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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on May 16, 2009, 12:31:34 AM
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One of my favorite bands, and definitely one that is overlooked far too often. Very few bands can say that their first four studio albums were as good or better than Camel's first four. Moonmadness and Mirage are both desert island discs for me, in particular.
I also love the fact that they were very progressive, but never in the sense of overplaying at all or of having exaggerated song lengths. Many of their great songs seem to fall in the 5 to 10 minute range. Andrew Latimer's clean guitar tone is to die for, and how can you not love a band that regularly features a flute?!
And for point of reference, for those on the forum who haven't heard them yet, Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth has listed them as one of his biggest influences, and the most notable Opeth songs where this is evident are "Ending Credits," Benighted" (this one because the main acoustic riff is pretty much taken from "Never Let Go" from Camel's debut) and "Atonement" (on this one, the vocals under water effect, which Camel sometimes used to great effect, are in full force).
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I could not agree more, the Rain Dances album is one of my favorite. I saw them on the Snowgoose tour and Rain Dances tour both times they were excellent.
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I've never listened further than Ice and Lady Fantasy. And while I like Lady Fantasy, I absolutely love Ice.
Is there an album that has more of the soft beautiful tunes like Ice?
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Wow, I was listening to Moonmadness yesterday before falling sleep. It's a great album, I love the melancholic feeling and how they manage to create a texture with the music, and to give a great flow to it. I love their style, the playing is very delicate so you don't feel overwhelmed with the musicianship all the time but you can still appreciate the complexity of what they're playing.
I have Snowgoose but haven't had time to listen to it yet. And I badly need to get Mirage, I think it will be in my next amazon batch.
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I've never listened further than Ice and Lady Fantasy. And while I like Lady Fantasy, I absolutely love Ice.
Is there an album that has more of the soft beautiful tunes like Ice?
Moonmadness is soft and incredibly beautiful.
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Camel is a band that I know I must get into more.
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Mirage is my favorite Camel album. The first 2 albums seem to have a harder edge to them.
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But what's my point of reference if I don't know the Opeth references??
LudwigVan..a little help here??
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TAC, they're labelled as 70s prog (Canterbury scene), but they're not super-proggy in the sense of having weird time signatures. Camel is very instrumental-oriented with not such a great emphasis on vocals, which results in a lot of long jammy passages. There are times when they almost sound like a melodic Allman Bros Band. Guitarist Andrew Latimer is the real star of the band, his playing is clean and very melodic.
My guess is that it's not your cup of tea. :)
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I first read the thread title as "Came!" and I was surprised it wasn't Zeltar the one who made it. Later on, it all made sense and my life got a new meaning :millahhhh
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A Nod and a Wink is one of my favorite albums. Also check out Rajaz.
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I saw Camel in 1973 and was hooked. I have all their albums and all the Barden albums too. There's genius in the stack.
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I saw Camel in 1973 and was hooked. I have all their albums and all the Barden albums too. There's genius in the stack.
SAW them in 1973?? Wow you might be the oldest of the Old Fogeys here!
Is that Barden, as in Gary Barden??
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The Snow Goose is one of my favourite albums. Rhayader(sp.) is stupidly catchy.
I tried to get more into Camel but unfortunately, I can't stand the vocals. Have the got any other instrumental albums?
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I saw Camel in 1973 and was hooked. I have all their albums and all the Barden albums too. There's genius in the stack.
SAW them in 1973?? Wow you might be the oldest of the Old Fogeys here!
Is that Barden, as in Gary Barden??
No, that would be Peter Bardens.
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I saw Camel in 1973 and was hooked. I have all their albums and all the Barden albums too. There's genius in the stack.
SAW them in 1973?? Wow you might be the oldest of the Old Fogeys here!
Is that Barden, as in Gary Barden??
No, that would be Peter Bardens.
I think TAC was correcting my poor spelling. Us old fogeys need all the help we can get. ;)
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Camel is indeed a great band IMO. I absolutely love Mirage, Snow Goose, but particularly Moonmadness (Chord Changes and Song Within a Song are just too great imo). I personally haven´t checked out their more recent albums (A nod and a wink, Rajaz, etc.) but it seems it´s very good stuff.
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No post.
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I love their style, the playing is very delicate so you don't feel overwhelmed with the musicianship all the time but you can still appreciate the complexity of what they're playing.
Very well-said! :tup :tup
I saw Camel in 1973 and was hooked.
I am jealous. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Camel are great! I love the early albums. Also really enjoy the first couple of albums with David Sinclair and Mel Collins. I have five albums and intend getting quite a few more. Already have Moonmadness, Snowgoose, Mirage, Raindances and Breathless. Next on the list: Camel and Nude.
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I saw Camel in 1973 and was hooked. I have all their albums and all the Barden albums too. There's genius in the stack.
SAW them in 1973?? Wow you might be the oldest of the Old Fogeys here!
Is that Barden, as in Gary Barden??
No, that would be Peter Bardens.
I think TAC was correcting my poor spelling. Us old fogeys need all the help we can get. ;)
No I was having Michael Schenker hopeful moment.
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I saw Camel in 1973 and was hooked. I have all their albums and all the Barden albums too. There's genius in the stack.
SAW them in 1973?? Wow you might be the oldest of the Old Fogeys here!
Is that Barden, as in Gary Barden??
No, that would be Peter Bardens.
I think TAC was correcting my poor spelling. Us old fogeys need all the help we can get. ;)
No I was having Michael Schenker hopeful moment.
:D
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I just listened to Moonmadness again last night, and I must say that this music has more in common with jazz fusion than it actually does with Prog rock IMO.
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Late last night, I took my boom box out to the backyard deck and played The Snow Goose. It felt like Andy Latimer's guitar lines were reaching for the stars... t'was beautiful. :millahhhh
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Late last night, I took my boom box out to the backyard deck and played ......
:lol
Let me guess..8 track or cassette??
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Late last night, I took my boom box out to the backyard deck and played ......
:lol
Let me guess..8 track or cassette??
CD boom-box baby! I did it again yesterday, only this time I played Camel's s/t debut album, which has a distinct Santana-like vibe to it. :hat
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This band...so good.
NP: "Earthrise"
:hat :hat :hat
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I like "Never Let Go"
I also like "Benighted" by Opeth
:hat :hat
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Bump.
Where do I start with these guys?
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Bump.
Where do I start with these guys?
Mirage and/or Moonmadness. The Snow Goose would be a good choice, too.
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I'll second the Snow Goose.
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I could never get beyond plain liking the Snow Goose. It's something different, but it's seems too... willowy, or something.
I checked out a few tracks off of Mirage and Moonmadness though, and they were all real good, so someday, I'll have to delve more.
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I could never get beyond plain liking the Snow Goose. It's something different, but it's seems too... willowy, or something.
I checked out a few tracks off of Mirage and Moonmadness though, and they were all real good, so someday, I'll have to delve more.
'Willowy' is actually a pretty good description of Camel. There's nothing really hard or heavy about this band, which means I really have to be in the right mood for it.
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I listened to Mirage. Meh, it's alright, I guess. I could see it growing on me...maybe.
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Bump.
Where do I start with these guys?
Start with the debut, and continue chronologically. :)
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I listened to Mirage. Meh, it's alright, I guess. I could see it growing on me...maybe.
Camel is the textbook example of a grower band. Their music rarely wows you on its first listen, but the more you listen, the more those melodies get stuck in your head, and before you know it, you are hooked. Trust me. :)
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I just listened to Moonmadness again last night, and I must say that this music has more in common with jazz fusion than it actually does with Prog rock IMO.
This is true. The last song in that album (a masterpiece IMO) is definitely a good example. The drumming is taken from a fusion band.
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Is it wrong that I have only listened to Harbour of Tears. I actually enjoy that album quite a bit
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I was hounded by SinisterMinisterX to check these guys out and finally did awhile back. I bought Mirage and A Live Record and loved both of them, looking forward to hearing more.
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Is it wrong that I have only listened to Harbour of Tears.
Yes. If you listen very closely, you can hear both Moonmadness and Mirage whispering your name. :biggrin:
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Ahh... summertime = the return of the Camel thread! :biggrin:
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Is it wrong that I have only listened to Harbour of Tears.
Yes. If you listen very closely, you can hear both Moonmadness and Mirage whispering your name. :biggrin:
What do people think of Harbour of Tears though? I almost rarely see it mentioned. I enjoy that album quite and bit and will definately check out the ones you recommended
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I have to admit that I have never heard any of that album, probably because, like you said, it is never talked about. :lol I am open to checking it out, however...
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"Echoes" is epic.
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I feel the need to bring this thread back to mention that I bought Moonmadness at Cheapo and really enjoyed it.
I also just bought Harbour of Tears on their website, but sadly you have to spend a certain amount, so I also bought Coming of Age Live
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I feel the need to bring this thread back to mention that I bought Moonmadness at Cheapo and really enjoyed it.
:hat
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I've still only had the chance to listen to their s/t album, but I listen to it pretty frequently.
It is a really enjoyable album and certainly something which I would rank up towards the top of my progressive album rankings.
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Yea the s/t is easily one of the better albums that I've been playing lately. Haven't heard anything else, but I'm gonna dive into Mirage within the next couple of weeks.
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Lady Fantasy is one of my favourite songs on earth! Just amazing.
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I could listen to piano work like "Fritha Alone" from The Snow Goose all day. Give me my iPod and a snowy day, and that song would be a perfect fit. :hat
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Ice and Straight To My Heart are my fav. songs by them.
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Groovesharking the debut now, I'm liking what I'm hearing. It's so groovy and atmospheric, it sounds like it would be amazing on vinyl. Is that right? I might have to visit the local trading spot this sunday to see if there are some used Camel LPs around.
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The Snow Goose and Mirage are my favourite albums by them. Cracking band :metal
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A bloke I used to work with many years ago leant me Captured, the live album, and I was hooked. Great, tasteful, lyrical guitar playing. The bloke was a total prick but at least his musical taste was good. He was a big Zappa fan too.
Nude is probably my favourite but I haven't heard all their albums. Should probably put that right.
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Nude. :hefdaddy What an underrated record, one of my favorites, so epic and so wonderful.
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I remember doing a search on them and checking out some random songs, and they did absolutely nothing for me; it sounds like I must have started at the wrong place. Recommend me a few songs to start with?
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I remember doing a search on them and checking out some random songs, and they did absolutely nothing for me; it sounds like I must have started at the wrong place. Recommend me a few songs to start with?
"Lunar Sea"
"Rhayader"
"Rhayader Goes to Town"
"Lady Fantasy"
"Air Born"
"Never Let Go"
"Ice"
"Sasquatch"
"Nimrodel/The Procession/The White Rider"
"Song Within a Song"
"The Snow Goose"
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^ Pretty much that.
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Can't go wrong with Another Night either.
Harbour of Tears is still one of my favorites though
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I am finally looking into checking out Harbour of Tears. :)
In the meantime, cranking some Mirage up at the moment. :hat
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I should check out more Camel. I have all their studio albums from the debut through I Can See Your House From Here, plus Rajaz. Snow Goose and Mirage are my favorites. Andy Latimer is one of the greatest guitarists ever.
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Ah, Camel...
Camel are wonderful, I especially love Peter Bardens's playing, especially on Slow Yourself Down. I swear he's playing two simultaneous solos on that one.
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Ice.
:heart
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Harbour of Tears is still my favorite though. A perfect album in my opinion
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Just chimed in to say that the instrumental section in Another night is brilliant. :hefdaddy
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Andy Latimer is one of the greatest guitarists ever.
This can never be said enough! His clean tone is simply godly. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
I especially love Peter Bardens's playing, especially on Slow Yourself Down. I swear he's playing two simultaneous solos on that one.
I remember when I got the first Camel record, and on my first listen, that instrumental section in Slow Yourself Down was absolutely mind-blowing. As mellow as their music often is, they sure can rock hard at times, too.
Just chimed in to say that the instrumental section in Another night is brilliant. :hefdaddy
:tup :tup
Ice.
:heart
Honestly, I would call that one of THE definitive prog rock epic instrumentals, along with Rush's La Villa Strangiato for one.
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Did you check out Harbour of Tears yet, Kev?
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Not yet, but I have a copy now, so I will be checking it out very soon; hopefully sometime this week. :)
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Ice.
:heart
Honestly, I would call that one of THE definitive prog rock epic instrumentals, along with Rush's La Villa Strangiato for one.
By a big coincidence I found a second hand vinyl version of I Can See Your House From Here. I just finished listening, and man, although the actual album has to sink in a bit, Ice really is like a standalone piece.
Incredible.
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Bumping this old gem of a thread again.
I've been listening to Coming of Age: Live and it reaffirms my love for Harbour of Tears. I just recently checked out "A Nod and A Wink" and the title track is simply amazing.
I actually find myself liking Camel material from Dust and Dreams-A Nod and A Wink. The other stuff is great too, but the aforementioned material is just great.
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Great band. I originally dismissed them because they were too "soft" and "Canterbury." They're now easily one of my favorites. Moonmadness and Mirage are amazing.
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I love Moonmadness. Nude isn't bad either. They had a great career back then as well.
Too "Canterbury" as in Caravan?"
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Yeah, that's what I initially thought of them. Now I obviously love Camel. Caravan is pretty good too though I only have 'In a Land of Grey and Pink.'
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Did you check out Harbour of Tears yet, Kev?
Finally doing so now. Sounds good so far (of the tracks I have, most of which I have, given to me by a friend). The CD is not easy to find.
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Moonmadness is one of my favorite albums. I still need to get more of their albums, especially the debut, but I love everything I've heard (Moonmadness, Snow Goose, Mirage, Nude).
Also, an update was just posted on their website. Looks like a new album for 2013.
https://www.camelproductions.com/
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Ah, I knew there was a Camel thread somewhere (I remembered posting in it).
I think one of my favourite of their albums is Nude. It's just so...
...different. Well, that and how epic all of the instrumentals are on it, which is about 80% of it.
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Can anyone direct me to an album/song I've been meaning to look for? I don't remember it well but it was slow and kind of ambient (I think) and it had some flute-y clean guitar playing. I know it was Camel but I forgot the name of the song. So what should I check out?
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It could have been Supertwister, although if there's guitar and flute, it's likely to be something from either Rain Dances or Breathless.
I can't offhand think of what it would be, but check those out, it may be one of those. Or check out A Song Within A Song.
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I listened to Mirage the other day. It was very nice. :tup
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About the Canterbury thing, they never struck me as Canterbury for some reason. Don't know why. Well maybe on a couple later works.
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I think it's that their early days weren't Canterbury (certainly to my mind, but then there wasn't a Guildford scene, but that's not really even in Kent to my knowledge). But yes, later when they had the Sinclairs and other members of Caravan, yeah, that's definitely Canterbury.
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Can anyone direct me to an album/song I've been meaning to look for? I don't remember it well but it was slow and kind of ambient (I think) and it had some flute-y clean guitar playing. I know it was Camel but I forgot the name of the song. So what should I check out?
Well, Camel has a lot of mellow-ish songs with flute and clean guitar playing..:lol
My suggestion is to just check out their best albums (reading this thread will give you a good indication of where to start), and once you become a fan, you'll want more of their stuff. It's then inevitable that you'll stumble across that song you are looking for. :)
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I love love love this band. I listened to Camel for the first time a few months ago and I was immediately hooked. Out of the four albums I've already purchased, Moonmadness is my favorite--that album would make a brilliant laser light show soundtrack! Mirage and The Snow Goose are also incredible! I was a little disappointed with I Can See Your House from Here but it certainly has its moments. What should my next Camel album be? Probably Rajaz, right?
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Rajaz is high quality but I would go with the self-titled debut. It's kind of more jazzy and rocking than their later material. I love it. :heart
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Song Within a Song :heart :heart
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Earlier I went to the best CD store in St. Louis and purchased the Camel album Breathless. I've only listened to it once but I can tell I'm going to like this one quite a bit--it's definitely progressive rock, but with lots of dance and disco elements too so it's a lot of fun. "Summer Lightning" is INCREDIBLE!!! This band is so underrated it seriously hurts.
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Finally doing so now. Sounds good so far (of the tracks I have, most of which I have, given to me by a friend). The CD is not easy to find.
Sweet!
Yeah, definitely not easy to find at all. I ordered it from their site and it took 3 months to get to me. I love it though. The story is cool and easy to follow and it's got some great instrumental moments. Andy's guitar playing is excellent.
The live album for it is great too. "Coming of Age: Live"
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I love love love this band. I listened to Camel for the first time a few months ago and I was immediately hooked. Out of the four albums I've already purchased, Moonmadness is my favorite--that album would make a brilliant laser light show soundtrack! Mirage and The Snow Goose are also incredible! I was a little disappointed with I Can See Your House from Here but it certainly has its moments. What should my next Camel album be? Probably Rajaz, right?
Get the debut or A Nod and a Wink next. I am still digging into some of the other newer stuff, like Rajaz and Harbour of Tears, so I can't recommend them as early starter albums yet, but time will tell.
Finally doing so now. Sounds good so far (of the tracks I have, most of which I have, given to me by a friend). The CD is not easy to find.
Sweet!
Yeah, definitely not easy to find at all. I ordered it from their site and it took 3 months to get to me. I love it though. The story is cool and easy to follow and it's got some great instrumental moments. Andy's guitar playing is excellent.
Well, that kind of goes without saying, right? ;) I mean, when is Latimer's playing not awesome? :coolio
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I love love love this band. I listened to Camel for the first time a few months ago and I was immediately hooked. Out of the four albums I've already purchased, Moonmadness is my favorite--that album would make a brilliant laser light show soundtrack! Mirage and The Snow Goose are also incredible! I was a little disappointed with I Can See Your House from Here but it certainly has its moments. What should my next Camel album be? Probably Rajaz, right?
Harbour of Tears was my first Camel CD and I loved it. A Nod and a Wink's self titled song is amazing
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A Nod and a Wink (the song) is good, but I'll take A Boy's Life and For Today from that album as the true standouts. Fox Hill is stellar musically, but the vocal delivery in that song is cringeworthy. I get what they were going for, but it doesn't make it not annoying.
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I haven't listened to ANAW fully in awhile so I can't remember too much about it. Just that the self-titled was one of my favorites. Hopefully Andy feels better soon and gets stronger and puts out new Camel material.
Dave Stewart played drums on Rajaz and Coming of Age live. I hope they work with him again. He's just a tiny Irish guy but plays with such force
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You guys were right about Harbour of Tears--what a stunning piece of work that is. I've only listened to it three times so far but I can tell it will be one of my favorite Camel albums. I wonder how many people in the world have ridden a camel while listening to Camel while smoking a Camel. That might be one for the bucket list.
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:tup
Such a great album. I honestly can never get enough of it. It's even better on the live CD. The instrumental part of Send Home the Slates is sped up a bit
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https://www.progrockmag.com/news/camel-return-to-stage/
So excited right now.
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Lucky London bastards... :biggrin:
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Too bad Dave Stewart isn't drumming for them anymore. He was a little pint-sized Irish drumming powerhouse.
I'm just happy that Andy is doing better. I haven't seen a picture of him recently
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Sounds like a great show. The Snow Goose is their best album.
On another note, The Hour Candle from Harbour of Tears is awesome. Camel writes melodies that really resonate with me.
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My Camel obsession inspired me to make another one of my dorky Top 20 Songs videos on Youtube. Please don't yell at me if I neglected your favorite Camel tunes--there were just too many incredible songs to choose from! :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiSvwj_ZhZo
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Saw Camel last night. Andy Latimer looked like he was really enjoying getting to play live again. He strolled on, put the flute down, picked up the guitar and just looked so happy, it was lovely to see.
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Did they play anything from Harbour of Tears?
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Yes, it was an instrumental Andy Latimer wrote for his father.
I think they played something from every album, including the song "Tell Me", which is one I massively love.
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Great to see them performing the entire The Snow goose, and Tell me really is a pleasant surprise, probably my favorite song from Rain dances.
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Long time ago, Mirage made Symphonic Prog "click" for me.
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Since Camel ist going to play at the Night Of The Prog Festival this year, I decided to listen to my Snow Goose vinyl that I have sitting in my collection for about 5 years now. I knew it before and liked it but never listened to it as closely as I should have.
Listening to it carefully, I realized how good it actually is and how little recognition this band gets next to the giants Genesis, Yes etc.! So I bought their debut from 1973 and live album from 1978 in Amsterdam a couple weeks ago and ordered Moonmadness on discogs (bc they will play this one in its entirety at the NotP). I am falling in love with this band more and more! Their music is a lot more introverted than most 70s prog. Closest band of the bigger prog bands musically speaking would be Genesis. But I love Camels instrumental approach and the introverted vocals. The latter could actually be a big reason that they never gained as much popularity as other bands of their time who had charismatic singers (Greg Lake, Jon Anderson, Gabriel).
I will continue with the 70s albums Rain Dances, Breathless and I Can See Your House From Here and save Mirage up for last. I heard it's their best. I also haven't listened to the first LP of their live album since there are some Mirage songs on there. I heard their 80s stuff is not thaaat good, but I'm sure I will listen to those albums too at some point.
My favorite songs are until now:
Never Let Go
Arubaluba
Air Born
First side of The Snow Goose (I don't know where one track ends and the next one starts, this is just one big piece for me in the vein of Thick As A Brick, Hergest Ridge etc.)
Lunar Sea
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Interesting choice to leave Mirage for last. I'd agree it's their best one, although I love The Snow goose and Moonmadness as well.
Also, do NOT ignore the album Nude. It's brilliant. :hefdaddy
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Interesting choice to leave Mirage for last. I'd agree it's their best one, although I love The Snow goose and Moonmadness as well.
Also, do NOT ignore the album Nude. It's brilliant. :hefdaddy
Thanks I won't!! There's this German prog review website on which I read daily, it's called Babyblaue Prog Reviews. Most of the people there wrote that the 80s albums are not as good, and NUDE had a 8,5 / 15 rating. But if you say it's good, then I will listen to it soon :)
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Stationary Traveller is also very good.
Don't forget to check Dust And Dreams, Harbour Of Tears, Rajaz and A Nod And A Wink. They are almost as good as their 70s output.
Latimer is easily one of my all-time favorite guitarists. Just watch the DVD Coming Of Age. The guy plays from the heart and he is the proof that you don't need to be fast nor technical to be an amazing guitarist. "Ice" on that DVD is breathtaking.
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Since Camel ist going to play at the Night Of The Prog Festival this year, I decided to listen to my Snow Goose vinyl that I have sitting in my collection for about 5 years now. I knew it before and liked it but never listened to it as closely as I should have.
Listening to it carefully, I realized how good it actually is and how little recognition this band gets next to the giants Genesis, Yes etc.! So I bought their debut from 1973 and live album from 1978 in Amsterdam a couple weeks ago and ordered Moonmadness on discogs (bc they will play this one in its entirety at the NotP). I am falling in love with this band more and more! Their music is a lot more introverted than most 70s prog. Closest band of the bigger prog bands musically speaking would be Genesis. But I love Camels instrumental approach and the introverted vocals. The latter could actually be a big reason that they never gained as much popularity as other bands of their time who had charismatic singers (Greg Lake, Jon Anderson, Gabriel).
I will continue with the 70s albums Rain Dances, Breathless and I Can See Your House From Here and save Mirage up for last. I heard it's their best. I also haven't listened to the first LP of their live album since there are some Mirage songs on there. I heard their 80s stuff is not thaaat good, but I'm sure I will listen to those albums too at some point.
My favorite songs are until now:
Never Let Go
Arubaluba
Air Born
First side of The Snow Goose (I don't know where one track ends and the next one starts, this is just one big piece for me in the vein of Thick As A Brick, Hergest Ridge etc.)
Lunar Sea
I think Mirage is their best, yes, although Moonmadness and The Snow Goose are not far behind.
And I agree about Camel and the vocals. Had they had a more traditional lead singer, they probably hit it a bit bigger, but I like the way they did the vocals back then. It was almost like another instrument at times, and I think calling them introverted is a good way to put it.
Andrew Latimer is a true guitar god. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Anyone else get their new live DVD?
https://www.discogs.com/Camel-Live-At-The-Royal-Albert-Hall/release/14512833
Okay, I didn't get it, but a friend did, and we watched it last night. Very good, and Andrew Latimer's guitar tone is just insane. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Another band that I digitized from vinyl over my extended "staycation". I just ripped Snow Goose, Moonmadness, Rain Dances, and Breathless to FLAC last week. (I already had Mirage on CD)
I remember being skeptical of Breathless because of people's reviews, but it was better than I expected. Even the obvious radio single was not a complete sell out.
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I did not realize there was a Camel thread here. Kind of a recently acquired obsession of mine. I don’t have that Royal Albert DVD, but I did see the End of the Line promo on YouTube and thought it looked and sounded amazing.
In the last few months I’ve tracked down copies of three of their many concept albums, Nude, Dust and Dreams, and Harbour of Tears. Nude and Dust and Dreams I really like, and I’ve especially been loving Nude. Harbour of Tears has some nice moments but isn’t very focused, and a lot of the instrumental passages feel like rehashes of Dust and Dreams.
Anyway, I’ve got everything by Camel now except for The Hit Factor and Rajaz. So many different eras of the band, but throughout Latimer has always been amazing.
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Interesting choice to leave Mirage for last. I'd agree it's their best one, although I love The Snow goose and Moonmadness as well.
Also, do NOT ignore the album Nude. It's brilliant. :hefdaddy
Thanks I won't!! There's this German prog review website on which I read daily, it's called Babyblaue Prog Reviews. Most of the people there wrote that the 80s albums are not as good, and NUDE had a 8,5 / 15 rating. But if you say it's good, then I will listen to it soon :)
yes in my opinion it is (given that you like what they do musically speaking. I don't, but I'm doing my best to be neutral about their music). I'd also get all the albums up until A Live Record (2002 editions if you can, seeing as they sound very clean and they are complete, most importantly. This also applies to Pressure Points, their second live album, which features quite a bit from Nude in its complete form.)
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Love Nude.
I played a Pressure Points today. A great live album.
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Anyone else get their new live DVD?
https://www.discogs.com/Camel-Live-At-The-Royal-Albert-Hall/release/14512833
Okay, I didn't get it, but a friend did, and we watched it last night. Very good, and Andrew Latimer's guitar tone is just insane. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Wow, I totally missed this release. I saw Camel live at the Night Of The Prog and they were awesome. I've been dying to hear that live version of Another Night again! The straight drum groove and the harmony vocals fit that song so well. Shame this concert wasn't released on vinyl though ;)
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Interesting choice to leave Mirage for last. I'd agree it's their best one, although I love The Snow goose and Moonmadness as well.
Also, do NOT ignore the album Nude. It's brilliant. :hefdaddy
Thanks I won't!! There's this German prog review website on which I read daily, it's called Babyblaue Prog Reviews. Most of the people there wrote that the 80s albums are not as good, and NUDE had a 8,5 / 15 rating. But if you say it's good, then I will listen to it soon :)
yes in my opinion it is (given that you like what they do musically speaking. I don't, but I'm doing my best to be neutral about their music). I'd also get all the albums up until A Live Record (2002 editions if you can, seeing as they sound very clean and they are complete, most importantly. This also applies to Pressure Points, their second live album, which features quite a bit from Nude in its complete form.)
Interesting that this conversation from 2 years ago came up again :lol I have NUDE in my collection for over a year now, and I like it a lot. I haven't listened to it in months though, will do that tomorrow :)
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Listening to it carefully, I realized how good it actually is and how little recognition this band gets next to the giants Genesis, Yes etc.! So I bought their debut from 1973 and live album from 1978 in Amsterdam a couple weeks ago and ordered Moonmadness on discogs (bc they will play this one in its entirety at the NotP). I am falling in love with this band more and more! Their music is a lot more introverted than most 70s prog. Closest band of the bigger prog bands musically speaking would be Genesis. But I love Camels instrumental approach and the introverted vocals. The latter could actually be a big reason that they never gained as much popularity as other bands of their time who had charismatic singers (Greg Lake, Jon Anderson, Gabriel).
Bumping an old comment, but “Introverted vocals” is a great descriptor for Camel and probably is one reason they didn’t have the commercial success of their peers. One thing I appreciate about them is the vocals do take a back seat to the instrumentation, which kind of lets the music emote and tell the story and the vocals just kind of give you the words if that makes sense. A different approach, but one I really enjoy. For instance, “Echoes” off of Breathless goes on for several minutes before the vocals kick in. The music has already sort of set the tone and the vocals come in to sort of guide you the rest of the way.
That said, I do think Andrew Latimer has a very interesting voice that can be very emotive in its own way. Listening to “End of the Line” off Dust and Dreams now, and it’s just an aching and beautiful song, with his mournful voice complimented by the soulful guitar solos.
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I am sure I already said it in this thread years ago :lol, but Camel's non-noteworthy vocals are a unique part of their sound. Another Night has long been one of my favorite Camel songs, and it wouldn't be the same with a singer who belts it out. I like the "introverted vocals" description as well.
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I am sure I already said it in this thread years ago :lol, but Camel's non-noteworthy vocals are a unique part of their sound. Another Night has long been one of my favorite Camel songs, and it wouldn't be the same with a singer who belts it out. I like the "introverted vocals" description as well.
Yep. There’s more than one way to tell a story, and while I like dramatic singers generally, not everybody has to have a Jon Anderson or Phil Collins type of voice to get the point across. King Crimson rarely had dynamic singers (although Wetton had his moments, he wasn’t a great singer at the time he was in the band). You can get away with it if the music is strong enough.
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That said, I do think Andrew Latimer has a very interesting voice that can be very emotive in its own way. Listening to “End of the Line” off Dust and Dreams now, and it’s just an aching and beautiful song, with his mournful voice complimented by the soulful guitar solos.
This is why I think Harbour of Tears works well for his voice. “Eyes of Ireland” is a good example of this because it’s kind of a sad song in that it’s remembering a better time or retelling of a time gone by and his voice does a good job of conveying that emotion.
You mention Dust and Dreams, Camel’s later stuff is nothing to ignore. It’s different from the early stuff, but it’s not bad. I really enjoy A Nod and a Wink
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That said, I do think Andrew Latimer has a very interesting voice that can be very emotive in its own way. Listening to “End of the Line” off Dust and Dreams now, and it’s just an aching and beautiful song, with his mournful voice complimented by the soulful guitar solos.
This is why I think Harbour of Tears works well for his voice. “Eyes of Ireland” is a good example of this because it’s kind of a sad song in that it’s remembering a better time or retelling of a time gone by and his voice does a good job of conveying that emotion.
You mention Dust and Dreams, Camel’s later stuff is nothing to ignore. It’s different from the early stuff, but it’s not bad. I really enjoy A Nod and a Wink
A Nod and a Wink is really great. I do like Harbour of Tears but about half of it doesn’t do much for me. Dust and Dreams is really powerful though (even if it sounds a little low budget). Some of Latimer’s more aggressive guitar work on that one.
Speaking of Latimer’s guitar work, now listening to “Ice,” which is just impossibly beautiful.
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I'm listening to Nude right now and it's beautiful. I don't know why it not ranked among Camel's greatest. It has an introverted character and it's mainly instrumental, maybe reflecting the loneliness of the protagonist on the island. I love the opener City Lights and I think it is so catchy that it could have been a hit. I think I'll be listening to this album a lot more.
I will also give their other two 80s albums a listen. I know, The Single Factor is very poppy and regarded as one of their worst albums, but I have nothing against well done pop music, so let's see! I'm also looking forward to Stationary Traveller, I heard good things about it.
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I've always had a soft spot for Nude, there are some gorgeous instrumentals in there.
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Nude really is wonderful. I’ve been playing City Life frequently these last few months. Kind of a reminder of before everything went crazy when you could just be bored with regular life. Most of us would trade the current situation for that banality I expect. Nude and City Life are up there among my favorite Camel albums/songs for sure.
I also think I Can See Your House From Here is a really strong blend of pop and prog. I had it for a while before it really hit me, and I think coming back to it after hearing Nude helped it click for whatever reason.
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BTW, for fans of early Camel (and anyone else really), this Israeli band called Telegraph has a really great album called Mir that recalls some of the early Camel sound. It’s really strong in its own right though (and based on a cool story). Highly recommended.
https://telegraphband.bandcamp.com/album/mir
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BTW, for fans of early Camel (and anyone else really), this Israeli band called Telegraph has a really great album called Mir that recalls some of the early Camel sound. It’s really strong in its own right though (and based on a cool story). Highly recommended.
https://telegraphband.bandcamp.com/album/mir
thanks for the recommendation. Listening now and enjoying it.
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BTW, for fans of early Camel (and anyone else really), this Israeli band called Telegraph has a really great album called Mir that recalls some of the early Camel sound. It’s really strong in its own right though (and based on a cool story). Highly recommended.
https://telegraphband.bandcamp.com/album/mir
thanks for the recommendation. Listening now and enjoying it.
Awesome! It’s a beautiful recording with some really nice guitar work on it. Hope these guys make another album before long.
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I will also give their other two 80s albums a listen. I know, The Single Factor is very poppy and regarded as one of their worst albums, but I have nothing against well done pop music, so let's see! I'm also looking forward to Stationary Traveller, I heard good things about it.
I'm not overly wild about that album as a whole, but it does have Sasquatch, which is one of their most awesome instrumentals.
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Ever since I've popped in this thread by happenstance a couple days ago I've been listening to the first three albums back to back to back pretty much non stop. Still not familiar with the song titles....but man these are a really fun and cool listen.
I guess I'll graduate on to the other albums in a bit but I really wanted to 'get' them before just inundating myself with all of their music.
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That is great to hear, Gary. Albums 2-4 (Mirage, The Snow Goose, Moonmadness) are the best and most consistent, but pretty much all of their albums have something to like.
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For whatever reason I’ve had a hard time connecting with The Snow Goose. I generally like instrumental Camel a lot, but for some reason that one just kind of washes over me when I hear it, and I don’t really retain much memory of it.
I think Moon Madness is a stronger album from the original Camel lineup than The Snow Goose, and it might even be my favorite of those first four.
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I like The Snow Goose a LOT, but I agree that Moonmadness is the stronger album. Both albums are more introverted than Mirage imo. I love that introverted side of Camel's music. I also think the debut of the band is fantastic, a little more raw than the following albums.
Btw, I've been listening to Pink Floyd a lot lately and I realized again that the guitar style of Latimer and Gilmour is not that different! Both know how to make so much out of few notes.
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That debut is really cool. Was watching this old promo video of Never Let Go recently and thinking how raw it is. The drums on that song (and whole album really) are just in your face. Almost a grunge or metal edge to this song.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pkDP3fZmyiE
There’s definitely also a Pink Floyd type vibe but to a lot of Camel. A lot of similarities between Gilmour, Latimer, and Rothery as far as soloing.
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Listening to Nude tonight. There’s just something oddly peaceful about this album for me. It was my soundtrack to the early stages of the pandemic, so it’s kind of wild to come back to it and realize it’s been right about a year since that all started (here in the US at least).
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Listening to Nude tonight. There’s just something oddly peaceful about this album for me. It was my soundtrack to the early stages of the pandemic, so it’s kind of wild to come back to it and realize it’s been right about a year since that all started (here in the US at least).
I agree, Nude is a beautiful album and it's rarely appreciated. I think I even spin it more often than Moonmadness.
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I am always in favor of this thread being bumped. Love me some Camel.
Admittedly, Nude is not an album I revisit often, but I still like it.
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I started to rip my vinyl to FLAC. Loved Snow Goose, Moonmadness and Rain Dances. Kinda lost me on Breathless though. Can’t figure out what they were thinking with a couple of those songs.
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I started to rip my vinyl to FLAC. Loved Snow Goose, Moonmadness and Rain Dances. Kinda lost me on Breathless though. Can’t figure out what they were thinking with a couple of those songs.
Breathless is the marmite Camel album for sure. I love Echoes, and for a while the oddball nature of that album intrigued me, but I don’t go back to it all that often now.
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"Echoes" and "Summer Lightning" are two of my favorite Camel songs, but as a whole, Breathless was nowhere near as strong as Rain Dances in my opinion. A few weeks ago I read some blog that counted down the best progressive rock vocalists, and they included Richard Sinclair, who sang on both of those albums. I was completely unfamiliar with his previous band, Caravan, and so I decided to give them a listen, and have been absolutely obsessing over their albums If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You, In the Land of Grey and Pink, For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night, and Cunning Stunts. Are you all fans of Caravan too?
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"Echoes" and "Summer Lightning" are two of my favorite Camel songs, but as a whole, Breathless was nowhere near as strong as Rain Dances in my opinion. A few weeks ago I read some blog that counted down the best progressive rock vocalists, and they included Richard Sinclair, who sang on both of those albums. I was completely unfamiliar with his previous band, Caravan, and so I decided to give them a listen, and have been absolutely obsessing over their albums If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You, In the Land of Grey and Pink, For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night, and Cunning Stunts. Are you all fans of Caravan too?
I have In the Land of Grey and Pink, in part because of the Camel connection (I also thought the pink and grey cover was really unique). I like that album but haven’t heard anything else by Caravan.
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I wouldn't say I'm a "fan" of Caravan (yet), but I have three albums by them and I really like them: Grey & Pink, Waterloo and Cunning Stunts. I think all of them are good, and I have to cut some slack for the lesser known (and liked, apparently) Cunning Stunts. Especially the second side is awesome.
As for Breathless by Camel, this is another album that is never talked about, but I really like it. It has one of those oddball songs I sometimes can't get enough of: Down On The Farm. Sung by Caravan's Richard Sinclair. So Canterbury-like, humorous, groovy, and the lyrics are awesome :lol I absolutely love this track!
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Today is apparently the 47th anniversary of the release of Mirage.
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Today is apparently the 47th anniversary of the release of Mirage.
That whole record is killer, but Nimrodel/The Procession/The White Rider in particular is all kinds of awesome. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Today is apparently the 47th anniversary of the release of Mirage.
That whole record is killer, but Nimrodel/The Procession/The White Rider in particular is all kinds of awesome. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Yep, love that one. I think Earthrise is my favorite track on it though. Listening to it now actually. Such a great instrumental piece. Andy Ward was a power house behind the kit.
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Yep, love that one. I think Earthrise is my favorite track on it though. Listening to it now actually. Such a great instrumental piece. Andy Ward was a power house behind the kit.
They have always done a good job at getting new members, but they will never equal or top that original lineup. There was a magic to those first four albums that is impossible to recapture.
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Yep, love that one. I think Earthrise is my favorite track on it though. Listening to it now actually. Such a great instrumental piece. Andy Ward was a power house behind the kit.
They have always done a good job at getting new members, but they will never equal or top that original lineup. There was a magic to those first four albums that is impossible to recapture.
Andrew Latimer has continued to make some really good albums under the name Camel, but he really hasn’t had nearly as strong as a band since that original lineup. The post Ward albums have been more a Latimer solo outlet.
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Yep, love that one. I think Earthrise is my favorite track on it though. Listening to it now actually. Such a great instrumental piece. Andy Ward was a power house behind the kit.
They have always done a good job at getting new members, but they will never equal or top that original lineup. There was a magic to those first four albums that is impossible to recapture.
Andrew Latimer has continued to make some really good albums under the name Camel, but he really hasn’t had nearly as strong as a band since that original lineup. The post Ward albums have been more a Latimer solo outlet.
His current band is very good! Colin Bass is a great bass player (duh, with that name) and a good singer too. And they have Pete Jones on keys, he is a perfect fit. I was so amazed to see the band in such good shape at the Night Of The Prog Festival and Pete Jones absolutely killed it. He knows tasteful sounds, he's a great singer and at some point, he just threw an awesome sax solo at us.
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Yep, love that one. I think Earthrise is my favorite track on it though. Listening to it now actually. Such a great instrumental piece. Andy Ward was a power house behind the kit.
They have always done a good job at getting new members, but they will never equal or top that original lineup. There was a magic to those first four albums that is impossible to recapture.
Andrew Latimer has continued to make some really good albums under the name Camel, but he really hasn’t had nearly as strong as a band since that original lineup. The post Ward albums have been more a Latimer solo outlet.
His current band is very good! Colin Bass is a great bass player (duh, with that name) and a good singer too. And they have Pete Jones on keys, he is a perfect fit. I was so amazed to see the band in such good shape at the Night Of The Prog Festival and Pete Jones absolutely killed it. He knows tasteful sounds, he's a great singer and at some point, he just threw an awesome sax solo at us.
Pete Jones is an incredible musician for sure and that lineup is really good. They just haven’t made an album together (would be fun!). The last album, A Wink and a Nod, does sound a bit more like a full band effort. I really like that one.
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Looks like Camel had to cancel their European/UK tour this year (50th anniversary) due to Andrew Latimer needing back surgery. That is unfortunate. Hope he recovers well!
In the meantime, the awesomeness of their first four records is still on par with the first four by just about any band ever. I stand by that. :coolio :coolio
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I don’t have the first album, and Snow Goose gets a bit weird when you’re in “shuffle mode”, but I just reloaded my music player this last weekend, and part of the new additions were Mirage, Moonmadness, and Breathless. I’ve only spun them once or twice, but I’m looking forward to getting more familiar with the material.
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I don’t have the first album, and Snow Goose gets a bit weird when you’re in “shuffle mode”, but I just reloaded my music player this last weekend, and part of the new additions were Mirage, Moonmadness, and Breathless. I’ve only spun them once or twice, but I’m looking forward to getting more familiar with the material.
All great albums (though I’m less keen on The Snow Goose than most people). The debut is really good. A bit heavier with some really in your face drumming. “Never Let Go” is one of their best songs, so it’s worth having for that. There’s a lot of other great stuff in their catalog. I really enjoy all eras.
I posted this in this thread a while back but that video got pulled. This one is better quality anyway. Just a great song:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JPEUfUCKHVQ
I’m surprised Latimer hasn’t retired yet, because he’s had numerous health issues that have made it hard to tour in the past. I guess maybe he needs to keep going for financial reasons, or maybe he just loves it. Hope he can recover well enough to keep going if he needs to.
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I was listening on shuffle just now and Dunkirk came on and that really surprised me because (as stated before) I thought I had left Snow Goose off because I thought it would be to weird on a shuffle format.
That’s almost an album that needs to be retracked as “side 1” and “side 2”. But I’m enjoying Dunkirk at the moment.
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jammindude, more than any of their other albums, The Snow Goose is not meant for the shuffle. It is meant for listening to from start to finish. Even though it is all instrumental, outside of a few wordless vocal moments, think of it like a concept album where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (even with some of those parts being great standalone songs).
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Well this is nutty but cool I guess. 32 discs! Kind of a steal at just $165 actually.
Air Born : The MCA and Decca Years 1973-1984 (27CD/5BR Box Set Preorder)
https://www.lasercd.com/cd/air-born-mca-and-decca-years-1973-1984-27cd5br-box-set-preorder?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=April%2021%202023%20Lasers%20Edge%20Update&utm_content=April%2021%202023%20Lasers%20Edge%20Update+CID_e7eccef9c5b43548825524b99165d53f&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software
"In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album, this 32-disc super deluxe boxed set is the definitive tribute to the legendary band Camel. The boxed features newly remastered versions of every Camel album and single issued between 1973 and 1984, but also includes new stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound versions of the albums “Camel”, “Mirage”, “Music Inspired by The Snow Goose”, “Moonmadness” and “Nude”, as well as new mixes of three concerts; The Marquee Club, London 1974, Hammersmith Odeon 1976 and Hammersmith Odeon 1977 The set also features previously unreleased out-takes from album recording sessions and BBC Radio “In Concert” appearances from 1974, 1975, 1977 and 1981. Additionally included is a Blu ray video disc of promotional videos and BBC TV appearances on “The Old Grey Whistle Test” and “Sight and Sound In Concert” and a Blu ray video disc of the 1984 concert film “Pressure Points”
The boxed set includes a lavishly illustrated book with essay and a poster."
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I read about that the other day. Great price considering everything included, but I know I'd never listen to most of it with any regularity, so I likely won't take the plunge.