What How you tell a blind man what
“colours” are ? How can I ever tell someone, not familiar to
Camel, what their music sounds like? Is it rock? No ! Is it jazz,
blues, symphonic pop, … ? No ! Altogether a unique combination?
YES !! Progressive music from the top shelf? Positive, because
Latimer flirts with existing styles and formats from the last 30 years. For example : think of a bluesy
guitar sound, a light jazzdrum underneath, symphonic keyboards on top and a
fretless bass guitar drilling its way through… cut it into pieces and
serve with a few tempo-changes; preferably from soft, dreamy &
melancholic into playful, rocking & passionate and you might get an idea
how the unique Camel sound is been created. Throughout the review I
will regard Camel as a reference on its own, an exponent of the progressive
genre. Luckily, most readers and listeners will be familiar with
Camel, in my opinion, still an underestimated band. In any case, three years after Rajaz
(the 3’ CD after Dust and Dreams) there is “A nod and A wink” with a
line-up we know from “The Paris Collection” (highly recommended).
Class musicians, every one of them. Andy Latimer knows how to surround
himself with top artists. Perhaps by changing the line-up so often, he
tries to maintain “his” Camel sound ? (A nod is as good as a
Wink ?) Colin Bass is the only band member who has played with Camel
since 1979 (in and out) for more than 10 records now. At first, this new album seems a
logical continuation of the evolution started in Rajaz : how to find the
synthesis between Camel after “Dust and Dreams” and the one before that:
the more jazzy, playful and rocking band with a typical style. A sound
from 30 years ago, when the steaming locomotives used to cross the
countryside. “Hop on in” and ride along with
the local, and sometimes fast, train through a musical landscape, signed by
Andy Latimer and friends. An hour of delightful enjoyment that only
Camel can offer you. The title track opens with the sound
of a steam locomotive starting up. A soft starter leading us from
playfulness, romance and melancholy into energy, power, joy and back
again…a very varied track where the 11 minutes pass very quickly.
However it sounded familiar : it reminded me of the middle-piece of
“Running from Paradise” from Harbour of Tears, transverse flute included
(much used on this CD). “Simple pleasures” seems like an
transition track at first, but again we’re being placed on the wrong foot.
Where the subtle rhythm stays in the background and the typical (on rare
occasions, sleepy) voice of A. Latimer brings you into a melancholic mood at
first, the tempo change halfway supplies you with the necessary oxygen and
you are speechless, listening to his magnificent bluesy guitar playing.
We hear this blues sound a lot more in this album. “A boy’s life” is also strong.
Acoustic guitar leads the rhythm, the synths overwhelm you with their
beautifully melodious sound and after approx. 4 minutes, there’s the
light-footed Camel again, playful, thanks to a jazzy tempo change, and
accompanied in a Gordon Giltrap way : fast, driving, but always light. “Fox Hill” at first made me
think, in sound as well as in structure, of “Harold the Barrel”
from the earlier Genesis period. Andy sings (surprisingly) in a Gabriël
way,with a quite funny story, and a strong British accent. The music
is a mix of the Nursery Crime-Genesis with the Latimer guitar. A
little further on, Camel “rocks” as it used to rock in the late 70’s
(how I missed that sound) and, this way, makes the track very fresh, very
varied. “Millers Tale” is very
melancholic with classical guitar, transverse flute, mellotron, oboe and a
less heavy Latimer voice. “Squigely Fair” is everything
Camel had to offer in the past and has to offer now. All ingredients
are present, included the “authentic” sounds. Here and there you
can hear the Dave Greenslade organ, but, most of all, Colin Bass
relives the past with his fretless. Pure class !!! A track to listen
to again and again and again. “For Today” (for the courageous
spirit of the High Diver on 11th September) refers in an sober way to the
Twin Towers drama in 2001 and the thousands of victims there. I
get a double feeling listening to this track. It sounds just like
parts of “Us and them” from Dark Side of the Moon and “Shine
on…” from Wish you were here, both Pink Floyd albums. Is it to
honour Dave Gilmour ? Andy Latimer is at least as good as him, but the
comparison is astonishing. Tempo, the accompaniment, even the lead
guitar sounds the same. In any case, this track will put both your
feet on the ground again. The end station, or to say it in
Rajaz-words : the fantasy, is over, the spirit flies away… This album is dedicated to Peter Bardens who passed away in January 2002. It’s a pity he can’t hear it, because the result has become more than a tribute. It’s just magnificent, beautiful.
It touched my heart deeply sometimes and it made me listen to my old Camel
LP’s and CD’s. During the coming months, I want to stay in that Camel
sphere. The nods and winks towards “Moonmadness”, “Rain
Dances”, “Nude”, “Breathless”, “Mirage”, … are all present,
more than once, but that strengthens the class. For every Camel fan this is a
top-class album and for those who have yet to discover the band, this is an
excellent start. Listen to it over and over again, discover new
nuances and cherish the whole experience. I’d say “Handle with care”
because this album is a rare diamond. Reviewed by : Walter 'HaHa' Haentjens |
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