STATIONARY TRAVELLER

With Stationary Traveller Camel seem to dig even deeper in the 1980s. The keyboards truly dominate the music and the guitars are pushed back more than any other Camel release and most of the time its role is restricted in delivering rhythmic parts. This isn't clear from the instrumental intro Pressure Points, but the subsequent three tunes make it plain. This fact doesn't mean that the songs lack quality - quite the contrary. The title-track is the second instrumental piece of the album and this time Andy Latimer takes the lead, both in the guitar parts and the wind-instrument section (Pan pipes - no flute!). Its quality is such that it wouldn't fall short in any other Camel album, even the huge ones. Side B I would say is a bit closer to the sound the band has forged from I Can See Your House From Here onwards. West Berlin is pretty much like the stuff so far, but in the end it features Andy's signature technique with the volume knob. The fretless bass of David Paton and the saxophon of Mel Collins steal the show in Fingertips and it's one the absolute highlights of the album. Missing and After Words are two intrumental pieces (the former a fully-fledged one, the latter a two-minute one that reeks with emotion). The album comes to its end with Long Goodbyes, the only song where we can hear Andy's flute. David Paton picks up his fretless bass again and Andy's Gibson emanates a truly poignant solo. This is the way that Camel chose to deliver the story about refugees who chose to cross the then Berlin Wall. Although it is far from calling it a classic Camel album, I truly love it all these years and I spin it quite regularly. To my ears it has aged pretty well and judging by other fans reaction, it is held in high esteem by a large portion of them. It's an album that its collective quality surpasses the tracks' individual one.

Social review comments

Review related links

• Send comments to Alxrm
• Report this review (#3154104)
• Buy CAMEL music online with PA partners
• Show all CAMEL MP3/Stream
• Go to CAMEL page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Stationary Traveller page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for CAMEL related discussions