NUDE

Having reviewed a few other Camel albums I have stated that their 2nd (Mirage), 3rd (Snow Goose) and 4th (Moonmadness) albums are the tri-pinnacle of Camel as they were the original incarnation of Latimer, Bardens, Ferguson & Ward. The tragedy of self-destructing the structure by dropping Ferguson and then Latimer and Bardens falling out after cutting Breathess was sad indeed. They lost their form and by this time only Latimer and Ward remained but Ward would attempt suicide and never play for Camel again or pretty much in any band. He was so gifted too!

When they came out with "I Can See Your House From Here", not only was the name too long the album was a big flop save a few tracks. Latimer decided to try and give Decca Records what they wanted: hit singles which he later admitted was not a good thing to try since they were obviously not a band that had a pop groove. It's a little like Mozart giving heavy metal a try; it aint gonna end well!

But Latimer did recover well and this album is very well done. It is the closest thing to the original Camel there is. The keyboards have a good solid presence here which is something that is not as evident in later albums. Bardens keyboards were very much a lead instrument and always there. Latimer actually plays some of the keys in here as well as Duncan Mackay and they are well done as well as Latimer's guitar work.

When this first came out I ignored it thinking it would be like the previous album. But the more I listen to it, the more I like it. I really believe this is the last of the good albums by Camel. While Dust & Dreams and the 2 that follow have some nice moments they are strained and work too hard at trying to sound like the old days but fall short. The next album Single Factor was a contract fulfillment album that was all over the place with a few songs that were fair. The work here is very original and there is hook after hook in most songs. I love their instrumental side especially when they are playing all out. 4 stars!