CAMEL

The early 70's really were exciting times for prog weren't they!

This, Camel's first album, showed that they had hit the ground running. From the upbeat opener, "Slow yourself down", symphonic prog of a superior quality with tinges of jazz features through to the last track. Camel were slightly late onto the scene compared with many of the bands they are listed alongside, and were clearly influenced by many of those peers. There's more than a hint of Caravan in the music (Canterbury sound and all that), but they still find their own identity throughout the album.

The instrumental closer "Arubaluba" features some fine keyboard work by the late Peter Bardens but the album balances his talents with Andy Latimer's guitar prowess superbly. There's a certain naivety and at times over ambitious feel overall, with track titles such as "Six ate" seeming corny.

The band's creativity and song writing skills grew as they matured, and indeed their next album, "Mirage" was a significant improvement. This was though an excellent start.

The Remastered CD release includes a 19 minute live version of "Homage to the God of light" an early live favourite. The track originally appeared on Barden's rare solo album "The answer".

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