Camel's Colin Bass- New Interview

[calyx]

The Nude-bonustracks are recorded at Hammersmith Odeon on February 22 1981 for BBC Radio One "In Concert".
The On The Road 1981-recordings come from the concert from April 2 1981, also at the Hammersmith Odeon.

Are you sure it's two different performances ? Could there be a mistake in the dates, i.e. recording v/s broadcast date ? I'd always assumed they were different edits of the same show. I've never noticed any difference. Not that I've listened to the shortened version much at all. I would be surprised if they'd played the Hammersmith Odeon twice more than a month apart.

[calyx]

Kit also plays the grand piano on Ice, but only on the beautiful intro.

Not according to the credits. Jan alone is credited with grand piano. Kit only plays Yamaha electric grand, not acoustic grand piano. I don't have the sleeve handy, but what I assumed to be true is corroborated by Discogs -

https://www.discogs.com/Camel-I-Can-...elease/1338915

[Firth]

Not according to the credits. Jan alone is credited with grand piano. Kit only plays Yamaha electric grand, not acoustic grand piano. I don't have the sleeve handy, but what I assumed to be true is corroborated by Discogs -

https://www.discogs.com/Camel-I-Can-...elease/1338915

"Ice" (Latimer) – 10:17
Andrew Latimer – guitar
Kit Watkins – Yamaha electric grand and Rhodes electric pianos, Hammond C3 organ, Solina and Moog synthesizers
Jan Schelhaas – grand piano
Colin Bass – bass
Andy Ward – drums [5]
2009 Expanded & Remastered Edition
"Remote Romance" (Single version)
"Ice" (Live 1981) – 7:15

[Firth]

All personnel on I Can See Your House From Here
Camel
Andrew Latimer – guitars, flute, backing vocals; autoharp on "Who We Are"; lead vocals on "Who We Are", "Hymn to Her" and "Neon Magic"
Colin Bass – bass, backing vocals; lead vocals on "Wait" and "Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine"
Kit Watkins – Hammond C3 organ, Solina synthesizer, Yamaha electric grand piano, Rhodes electric piano, Moog synthesizer, Minimoog, Hohner Clavinet, Prophet-5, Yamaha CS-80, EMS Sequencer, flute
Jan Schelhaas – Yamaha CS-80, Yamaha electric grand piano, grand piano, Prophet-5, Moog synthesizer, Minimoog, EMS Sequencer
Andy Ward – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
Mel Collins – alto saxophone on "Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine"
Phil Collins – percussion
Rupert Hine – backing vocals
Simon Jeffes – orchestral arrangements on "Who We Are" and "Survival"

[Gravedigger]

From the original Arista album credits:

ICE (Music by A. Latimer)

ANDREW Guitars
ANDY Drums
JAN Grand Piano
KIT Rhodes Piano: Mini Moog: Solina
Hammond C3: Yamaha Electric Grand Piano on intro
COLIN Bass

Sounds pretty good for an electric grand if that's correct.

[calyx]

Well, thanks to the above three contributions, but they merely confirm my statement that only Jan plays grand piano on this album. Yamaha electric grand piano is NOT acoustic piano, it's not what is played in the intro to "Ice".

[Gravedigger]

Yeah, I think there was a mistake on the original credits. It never sounded like an electric grand piano to my ears,
but I think it was Kit playing a grand piano. Has anyone heard/read from Watkins or Schelhaas about this piece?

[calyx]

Has anyone heard/read from Watkins or Schelhaas about this piece?

No, I've been in touch with both but always believed the credits to be correct... until Colin confused us all ! ;-)

[interbellum]

Well, thanks to the above three contributions, but they merely confirm my statement that only Jan plays grand piano on this album. Yamaha electric grand piano is NOT acoustic piano, it's not what is played in the intro to "Ice".

Yes, I read it the wrong way, because on the innersleeve of the DECCA-LP Kit's credit is written like this:

Rhodes Piano: Mini
Moog: Solina: Hamond
C.3: Yamaha Electric
Grand Piano on intro


So if you only read the last line, it looks like he played Grand Piano on the intro.

[interbellum]

Quote Originally Posted by interbellum View Post
The Nude-bonustracks are recorded at Hammersmith Odeon on February 22 1981 for BBC Radio One "In Concert".
The On The Road 1981-recordings come from the concert from April 2 1981, also at the Hammersmith Odeon.

Are you sure it's two different performances ? Could there be a mistake in the dates, i.e. recording v/s broadcast date ? I'd always assumed they were different edits of the same show. I've never noticed any difference. Not that I've listened to the shortened version much at all. I would be surprised if they'd played the Hammersmith Odeon twice more than a month apart.

Haven't compared them, but in the booklet of Nude both concerts were mentions by Mark Powel. The February 27th-concert recorded by BBC Radio One. "The tour continued throughout March in Europe and finished with another triumphant sold-out show at Hammersmith Odeon on April 2nd..."

But as the On The Road-cover shows, this one was also transmissioned by the BBC.

Edit: the fansite https://www.pink-camel.de/concert-index.htm doesn't mention a Hammersmith-concert on February 22 but on February 27.

[interbellum]

Well, one concert I'm 100% certain of is the one from February 5th 1981 in Groningen, The Netherlands, because I was there.

[Gizmotron]

From the Wiki for the album:

"Eye of the Storm" (Kit Watkins) – 3:52 – this was an updated version of a track that Watkins had played with his previous band Happy the Man
Andrew Latimer – guitar
Kit Watkins – Hohner Clavinet, flute, Solina and Moog synthesizers
Colin Bass – fretless Wal bass
Andy Ward – drums, massed marching military snares

Yes, Rick said it was Kit’s tune that they did a version of.

I enjoy comparing Kit’s solo version with the Camel version. Both are very nicely done.

[interbellum]

Are you sure it's two different performances ? Could there be a mistake in the dates, i.e. recording v/s broadcast date ? I'd always assumed they were different edits of the same show. I've never noticed any difference. Not that I've listened to the shortened version much at all. I would be surprised if they'd played the Hammersmith Odeon twice more than a month apart.

I've asked a friend and Camel-specialist about this issue.
He compaired the following recordings:

1. Nude remaster CD with the live bonus tracks
2. On The Road 1981
3. Originele BBC Transcription Disc LP which he owns
4. Bootleg live recording from the complete concert of 27-02-1981

His conclusion is the same as yours. All recordings are from the same concerts. The announcements of the Nude-tracks are done with exactly the same intonation. So he also assumes the date of April 2nd can't be right. Probably that was the date the BBC broadcasted the show for the first time. So maybe even Mark Powell misunderstood this date in the liner notes for Nude.

[calyx]

Thanks to you and your friend for going through the task of making sure both are the same performance.

[interbellum]

Thanks to you and your friend for going through the task of making sure both are the same performance.

As a bonus my friend found this:

Camel 1981.jpg

[bigjohnwayne]

Thanks for the detective work!