s1ipp3ry wrote: I own a few Camel CD`s which I purchased mostly due to the popularity they seem to have on this site, my problem is after listening to them plenty of times I can`t say I feel the way most of you do about them , they strike me as B grade prog I`d even go as far as saying I think they are a little bit boring , do you think camel are overrated on this site ?

NO!

micky wrote: NetsNJFan wrote: no.   they adequately deserve their place at the top of the 2nd tier of prog. I thought that distinction belonged to VDGG.

i generally consider VdGG the bottom of the first tier.

Oh this is riduclous anyhow

I have to agree with  s1ipp3ry, I find most Camel very boring.

Iván

No, they are excellent.

In the prog forum .. I'll say yes. They are, in my opinion, inferior to the prog giants... yet have their laughable (in my opinion) debut album with an average of 4 stars, and their mediocre Mirage in the top 10.

In the non-prog world ... I'll say no ... almost nobody knows them. They have quite a bunch of good, accessible albums, and are one of the few 70s prog bands that can still release good albums in the 90s/ 00s. Camel is better than most soft-rock/new age/easy listening bands.

Mirage through Moonmadness are high quality, and I'm pretty sure much of their recognition is attributed by that period. I would disagree based on those three albums alone. They have a handul of good albums, but a handful of poor albums also. They're not as good as many of the "prog giants," no, but they should get credit for their credible work.

Their debut album is very good. Moon, Rain and Breathless are great stuff. Mirage is cool, but lady fantasy can sound a bit outdated ;). Nude, I can see your house are cool too. Snowgoose is cool, but overrated a bit like Mirage. But that is 8 albums with great stuff on each. I haven't herad alot of their 90s stuff, but I like what I've heard. These guys are better than Crimson for sure. Crimson are a second tier prog band :) Most of cimsons pre 1980 albums are overrated by prog fans ;)

They are absolutely underrated. They are no virtuosos, but they can make excellent, moving compositions, and they do have their own distinct sound, which had a lot of followers.

Andy Latimer once said in an interview that he sometimes goes to a guitarshop, and some really young guys play really fast licks. He thought by himself: I can't do that, but what I can do is being a really good performer of my own songs. Which is true. Andy can tell a story with his guitar, a bit like the good blues guitarists.

As the years go by, the Camel catalogue still grows on me, and even starts to rival my favourite bands: Genesis and Yes.

They're not up to the level of the Yes' and Genesis' of this world as far as I'm concerned but The Snow Goose and Moonmadness are excellent albums. The rhythm section on The Snow Goose is one of the best I've heard (listen to the drum/bass interlocking on the title track). Also some great guitar and keyboard work.

I'm not that familiar with their later work but they're always let down a bit by a lack of prowess in the vocal department.

felixxx wrote: Yes maybe are boring but Camel no way

Well put!!!

Camel were awesome with Bardens, which was until around 1978, so, if you include their early 1970s material, that's 8-9 years of great "on fire" music.

After that they were patchy, but still produced some great abums, like Stationary Traveller, Rajaz and Harbour of Tears.

If you add all of that lot up, that's better than most of the other "Classic" prog bands.

Boring is just a matter of opinion. Personally I find that Yes bore me to tears, while Camel's music, especially on the albums I mentioned, is exciting and vibrant - not to mention emotionally dazzling.

I love CAMEL.

1. 1973 - CAMEL - 3,8 / 5
2. 1974 - MIRAGE - 4,5 / 5
3. 1975 - THE SNOW GOOSE - 4,8 / 5
4. 1976 - MOONMADNESS - 5 / 5
5. 1977 - RAIN DANCES - 4,6 / 5
6. 1978 - A LIVE RECORD - 4,2 / 5
7. 1978 - BREATHLESS - 3 / 5
8. 1979 - I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE - 3 / 5
9. 1981 - NUDE - 3,5 / 5
10. 1982 - THE SINGLE FACTOR - 2,5 / 5

Not only are they not overrated, but they made something important in the history of prog: they filled a gap between standardized symphonic prog and melodic Canterbury.

1) Latimer's melodic sensibility;
2) Bardens' sense of texture and inventive use of organ and synths;
3) Ward's exquisite groove on drums
       - these are three of the most important items ever in British prog history.

   Regards.

NO

I think they have a unique sound even though they are not that 'prog' in overall when comparing ti bands like ELP, Yes, etc. I have most of their albums and sound all good to me, not boring...

here's my ratings. There is no album ever that rates a 10 with me, nothing is pefect. 9 is a classic and 8.5 is very good. So I rate Camel highly, but Mirage and Snowgoose are overrated  ;)

camel 8/10

mirage 7.5/10

snowgoose 7.5/10

moomandess 9/10

raindances 8.5/10

breathless 8.5/10

I can see your house from here 8/10

nude 8/10

This is how I rate the Wetton Crimson albums. They are good, but none excite me ;)

Red 7.5/10

Starless 7.5/10

Larks 8/10

NetsNJFan wrote: micky wrote: NetsNJFan wrote: no.   they adequately deserve their place at the top of the 2nd tier of prog. I thought that distinction belonged to VDGG. i generally consider VdGG the bottom of the first tier. Oh this is riduclous anyhow

i think we can make the first tier big enough to include VdGG

..by the way, does anybody else here like camel's a nod and a wink ?

because i sure do