NUDE

An improvement over the previous one (how could they have been worse than that album? well look at the Single Factor) , the cover intrigued me for all those years I saw the record in the stores but never bought it. I ended up renting it and was actually happy that I had finally listened to it , but was deceived by its content because I was expecting Camel to still sound 70's and to me in 95 , this sounded very 80ish.

Most progheads into 80's prog should appreciate this album.

This stuff is "Aor/New age oriented" almost all along its length;instead the rest is symphonic: such an excellent and underrated album from the eighties, probably the first important work by Andrew Latimer considered to be in the vein of the music genre indicated above. Well looking for his symphonic stuff, you start finding three symphonic tracks here, as from "Docks", "Beached",until you are involved also with such a new-age oriented "Landscape"; and these ones are followed by interesting "Ethnical sounds" till the end. Andrew Latimer is able to change moods and styles, by adding also something new and diverse in every album (apart from some stuff , such as that one-too much light- into "I can see your house...", "Stationary Traveller"; something mainstream into "Breathless" as well and into the disappointing "The Single Factor"). But talking about "Nude", I regard this album as one of the most interesting by CAMEL. It is based upon the story of a soldier, called "Nude", who was forgotten in a far away isle of the Pacific ocean, near Japan, during the 2nd world war. Many years after the end of the war, nobody went to such atoll and find him, in order to tell him that he could come back home... when the Japanese Government sent some public servants in the recent times (in the sixties), they found him without cloths and for this reason his nickname became "NUDE". Nevertheless he was not concerned about the possibility of living the rest of his life over there!!

The only inconsistent track is the first one,"City Life", but if you listen to the whole stuff by Andrew Latimer, during his long career, you understand that every album contains one uneven/sloppy track at least and one/a couple of jewels as well (sometimes many more)!!

Recommended and inspiring album!! Of course it's not the 1st place to start with their music...

This album is really significant to me! It is so good! The songs are all different; very progressive for 1981. Sometimes it's smooth, sometimes it is faster, but never dull. Very beautiful too. You have to compare it to "Breathless", "Raindances", "I Can See Your House From Here", "Stationary Traveller" and "Single Factor" to understand that it is the best one!!!

Among the best CAMEL's work!

To me this was a return to more conceptual type Camel and a move away from the more commercial sounding ' I can see you house from here'. Which was not bad either. Nude covers the story of a war veteran lost on an island for umteen years and the loneliness associated with it. Musically it serene and has some wonderful passges including Nude, Drafted and Docks. There is quite a bit of instrumentals interlayed with the set. Personally I find it well balanced and definitely a move back to the prog type sound. Recommended to any Camel fan looking for a solid addition to their ever increasing collection.

As previous reviewers, I also think that this album is "progressive/new age". The music in this album "describes" very well for me the life of the Japanese soldier found years later in an island. It became "descriptive" music once I read the story in the booklet in the CD. In Camel`s official website, there is an explanation (in the "Discography" section) that the story of this album was inspired by several similar cases of lost Japanese soldiers who were found years later still thinking that the Second World War wasn`t over yet .Susan Hoover (Latimer`s wife) wrote the concept for the album and the lyrics (with the "Please come Home" lyrics written by Latimer alone). The recording of this album is very good. "Drafted" was played in a FM Radio station in my country, a very good Radio station now defunct. For me, this album describes very well the pre-war life of the soldier ("City Life"), the draft for the army ("Drafted"), the loss of the soldier ("Beached"), his life in the island ("Landscapes", "Changing Places"), and how he was found years later ("Captured", "The Homecoming"), plus his feelings about returning to his country and how he couldn`t "adapt" to the life in his country 30 years later ("Lies") and finally, despite the good reception given to him, he finally leaves his country to retun to the life he had before he was found ("The Last Farewell"). A very good album, sometimes underrated, it was their last album recorded with original drummer Andy Ward.

This was the second work by Camel I ever heard (after 'The Snow Goose'), bought on the strength of ten seconds of the track 'Lies' which I caught on TV. As should be well known, 'Nude' is a concept album loosely based on the stories of Japanese soldiers who were lost in the wild during the war, sometimes to spend as long as thirty years excommunicated from the rest of the world before returning to civilisation and finding that the war is not the only thing to have passed by...

On first listen, the simple pop opening 'City Life' does not bode well for a listener expecting the textures of progressive rock, and the rest of the album can seem uninvolving... but with frequent listens you will most likely find that this is because a very dense and varied collection of music exists on 'Nude', and it just refuses to go by without solid attention. Soon 'City Life' fits perfectly as the theme of dubious simplicity and disillusion suggested by the title (and indeed the intro is just beautiful with Latimer's gentle pleas to 'wake up.... wake up') before the bustle is interrupted and the real tale begins. And it is interrupted by possibly the strongest piece on the album, 'Drafted' - a monument to the band's success in capturing a dynamic progressive performance within an otherwise standard rock band format, led by some superb sounds from Latimer's guitar. The lyrics, too, are thoughtful and well-sung, the gentle, understated vocal suiting perfectly the subdued resignation of an ordinary man unclear about why he has to fight but nevertheless honouring his draft. The climax of the track certainly brings home the emotion of this idea in dramatic fashion, an unforgettable electric guitar melody that cements the uncertainty of 'taking a life for a life, to be free'.

And now Nude's journey begins, in music that follows the cold stillness of shipping out to war, the clamour of landing in a confusing warzone, a spacious reflection of suddenly finding oneself in solitude both physically and in mind (the brilliant 'Landscapes'), right through to adjusting to life in this remote region, the eventual rescue, an unhappy return to civilisation... and the final, moving choice to go back out to where he had spent so much of his life, for the last time. Despite one or two small weak moments, I would consider Camel's 'Nude' a wonderful addition to anyone's collection; a surprising-for-the-period, conceptually sound album.

After a few competent but uninspired albums, Camel put together a new line up and returned to top form with another really excellent concept album based on the story of the soldier "who fought the longest war". Hiroo Onoda (hence "Nude") was a Japanese soldier (hence the cover) who hid out an island in the Philippines and refused to surrender for 30 years. Camel tell his story from drafting to his final disappearance (though some aspects do deviates from the truth). The musicianship is typically brilliant, the music is beautifully composed and the whole thing hangs together perfectly, most of the tracks blending seamlessly into each other. Mel Collins and Duncan Mackay add melodies and some fine solos to complement Andy Latimer's magnificent guitar and flute playing and bassist Colin Bass conjures up some fine bass lines. Andy Ward's drumming is inventive and technical, but sadly he suffered a "serious hand injury" shortly afterwards which practically finished his career (actually a suicide attempt which (thankfully) failed!). Hard to pick a standout track; perhaps Captured rises slightly above the general standard of excellence but there isn't a bad moment anywhere. Definitely an absolute must have and indisputably a 5 star album.

What a beautiful album and what a stunning story about that Japanese soldier! All songs sound very pleasant and melodic featuring some very warm vocals and inspired soli on guitar from Andy 'Mr. plastic face' Latimer. Mel Collins on saxophone and Duncan Mackay on keyboards deliver a great contribution to this album and Herbie Flowers (I have seen this funny man a few times with SKY) is on the list of guest musicians. Highlights are "Captured" and "Lies" but this whole album is serie of good songs, sometimes a bit polished but in general I like this album because of its warm atmosphere.

3.4 Stars

This is one of Camel's high points. They are doing what they excel at: Instrumental concept albums. The guitar player steals the show as always.

At first listen, this sounds like video game music, but after repeated listenings, you will find this to be more complex and enjoyable. There is no high point nor low point in this album. It seems like one huge track of soft prog that goes through many moods. This huge track is pretty and very well composed from the amazing pop tune (City Life) to the emotional brilliance from Nude's Return.

My Grade : C+

Don't get excited lads, it's just a name.

The title has nothing to do with nakedness(!), it is the name of a Japanese conscript soldier, left stranded in the jungle in Guam in 1942 during the second world war. He was unaware when the war ended, then once found 29 years later refused to accept it. The indoctrinated patriotism he still felt all those years later meant that even then he refused to give up his post, and had to be forcibly removed from the island, returning home to a hero's welcome. He never took to life back in his homeland, and in 1972. he disappeared from his home, possibly to return to the island he had lived on for so many years.

Although the character here is fictitious, the story is based on the real life story of Hiroo Onada, and indeed several others. It was Andy Latimer's wife Susan Hoover who developed the concept for the album, and wrote all the lyrics except "Please come home" (by Andy Latimer).

By the time of "Nude", Camel had reverted to being a four piece band, ex-Happy The Man keyboard virtuoso Kit Watkins having departed shortly before recording commenced, although he returned temporarily for the subsequent tour. The recording of the album was not without its problems, with drummer Andy Ward attempting suicide (driven by alcohol and drug addiction). This resulted in the album being considerably delayed while he slowly recovered. The line up was augmented during recording by a number of guest musicians including Duncan Mackay on keyboards and Herbie Flowers (of Sky) on Tuba.

"Nude" is in some ways, a follow up album to "The Snowgoose", being the first by the band since that album to relate a story. Musically, the similarities with that album are strong too, "Nude" being a sort of "Snowgoose" with vocals. (Camel had originally wanted to put vocals on the Snowgoose, but for contractual reasons relating to the story were prevented from doing so). Once again, the tracks here are generally short, but demand to be heard as part of the whole, and not considered as individual pieces. Musically, there are hints of Dire Straits ("City life"), Genesis ("Docks/Beached" is at times very reminiscent of "Dukes travels" and the closing track of "Fading lights"), Pink Floyd ("Lies/The last farewell") and perhaps even Supertramp ("Please come home"). Mel Collins, now firmly ensconced as a band member, adds some colourful sax and flute at various points particularly on the looser "Changing places", where the flute becomes multi-tracked. While much of the album is instrumental, the vocal sections are of a notably high standard for Camel, with some commendably melodic singing.

The music flows seamlessly from theme to theme throughout, making for a very complete feel. The atmosphere tends to be reflective, sometimes almost ambient, and rarely breaking into anything too loud or raucous. That consistency though, is the beauty of the album.

Highly recommended.

2.8/5.0 At the time of writing this review, this album has a higher rating than Camel's first album. This is a shame, as this is not even comparable to the 1973 album. Nude is not a bad album; a pretty good one in comparison to what others were doing in the 80s. But who said the 80s were a progressive music glory age? Sorry, but doing better than others does not mean doing great. 'Nude' is a good concept album with a good story, good lyrics, good keyboards, good melodies, good climax, good rhythm. Yes, this is a "good" album, but there is not any really great peak like on The Snow Goose, Moonmadness, or even Rain Dances. A pretty solid album from a great band, worth listening to, but nothing to bang your head on the wall in ecstasy! 2.8/5.0

The way CAMEL creates atmospheric soundscapes throughout this record is incredible. It's their first concept album since "The Snow Goose". Over two thirds of this album is instrumental. It really helps knowing the concept of this record. You can really get into each song better, even the instrumentals have new meaning as you follow along the man's story. Andy's partner Susan Hoover wrote the bulk of the lyrics here which is about a Japanese soldier who gets left behind by mistake on an island during WWII and is there for 29 years before being discovered and brought back home. He can't adapt though to his new surroundings and sails back to the island that for him is his home. This would be drummer Andy Ward's last record with CAMEL, leaving Latimer as the only original member left.

"City Life" is poppy but so well done. For the prog fan it gets better after this track, but I like it. Just hearing Andy sing "Wakeup, wakeup, wakeup" early in this song makes me smile. Mel Collins adds some nice sax later. I've said it before and i'll say it again Andy Latimer really knows how to touch my heart and he does it on the third song "Drafted" with his vocals and guitar, I love this tune, and the line "taking a life for a life to be free".

The next three instrumentals "Docks", "Beached" and "Landscapes" are pure beauty, these four songs in a row are CAMEL at their best ! I should mention that "Docks" is really a re-worked Kit Watkins(HAPPY THE MAN) tune.There are more gems to come, like "Reflections" beautifully tranquil. "Captured" featuring sax, "Lies" with Andy's melodic guitar and "Nude's Return" the uplifting ending to our story.

This is a great release no matter what year it was, but considering it was 1981, it makes it even more special.

At times, "Nude" reminds me of "Duke" from Genesis although this one is an (almost) all- instrumental one. Maybe the cover in the Folon style (he was a famous Belgian painter). Maybe the general mood (rather boring, I must say). This is a return to a concept album for Camel. Still, they will try and include some pop elements in here.

The result is just average (boring most of the times, uninspired at others). With "Nude", Camel is telling us the story of a Japanese soldier lost on an island after WW2... Like with "Snow Goose", I can not really relate any story to this (almost) instrumental effort. Even if the "story" is published in the liner notes of the CD version.

"City Life" is a poppy and useless tune like they have produced in recent albums ("Breatless", "I Can See You..."). Some unnecessary transition tracks ("Nude", "Please Come Home" and "The Birthday Cake") although in most of concept albums such tracks sit there as well.

Some insipid ones ("Beached", "Changing Places", "Pomp and Circumstance", "Reflections", "Captured", "The Homecoming").

Some average ones ("Docks", "Landscaped", "Nude's Return"). And, yes : there are even two good songs on this album ("Drafted" and "Lies") ! But not a great moment like "Duke's Travels".

The recording of 'NUDE' and its tour would be devastating for Camel. In mid-1981, as he would tell 'Q' Magazine some ten years later, Andy Ward succumbed to alcohol and drug abuse and attempted suicide, unsuccessfully to the relief of all. But it rendered Ward unable to play drums in the foreseeable future. In shock, the band dissolved, the remainder of the tour was canceled and recording for the next album was postponed in the hope that Ward would recover...

Two stars.

After the disaster called "I Can See Your House From Here", CAMEL went back to writing conceptual album in the vein of "Snow Goose", the practice they were to continue on later albums as well. "Nude" is considerably better effort than the predecessor, but still don't expect much! It starts off with two crappy unpromising pop numbers, but luckily the remaining material delves into largely instrumental music. Apart from a couple of very good moments filled with fusion-like sound of guitar solos ("Docks", "Beached") that reminds me of some of the works done at the same period by Yugoslavian fusion masters LEB I SOL or SMAK, the album maintains a mediocre "new age" arrangement of the latter-days PINK FLOYD or ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, or even SKY (notice the guest appearance of Herbie Flowers!). Even quite a good song "Lies" sounds more like DIRE STRAITS or Chris Rea than the real progressive music. It's probably me, but I don't buy this kind of 1980s production, especially when played by old classic prog rock champions. And to support the fact that "Nude" is not the big "come back" of CAMEL, one only needs to hear the upcoming disaster No. 2 - "The Single Factor"! Overall, it is not up to the standards set with earlier albums and is surely not recommended, although it is fairly listenable musical work.

I'm a bit undecided on this one: I could list it among my favourite CAMELs but its faults are too striking. 1) Here and there it comes too close to the dreadful early 80's plastic AOR sound of Single Factor, their next album, and 2) I feel that the narrative concept about a soldier forgotten on an island made Andy Latimer to add some musically uninspired fillers: literally they only fill the gaps in the story. For example the tiny song 'Please Come Home' or the half-minute 'Birthday Cake'. The album consists of 15 tracks (mostly short) but fortunately the music keeps flowing pauselessly most of the time. Otherwise that would have been another frustating thing.

On the positive side, this is mostly instrumental (Andy's not much of a singer really...) and includes some gorgeous, strong moments. Probably Andy gets the best inspiration by a concept story to make his guitar SING - if at the same time it's hard to hold the inspiration for each step of that story. My fave track however is the peaceful 'Landscapes', where CAMEL comes near the New Age genre. For all the ups and downs I rate it in the middle, 3 stars.

Camel - Nude (1981)

Maturity isn't a bad thing, it's different.

After Moonmadness the glory days of Camel seemed to have come to an end. I really disliked Raindances (1977), I can enjoy Breathless (1978) (it was one of my first vinyl's) and I can see your House from Here (1979) has only one track worth mentioning (the instrumental Ice). Camel's entrance into the eighties surprisingly shows Camel's return to shape. The concept album Nude is perhaps their best record of the eighties period and better then the three albums that came before it (those I just mentioned). What had happened?

Camel's qualities are inventive rock based instrumental passages with nice time changes and progressive harmonic thinking, the great guitar and flute playing of Latimer and the nice songs that sometimes really touch me. The energetic feel of their first four albums is great. Another great part of the Camel-method is the fact that they didn't seem to listen to other progressive records or bands because their are little influences from other bands (perhaps a tiny bit of Canterbury). On Nude Camel may still have a low-energy spark, but the songwriting and the instrumental passages are great again! The music has become accesible, but the quality remains secured. The songs have an developed emotional feel, the members of the band had become mature and very professional. So in summary, high rockin' energy was replaced by emotional maturity and professional songwriting whilst the progressive elements remain present. The production of the album is very good and has little to do with the eighties sound. Don't be scared seventies sympho-prog listeners! Furthermore I would like to add that the concept of this album works quite good. Main character mister Nude (no this album is not about nakedness) is drafted and send to Vietnam which isn't a happy trip at all. The storyline is a real contribution to the feel of the songs.

My first Camel CD was the Coming of Age 2CD, which has a very interesting Nude section! The original recordings on Nude sound just as great as the live versions, but of course the live element of the recordings still makes a difference in the listening experience.

This album has two categories of songs. We've got the instrumental progressive rock tracks and the songs that have progressive influences and an important role when it comes to the concept of the album. On side one we get to listen to some of Camel's best instrumentals and on side two their is plenty of space for intimate songs that get me carried away in the music as if it were a sad children's story. Tenderness is a word that comes to mind, a word that represents a song like Please Come Home very well.

Conclusion. This album shows a matured but still intelligent and inventive Camel with a tender storyline that evokes emotions. Some might discard this as 'sentimental old man's rock', but I think there more to Nude then that. This is an important point in Camel's career that introduces the new approach that was to be continued on the Dust and Dreams and Harbour of Tears albums. A fine symphonic rock album from the eighties, four stars. I say: get it!

On the surface, "Nude" would seem to be Camel's 80s version of The Snow Goose. While the concept is not strictly plagiaristic, it is hardly original. But musically it is far less interesting and more ambient. It is telling that most of the best tracks here are also the ones with vocals, which was never hitherto the case for Camel.

Still, there are shades of past glories as well as some impressive steps forward. The opener "City Lights" is like a sequel to "Breathless" but superior on a number of levels. The album really cranks up for "Drafted", thanks to one of Latimer's most expressive statements since The "Snow Goose" theme, and the instrumentals "Docked", "Beached" and "Captured" are all top notch intricate efforts. Camel's strongest homage to the blues takes place in "Lies", dominated by Latimer's poignant notes. Many of these feature later live versions that equal or trump the original work, rendering this album a bit less essential than it might otherwise be.

While only fleetingly laying bare the essential qualities of what makes Camel great, "Nude" preserved the group's legacy during some stark times for progressive rock.

I have never seen a camel that was not nude!

Nude is a surprisingly strong album given that it was released between the two much less good albums I Can See Your House From Here and The Single Factor. Indeed, Nude was (at the time of its release) the best Camel album since Moonmadness and it is also, in my opinion, the best album from what I have elsewhere called Camel's in-between-years; that is, the years between the release of Moonmadness in 1976 and the release of Dust And Dreams in the early 90's.

I think there are primarily two different factors that contribute to the musical success of this album in relation to the weaker ones that surrounded it. The first is that it was a return to a more Symphonic Prog-sound after three albums with strong influences from Canterbury Scene, Jazz and Pop music. The other factor is that Nude is a conceptual and story-based album like the earlier Snow Goose and the later Stationary Traveller, Dust And Dreams and Harbour Of Tears albums. These are some of Camel's very best albums and maybe making a concept album is what really brings out the best in the band? Camel were always experts of building great music around an emotional storyline without ever letting the story take over the music. The story is never too apparent in the music here, which is as it should be. It is an otherwise all too common mistake which I often find a bit cheesy in other artists' attempts at story-based albums and Rock Operas).

The sound of Nude is a nice and appealing mix of Symphonic Prog, Pop and New-Age/World music. Like Harbour Of Tears later would incorporate influences from Irish Folk music in line with its story, Nude incorporates some influences from Japanese music in line with its story (which revolves around a Japanese soldier who gets left behind on an Island for many years). Andy Latimer plays a Japanese Koto on some songs to great effect, for example. There are also lots of different flutes that sound simply wonderful and exotic. New-Age/World Music passages like that of Landscapes/Changing Places contrasts wonderfully with the rockier and more up tempo passages like Docks/Beached and Captured. I was not instantly hooked by this, but after many listens over several years I can now safely say that this album is quite excellent!

Unlike The Snow Goose, Nude is not entirely instrumental but large parts of it is. The album opens with a vocal number called City Life that is basically a high quality Pop song, not that different in style from what you find on I Can See Your House From Here or The Single Factor, but better. Other vocal numbers like Drafted and Lies are perhaps better incorporated into the album as a whole but the best parts of Nude are, I would say, the instrumental sections. On the live releases Coming of Age and Pressure Points, some of the best bits from Nude are performed live with more energy, and power then they are presented here on this studio album. I used to think that this album was too subdued and lacking an edge, and also that some of the most restrained passages was just transportation to get to the great bits. But Nude has grown on me a lot since I first heard it and now I appreciate even the more soothing moments. Indeed, these create an appealing diversity to the whole. It takes several listens to "unlock" the beauty of Nude.

Excellent addition to any Camel collection!

Nude is the Eigth studio album from symphonic prog rockers Camel. This is a new Camel album to me as I never got around to buy it when I purchased all the seventies albums from Camel in the mid- nineties. I was probably afraid of how it would sound like after listening to Breathless and I Can See your House From Here which I wasn´t very impressed about at the time ( I like them both much better today). On initial listen I was very disappointed and I really didn´t think I was going to like this album much but after listening to Nude many more times to get a fair impression I´m beginning to find the charm of the album.

Nude is a concept album and is about a japanese soldier who was stationed or accidently left on a small islands in the pacific ocean during world war II and lived in isolation for many years before being found Nude ( hence the title of the album) and returning to civilization. Most of the album is instrumental but there are lyrics to some of the songs.

Like every other Camel album you know from the get go that it´s Camel your listening to. The sound on Nude is very eighties influenced which is pretty obviuos as it was released in 1981. The first eighties Camel album. The music hasn´t really changed much. Nice melodic symphonic songs with lots of pleasant keyboards and beautiful guitar leads. The biggest difference here is the vocal lines which I think sounds a bit like some of the vocal lines on Pink Floyd´s The Wall. Songs like Drafted, Please Come Home and Lies are very close to the sound of Pink Floyd and so is the bluesy and melodic guitar solo in Lies. The opener City Life which also has vocals doesn´t sound like Pink Floyd though. It´s actually a very weak vocal performance in that song. It´s a shame because the song is pretty good.

There are some really great instrumental songs on Nude as well and songs like Docks, Beached and Captured ( with a brass section that leads my thoughts toward Canterbury) are excellent songs.

Unfortunately not all is well and I could have done without the Nude theme that also surfaces in Landscapes. It simply reminds me too much of New age meditative supermarket muzak. Changing Places isn´t my cup of tea either. It reminds me of some of the repetitive psychadelic jams that Porcupine Tree would later do. There are a few other small instrumental songs that doesn´t really rock my boat either throughout the album.

The musicianship is great even though the virtuoso performances of the past is more or less gone. Andy Ward´s drumming is much simpler and not as funky as his seventies performances but it suits the music, so I don´t mind much.

The production is as mentioned very much rooted in the eighties. I love most of the sounds on the album but I really dislike the electric piano sound that sometimes occur. To me it sounds like something you would hear in a modern church or in a Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston song.

Nude is a much better album than I thought it would be and even though this is not my favorite Camel album I still think it deserves 3 stars. 3 small stars but still 3 stars and not 2. Beware that this is an eighties album and it´s very obvious when you hear the album. Just don´t expect nice and warm seventies sounds. This ones a grower for sure so give it a few spins before you make your vote.

Nude is often referred to as a return to form but actually it isn't a lot better or even all that different from the two preceding albums. The difference is one of focus and attention to detail.

City Life is a mellow pop song that sounds exactly like all other prog of that time: smooth, glossy, commercial, emotionless, uninspired and musically poor. The same can be said about Drafted, though the guitar work is really good here. The main reason why I can enjoy these songs is because this album holds together pretty well as a concept. Meaning that the entire experience brings this to a higher level then just the sum of the parts.

The instrumentals Docks - Beached is where the album really starts making sense and are good examples of glossy prog that still sounds exciting and inspired. There are a few doodling parts and pointless themes that would inspire future generations of neo-proggers but on the whole these two songs have a good epic feel.

After the atmospheric Landscapes, Changing Places founds us in the middle of a Peter Gabriel album. It's not bad but a bit derivative. It is followed by a number of nice atmospheric instrumentals. Captured takes a harder rocking approach. It's an ok instrumental but it works better in the version on the 1984 live album Pressure Points.

The closing tracks are the best part of the album. Lies is a beautiful and emotive pop-prog song and a long-standing favorite of mine in that particular style. The vocals are great here and so is Latimer's bluesy guitar. The closing Birthday Cake - Nude's Return is the best instrumental on the album with a really uplifting melody. Had the entire album been like this, 4 stars would have been easily deserved.

A surprisingly good efford from this band in their worst period (the early 80´s). A concept album done in 1981? Well, that was quite bold for the time. The story behind the concept is very interesting and it is well explained on Easy Livin´s inspired review. Although Nude was not really a return to form, it is way better than both Camel´s previous (the bad I Can See Your House From here) and this CD follow up (the hideous The Single Factor).

Nude starts with City Life, a commercial, but decent, pop song that is quite misleading. The remainder of the record is better, although also not very characterisc: in fact, there is a lot of instrumental tracks here that can only be labeled as new age music (Landscapes, Reflections, among others). Andre Latimer uses a lot of flute on them, an instrument he left aside in latter years. On the other side there are some very strong progressive tunes (Docks, Beached) and even some fusion stuff (Captured). There are also very good songs with lyrics like Drafted and the powerful bluesy Lie. The final instrumental Nude´s Return reminds me of the ´old´ Camel by the time of the great The Snow Goose. Unfortunatly, it is too short.

In all I liked this CD. I don´t feel It is not very well balanced musically but I have to say it does include some of their best 80´s stuff. It is a little different and maybe too new age-ish for my taste., but still quite good anyway (specially for that specific time period). And, as a concept albu,, it works. Final rating: something between 3 and 3,5 stars.

I like being pleasantly surprised. When I picked this up several weeks back I expected it to be fairly good like the majority of everything else I've heard by Camel but I didn't know it would be so consistently delightful. If you know anything about this group you know that they're anything but boisterous, relying on a softer approach to get their progressive point- of-view across. There are times when that's exactly what my anxious brain or troubled mood yearns for. I'm not saying that this is some kind of wishy-washy, meditative new age B.S. that can double as a generic alternative to counting sheep and popping two Tylenol PMs. Believe me, if that's what this was I wouldn't put up with it beyond the first minute. Get thee behind me, Yanni! No, this is quality prog from the early 80s that respectfully contains a healthy dose of what had allowed the mellower side of 70s progressive rock to ingratiate itself into contemporary/popular styles so discreetly. The malicious force known as MTV was still deceivingly benign; slithering about in its cute, incubatory phase when this record was released and, therefore, "Nude" is one of the last stragglers of that waning golden era to proudly wave its shiny prog banner as the legions of anti-creativity Blue Meanies gathered on the horizon.

Make no qualms about the band's history, though. The yellow brick road hadn't been a cake walk for this group. By 1981 Camel had reinvented and repopulated itself a few times over and was at this juncture head honcho Andrew Latimer's baby all the way as he wrote or co-wrote every note of this one. My sombrero's off to him, too, because there's not a runt in the litter (okay, maybe there's a mutt or two). While it's essentially a concept album built around the tale of a castaway WWII soldier (Nude) unintentionally quarantined from the rest of the world for 29 years before being rescued, the somewhat shallow plot takes a back seat to the music and never gets preachy or overly sentimental. This is respectable prog that won't scare anyone, even your pet Guinea Pig. I'm willing to bet your wife and/or mistress will not object. Everybody wins!

They begin meekly with a light sprinkle of pop on "City Life" in which Alan Parsons' influence is noticeable except that this is what his Project should've evolved into instead of becoming the soulless, plastic hit machine they became. The song has a silky smooth surface and is obviously radio-friendly yet it maintains a level of integrity. Mel Collins' spicy sax solo could have elevated it but his reedy blowing suffers from being kept too low in the mix to make a difference. The sparse lyrics describe a young urban boy confused about what to spend his life doing. "Wake up, wake up/signs tell the time you're wasting," Andrew croons. "Nude" is next and after a soothing piano and cello opening the tune flows as free as a mountain stream. Here our protagonist's existential dilemma is solved by a draft notice that makes his life-choice for him whether he cares to tote a loaded rifle or not. It's implied that he's a bit of a reluctant would-be killer who realizes that he has no alternative but to "live without remorse for the deeds I'm bound to do." The tune lolls a little until Andy Ward's drums' delayed entrance allows the number to pick up welcome steam. They then segue seamlessly into six consecutive, entertaining instrumental tracks, starting with "Drafted," a cut that has Latimer performing a stately slide guitar theme that's stirringly inspiring.

"Docks" is a Pink Floyd-styled song, well-constructed and festively decorated with firm dynamics. Andrew's understated guitar work is graceful throughout. "Beached" is even more up-tempo as Duncan Mackay's tasteful keyboard settings along with Ward's intricate drumming impress and the sudden appearance of a clean brass section is a nice touch. It's nothing spectacular, mind you, but there are enough varied elements involved to hold your interest until they get to the next (and best) number, "Landscapes." This gorgeous, ethereal piece alone is worth the price of admission. A deep, reverberating keyboard surrounds the soothing flute melody like a warm halo and my only complaint is that it's over way too soon. I could lounge in its luxury for another ten minutes. Easy.

Slightly world-beat, tribal-like drums characterize "Changing Places" as they rumble beneath harmonizing flute lines. The tune effectively summons a vivid visualization of Nude finding himself stranded on his lonely island paradise and Mel's flute flurries are colorful and uplifting. "Pomp & Circumstance" is another lovely composition that blends multiple synthesizers expertly, leading to a barely audible military snare and a single rifle shot at the end. Despite his isolation, our plucky infantryman has steadfastly enforced his loyalty to his sworn duty by staying vigilant, regularly discharging his firearm into the air. "Please Come Home" is a tiny song that brings to mind Supertramp and through which we are informed that our boy has, at long last, been found. "Reflections" follows and it's another well-executed soundscape that demonstrates explicitly how sublime subtlety can not only be heartwarming but highly admirable as prog art. Skeptical about the war being over, Mr. Survivor resists his rescue at first. "Captured" is a perky instrumental too reflective of the New Wave mannerisms prevalent at the time and it's the nadir of the proceedings because of that mundane flavoring. Kind of a cheesy soundtrack more befitting a modern jazz/ballet dance recital at the local high school, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

A hero's welcome greets the overwhelmed Nude in "The Homecoming," a Sousa-like snippet that's essential to the plot yet adroitly avoids being an embarrassment. "Lies" is another Alan Parsons Project protégé with Andrew's fluid guitars teeming, a funky breakdown in the middle that wisely employs a dense, growling Hammond organ (always a huge plus in my book) and a Latimer guitar ride towards the end that's exquisite. Far from being grateful, our star of the show is rather bitter. "Can you disguise/can you simplify/this change you put me through?/can you revive/and will I survive/this life you've brought me to?" he exclaims. The finale is "The Last Farewell." While Andrew reprises an earlier theme, Colin Bass' fretless bass adds a bounty of class before the band closes with a wistful musical aura reminiscent of Genesis during their awesome "Wind and Wuthering" days. The story's coda (spelled out in the liner notes) informs us that our man, disgusted with the phoniness of the requisite15-minutes-of-fame global community he's been brought back to, simply vanishes one day. We are left to surmise that he's returned to the peace and solitude of his south sea isolation. Good for him.

I have yet to find a truly poor Camel album. If you haven't waded into the dromedary waters as of yet I can only tell you that you're depriving yourself of a treat. While "Nude" isn't a masterpiece, it still deserves your consideration as an open-minded progger. If you take into account the "prog is for dweebs" mentality that the punk rockers bent on anarchy and the holier-than-thou New Wavers had forced upon the up-and-coming "videos rule" generation, it shines quite brightly. While Genesis was quickly turning into just another arena rock & roll band, while Yes was frantically looking for their lost Tibetan monk mojo and ELP's legacy was as dead as chivalry these guys were determined to hang on to their prog identity while adventurously incorporating ever-improving studio recording processes and techniques into their sound. Whatever you do, don't make the mistake of overlooking these fellas. They were still prog when prog wasn't cool anymore. 3.9 stars.

I used to play this one a lot in the early eighties. Along with ANTHONY PHILLIPS' 1984, I think it one of the under-appreciated gems of the early 80s. Lots of catchy melodies, pretty song structures founded in some traditional Japanese music, the album has a really nice flow of songs to tell the concept album's story (based on a true life event) about about a Japanese soldier from World War II who has been living alone on a small Pacific Island for thirty years without knowing that the war is over--thinking that he is still fighting for his emperor and country. found and brought back to Japan, Hiroo Onoda has to come to grips with the extraordinary changes in the world, his country, and his family. The album's weakness is its New Age keyboard sounds and horrible play and recording of the drums. (Was this really Andy WARD--THE Andy Ward?!?!) There are several really nice vintage CAMEL instrumental passages/songs ("Beached" [3:32] [9/10] was always a highlight for me on Side One and "Reflections" [2:45] "The Birthday Cake"[4:05] and "Nude's Return" [3:42] on Side Two. Still, the music is often a bit simplistic and corny, which is why I can't give this one more than three stars.

Between two of their poorest albums it appeared Nude. The first Camel's concept album after Snow Goose, and the first "real" concept because Snow Goose is totally instrumental. The story of the soldier forgotten on a desert island after a battle is not invented. I think Latimer and Susan Hoover have taken one of the many true stories of this kind, added a bit of fantasy and realized the plot.

However many passages are instrumental. We have songs at the beginning (City Life, Drafted) and at the end (Lies and Please Come Home). Effectively the main character of the story can "speak" only at the beginning, before the battle, and at the end, when after being saved he can't come back to the "city life" and disappears, probably back to his desert island.

What is more interesting are the instrumental parts. While the songs are radio friendly and pop-oriented is in the instrumental parts like "Beached" and "Captured" that we can find Camel at their best.

Captured features a great Mel Collins' solo that Latimer was used to play on guitar live, but the guitar makes a great work on Beached when underlines the battle. Using the slide, instead of percussions to give the idea of a battle is a great idea.

This is not an album to be described track by track, anyway. It's a true concept album that has to be listened to from the beginning to the end and represents the last good act of Camel as a band that still has Andy Ward, before becoming just a Latimer's trademark.

A mention goes to Colin Bass and Jan Scheelhas, that after the partially deludent debut with Camel of I Can See Your House From Here, are here giving, specially the first, a touch of personality to the music.

A cathedral in the desert of the early 80s unfortunately followed by what is in my opinion the poorest Camel's album: The Single Factor.

The final Camel album to feature Andy Ward is a bit of a return to form after the awkward transitional albums from Rain Dances to I Can See Your House From Here. Though Latimer succeeds in updating and streamlining the classic Camel sound for the 1980s, don't let the short song lengths fool you - the album flows from track to track wonderfully, creating another instrumental-heavy concept album in the tradition of the Snow Goose (with a few lyrics here and there to shed a bit of light on the concept).

With Andy's guitar work at points reminiscent of the sort of material Steve Hackett was unleashing on his own solo albums at around the same time, Nude shares with the likes of those albums a fascinating position as a transition point between the symphonic styles of the golden age of prog and the accessible, melodic approach of the upcoming neo-prog acts. It's also a brave experiment in updating symphonic prog from a time when the genre had few stalwart champions.

At the same time, I do suspect the album is rather more highly regarded than it strictly deserves to be on its own merits, by virtue of being a decent album in the middle of a run of decidedly less consistent material. In that respect it's a bit like Genesis' Duke, in that comes hot on the heels of a messy, transitional album hampered by awkward changes to the group's lineup, and was followed by an album which was regarded as a shameless and tasteless bid for the commercial mainstream by the band's prog audience.

Ultimately, this is undeniably 1980s Camel we are dealing with here - a vintage that has proved a bit more of an acquired taste than the vintage 1970s brand - and whilst Nude is a pretty album, but I can't really put hand on heart and say it's quite a five star classic.

After two albums that indicated a clear leaning toward more commercial (less interesting) musical direction, the start of this album might make you believe that this album continues that trend. And sure, City Life and the brief Nude are bland and poppy, but when the smoky sound of Drafted begins, it marks a change in attitude.

Aside from those first two tracks, the rest of the album is good. There is quite a bit of that light symphonic (and sure, maybe new-agey) symphonic fusion that was a staple in the heyday of the band, and also forays into other territories. Beached is a pure fusion track, more aggressive than we are accustomed to hearing from Camel, in some ways similar to Brand X. And while were talking aggression, Captured brings a heavy ELP-like riff with un-Camel-ish energy.

I'd give this album 3.5 stars, that I feel must be rounded down. Let's hope they don't follow it up with an album of truly bland pop singles under a very unimaginative title... Ooops!!!

With Nude, Camel moved into the 1980's with a wonderfully sophisticated set, containing beautiful sounding songs, taking full advantage, as with their better selling peers, of improved production techniques that had become available to the serious song writers and performers. I am one of those long term prog fans who rather welcomed this. I always liked my music to sound, well, sumptuous and full, and this album certainly delivers on that score.

The album is a concept one, not based upon life models, as the title suggests, but, rather, the fascinating phenomena of Japanese soldiers who either did not know, or refused to believe, that the war had come to an end, and carried on fighting in the most inhospitable places, sometimes for many years.

That this album was finished was, in itself, a story of dedication and fight, given drummer Andy Ward's chronic battle with depression and attempted suicide. It was to be his final album with the band.

Keyboard duties are taken by Latimer (assisted by Duncan Mackay), and a very fine job he does as well. His voice is as wonderful, deep, and feeling as ever, and there is a very real texture to the whole work.

This is an album I always enjoy revisiting. Indeed, Camel are a band who continue to provide listening pleasure, in whatever era or phase.

For those of you unfamiliar with the band's catalogue, or who are relatively new, owing to youth, to the delights of the classic English symphonic progressive rock bands, you could do a whole lot worse than an introduction to this fine band than this fine album.

It has it all. The trademark Camel instrumental passages, which never fail to keep your attention, and, mark my words, Latimer is one of the finest exponents of the electric guitar we have produced, dreamy tracks with rich vocal textures, overall symphonic layers, combined with a wonderful use of our favourite prog woodwind instruments, namely flute, and the marvellous Mel Collins, he of Crimson fame, on saxophone.

Come on in. The music is fine.

Four stars for an album which really should get far more attention than it does.

Review Nº 99

"Nude" is the eighth studio album of Camel and was released in 1981. Camel returned to conceptual albums with this new studio work. This was the first album of Camel to feature all the lyrics by the future Andrew Latimer's wife, Susan Hoover, except "Please Come Home", which has lyrics by Latimer. "Nude" was also the last Camel's album featuring the original drummer Andy Ward. In the mid of 1981 he stopped playing drums due to abuse of alcohol and drugs. Years later it emerged that Ward had attempted suicide. So, from "Nude", Latimer remained the only founding member of the group in activity as band's member. It was also the last album with this line up, and so, their next ninth studio album "The Single Factor" released in 1982 has a completely new line up where Latimer is the sole remaining member of the group. In a certain way, we can consider "The Single Factor" a solo Latimer's musical work. Perhaps the name isn't a coincidence. Curiously, it has the presence of their original keyboardist Peter Bardens, as a guest musician.

The line up on "Nude" is Andrew Latimer (lead vocals, guitars, flute, koto and various keyboards), Andy Ward (drums and percussion), Colin Bass (lead and backing vocals and bass), Mel Collins (flue, piccolo and saxophones), Duncan MacKay (keyboards), Kit Watkins (keyboards), Jan Schelhaas (piano), Chris Green (cello), Gasper Lawal (percussions) and Herbie Flowers (tuba). In fact, "Nude" has the participation of three keyboardists Duncan MacKay, Jan Schelhaas and Kit Watkins. However, Duncan MacKay provided most of the keyboards on the studio because Kit Watkins and Jan Schelhaas were involved in other musical projects, at time. However, they returned for the live tour of the album.

"Nude" is a more ambitious album than the preceding three studio albums, their fifth, sixth and seventh studio albums "Rain Dances", "Breathless" and "I Can See Your House From Here" released in 1977, 1978 and 1979, respectively. These albums aren't conceptual albums but only made by a group of songs. So, in a certain way "Nude" is a return to the concept of their third studio album "The Snow Goose". The concept of the album is based on a surrealist story, but true, about a Japanese soldier, Lt. Hiroo Onoda, stranded on a desert island since the World War II. "Nude" tell us the story of a Japanese soldier who is separated on a Pacific island of his unit during WW2, who survived alone during 29 years, on the Philippines island of Lubang until 1974, not knowing that the war had ended. However, finally he was persuaded that the war had over, after his former Japanese commanding officer fly over the island and talk with him, persuading him to surrender. After that, he has been received in his home as a hero. However, he no longer manages to get along in the daily life and thus he finally disappeared by boat, returning to his island, the place he knew so well.

Mostly instrumental, this is very much a Latimer's album, as he composed all of the music with the exception of "Docks" and "Captured" which were co-written by Kit Watkins and Schelhaas, respectively. The album opens with the generic "City Life" but the album never lets down. "Drafted" is stuffed with great melodies and guitar themes of classic Camel kind, and proved beyond any doubt that the band was back at their best. Then you're in for a series of lengthy and complex instrumental passages, about 70% of the album is instrumental, which perfectly captures the drama and atmosphere of the all conceptual story. It reminds me "The Snow Goose", the only other Camel's album that can rival with "Nude" when it comes to sweeping, symphonic and atmospheric soundscapes. There's lots of flute on the quiet parts, and there are even some ethnic rhythms on "Changing Places", to illustrate the jungle. "Reflection" represents Latimer at his most magic, and will make you think again of the most beautiful and relaxed parts from "The Snow Goose". "Lies" is a strong vocal track that somewhat resembles Pink Floyd, and Mackay delivered an organ solo to prove that he could understand what the kind of keyboards that a progressive rock band should use, even in the 80's.

Conclusion: "Nude" is an album that describes perfectly well the life of the Japanese soldier Onoda, before the war, his life in the army, his loss, his life in the island and how he was found, his feelings about his return to his country and finally, despite being very well received, his lack of adaptation after the war and his decision to return to the island where he spent so many years of his life. This incredible episode makes me think how our lives can be radically changed by a strange event and that we are animals of habits with difficult adaptation to new situations. In my humble opinion, "Nude" is somehow an underrated Camel's album. It's true that it isn't as spacey as their earlier albums. However, I think it's quite atmospheric and that it was able of creating its own musical ambient. "Nude" represents the return of the band to Camel's classic albums. It represents also one of the best progressive albums of the 80's in a very troubled musical period for the progressive rock music. For me, Camel passed thru the 80's with some elegance.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)