Description
This 1973 album was the first by English prog band Camel and features their distinctive brand of progressive rock with subtle jazz-rock textures. Although this debut (like so many others) has a sound that was not yet fully developed and is harder rocking than their other albums, enough of the Camel sound is in place that it makes for great listening.
The musicians on this debut comprise the classic Camel lineup including great guitarist Andy Latimer (vocals on Slow Yourself Down and Separation); keyboardist Peter Bardens (Hammond organ, mellotron, VCS3, acoustic piano, and vocals on Never Letmore… Go), great drummer Andy Ward; and bassist Doug Ferguson (vocals on Mystic Queen and Curiousity. All of the guys are fantastic musicians and the vocals are not bad at all, although they do not seem very confident about their vocal abilities. Andy Latimer is a great guitarist and easily quotes from range of styles. I also like Pete's use of the synthesizers and the mellotron - he was a very tasteful player and knew exactly where certain sounds worked best on this album. I guess it is worth noting that synthesizer use is pretty scarce on this album, although synthesizers would be used a lot on subsequent albums. Sadly Pete Bardens passed away in 2002, and this reissued album was dedicated to him.
The seven tracks on the album are all in the 4-7 minute range and are great examples of Camels jazzy, yet very English, brand of progressive rock. In fact, the instrumental track Six Ate is probably the best illustration on the album of Camel's ability to seamlessly mix jazzy and prog styles together. For those of that are wondering, there is a rock side to Camel on this debut, which really comes through with Andy's guitar work - especially on the thunderous and riff-heavy Separation and instrumental track Arubaluba. Other tracks that are great include the spacey Mystic Queen, and my personal favorite Never Let Go, which features haunting parts played on the acoustic guitar and a ton of glorious mellotron with string setting, before breaking into a vigorous rock workout. Believe it or not, Never Let Go features a sprightly mellotron solo. In that this instrument was notoriously difficult to play, it was never used as a solo instrument but more as a sustained backdrop. I guess it shows you just how good Pete was. The remaining tracks are also excellent and feature tight musicianship.
This remastered album features excellent sound quality, along with the restored cover art, a few band photos, and loads of liner notes. There are two bonus tracks including a single version of Never Let Go and a 19'01" live track entitled Homage to the God of Light. Homage to the God of Light was recorded on October 29, 1974 at the Marquee Club. The live track is pretty well recorded and is a great jam.
All in all, this is a great Camel album and is very highly recommended along with Mirage (1974); my personal favorite, The Snow Goose (1975); Moonmadness (1976); and Rain Dances (1977), which features Richard Sinclair on bass/lead vocals.
| 1 |
Slow Yourself Down |
| 2 |
Mystic Queen |
| 3 |
Six Ate |
| 4 |
Seperation |
| 5 |
Never Let Go |
| 6 |
Curiosity |
| 7 |
Arubaluba |
| 8 |
Never Let Go [*] |
| 9 |
Homage to the God of Light [#][*] |
Info:
- Category:
- Music > Albums
- Case Type:
- CD
- Release Type:
- Retail
- Comments:
- 1 read add
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Cover Info:
- Title:
- Camel - Camel (2002) Retail CD
- Part:
- Inlay
- Dimensions:
- 1780 x 1382 px
- Size:
- 1,250 KB
- Downloads:
- 253 (0 today)
- Uploaded:
- 01/06/08 by paragong
- Quality Rating:
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- Currently /5 Stars.
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