge fan of the progressive rock of the 1970s. In fact, if someone took away all the CDs in my collection, save for my progressive selections from 1970 to 1980, I could probably survive (although I admit there's plenty of great rock that I'd be bummed to lose). I've been a passionate fan of Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, ELP, Pink Floyd and all of the other great prog rock bands of this period since around 1978.

The thing is, though, is that in the early years of my progressive rock fan-dom, I was so focused on the aforementioned bands that I kind of missed out on a lot of other great stuff -- or I should say there was a lot of great music that never actually made it into my collection. So, for about the past decade, I've been making an effort to fill in a lot of the "missing pieces" in my progressive collection -- the stuff I always knew I should have, but for whatever reason never acquired.

Three bands which I have been re-discovering as of late are Camel, Gentle Giant and Gong. Each made its own significant contribution to the prog scene of the 1970s -- and if you haven't yet explored the work of these three groups, I suggest you do so. I had, of course, listened to most of the works by these bands before, just never bought their stuff (maybe taped it, or borrowed, it). Of these three, I am currently really enjoying Camel's work. So far I have the first three Camel releases, Camel, Mirage and Snow Goose -- all great albums (and I am also familiar with Moon Madness, which is equally superb), but Snow Goose is, in my view, Camel's crowning achievement. It is a rolling, flowing, majestic suite of tightly integrated instrumental passages which create a amazingly cohesive and satisfying whole. Superbly well-composed themes abound and are repeated throughout ... in fact, the album is so thematic that in a way it is like movie soundtrack, or even a rock opera, only without any lyrics (there are some occasional vocal harmonies, or "chanting," if you will, but it's blended in so unobtrusively that you almost don't realize it's there, it's just another part of the instrumentation). As another reviewer here pointed out, it is a somewhat quiet and reflective album -- in a way it's not very dynamic -- but the quality of the compositions is such that, much like the really good prog of this period, it grows on you tremendously as you move through repeated listening.

I remember the first few times I heard Camel, back in the early 80s, I wasn't too terribly impressed. They just didn't seem to have the technical prowess -- you know, the blazing guitar and keyboard work, the rapidly changing time and key signatures, etc. -- that was the hallmark of bands like Yes, Genesis and King Crimson. So, even though I liked the music, I guess I just never really broke through the surface. The thing to realize about Camel is that, while they might not be as technical as the other prog bands of their time, they did put an impressive amount of care and craftsmanship into their music -- and today I realize that it has a complexity all it's own. I have to say that Andy Latimer (the lone survivor of the band) is an absolutely amazing composer and a fabulous guitarist -- listening to his David Gilmour-esque solo on "Rhayader Goes to Town" gives me goose bumps every time I hear it, it's just one of those solos that has an ever-lasting impression, like Gilmour's solo on "Time" on "Dark Side." You see, that's the thing about Camel -- there's just this certain level of perfection to the composing and the playing -- you could successfully argue that it more than compensates for the lack of "flashiness." Latimer's playing on this album (and on all the Camel releases) is really, really impressive -- he proves once again that it's not how many notes you play, but the choice of notes, and how evocatively you play them. His playing is packed with so much emotion and passion, his solos are delivered with just such utter care and attention to detail, and with such precision, at times it leaves me practically breathless. Each note is placed right where it should be -- there's never too little, never too much, he strikes that perfect balance -- and it takes a while to soak in and appreciate the high level of technical skill he really does possess. Latimer also plays flute amazingly well and there is rich orchestration on this album which supports the whole thing very well and which also proves Latimer's capabilities as an arranger/composer. Peter Barden's (GRHS) organ and synthesizer work on this album is equally impressive, and bassist Doug Ferguson and drummer Andy Ward have some moments where they really shine as well.

I can't say enough good things about this band, an in particular, about this album. All I can say is, if you're a fan of 70s progressive, and you haven't yet checked out the Snow Goose, or any of Camel's music for that matter, you really should. I'm sure that if you do you'll find their releases sitting right there next to your other, classic prog rock favorites.

It's a great album, a music which reminds me fantasy, creativeness
and the great skill of bands like king crimson, van der graaf
generator, soft machine, genesis, yes, elp, jethro tull, each one with their own sound and huge music knowledge...

Lets face it, a lot of Prog Rock doesn't stand the test of time and can sound self-indulgent and pointless. Not the case here - this is a fine instrumental album with some memorable melodies and great orchestration from the wonderful David Bedford (who worked with Kevin Ayers and Mike Oldfield, among many others).

In keeping with the source material, the album has a simple, sometimes childlike feel to it. No rock-out, for sure, but a long way from the vapid fare of contemporaries. If you own the original, the new material here may not be worth the price of the import with additional tracks. Otherwise, buy it.

Luis Mejia (son) - Moonmadness was the last album from Camel's original lineup. The album itself is interesting because it is the last one which possesses Camel's traditional sound; a flowing trayectory, dreamy style and overwellming riffs, their original traits of prog rock. The music is quite compelling, atmospheric, the arrangements are welcoming in its own aura, reinforcing it with its cover designed by Roger Dean, the titles are compromising in ambients (water, moon, snow, air), but the music flows lineal and directionless, the themes are attractive, but the music sounds confusing and betraying; tuneless instrumental passages are the welcoming themes, including the playful "Aristillus" and the soaring "Spirit Of The Water. The album seems to achieve a loose concept album, the songs are based on the personalities of the musicians, Ward, Latimer, Fergueson and Bardens.

"Air Born" is much more recalling to "Nimrodel", it has the strong sense of progressive rock, but it is underachieving, and "Another Night" is also a vocal misachievement. "Lunar Sea" got to be a fancy piece for the group, specially for its one-way music and streaming rhythm job. The only piece that work highly achieving and proper in the album had to be the classic "Song Within A Song", which covers itself with archaic vocal effects, a cohersive and truly hypnotic aura, and an atmosphere, keyboard-full effect with uprising sections, of a true dreamy lunar setting. All in all, the music is impossible and unaccessible, which got stressful in their initial lineup, but the pull-ups it got from achieving, growing pieces was their true setting, but in effect, its a step down from The Snow Goose.

This album is a good example of why I collect albums rather than "Best Of" compilations. I've owned Echoes for some time now, but heard a song on a web radio station from this album, which prompted me to get Moonmadness. Right in the middle of this album are three songs not on either of their official 2-CD anthologies; Chord Change, Another Night, and Spirit Of The Water (which is on the Lunar Sea anthology but not Echoes).

Chord Change is reminiscent of the Allman Bros and is one of this band's better instrumentals (and that's saying a lot). The fact that it was played at nearly all their live shows for 20+ years after should tell you something.

The live 'extras' on this reissue are pretty good as well, but typical if you already have one of their live albums. All in all, a great album. Too bad I missed the boat for say, 30 years. Highly recommended.

Back in England we have a long-standing radio show called "Desert Island Discs" in which famous people play their most essential pieces of music that they would take with them if stranded on a desert island. As a prog rock fan of many years I would take most of the tracks on this album to my desert island.
The essence of each track is subtly different yet they all blend finely together to create a superb album. The outstanding track and one which regularly featured in Camel's live repertoire is "Lunar Sea" that starts with a dreamy spaced-out track followed by a conservative but imaginative synth solo by the late and great Pete Bardens, and culminates in a blistering guitar solo by Andy Latimer - perhaps his and Camel's finest moment. Also don't underestimate the intricacy of Andy Ward's drum work - perhaps in a par with Phil Collins' work with Brand X and early Genesis. The only thing that lets Camel down during their earlier albums is the rather basic bass work of Doug Ferguson but it is almost a relief to find fault with this near perfect masterpiece! As of Nov 07 Andy Latimer is very ill and I am sure we all wish him a speedy recovery.

I have something important to say. Many times you've probably heard people say "If everyone heard such-and-such album, the world would be a better place". Camel seem to have been created to help make people better. I'm serious. These guys are good at writing music that's pleasantly soothing while at the same time extremely interesting for progressive rock fans, and because of this I have no choice but to declare Camel one of the best rock bands ever. They really deserve to be known as one of the best and I think you'll agree with me once you hear how incredible their songwriting skills are.

I also have another thing that urgently needs to be said, and this is also important- I'm an American who was born in the early 80's. I wasn't around when these 70's masterpieces were created and released to the public. I find it extraordinary that these musicians were able to write music that connects with me on a very personal level.

You know, people like to think "People from other countries have different traditions, and aren't really like me in any way" but that's completely NOT true because Camel manages to put creative images in my head that *very* few musicians seem to be able to do. Every time I listen to a Camel album and get caught up in the keyboards, guitar work or synth jams, a dream I had many years ago all of a sudden enters my head that I thought had been forgotten forever. Dreams that I had forgotten for years suddenly return and become the center of my thoughts.

It's amazing how these musicians who were writing music years before I was born were able to really glue me into their sound and style like it was completely natural. This music is just extremely *right* in every way. Sometimes I even think the band members feel like brothers to me.

When human beings write honest music, sometimes it works on a level that I believe they never thought was even possible, because the feeling of connection can be unbelievably strong sometimes. It's amazing, and goes to show how much alike people are. People like to say "Everyone's different" but not in this case. It's totally amazing to me how the dreams I have every night are very similar to the visions and the creations from this band. That will probably fascinate me until the end of time.

So yeah, Moonmadness is a great album, but so is everything else from Camel. You must look into this band. Put it on your "Must Do" list.

I know Camel didn't have as much success in the States that they probably wanted to, but I hope the surviving members are aware that the music they created back in the day really holds up well today, and that it's really a great experience listening to their music and getting caught up in their peaceful and honest dream world. I plan on keeping Camel's music alive forever. If I ever have kids, they will know this band.

A great buy for any lover of this band

Rain Dances is fantastic- the spiritual beauty of the instrumental playing, along with the bands *incredible* ability to create emotional guitar jams and back it up with BRILLIANT songwriting. Not to mention that special atmosphere that's hard to forget.

Camel is about as good as it gets. For some reason, a band going by the name Camel will probably make you think about hot, desert places from around the world, but the truth is, the music these guys play is perfect for COLD climates. Not TOO cold- just cold enough to make taking a walk a fun treat while admiring the snow banks and white setting.

It's impossible to believe just how good this band is, and you know, I've mentioned it before but it needs to be said again- this band just has something extra special about them that puts beautiful and adventurous pictures in your head while you hear their music. I don't know exactly what it is that's triggering those reactions out of me.

In todays world, with economic problems, heating oil costs, and high gas prices, it's hard to appreciate the way the world works. But whenever I sit in a dark room and blast an early Camel album, all the worlds problems go away temporarily so my mind feels like it's free from worry and fear, and turns to comfort and relaxation. To me, that makes early Camel albums a perfect experience.

I still don't know if there's some kind of spiritual feeling I'm getting out of these early Camel albums, or maybe the band is just so GOOD at writing incredibly moving and powerful (and melodic) music that everything in my mind is just telling me Camel is the perfect band for me.

This is progressive rock played in such a way that ANYONE can enjoy it. That's the honest truth. I think Santana and Allman Brothers Band fans would love these guys honestly, because those are two other artists capable of moving me with their instrumental playing that only a few other artists are capable of doing. Please, give Camel a chance, especially their 70's albums. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

Thirty years ago I was giving away copies of this on vinyl and saying, "You've got to hear this!". Today I give away the CDs and I still say, "You've got to hear this!" Why? Because this is five VERY talented guys stretching out and playing to their heart's delight. Crisply recorded, the compositions are second only to Snowgoose in their intricate and complete feeling- not just vehicles for really nice improvs. And being a series of small, bounded, pieces, rather than a big piece in many parts, this is probably the most demanding writing they ever did. And the performances!!! Sweet!

Lets go through my favorites in order: "First Light" is the first track, a prog-rock smoker constructed from mutually supporting keyboard, guitar, flute, bass, drum and sax parts- real counterpoint, the melody a fearless switch from major to minor key, three different (but just right) tempos in the first 3 minutes, all the wheels within wheels turning just so. Pure delight. At at 5:01, it doesn't wear out its welcome.

The next hot tune is track 5, the first track of the second side on the LP, "Uneven Song" The impressionistic vocals are sweetly sung, and although there are several tempi, the sound is definately on their more rock n roll side- the hard, compressed, electric guitar and pile-o-keyboards are propulsive, and the gently paced sections have a tension which is released in each speed-up. A jam-up ending can't hurt, and it doesn't.

Track 6, "One of these days I'll get an early night" is in a tie with #8, Skylines, for best of album. A nearly funky bass and drum make a great pad for electric piano just like it SHOULD sound, and shimmering sax. Ladies and gentlemen, Pete Bardens and Mel Collins! Bring in the big electric guitar and the dance floor should be filling up. At the turn around, Bardens takes a solo verse on the electric piano, aided and betted by Collins' sax playing. Not surprisingly, Collins then gets a verse, with some very *urban* guitar/bass/drum interplay behind the jazzy guys up front. Ward, Sinclair and Latimer never sounded finer. Then Katie Bar The Door, Latimier gets a real solo verse, and rather than compete, he lays back completely with deep, wide, echo and bounces his notes, with marvelous pick and finger english, off the Moon or something equally dreamy and distant. Which, if you think back, is what Bardens did at the beginnning of HIS verse. D'ya suppose they talked this over before they started?
The groove on this tune is irresistable, and anyone would sound good in front of it, but the piano-sax-guitar progression, the light, wordless, vocal framing, and the turn-arounds like Fabrige eggs- all moving pieces and prescious stones.
When musicians suffer from education, they take songs that COULD have been as good as this and turn them into scale and time-change work-outs, showing how much they know, and how little they feel. This is the exact opposite- there are plenty of scales they DON'T play and it doesn't hurt a thing. A delight.

Track 8, Skylines, is the other tie-for-first. A bass line that couldn't exist except on a prog rock record leads drums and keyboard into a song, overwhich a very tasty electric guitar part arrives, warmly supported by keyboards, and the blend of guitar, guitar feedback and contrapuntal keyboards is a perfect example of how to do this RIGHT. The keyboard solo that follows is on systhesizer, with baroque arpegios and full note bending (how did they keep it in tune, before Pro Tools???) Guitar and synth 'duel' at the end- but support each other all the way. This is what I loved most about Camel, Latimer and Bardens ability to bring out the best in each other.
Everyone on everyone else's side.

Time was about to pull them apart, the next album would be the last with Ward and Bardens, and Camel, as an active band, became Andy Latimier and side-persons, until he retird. Oh yeah, there are another 5 songs and a 'bonus' of the single-edit of "Highways Of The Sun". "Rain Dances", "Metrognome", "Tell Me" and "Elke", in about that order, are nice, Rain Dances and Metognome the nicest. Highways Of The Sun is extremely compitent, but about one notch short of the coherence I prefer in a lyric-They sure are trying to make a single and if it doesn't quite gel, well, that's what FM radio was all about anyway. Album Oriented Rock.

I'll level with you- lyrics were never a strong suite in Camel, and even having the better-than-average singing of Richard Sinclair didn't make a "vocal" band out of them. And yet. No question this is the finest singing they ever recorded. And the finest studio moments of Ward, Latimer and Bardens are on this record. In Mel Collins they found a fellow who could blow the same stuff- near-pop to complex AND funky. And on his four-string and vocal cords, Sinclair is strong enough to be loose and jazzy, which Ward and Bardens embrace whole-heartedly. It sounds so good the only way to follow it up is to play it again or go get out that copy of "A Live Album"!

Though Andy Latimer would later say that the departure of original bassist Doug Ferguson was the beginning of the end of the band, I think this was the peak for the rest, for which Ferguson should be proud. When I think of musical pals who couldn't stay together because they grew differently, I find Latimer and Bardens the saddest- They needed each other and they thrived with each other and I'll forever regret they didn't stay together. Maybe they would have hated it and did the right thing, but I can't help wonder what else they might have conjured up.

Luis Mejia (son) - For some their last prog album, for some their first true direction, considering both sides, this is undoubtly Camel at his best musical position. The music has (for the first time) a cohersive direction, the album is definitively the vantage point of old and new fans, but generally loved equally by both sides. The progressive rock music is now blending, a fierceful, populary respectful prog side, its marvelous jazz fussion, its confident pop part, its all artfully sly and simply perfectly arranged. Instrumental "First Light" was their last original trace but consecuently their most memorable, "Metrognome" is recalling to the dull side of Moonmadness, "Tell Me" is the smooth calm piece, as well as the poppy "Highways Of The Sun", and the jazz fussion perfection of "One Of These Days I'll Get An Early Light" is totally matching. The lineup had changed, the music evolved, they took their roots and made it popular, accessible and loveable, full of inspiring and emotion-full pieces, this is the perfect choose for a Canterbury scene prog ocassion, and one of the most correctly arranged rock pieces.

an awesome gem from one of the top jazz prog- rock bands of the 70s .....if your a camel fan its a must buy d.v.d

There is no other album like 'Rain Dances'. Not even Camel could come up with an equal (even though i feel they tried with 'I can see your house' and 'Nude'). Excellent melodic prog from (believe it or not) the Punk era!

Luis Mejia (son) - The debuting Camel album may work extremely good just in the case of music purists and people devoted to the band searching for their origins and the core of their music, but all in all, the album fails to achieve a concrete musical style. Its music is plain, covered to the top with an awkwardly insipid improvisational style (which many may affirm this is because of it's jazzy textures but this is argueably), and a very muted, underachieving prog style which neither blends to complexity neither to an accessible side of their music. Within its songs, the album is painfully filled with uninspired rock performances, but still some reach eventually into an original style, as for customized rock songs like "Slow Yourself Down", "Six Ate" and "Curiosity", the others work tighter, "Mystic Queen" has a delicate acoustic harmony, "Separation" might be the most recognizeable piece in the album, this is classic Camel, and "Arubaluba" has a cohersive improvisation, but this doesn't excuse the uneven songwriting. As for the classic "Never Let Go", this piece is severely dissapointing in all senses in this studio piece, but if you want to hear a real Never Let Go, listen to the live version in A Live Record, this was the awesome piece I fell in love with. The vocals were yet to develop, and the songwriting had to be fixed, but luckily, a vast majority of these problems are fixed in the following Mirage, in conclusion, the album will only work for reaching to the core of their improvisational style.

This recording, Camel's debut effort, is a strong work drawing from a wealth of classical, jazz and blues influences. Although the music comes across as somewhat dated, this recording served to forecast the greatness of this band that was to come.

A great buy for any lover of this band

Camel debut is lovely. A bit different than their other albus (more prog), this one has a prog-rock feel but much more cool, with hints of funk and groove, this remembers me Brian Auger Oblivion Express or the german Embryo (look for their Disconform remastred series). There is here very good chill-out material. The musicians are equally superb.

As I write this review, I'm not exactly a Camel expert knowing almost nothing about the middle of their career. Judging by reviews of albums of that era, though, it seems I'm not missing much.

Camel's self-titled debut is, however, one of my very favorite albums and quite possibly Camel's strongest album as well. There's virtually no filler on this one and their energy is at its peak.

And in fact, this is not prog in the same way early Genesis is prog, to cite a reference in the genre. Camel from this age is quite a bit more rythmic and rocking. This doesn't happen in later albums, particularly towards the end of their career, when everything getts much more mellow, yet beautiful.

"Slow Yourself Down" sets the pace for the entire record, an upbeat track sang by Andy Latimer in his quite original tone. But it's "Never Let Go" (which has an even better rendition on "A Live Record") - my favorite Camel track - and "Arubaluba" that steal the record for me. "Six Ate" has this great grooving bass line as the backbone of the entire track while "Mystic Queen" is the most mellow track yet doesn't disappoint, being beautifully sung by bassist Doug Ferguson and featuring Bardens intensely exquisite keyboards. And everywhere Andy Ward's drumming is perfect for the mood.

I find Camel to be an essential band in the genre, and as I find this to be their best effort, this record is also essential, even if you're probably better served with next year's "Mirage" for a more progressive output.

Camel, like most progressive bands in the late 1970s, tried to gain a wider audience by going for a more commercial AOR sound. The result is an album with a couple of great tunes (Breathless; Echoes) and a half dozen mediocre ones. Having said that, mediocre Camel tunes were still far better than most of the music on the airwaves at the time (and today!).
Established fans will enjoy this album, but if you're new to Camel, try The Snow Goose or Moonmadness first.

I have to confess that this 1978 album is not nearly as bad as people have made it out to be - (the reviews of the album on ProgArchives are particularly merciless and vicious). In fact, while Breathless may not necessarily present the band at their finest hour (especially in contrast with albums like The Snow Goose (1975) and Moonmadness (1976)), there is some good material to be found. Then again, Camel was no different from the other English prog bands active at the time and suffered from the same confusion with respect to what musical direction they were supposed to head in. Furthermore,(without naming names) Breathless is certainly no worse than other albums floating around in 1978.

The lineup at this point included Andrew Latimer (acoustic and electric guitars, Yamaha CS80/50, Vocals); Peter Bardens (electric piano, acoustic piano, synthesizers, Hammond organ, Vocals); Mel Collins (Flute, Saxophones); Richard Sinclair (Bass guitar, Vocals); Andy Ward (Drums, Percussion); and Dave Sinclair (Keyboards (uncredited)). In general the playing by all members is very good, with Andy Latimer contributing some fine playing. I have always been a fan of Richard Sinclair's vocals and bass playing, so his presence on the album works for me. Following this album, Peter and Richard left the band. Apparently Peter and Andy Latimer were having problems (creative differences), which precipitated his leaving the band, and he was replaced by two keyboardists for the Breathless tour including Dave Sinclair and Jan Schelhaas. For the I Can See Your House from Here album (1979), the two keyboardist approach was maintained, yet with Jan and ex-Happy the Man player Kit Watkins.

The tracks on the album range in length from 2'59" to 7'17". In general the music on Breathless is considerably different from previous albums and includes a greater percentage of mainstream styles, including a sizeable chunk of disco (Summer Lightning, You Make me Smile). The inclusion of Richard's whimsical Canterbury track `Down on the Farm", while entirely appropriate for a Caravan album, seems a bit out of place on a Camel album - although his vocal part is very interesting. Wing and a Prayer is not completely awful, and is actually just a very nice and well-written pop song, with great woodwind parts.

Although this may all sound very unappealing, there are however some nice "Camel-ish" pieces on the album that are actually very good including the highly melodic title track, the vigorous progger Echoes, the delicate Starlight Ride, another atmospheric/proggy track The Sleeper, and the synthesizer heavy and gloomy closing track Rainbow's End. I am of the opinion that the album is worth picking up just for those five tracks alone, albeit at a "used copy" price.

Well there you have it. While Breathless may not represent Camel at their finest hour, there is still some good material here. For those of you that are new to the band, start out with any of these albums: Camel (1973); Mirage (1974); The Snow Goose (1975); Moonmadness (1976); and Rain Dances (1977). Of these albums, The Snow Goose is a fan favorite (mine too).

Breathless is a bit different from the previous Camel albums. This one seems to be all about pretty vocal melodies, instead of instrumental jams. While I'd call myself more of a jam person, I would NEVER knock this album. The melodies are really good. "wing and a prayer" is a pleasant upbeat song that takes me back to my childhood, and "rainbow's end" is SUCH a sad song and great way to end the album. "down on the farm" is a great example of interesting and flawless vocal work. Great album overall. I love the album cover too. A closeup of a camel!

Good Album, easy to listen to but not inconsequential, I have also the original LP...

Camel, legendary in The UK but little known here, is equally adept at creating sublimely serene new age pop and upbeat, melodic, guitar-driven songs, with even a little cheeky humor on the song "Down On The Farm."
Every song is absolutely gorgeous. Best recommended are "Echoes" which is seven beautiful minutes of upbeat guitar pop, "Starlight Ride" which is so serenely relaxing that it makes you feel like you're experiencing exactly what the title suggests, and "The Sleeper" which feels just like a trip through the subconscious of a sleeping dreamer.

This album just grew on me the more I heard it.

Listening to more recent Camel CDs is like taking a journey: you encounter different landscapes along the way, each with their own merits and while not all the music encountered is great, there are moments of sheer brilliance and bliss that it makes it all worthwhile. As always, the guitar playing of Andy Latimer is excellent and the final cut "For Today" makes this CD, in my opinion, well worth buying for this alone. To hear the sound of the last extended guitar solo is just a treat and brings back memories of earlier guitar songs such as "Ice". Another standout track with shimmering musical passages is "A Boy's Life" - again, you just enter into the song, let it lead you where it chooses and enjoy the journey.

Just as prior Camel CDs such as Rajaz and Harbour of Tears had their own distinct flavor and influence (Middle Eastern and Irish respectively), this one has a decidedly English folky sound to it. A refreshing cariation on the Camel sound.

Compliments are also in order for Mr. Latimer for his vocal work which is particularly strong and passionate on several of these cuts.

If you enjoy music that rewards the listener, rather than just tries to please on first hearing, and if you appreciate tasteful guitar work, I would highly recommend this CD.

Released in 2002, this is probably the last Camel album, ever (especially since Latimer said so). It is about 54 minutes long and the sound quality is excellent.

The band is Andy Latimer on guitar and flute (and he plays a lot more flute than usual and it is all beautiful). The back up muscians are Colin Bass on bass (who has been with Latimer for about 25 years) plus relatively new people on drums and keyboards.

This album goes back to the great progressive music of the early 1970's. It is beautiful and artistic but interesting and emotional music. Some of it sounds like classic Camel. Other part sound like early Genesis, back when Peter Gabriel would play the flute. Other parts remind of the best of Focus's long flowing movements.

The ablum isn't perfect (but close). Some of it might be a little bit too whimsical (especially the title and cover). The three minute instrumental, The Miller's Tale, really adds nothing and could have been left off of the CD. But those are minor quibbles.

Camel was a progressive English quartet that formed in the 1972. The only musician in the band with any kind of track record was Peter Bardens who played on Them (Van Morrison's old band). They put out 4 great progressive albums before imploding for the usual drug problems, artistic differences and the public's changing musical tastes. Eventually, only Latimer was left and he carried on the band name (although he picked up Colin Bass in 1978, who has been with Camel ever since). In 1990 "Camel" moved to the US in the South Bay Area (Mountain View, near San Jose). Peter Bardens had a nice solo career but died in 2001.

There is a very rare live recordng floating about from tour done by a band consisting of Bardens and some of his solo band members and member of Caravan.

Celebrating Camel's 30th year in the business "A Nod And A Wink" would serve as the final album in which the band would tour as a live unit. The lineup is basically the same as on "The Paris Collection" live album with Guy Leblanc on keys and Denis Clement on drums. Overall I don't think this one is quite as strong as the previous album "Rajaz", but there is a lot to like here. As with "Rajaz" the choice of keyboardist has a huge effect on the overall sound. Leblanc's keys are more symphonic than some of his predecessors and he adds a significant amount of his own style to the proceedings. For those of you familiar with his main band Nathan Mahl Leblanc's contributions to this album we be apparent from the get go. Not everything on this album works that well for me though. "Fox Hill" and "A Boys Life" are both ok, but not really highlights of the Camel catalogue. The main attraction of this album is the closing track "For Today". The song was inspired by a person who fell to their death during the World Trade Center disaster of Sept 11. The song actually gave me Goosebumps the first time I heard it, and is one of the strongest works Latimer has written in the entire career of Camel. The soaring guitar solo at the end rivals some of the best in the genre reminding me of David Gilmour's classic "Comfortably Numb" solo from "The Wall". Of the studio albums that I own "Nod" this is probably my least favorite, but it is still a worthwhile purchase for fans of the band.

Joe John Santafripponi's seal of approval. Absolute great guitar work and breathtaking instrumental passages make this CD worth looking into. Weak vocals bog down some of the songs but all is forgiven when the guitar takes over. I would love Camel to do another all instrumental album. These guys are symphonic masters.

Off the top of my head I cannot think of another prog band from the original wave in the 70s that are still together and making albums that are BETTER than what they produced back then. Camel simply amazes with RAJAZ, and now this. With the possible exception of Steve Hackett there is no one else from this vintage that seems to still be able to write in the "olden style" and make it sound fresh and exciting. Hats off to Camel . . . I hope they keep making 'em if they can stay this good. I agree with David Lusher's comments about the English ambience of NOD . . . it's pastoral and moving and wonderful.

BTW, the album is gold, but what's with Amazon's PRICE?!!! $41?? Ehh, without seeming ungrateful for the forum to write this in you can certainly do better than that! Try Camel's website . . . they'll cut you a deal. ;-)

Luis Mejia (son) - Camel's sound by this time totally moved to comercial and friendly, popular directions, the pop growed, the prog faded, yet the rock never ended or was bastardized. By considerable pop rock pieces, "Wait" is the acquireable, the popppy "Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine", the hilarious insult to pop "Remote Romance", are notorious, but here "Who We Are" is the conquering piece, riff full, unusual love theme and a gorgeous vocal number. For its rock piece, "Eye Of The Storm" gets to be an interesting instrumental "Survival" gets the point of electronic strings, "Hymn To Her" is indulgent but approaching, "Neon Magic" is one of those pieces which is pure rock and roll with raspy, rude touches. By the end, "Ice" is the most convincent long piece to go back to their original roots, of course, directionless but reflective. For rock purists, the album reaches nothing, and the quality has decreased since Breathless, but it plains shows off a coolness and a magical comfort very typical from the 80s'.

I Can See Your House from Here (1979) continues heading in a mainstream direction and features only two of the original band members. As such, it does not sound as Camel-ish as earlier albums - in fact, I really missed the atmospheric synth work of Pete Bardens. Nonetheless, while this album is more commercial sounding, I consider it an improvement over the previous studio album Breathless (1978).

The lineup included long-time members Andrew Latimer (electric and acoustic guitars; flute; and vocals) and Andy Ward (drums); along with new members Jan Schelhaas (Hammond organ, Yamaha CS80, Prophet V, mini moog, Yamaha electric grand piano, grand piano, Solina string synth and EMS Sequencer), ex-Happy the Man member Kit Watkins (Hammond organ, mini-moog, clavinet, Solina string synth, Prophet V, Yamaha CS80, Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha electric grand piano, EMS Sequencer and flute); and Colin Bass (vocals and bass guitar). Joining the core group are Mel Collins (saxophone); Rupert Hine (vocals); and even Phil Collins (percussion). These guys are all great players and the vocals range from excellent to a bit dodgy (as on Neon Magic). The two keyboard player approach works pretty well (Kit is an exceptionally good player).

The nine tracks on the album span in length from 1:04 (Survival) to the 10:10 closing track Ice, which showcases Andy Latimer. Musically, the album presents a mixture of great prog rock and more straightforward tracks that show the band embracing newer musical trends including New Wave (the robotic and angular Remote Romance is a good example). Other styles that I can hear and that were popular at the time include British symphonic pop. Fortunately however, the disco influences were pared back considerably from the Breathless days. My favorite tracks include the delicate and dreamy track Eye of Storm, which (interestingly enough) was written by Kit and sounds like the material written for Rain Dances, along with Who We Are, the moody orchestral piece Survival, Hymn to Her, Ice, and the proggy parts of Neon Magic.

I have to admit that, in spite of the commercial material on this album, there is a lot of great proggy ensemble work to be found here. Other positive aspects include the intricate and skillfully played synthesizer parts and the fact that Andy Latimer cranks out some great leads on the electric guitar throughout the album.

This reissue by Deram features a few photos of the group and somewhat informative liner notes. The sound quality is OK.

In general, I feel that the prog and the pop tendencies are reasonably well balanced and found this album to be pretty enjoyable. If you are new to Camel however, I would personally recommend starting off with The Snow Goose (1975) and Moonmadness (1976). If you liked I Can See Your House from Here, you might also enjoy another great pop/prog album by Camel entitled Rain Dances (1977), one by Genesis including And Then There Were Three (1978) and Danger Money (1979) by U.K.

This album is Camel's fourth five star album in a row. Previous three being Breathless, Raindances and Moonmadness. There are many new wawe influences and some traditional Camel instrumentals too.The album is almost flawless. They should have left over Remote romance that is absolutely Camel's worst song ever. It certainly is the idiotic song. I think this album is very soft, catchy and less poppy than Breathless. Ice is definately the centerpiece of the album. It contains the most emotional and hair bristling guitar solo ever. Well some of you might disagree, but it is definately compareable to any guitarist's work. The second best song is Hymn to her. It contains some emotional guitar work and vocals. It is the very moody and subtle song.

This album falls somewhere between the 70's and the 80's Camel. Wait opens this album nicely and there are some nice instrumentals like Survival, Ice and The eye of the storm through out the album. In the nutshell this is very entertaining Camel album that is still loyal to its roots and it has couple definitive classic tracks too. So sooner or later you must buy this album. It isn't as good as Mirage or Moonmadness but it is still a solid album.

Interesting album but let's go by stages.

Wait is very commercial song with interesting twists .

Your love is stranger than mine shows somehow the far influence of Yes .

Eye of the storm is a very smooth piece of instrumental character with Mini Moog flute by Kit with military rhythms.

Who we are is has a character strongly imported from the jazz. which reminded me immediately to the first Metheny . The guitar never plays in a leader mood . It is a reminiscent ballad easy to listen.

Survival is a sad and very brief instrumental piece (1:04).

Hymn to her is one of the most solid and expressive themes. Drawn with elusive atmosphere and interesting rhythmical metamorphosis. Once more the echoes of Yes resound with notable masterful.

Neon magic looks back the rock roots. It promises with a surprising character typically commercial.

Remote romance is a very extremely original piece. The bass initiates the song with original curtains. But the chorus looks like imported from the Yes group.

Ice is the crown's jewel and justifies by itself the buy of this CD.. The fortunate combination between guitar an piano announces the main theme. a crying lament exquisitely phrased in a quiet mood. The guitar will take the leadership and draw a slender musical ellipsis which will finish in a very intriguing melody. Excellent theme.

This is Camel's eighth studio album and nineth overall. It is 46 minutes long. Pete Bardens has left the group and is replaced by Jan Schelhaas from Caravan and Kit Watkins. Richard Sinclair has also left the group after a two album stint and is replaced by Colin Bass.

This album is a nice rebound after the dreadful Breathless. Like most progressive rock acts at the time, Camel was trying to evolve their music to fit in with the latest musical styles and score big. Like most progressive rock groups, they were not that successful commercially.

But, this is a fairly good album throughout. It has some New Wave style songs, plus some traditional progressive rock type material. The New Wave songs are bouncy, tight and feature synthesized rhythms. It is sort of along the lines of Devo or the Fixx, but still keeping the Camel sound.

Remote Romance is bouncy dance tune that actually got some air and club play. Macy's used to play it in their edgy teen clothing section.

The CD ends with the 10 minute track Ice, which is mostly a guitar solo. It is very interesting and can hold your interest through about 20 playings. My only problem is that I over played and got tired of it after about the 50th time.

This CD starts out with the weakest track, and then just gets better all the way through. As an LP, you would typically play side 2 all the time, and only occassionally listen to side 1.

based on inspiration from the novel "grapes of wrath," by john steinbeck, this is an outstanding work of prog-rock. lots of space surronds the majesty of camels sound here, and andrew latimer's guitar work is wonderful as always. pink floyd fans should love this stuff. great music by an extremely talented outfit of musicians.

This is Camel's 11th studio album but first since a seven year break. It was released in 1991. Sound quality is very good and it is 47 minutes long.

This is a concept album base loosely on the Grapes of Wrath. It starts out about moving west to California. It is sort of autobiographical, because Camel did move west during the making of this album. It was started in England but was finished in California's San Francisco Bay Area.

This CD is a lot like Camel's Nude, in tone and structure. If you like Nude, you are sure to like this one, too. I found both Nude and Dust and Dreams to be a little too drab and boring.

Dust and Dreams starts out slow and stark, maybe to give the feel of the dust bowl the Okies left. The CD does pick up in the second half and is more interesting.

I don't think this is one of Camel's best albums. I saw Camel perform this album live and was generally bored by it. That concert is available on the CD set called Never Let Go. But, I think this CD is better than anything Camel did in the eighties. I feel it is better than Nude.

But, this was a good start for the reformed Camel. Later albums are very good, especially Rajaz.

This is a fantastic artistic interpretation of John Steinbeck`s "The Grapes Of Wrath", and it thoroughly explores the theme of The Joads` journey into the false eden called California. It starts with the prying wind theme "The Dust Bowl" that turns into a vocal manifesto of the family`s unrelenting hope "Go West". Then we have a short symphonic masterpiece "Dusted Out" whose dramatic performance shows the drama of the Okies being kicked out of their homes. "Mother Road" brings another important message namely that you and the road you are traveling along are the one thing. The next instrumental piece is "Needles", the city on the Joads` way to the milk`n`honey land, a quite nice transition to a beautiful and heartfelt song "Rose Of Sharon" which is even more sentimental in pitch than the book itself. The last vocal number is called "End Of The Line" which touches the problem of loneliness and helplessness among the trackers whose desperation increases steadily to the point of unutterable anger masterly expressed by the one of the final tracks "Hopeless Anger" in which Latimer`s guitar solo tears your heart apart. And at last the Joads are free to decide which way to go and what they left behind belongs to the past now, and the heavy rain drops bring relief and hope for a change. "Dust & Dreams" is the best concept work of Andy Latimer except "The Snow Goose" and "The Harbour Of Tears".

Camel achieved with Dust and dreams a music full of emotions. After having released disappointing records in the eighties, Andrew Latimer decided to write a concept-album based on Steinbeck's novel 'The grapes of wrath'. Thanks to fabulous keyboards, superb guitar parts and good vocals, this album ranks among the best progressive and melodic records ever released. The most outstanding songs on this record are the instrumentals, as they reflect Camel's members huge talent and their ability to create poignant moods. The harmonica added on some songs gives us a taste of the 'The Great Depression' era. With its poignant passages, DaD remains Camel's gem, along with their classics such as Snowgoose. For every music lover, this is highly to recommend

"Dust and Dreams" is Camel's musical take on John Steinbeck's "The Grapes Of Wrath". The album's success is mostly based on the emotion they are able to invoke through their music.
The album starts softly with "Go West", about reflecting on the past and present that has been shattered, and how life in the west is so much better. The music picks up in "Mother Road", the decision to move is made, and now their on their way. "The Rose of Sharon" deals with the pregnancy and the fear of how to manage with the new child.
The second half of the album is all instrumental, and this is where Camel excels. Through just the titles of the songs and the emotions of the melodies you can follow the story to its ultimate conclusion. You actually feel what is going on with the family and each individual.
Those who have read Steinbeck's novel will especially appreciate this album, as it gives them another medium to expreience it.

Camel-heads seem less divided about this album now than when it came out in the mid-80s. At that time it was perceived as too pop and not prog enough, but it has aged well, both as a musical statement and in how fans recall it. Certainly it was a stronger effort than its very commercial predecessor The Single Factor, and strikes me now as a sort of sequel to the earlier Nude, in its balance of prog and pop elements and its underlying concept. Ably assisted by an entirely new band, including Chris Rainbow on vocals, Ton Scherpenzeel (Kayak), and Paul Burgess and Davy Paton (Pilot, Alan Parsons Project), with only Mel Collins guesting from any earlier line-up, main man Andy Latimer told a loose story of Cold War Peril in divided Berlin, balancing Gilmour-esque instrumental passages like Missing or the title track with well-crafted songs such as Cloak & Dagger Man, the catchy Fingertips, and the gorgeous Long Goodbyes -- which sounds rather like Anthony Phillips, so I wonder if it have been mooted for The Single Factor originally. That said, it's not the album for Camel novices (Snow Goose or Moonmadness should have that honor, I think) but is an underrated and satisfying achievement whose stock has risen since its first issue.

Let me just add a few details on the new version as it compares to the original Metronome CD, which is the one shown on this page. Latimer has acquired the rights and re-released Stationary Traveler in slightly improved form, restoring it to how he had intended it before the record company got involved. The packaging's virtually identical, except with a couple more booklet images similar to the familiar cover art - I'd guess they were on the LP inner sleeve. The page coloring's now yellow instead of white, and the cover lettering is now uniformly white (no more red Camel). No additional credits or liner notes. The CD label borrows the style of the Decca releases, with the band name and title in Gothic lettering.

Music: two new tracks appear, though I understand they exist already as live versions in the concert recordings from that era. The album now opens with In The Arms of Waltzing Frauleins, which isn't prog at all but lyrically tied to, and musically clearly derivative of (deliberately so), the world that the story evokes. Thus it sets the mood quite well, being a melancholy folksong, replete with accordion, that one might hear while drinking in a cabaret in Weimar Berlin. It anticipates in certain ways the brief instrumental After Words, I think. The real plus is the extended Pressure Points, which now closes the record. Calling it an extended mix clouds the issue; it should really be labeled 'complete version,' of which the old version that used to open the album is just the first movement. Where it originally ended, it now moves on a rumbling synth bed into a guitar mid-section that recalls elements of Nude before returning to the opening theme. It's better, certainly, as is the record overall in its new, fuller edition.

This is Camel's tenth studio album. It is the second one that is truly a solo project by Andy Lattimer. It is 42 minutes long.

This CD sounds just like an Alan Parsons album. It has the same feel, structure, quality and style. With Chris Rainbow on vocals on Cloak and Dagger, this song could have easily been on Parsons' Eye In the Sky.

If you like everything that Alan Parsons has done, then you will love this album. I like many of Alan Parsons' CD's but did not care for the more commercial ones like Eye In the Sky or Turn of A Friendly Card. Stationary Traveler is like Parsons at his commercial worst, looking for a hit.

This isn't a horrible album like Camel's previous album, Single Factor. It doesn't have any really bad tracks on it. And like all Camel albums, there are some really nice guitar parts from Lattimer. It just doesn't have any that really stands out. I would rate it around three stars. If I lost it, I wouldn't bother to replace it.

This is really a solo effort from Lattimer. He plays most of the instruments on most of the songs. Mel Collins does add in some nice sax parts.

Don't expect another "Lady fantasy" song on this album as it is something else more like Alan Parson's style. Prog purists won't like it, but I am sinner, so I enjoy every minutes on this album.

There is only one song that I find very average on this album and it is "Cloak and dagger man".

Camel should always end up their shows with song "Long goodbyes" as it is a great exit song: <>

If you like Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons Project, then you should like Camel. This CD is one of my favorite CDs, the songs are just awesome, especially "Refugee", "West Berlin", "Vopos" and "Long Goodbyes". You will love "Stationary Traveller" because there is not doubt about it, it is just one of the best Camel's albums along with "Single Factor".

I love progressive rock, Camel is one of my favorites groups, I bought pressure points, rain dances and the single factor before stationary traveller and i get a great a surprise, this album is the resume of good works and it has a lot of nostalgia in their songs, "long goodbyes" is a masterpiece... Camel just great¡¡¡