THE SNOW GOOSE

While I hesitate to give this 5 stars, this is a personal review so I just can't give it any less. Admittedly, this is quite different from the majority of their catalog. Mostly pretty mellow and delicate. But for me at least, it works beautifully. This was my second Camel album, and an immediate hit.

From the mellow keyboard washes of The Great Marsh, to the borderline heavyness of Dunkirk and beyond, this album just captivates me. The melodies are not complex, but they are emotional and quite lovely. For a lot of the album, it is hard to think of it as rock music (Sanctuary, Fritha, La Princessa Perdue), but there is in fact some rock in here as well. Check out Latimer's incredibly sweet guitar solo in Rhayader Goes To Town, channeling Dave Gilmore, and the tight and very proggy ensemble playing in Dunkirk.

The fusing of orchestra and band works seamlessly here, though the orchestra is more used for coloring and specific sections rather than as an overarching musical device. The orchestra really does add to the musical beauty, particularly on the softer sections. Vocals, though wordless, are even included on a couple tracks. Though I mention specific tracks, they are really sections of one long piece. This really is an epic of sorts, divided into various sections. The whole thing hangs together well though as a single 43 minute piece.

I would not suggest this as an intro to Camel though. For me, I started with Mirage, which is as good a starting point as any. I have heard Camel accused of being too "safe" for a prog band. I have to say that that is a fair accusation, particularly when listening to this delicate and often quite soft and precious album.

But I still love their music and find that it fits a lot of different moods depending on the album. This one I have no problem listening to from beginning to end. I will say I prefer the live version on "A Live Record" slightly, but only because it has a bit more drive or bite or something that I can't quite define. Anyway, for me at least, this is definitely a masterpiece of progressive music.