MOONMADNESS

Moonmadness is the fourth album from Camel. It is a very pleasent album. As for me, I like to put this one on when it's dumping snow outside and I have a good mug of hot chocolate. Moonmadness is not exactly the "really" amazing album (I like Snow Goose better) but it is one for the ages.

The album starts with "Aristillus" A two minute tune that sounds very ELPish with a spin. The beat in the background that continues throughout is good, and my favorite part is the bridge at a little past one minute. This is a great instermental to start a great album.

The next song is a bit longer and has lyrics. "Song within a Song" After the into, it calms down with some beutiful flute and background keyboard. Lyrics soon come in and it changes. One thing that does sort of bother me in this full album is the vocals. The song continues beutifully, but it's around the three minute mark when the riff hits. This is an amazing moment in prog history. After a minute of this, the song picks up speed and takes you away for the last part.

Then we get another instermental track. A song called "Chord Change" However I always felt they should have renamed it because "Chord Change" is sort of a boring name. Anyway, this starts with a fast beat and some scat after a minute. Then it calms down more and we get a gutiar solo. This part always made me thing of The Greatful Dead. At the four minute mark, it changes with a lick and a keyboard solo. My favorite part of the song. It slowly builds you up and reprises the into.

The next song is a ballad. "Spirit of the Water." It uses flute and piano, but if you think that's cool, just wait until the lyrics start. Pete Barden makes his voice sort of echo, it's amazing. It sounds as though it's echoing underwater! The piano and flute is also gorgeous and the lyrics are also amazing.

The second side opens with "Another Night" this sort of fades in a lot like "Flight of the Snowgoose". Then the gutiar kicks in. It's a pretty cool riff. The song slows down for the chorus, and then goes back. The instermental section starts close to three minutes. I have to admit, there's some pretty amazing drumming in here. The instermental ends at around four and a half minutes and then melody begains again, with another instermental section.

The next song, "Air Born", begains with a flute and piano underneath. Then you here a melotron sound and guitar. Accoustic guitar also is in it, I always loved this in the background. It then takes over the song with flute. This is a beutiful section of the song, but this song becomes amazing around two and a half minutes. Here, we have a guitar solo with keyboard in the background. It takes me away every time. The song ends with another melody, which really kicks in.

Finnaly, we have the final track on the album. "Lunar Sea" An instermental. The into makes sure you know this is underwater. Then the guitar comes in. This is a sort of fade in. I always listen to the bass of this. It's really cool. The song changes around two and a half minutes with keyboard taking over as a solo and an even better bass pattern. This is really good and lasts a while, but then a riff comes in and at the five minute mark comes the coolest transition ever. We then have the first bass pattern with keyboard taking a melody and a guitar as a solo. And around seven minutes comes a transition to the best part of the the whole album, the final riff. This tops everything off and we then get an intro reprise and some strange sound effects taking up the last minute.

Well, overall I think this album is amazing, though I am not giving it five stars. For much of it drags on a bit, though Camel can do that a lot. And, like I said before, the best time to listen to this is when it's snowing hard outside and your snuggles in a warm home with a nice mug of hot chocolate.

RANKING OF SONGS

1. Lunar Sea 2. Song Within a Song 3. Air Born 4. Spirit of the Water 5. Another Night 6. Chord Change 7. Aristillus

Favorite quote from the album: "Nothing stops the river as it rolls by." -From "Spirit of the Water"