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…
Camel's The Single Factor is my least favorite Camel album up to 1982 and many would argue that this is also their weakest. Fresh off their release of the concept album Nude, Camel delivers a pop rock smorgasbord. There really are some woeful tracks here, but on the flip side, some pretty good ones as well. Latimer writes or co-writes everything here (not all that surprising) and The Single Factor did achieve mild success at the time of its release in the UK. As always, there is a decent amount of guitar work spread throughout the album to keep Latimer fans happy…
This 2013 edition of their classic ‘Snow Goose’ album has been completely & lovingly Re-Recorded & Re-Packaged by Andy Latimer & co.! Inspired by a short story written by Paul Gallico, this beautiful album was one of the band’s most popular releases, and it has been lovingly Re-Recorded by the 2013 line-up to coincide with their autumn European comeback tour.
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.
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.
Abandoning the lovely soundscapes of Snow Goose, Camel delved into layered guitar and synthesizers similar to those of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on the impressive Moonmadness. Part of the reason behind the shift in musical direction was the label's insistence that Camel venture into more commercial territory after the experimental Snow Goose, and it is true that the music on Moonmadness is more akin to traditional English progressive rock, even though it does occasionally dip into jazz-fusion territory with syncopated rhythms and shimmering keyboards. Furthermore, the songs are a little more concise and accessible than those of its predecessor.
Following the ambitious song cycle Nude, Camel attempted their version of an Alan Parsons Project album with The Single Factor. Considering that Parsons was having hits that year with songs like "Eye in the Sky," it's not surprising that Camel tried to capture the same audience, yet their talent didn't lay with pop music – it lay with atmospheric instrumentals and creating detailed soundscapes. Consequently, The Single Factor sounds a little forced and often fails to capture the group's magic, even though there a few strong moments on the record.