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Release : 2001
Label : Camel Productions
Catalogue number : cp-011cd
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Tracklist:
Ice/Chord change/Fingertips/Slow yourself down/Sahara/Mother
road/Little rivers and little Rose/Hopeless anger/Lady Fantasy +
bonustrack Slow yourself down (‘late night’ version by Andy &
Guy)
Musicians :
Andy Latimer : guitar
Guy LeBlanc : keys, vocal
Denis Clement : drums
Colin Bass : bass, acoustic guitar, vocal
Website : www.camelproductions.com
Info : camel@camelproductions.com
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We all know ‘The long and winding road’ as a fine Beatles-song, but the
title has also been used to mark the difficulties that the Y2K-tour by Camel
was surrounded with. Many things happened before the tour went off but that
was not all. Anyway, you can read the whole story when you buy this cd and
it contains a few surprises. Read what Camel said about their gig in the
Spirit of 66 in Verviers (Belgium) : ‘Hottest gig on tour. Band
loses weight’. About one week later, their most successful performance
took place in Paris (on September the 30th) and it finally resulted in
‘The Paris Collection’, a fine selection of the band’s long career.
The band certainly broke with one tradition as they chose to release this as
a single cd. Many fans probably will be a bit disappointed, but for those
not too familiar with the band’s output, ‘The Paris Collection’ is
worth taking a clear shot. Andy’s exquisite guitar-playing really sends
the shivers down your spine. In fact the whole album can be seen as a
tribute to this unique musician. Even after 3 decades, he still manages to
spread a wide range of emotions through his guitar. A lot of credit goes to
the technicians for delivering excellent work on the sound quality. The band
also welcomes newcomer Denis Clement on drums. Just listen to ‘Sahara’
and you know they made the right choice. Colin Bass and Guy LeBlanc are more
familiar figures and their contribution is essential for the subtle
Camel-sound. It seems as if these guys have been playing together for ages.
And correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s not an easy task to play that way.
In spite of the gentle nature of Camel’s music, it’s certainly not as
simple as it may seem to perform it. Many highlights on this album, but my
personal favourite is ‘Fingertips’. Another very interesting track
is the ‘late night’ version of ‘Slow yourself down’, recorded during
the rehearsals. There’s just Andy and Guy…no further comment is needed !
‘Dust and dreams’ is well represented here, by way of three songs :
‘Mother road’, ‘Little rivers and Little Rose’ and ‘Hopeless
anger’.
2002 is going to be a very special year for the band. Although Peter Bardens
passed away a few months ago, the band will probably celebrate its
30th anniversary by means of a brand new album. Even a tour is to be
scheduled, so the countdown has already begun….
Reviewed by : Piet Michem
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