Camel

Camel - The Opening Farewell - 2010 - Camel Productions

Camel seem to be the kind of band that everybody has heard of, but not listened to. Camel were one of the the greatest archetypal progressive rock bands ever to emerge from England. The late Peter Bardens' brilliant keyboard-playing was a major force in Camel's success. Peter played with Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, and had played keyboards with the legendary Van Morrison's "Them." Despite many album releases from 1972 onwards, Camel have never reached megastardom. But again, like so many other great bands, Camel have never bowed to commercialism, and for the last 40 years or so, through many different line-ups, Camel continue to produce their own unique brand of wonderful music. This album was recorded at The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, California on 26 June 2003 with a line-up of Andrew Latimer (the only original band member) on guitar and vocals, Colin Bass on bass and vocals, Tom Brislin on keys and vocals, and Denis Clement on drums. The band play 15 tracks from a good cross section of the band's career and demonstrate just why they have been around so long. This is Grade A progressive rock from a band who deserve more accolades. N.B: The album is composed of three large files, and sound quality although very listenable is only fair to good. So think about DLing it ! The official DVD issue is of far superior sound quality. The album is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. "Rainbow's End: An Anthology 1973-1985" was released in 2010 and there were rumours of a new Camel album in the works. Hope springs eternal in the human breast ! Buy the band's brilliant "Nod & A Wink" album, and listen to their "Rain Dances" and "I Can See Your House From Here" albums. Check this blog for other releases

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Lady Fantasy - Peter Bardens, Doug Ferguson, Andy Latimer, Andy Ward
2 Unevensong - Peter Bardens, Andy Latimer, Andy Ward
3 Hymn to her - Andy Latimer, Jan Schelhaas
4 Echoes - Peter Bardens, Andy Latimer, Andy Ward
5 Stationary traveller - Susan Hoover, Andy Latimer
6 Drafted - Susan Hoover, Andy Latimer
7 Rhayader - Peter Bardens, Andy Latimer
8 Rhayader goes to town - Peter Bardens, Andy Latimer
9 Lunar Sea - Peter Bardens, Andy Latimer
10 Another night - Peter Bardens, Doug Ferguson, Andy Latimer, Andy Ward
11 Ice - Andy Latimer
12 Spirit of the water - Peter Bardens
13 Slow yourself down - Andy Latimer, Andy Ward
14 Mother road - Susan Hoover, Andy Latimer
15 For today - Susan Hoover, Andy Latimer, Guy LeBlanc

BAND

Andrew Latimer - Guitar, Flute, Recorder, Vocals
Colin Bass - Bass, Bass Pedals, Vocals
Tom Brislin - Keyboards, Vocals
Denis Clement - Drums, Percussion, Recorder

BIO

Camel never achieved the mass popularity of fellow British progressive rock bands like the Alan Parsons Project, but they cultivated a dedicated cult following. Over the course of their career, Camel experienced numerous changes, but throughout the years, Andrew Latimer remained the leader of the band. Formed in 1972 in Surrey, Camel originally consisted of Latimer (guitar, flute, vocals), Andy Ward (drums), Doug Ferguson (bass), and keyboardist Peter Bardens, previously of Them. By the end of 1973, the group signed with MCA and released their eponymous debut. In 1974, the band switched record labels, signing with Decca's Gama subsidiary, and released Mirage. In 1975, Camel released their breakthrough album The Snow Goose, which climbed into the British Top 30. The band's English audience declined with 1976's Moonmadness, but the album was more successful in America, reaching number 118 -- the highest chart position the band ever attained in the U.S. Following the release of Moonmadness, Ferguson left the band and was replaced by Richard Sinclair (ex-Caravan); at the same time, the group added saxophonist Mel Collins. Latimer and Bardens conflicted during the recording of 1977's Rain Dances and those tensions would come to a head during the making of 1978's Breathless. After Breathless was completed, Bardens left the band. Before recording their next album, Camel replaced Bardens with two keyboardists -- Kit Watkins (Happy the Man) and Jim Schelhaas (Caravan) -- and replaced Sinclair with Colin Bass. By the time Camel released their 1979 album, I Can See Your House From Here, rock & roll had been changed by the emergence of punk rock, which resulted in less press coverage for progressive rock, as well as decreased record sales. Camel suffered from this shift in popular taste -- I Can See Your House from Here received less attention than any of the band's releases since their debut. Latimer returned to writing concept albums with 1981's Nude. In 1982, drummer Andy Ward was forced to leave the band after suffering a severe hand injury. Camel's 1982 album, The Single Factor, was a slicker, more accessible affair than previous Camel records, but it failed to chart. Stationary Traveller (1984) was another concept album. After the release of the 1984 live album, Pressure Points, Camel entered a long period of hibernation that lasted until the early '90s. In 1985, Decca dropped Camel from its roster. Latimer wasn't able to find a new label because he was embroiled in a difficult legal battle with Camel's former manager Geoff Jukes; Camel eventually won the lawsuit in the late '80s. Throughout this period, Camel produced no new music. In 1988, Latimer sold his home in England and moved to California, where he founded the independent label Camel Productions. By the time Camel recorded their follow-up to Stationary Traveller in the early '90s, the band was, for most intents and purposes, simply Andrew Latimer and a handful of session musicians. Dust and Dreams (1991) was the first release on Camel Productions. In 1993, PolyGram released a double-disc Camel retrospective, Echoes. In early 1996, Camel released Harbour of Tears. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/camel-p3821/biography