MIRAGE

I am going with level 1 on this album. I am very familiar with Lady Fantasy, but not the other tracks. I tend to enjoy Camel's music though, so I am looking forward to it.

Track 1 - Freefall

We fade in with synth sounds and go into a great rhythmic accent pattern. Following that there are some different melodies before coming back to the other pattern. Dynamic intro! Grabbed me right away. Andy Latimer's vocals aren't spectacular, but they are certainly not bad at all. He gets the job done. A bit after 2 minutes, we hit a quick- tempo jazzy instrumental section for a guitar solo with shifting meters. Nice solo from Latimer. Bardens follows with an organ solo. Then there is a full band instrumental break with changing meters. There is a recurring descending melodic pattern that fits well with the title. We end with the opening riffs and some ending chords. Great track!

Track 2 - Supertwister

After a brief slow introduction, with some flute from Latimer, the tempo picks up nicely into a 7-8 bit. Latimer continues on flute. Then the bass takes over, and the tempo slows down. We continue with a flute solo. The tempo picks up with a bit of harpsichord. I believe this is an instrumental. Yep, a brief but nice track.

Track 3 - The White Rider: a- Nimrodel, b- The Procession, c- The White Rider

A bit of Tolkien here, as I understand it. This is the second longest track on the album at just over 9 minutes. Mellow sounds kick this one off, with a synth over the top. Following that we have people cheering and a marching band coming by. Next the band locks into tempo with a mellow guitar solo on top of mellotron strings and the rhythm section, followed by keyboards in the lead. Latimer's mellow baritone voice joins in. Just before 4 minutes the tempo increases to a gallop, and Bardens takes the lead with a synth solo. At around 5:30 Latimer's guitar takes the lead. Then he's singing about Gandalf after he becomes Gandalf the White. Doug Ferguson takes over with a bass feature before Latimer switches to slide guitar. Andy Ward gives us some great drum fills along the way.

Track 4 - Earthrise

Sustained organ chords and clean electric guitar start the proceedings here. This reminds me of things I have heard from the later Snow Goose album. Not sure if this is going to have vocals or remain an instrumental, but I suspect the latter. Excellent meter shift at around 2 minutes. Nice funky rhythm guitar from Latimer while Bardens solos. The rhythm section is cooking. Now Latimer returns with a guitar solo, possibly reverse recorded. They trade solos again then play harmony lines in a manner not unlike the Allman Brothers. The tempo moderates with around 40 seconds to go. Excellent instrumental.

Track 5 - Lady Fantasy: a- Encounter, b- Smiles for You, c- Lady Fantasy

Cool organ arpeggios start off the closing epic, with melodic guitar playing. Electric piano leads the way for the rhythm bed under the vocals, along with acoustic guitar and the rhythm section. The verses are nice and groovy, in the truest sense of the word. The groove continues while Latimer and Bardens each take a solo. The tempo and riff change at 3:45. More solos follow. The rhythm section is swinging away underneath. Before the 5-minute mark that band accents the riff, then transitions to a moderately slow tempo and mellower feel. Latimer plays an almost mournful melodic pattern on this. The rhythm section bows out for sustaining keyboard chords with some mellow guitar on top. He has a nice, sustained feedback note before he starts singing with subtly more rhythm underneath. There are harmony vocal parts, not very common in Camel. Then we start rocking out at around 9 minutes. The band is jammin' on these riffs while the lead players shine. Then the riff from near the beginning of the song returns with tight rhythm section playing underneath, the tempo slows and we're out. Still my favorite Camel track of the ones I know.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS.

That was an awesome way to spend 40 minutes. Thus far, this is my favorite overall Camel album. Moonmadness was good, but this one is great. Nothing I'd change about it. 5 out of 5 stars! (Incidentally, I believe that today is the 50th anniversary of the album's release.)