Camel is the first studio album by English progressive rock band Camel. It was released in 1973. The bonus track "Homage to the God of Light" was originally released in Peter Bardens's solo album The Answer in 1970. By August 1972, Camel were signed to MCA Records. They quickly entered the studio to record their first self-titled album, Camel. A collection of individual songs, chiefly from Andrew Latimer and Peter Bardens, the album was greeted with muted success and MCA did not take an option for a second album. By then, the group had acquired the management team of Geoff Jukes and Max Hole of Gemini Artists (later to become GAMA Records) and had moved to Decca Records, where they would remain for the next 10 years.
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.
Camel, who made his debut from MCA Records in 1973, transferred to Decham's subsidiary Derum in 1974 and released the second album "Mirage". With the support of the record company, he will actively promote tours mainly in the UK with the purpose of promotion. Among them, the live performance at the Marquee Club in London on June 20, the same year, will be recorded for radio broadcasting. After the broadcast, it will be in storage. Furthermore, in order to advance to the United States, the first US performance will be held four times on the east coast side in November of the same year. Among them, Camel performed a studio live at the Electric Lady Studio in New York for radio broadcasting in the United States, but this will also be stored as it is not used for anything other than broadcasting. This time, the original master of these two performances was discovered, and this a valuable archive finally released as a live album.
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.
Coming of Age is a live album by progressive rock band Camel released 1998. Two hours of live recordings at Billboard Live in Hollywoodduring their 1997 West Coast tour. 28 tracks total, including 'Lunar Sea', 'Sasquatch', 'Milk 'N Honey' and 'TheHour Candle'.
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.
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.
The Paris Collection is a live album by progressive rock band Camel released 30 October 2001. Keyboardist Guy LeBlanc took vocal duties from Andy Latimer due to the latter's illness. The album features 10 live tracks, including the bonus track 'Slow Yourself Down' (Rehearsal Version) from Camel Productions.
Progressive rock bands like Camel have to be creative in their touring schedules, often traveling to Europe in order to find a substantial concentration of fans in a single place. So it was that Camel arrived with their 20th anniversary tour at Enschede, Holland. After their tenth anniversary tour (which found them promoting The Single Factor), few would have predicted a 20th, but the release of Dust and Dreams in 1991 suggested the band had found a second creative wind (or at least tapped into the original breeze last felt on Nude). Never Let Go confirms the point that Camel has plenty of life left in it. Spread out across two discs (the untangling of which is like disassembling a child's toy, a problem common to two-disc sets), this live show features two distinct sets.
Recorded Live At Kosei- Nennkinn Kaikann, Tokyo, 1979-01-23 and 1980-01-27.