I'd like to discover Camel but I don't know where to start. I know The Snow Goose is usually considered their best but I'm a bit put off by the fact that it's all instrumental. What would you recommend?
I'd like to discover Camel but I don't know where to start. I know The Snow Goose is usually considered their best but I'm a bit put off by the fact that it's all instrumental. What would you recommend?
Not just a Genesis fanboy.
Moonmadness is my favorite and was where I started, but you'd be fine starting with Mirage as well.
Bill
Definitely Moonmadness and Mirage.
Mirage is a bit earthier--no synths, just great lead guitar and organ running things.
Moonmadness has "Song Within a Song" and "Air Born". Lather, rinse, repeat.
Moonmadness & Mirage.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
I have a Live boot from '76 San Fran that just slays....Had it in my car for a whole week...
Of the 97 Camel titles in my stash, I'd have to say the BBC 77, ("Unevensongs" bootleg), is my clear favorite
Also available on the "Camel Footage" DVD, however the video version is mono
Fantastic nonetheless
BG
Last edited by Brian Griffin; 08-23-2014 at 09:56 AM.
"When Yes appeared on stage, it was like, the gods appearing from the heavens, deigning to play in front of the people."
Nude
Always had a soft spot for Stationay Traveller but it seems to be Camel's forgotten album!
Avoid I Can See Your House From Here.
Brian....I'd love to hear that
This is a good one for the early years:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lunar-Sea-An...&keywords=came
HuGo"Very, very nice," said a man in the crowd,
When the golden voice appeared.
She was gold alright, but then so is rust.
"Such a shame about the beard."
No synths?Originally Posted by bigjohnwayne
The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off
Moonmadness and Mirage are both superb.
I've also quite partial to a couple of less popular albums:
Rain Dances (First light, Tell me and title track)
Breathless (title track, The Sleeper, and my favourite Camel track Echoes)
Great band!!
Weird, the Camel shop is closed and was supposed to reopen July 15th.
I was going to suggest trying one of the DVDs with live BBC footage, but I wanted to check which one. Some of that is excellent stuff for getting a feel for the band, IMO.
It will re-open...I want a Moonmadness t-shirt....
For the 70's I'd go with either Moonmadness or Mirage although Snow Goose is excellent as is the double-live "A Live Record". For the 80's, my favorite by a long shot is Nude. Of their last 4-5 I feel the best is Rajaz.
I miss-spoke above but corrected it - the DVD with the 1977 "Sight and Sound" performance is "Camel Footage"
BG
"When Yes appeared on stage, it was like, the gods appearing from the heavens, deigning to play in front of the people."
I would recommend the debut album (s/t). It's the only one I ever play (and I have 6 of their albums, including the seemingly very popular Mirage and Moonmadness).
Studio (rating out of 10)
7.96 Mirage
7.66 Moonmadness
7.64 Snowgoose
7.43 The Snow Goose (2013 Re-recording)
7.38 Camel
6.86 Rajaz
6.76 Raindances
6.72 Harbour of Tears
6.61 A Nod and a Wink
6.58 Dust and Dreams
6.56 Nude
6.32 Stationary Traveler
6.26 Breathless
6.17 I Can See Your House From Here
5.31 The Single Factor
Live
7.85 A Live Record (expanded version)
7.62 A Live Record
7.55 '73-'75 Gods of Light
7.20 On The Road 1972
7.20 Never Let Go
7.02 Coming of Age
6.82 On the Road 1981
6.82 The Paris Collection
6.52 Pressure Points
6.15 On The Road 1982
+1.
Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes
Big Camel fan here. My first exposure to them though was the 2CD compilation called "Echoes" from the early 90s. It's a fantastic selection of songs.
But for full albums, I think the recommendations of Mirage and Moonmadness are the ones to go by. I'd get them both personally, not just one.
At that point, I would round out by getting the S/T album, Snow Goose, and Raindances.
If you want to move on, keep on moving forward through the 80s, but in this order (imo): Nude, Breathless, Stationary Traveler, I Can See Your House From Here, The Single Factor.
If that period is not to your liking, explore the later material. My preferred order is Rajaz, Dust and Dreams, Harbour or Tears, and A Nod and a Wink. But opinion varies (there's a recent discussion on Rajaz and the later albums).
Also, there are many officially released live Camel albums of good quality. My favorite is "On The Road '72" as it's Camel in the raw. "A Live Record" is a fantastic document as well. What's nice with Camel is that they have a live album to go with most of their album tours (with a few major exceptions). So lots to dive into if you become a Camel humper.
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
"I have a Live boot from '76 San Fran that just slays"
I saw them @ the Old Waldorf in SF in the 70's. Where is the boot from?
That's the place
BG
"When Yes appeared on stage, it was like, the gods appearing from the heavens, deigning to play in front of the people."
I have that as well and it's quite good as you say. I don't have a great deal of boots, but I do have the NF show from 2003 (so happy to have seen them) and a few from '76-'80 to cover the gap in live coverage.
Yeah, I have that one as well.
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
I will recommend the later Camel: Dust and Dreams, Harbour of Tears Rajaz and a Nod and a Wink. Music as good as the earlier Camel, but better recordings and production.
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.
Thank you for your advice: I'll start with Mirage and Moonmadness then.
What can I expect of Rain Dances and Breathless? I'm intrigued by the fact that they feature Richard Sinclair and Mel Collins.
Not just a Genesis fanboy.
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