Camel Camel

On the Road 1982 features the band's tenth anniversary tour performance from The Hague, Netherlands. Unfortunately, as the liner notes explain, the original tapes were lost, and the recording presented here draws from the version that passed through the mixing desk. While the end result is still better than your garden-variety bootleg, the sound of the "Camel Live" ladle scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel is inescapable. Camel was promoting The Single Factor at the time (no wonder they called it the tenth anniversary tour), with a cast that bore little resemblance to any popular incarnation of the band.

Camel are an English progressive rock band formed in 1971. Led by founder member Andrew Latimer, they have produced 14 original studio albums, 14 singles plus numerous other compilation and live albums. The band's music combines elements taken from jazz, classical and Baroque music, blues and electronic music. Pressure Points: Live in Concert is a live album by progressive rock band Camel, released in 1984. A remastered version with six bonus tracks was released in 2009 as a double CD Set.

This double-CD set more or less supplants – though in some ways it also enhances – the 1993 compilation Echoes: The Retrospective. With a slightly longer running time and a fair difference in song content; though the same number of tracks, the overlap between the two is surprisingly limited. Gone are "Unevensong," "Breathless," "Skylines," the studio versions of "Lunar Sea" and "West Berlin," and "City Life," among other tracks – in their place as "Stationary Traveler," "Long Goodbyes," "Slow Yourself Down," "Nimrodel," "The Great Marsh," and "Spirit of the Water," plus live renditions of "Lunar Sea" and "West Berlin." The sound here is also improved somewhat, although Echoes was very good in that department as well, and, to be fair, there's a limited amount that one can do with the earliest recordings in terms of raising the fidelity. The annotation is extremely thorough, and the overall quality of the package makes a worthy addition to any Camel collection, as well as a good introduction to the band for the uninitiated.

A new, larger version of Camel debuted on Nude, a concept album about a Japanese soldier stranded on a deserted island during World War II and staying there, oblivious to the outside world, for 29 years. More ambitious than the preceding I Can See Your House from Here, Nude is in many ways just as impressive. Although it's a less accessible effort, it has a number of quite intriguing passages, particularly since it boasts heavier improvisation, orchestration, and even some worldbeat influences. It's not as spacy as Camel's earlier progressive rock records, yet it is quite atmospheric, creating its own entrancing world.

A Live Record is the first live album by the progressive rock band Camel, released in 1978. It is a double LP, composed of recordings from three different tours. LP one features recordings from the Mirage tour in 1974, and the Rain Dances tour, in 1977. Tracks 1–4 on the LP are from the Rain Dances tour, and 5–6 are from the Mirage tour. LP 2 features the original line-up all the way, and is devoted to a complete performance of the band's instrumental concept album, The Snow Goose, during the tour for the album in 1975, performed with the London Symphony Orchestra.

New remastered CD release for Camel's classic 1978 studio album with bonus track & deluxe booklet with photos & liner notes. After recording a string of successful albums with Camel, Breathless would be the last studio album to feature Peter Bardens and heralded more line-up changes for the band. Former Caravan and Hatfield & The North member Richard Sinclair had already been in Camel for some months and was soon joined by his cousin Dave Sinclair in a new Camel line-up. Breathless features traditional Camel music along with the Canterbury influences associated with Richard Sinclair, making for a unique album. This Esoteric Recordings reissue has been re-mastered from the original master tapes and includes the single version of Rainbows End as a bonus track.

The band's fifth release, Rain Dances is Camel at its best, offering the most consistent and representative package in their saga. The addition of Caravan-cofounder Richard Sinclair proves profitable, as do a few colorist touches by Brian Eno on "Elke." Mel Collins' woodwinds are among the highlights, especially on "Tell Me" and the title track. From beginning to end, this project flows gracefully.

Unlike many bands whose careers had begun in the early 1970s, Camel still continued to enjoy much success at the close of the decade. I Can See Your House From Here was a revitalized work that included many fine songs such as Ice (featuring Phil Collins on Percussion), Hymn To Her and Your Love is Stranger Than Mine. Produced by Rupert Hine, the album was a chart success and spawned an extensive World tour. This Esoteric Recordings edition has been re-mastered from the original tapes and features two Bonus Tracks, including a live version of Ice recorded by the BBC in 1981. The accompanying CD booklet includes copious photographs and memorabilia and a new essay.