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Crew Glazjev <thorgeir@tut.by> (05.06.2003)

First, your rating this band as a 'second generation progressive rock'. I disagree (in short). Second, I can't find nothing from King Crimson on Camel, except, maybe, instrumental passage in 'Six Ate'. Lyrics? Both Beethoven and Stravinsky didn't use lyrics at all, now are they similar? Pink Floyd? I see, what led you to this conclusion, but I think there's no big influence of Floyd here. Other observations are correct enough. A masterly, precise background music. They were not very great in composing great amounts of catchy tunes, but instrumentation is strong as hell. I like 'Mystic Queen', especially that guitar lick somewhere in the middle, which is so sad and sorrowful... 'Curiosity' is a very strange tune, the outstanding one. Vocals, yes. I guess, a good singer would have saved the day. Every member of the band seems to have good hearing and not bad voice, but vocals are always recorded in such an execrable manner that make me cringe.

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Rich Bunnell <taosterman@yahoo.com> (26.10.2000)

Well, I'm a bit biased towards this album, seeing that it was the cornerstone of my pre-adolescent youth (my parents played it to death), but this is still one incredible album. What the band does on this album is a lot harder than it sounds - they literally make pieces that correspond exactly with the point in the story they go with, and they do it entirely without lyrics. It also helps that most of the songs are memorable to the extreme. The eight minute "Rhayader" suite right at the beginning is catchy then rocking then creepy then smooth then creepy again, "Flight Of The Snow Goose" absolutely soars (as the title suggests), "Preparation" and "Epitaph" both set up a convincingly chilly mood with nothing but one looping synth riff, and "Dunkirk"-- man, that song is tension defined. You can just feel the troops coming closer and closer and closer until it all suddenly explodes into battle. Sorry George, but this is great stuff - I give it a ten without hesitation. I agree that it's Camel at their most accessible, but that is not a bad thing at all when it produces music like this. And I usually find instrumentals boring! That really oughta say something.

Crew Glazjev <thorgeir@tut.by> (05.06.2003)

So strange, you say you didn't read 'The Snow Goose' story and then retell it in every detail. Snow Goose is a great album. Mood is the right word, they went for mood. If someone's going to shoot a film by this story, he may care not about soundtrack. Personally I like 'Rhayader' with its flute theme, Fritha's theme is also very beautiful. At first I was disappointed about lack of singing, but when I learnt how these guys sing (how they record their singing), I understood that it's for the better.

Crew Glazjev <thorgeir@tut.by> (05.06.2003)

And I think you underrate Moonmadness. It's no more boring than any Camel record; I mean, they all are somewhat boring, but at least very well performed. As to sucking rhythm section and unheard bass, let it be on your conscience, I only say that it's untrue. I absolutely love first track with Andy Ward mantralizing out his 'Aristillus Autolycus' and Peter Bardens playing very clever synthesizer. In the case of 'Spirit On The Water' I (unwillingly showing off) must sort of enlighten you (or maybe you know it already but forgot to correct your reviews). Electronic organs are often connected to cabinets with rotating speakers (Leslies and others). Naturally you can reproduce everything through them, not necessarily organ. Now, what you call voice let through the organ is actually voice let through this tone cabinet with rotor spinning fast. 'Song Within A Song' and 'Lunar Sea' are well constructed and sound excellent. All in all, I can't see the reasons for rating ('What a reason for _rating_ and dreaming of dreams?' :)) this album lower than Snow Goose.

lager bong <she_was_like_a_bearded_rainbow@hotmail.com> (09.06.2003)

Andy Ward is not a poor drummer,in fact he was one of the best players Britain ever produced and was a far better and more tasteful player than overrated players such as John Bonham or Cozy Powell.

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Mark Nicolls <mark.nicolls@uchsc.edu> (29.04.2003)

Your website is a great discovery and I find most of your reviews spot-on. Just wanted to echo your sentiments about Breathless by Camel. I remember listening to the new LP when it was first released and shuddering with the disco beat on 'Summer Lightning' - then relaxing as the great Camel dissolved into their blissful hippie meanderings. I have framed this album cover in my office and hold it has a testament to the warm groovy vibes that was pre-punk Britain.

Bas Dassen <B.E.H.Dassen@dlb.rws.minvenw.nl> (02.09.2003)

This is the first Camel album which doesn't fit in the perfect style they had up to Rain Dances. The songs are very simple (except 'Echoes' and 'The Sleeper'), and that's not what we are used to hear from them. I think you are more a person that likes Camel music, than that you are a fan of Camel. I think it is a great band with lots of good albums and only 2 bad albums (Breathless and The Single Factor). The rest is very strong and very nice to listen to.

Jaime Vargas <jaivarsa@hotmail.com> (23.11.2002)

You probable know it, but by searching for Camel info on the web while listening to Nude I came up with a little tidbit of info: Phil Collins played on ICSYHFH. The webmaster of the "Moonmadness" site conjectures that, as he was then in his Brand X period, he was glad to help "jazzify" the things a bit, and also that the heads-up were probably given by Peter Gabriel, who knew Kit Watkins from having jammed with Happy the Man and even tried (unsuccessfully) to hire them as his backing band. Small world, ain't it?

Dmitry Nemo <nemo_dmitry@mail.ru> (23.09.2003)

This is good album, especially first five songs, but I don't see anything, that makes this album better, that snow goose. Ambient things are good, when it's sound track, but it's don't work by itself. They don't rock, they don't amusing, they just simple and boring. If you had good instrumentals from Camel, listen 1991-album Dust and Dreams. It's "soundtrack" to John Steinbeck novel and really good album.