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Versione 1
Rating: After the celebration of the masterpiece “The Snow Goose,” Camel revisit the complete performance of “Moonmadness” four years later, a title that closes the trilogy that began in '74 with Mirage. It would have been a dream to attend the event, as I did four years ago in Vicenza, where I still carry the vibrations on my skin. Unfortunately, the Camel has decided not to visit our country this time, a strange choice for a '70s progressive band, given the considerable following of Italian fans for this genre of music. The magic of the live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the sacred temple of music, remains.
The intro “Aristillus,” even before the protagonists appear on stage, is imposing: a few minutes of organ with a crystalline and expansive sound fill the atmosphere with space notes. Written by the brilliant and late Peter Bardens, the opening piece paves the way for a band classic “Song Within A Song”: a carpet of keyboards and synthesizers and a soft guitar arpeggio slowly lead to the central part where Latimer's Gibson breaks in, roaring and delicate in a balance only he can find. The four musicians harmonize wonderfully, but the inclusion of the blind multi-instrumentalist Pete Jones is particularly surprising, a great performer and a highly respected vocalist. The instrumental “Chord change,” with its jazz-fusion nuances and very complex compositionally, adds nothing new to the studio version; it remains, as always, an iconic piece showcasing the band's and leader's skill. An emotional and moving Colin Bass gifts us the melancholic “Spirit Of The Water,” accompanied on flute by the impeccable Andy, while “Another Night” surprises with a distorted guitar groove and a decidedly aggressive sound that then magnificently resolves into a sweet Camel-style refrain, sung by the keyboardist Jones. The band's cohesion is palpable. Often Andy moves toward Colin, seeking a duet during the performance, involving drummer Denis Clement. The three deliver moments of great visual impact, aided by the album's natural setlist that alternates lively moments with soft Canterbury sounds. Andy again introduces the sweet “Air Born” magnificently sung by Pete Jones. We thus arrive, almost without realizing it, at the final “Lunar Sea,” a monument of instrumental progressive. The heavenly atmospheres captivate us, a prelude to a lunar sea where time seems to stand still and the sound seems enveloped in a metallic shell. It's a piece to be listened to with closed eyes, trapping us and leaving us suspended in the awareness that something might change at any moment. And that's what happens because after the soft keyboards, an urgent drum rhythm takes shape, opening a prairie to Andy's hungry guitars that begin to dominate the scene with daring virtuosity and intelligent harmonic solutions until, having placated their wrath, the piece closes as it began, with the ethereal and celestial atmospheres of a lunar sea.
After several minutes of pause and a delirious audience, the group returns to the stage more determined than ever and resumes with an interesting “Unevensong” from the jazzy period of Rain Dances and immediately after with the beautiful “Hymn To Her” from I Can See Your House From Here, an album I do not particularly love for the dangerously pop tendency of those years. The track is instead one of the most complex from a guitar perspective, often performed live also to showcase the frontman's great skills. “End Of The Line” is sung almost exclusively by Pete, a choice that suits the intimate theme of the album Dust And Dreams. A successful track both for the vocalist's abilities and for the arrangement, which gives it a modern touch and partly reassesses it more than the original album production does. The guitarist is still in great form with the long and overwhelming “Coming Of Age,” followed by ten minutes I would dare to call unforgettable. Courageously, Andy sings one of the most beautiful gems of Camel's discography: “Rajaz.” Here lies the band's greatness, composing a track of such intensity and evocative power, at the sunset, if we can say, of their musical career. It was 1999. More than a song, it is poetry: the song of the nomads crossing the desert with their camels. It's touching to see how much Andy believes in what he says, in what he does; consistency is his best trait following his guitar skills. The signs of time and the emotion of the song further deform his face, transmitting a visceral love for the music. Pete handles the song solo, reinterpreting Andy's melancholic guitar notes and gifting additional little gems. It's 5 minutes of pure emotion, condensed in the sweat that drops on his sax. Standing, his eyes look far, though not seeing, while Andy as a showman invites the audience to follow the camel's rhythm with clapping hands. The song ends with a delirious audience and the musicians in emotional ecstasy.
It's not over, as a few minutes later, the time needed to catch their breath, Pete introduces on the piano the now unforgettable notes of “Ice,” explaining that it was the piece he auditioned for the band with. Andy takes back the stage, literally providing lessons in guitar playing, amid delicate notes and furious solos. The piece in question is another historical gem of the band, entirely instrumental. Thus approaches the concert's end, with the awareness of witnessing the most beautiful live album published by the English band. Two other superb tracks from the album Dust and Dreams are often performed together seamlessly: “Mother Road” and “Hopeless Anger.” The first is introduced by Bass, recalling the album's theme, a concept album centered on the Great Depression of the early 1900s, a famine that crippled the agricultural economy of entire America and drove many farmers to migrate west (Go West) toward California in search of fortune along the “Mother Road.” The melody is sublime, as is Latimer's and Bass's voice. The compelling rhythm seems to accompany the caravan journeys on the dirt roads. “Hopeless Anger” is even more energetic and fiery; the guitars dominate the scene, technically a very complex piece, especially rhythmically, with excellent Clement on drums. Toward the piece's end, like a mirage after much suffering, the typical Camel melodies return. Closing the concert is the sweet “Long Goodbyes,” but after a few minutes, the group returns to the stage and performs 18 minutes of the magnificent “Lady Fantasy.” Still with much adrenaline in their bodies, Camel retrace in this suite their entire career, a sort of journey back in time to 1974 when prog was perhaps reaching the end of its brief but intense life, while for Camel it was just the beginning of a journey marked by consistency. A career that still in 2018 offers gems like this indispensable and thrilling album. Thank you again, Andy!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
05 End Of The Line (00:00)
Well I'm walking this lonely street
but I'm far from bein' alone
'Cause everyone I meet,
has nowhere to call home.
So they move on
from day to day,
just to stand in a line.
Well my mother she comes to me
and begs me not to fight.
For the sake of the family,
I have to stay out of sight.
So I move on
from day to day,
just to stand in a line.
On the road again
for a job I never find.
People talking...
as if we're not their kind.
I got a handbill,
says there's work up here.
Left my homeland...
and paid a price too dear.
I've come to the end of the line
there's too many men,
despair in their faces...
Each one of us hoping to find a life,
a home, a dream...
within the line.
I ain't helpless --
I just need a hand.
These are hard times,
for every kind of man.
I've come to the end of the line
there's too many men,
despair in their faces.
Each one of us hoping to find
a life, a home, a dream
a place to be.
(repeat)
08 Ice (00:00)
(Latimer)
Andrew Latimer Guitars
Kit Watkins Rhodes Piano, Mini Moog, Solina, Hammond C3, Yamaha Electric, Grand Piano on Intro
Jan Schelhaas Grand Piano
Colin Bass Bass
Andy Ward Drums
09 Mother Road (00:00)
You've made your decision to leave
there's no turning 'round.
Now that you've got a reprieve,
you must stand your ground.
Some of the others are weak,
so you must be strong
$155 won't last very long...
Ma, will we make out,
do you think that this old car
will last?
Pa, is there some doubt,
if our bad luck will
stay in the past?
Well I'm hoping it's so,
but you can't really know til the end.
They tell me that all things must change
but they begin again.
Listen to the motor and the road
and how does it feel?
Listen with your ears and your hands
on the steering wheel.
Ma, will we make out,
do you think that this old car will last?
Pa, is there some doubt,
if our bad luck will stay in the past?
Listen now boys,
what your ma has told you
there is no way we can tell...
We've got to face this road together
and have some faith
in ourselves.
Ma, will we make out,
do you think that this old car will last?
Pa, is there some doubt,
if our bad luck will
stay in the past?
Ma,
Will we make out...?
12 Lady Fantasy (00:00)
Listen very carefully, my words are about to unfold
Concerning a lady I've seen but I never could hold
I can see by your smile,
Take a long while,
The words that come through,
I see that they're true,
For she reminds me of you.
Don't misunderstand me, it's not always easy to say
The words in your head and your heart that you just can't explain
I can see clearly,
A face in the sky,
Moon's in your eye,
You're passing me by.
Tell me the reason why.
I can see clearly,
A face in the sky,
Moon's in your eye,
You're passing me by.
Saw you riding on a moon cloud,
Saw you walking on a whirlpool,
From the corner of my eye,
I saw you.
Saw you sitting on a sunbeam,
In the middle of my daydream,
Oh my Lady Fantasy,
I love you.
13 Song Within A Song (00:00)
(Latimer/Bardens)
The sun has left the sky
Now you can close your eyes
Leave the world behind until tomorrow
The dream is like a song
It leads you on and on
The piper plays his tune so you must follow
So far beyond the sky
Not knowing how or why
You realize this feeling is forever
And though another day
May steal your dreams away
You and the song will always stay together
Andrew Latimer: Guitar, Flute, Backing Vocals
Peter Bardens: Electric Piano, String Synthesizer, Moog
Doug Ferguson: Bass, Lead Vocals
Andy Ward: Drums
14 Chord Change (00:00)
(Latimer/Bardens)
Andrew Latimer: Guitar
Peter Bardens: Organ
Doug Ferguson: Bass
Andy Ward: Drums, Congas
15 Spirit Of The Water (00:00)
See the lights out on the water
Come and go, to and fro
In the time it takes to find them
You can live, you can die
And nothing stops the river as it goes by
Nothing stops the river as it goes
All alone and all together
Every day, come what may
By the time we find each other
We can live, we can die
And nothing stops the river as it flows by
Nothing stops the river as it goes
16 Another Night (00:00)
Dark clouds before my eyes
Can't face the morning skies
Day comes a day too soon
I'm waiting for that silver moon
Maybe I'm wrong
But I'm feeling like another night
Would make it alright
Twilight is fading through
Seems like I'm fading too
How can I believe it's real
When nothing starts to stop this wheel?
17 Air Born (00:00)
High flying glider, spread your wings
Flying high on a cloud
Born on the air, spiral around
So busy making circles
You never touch the ground
You see the sea, feel the sky
Don't know where you go when you die
Don't know the answers
To what's in my mind
Riding on the wind and turning with the tide
life takes you up, it brings you down
Changes the pain that remains
Keep moving fast, though the wind and the rain
And if the world keeps spinning round
You'll be back again
18 Lunar Sea (00:00)
(Latimer/Bardens)
Andrew Latimer: Guitar
Peter Bardens: String Synthesizer, Moog,Organ
Doug Ferguson: Bass
Andy Ward: Drums
19 Unevensong (00:00)
Sleepless nights, restless days
Memories of her gentle ways
Love locked out looks for a home
A place to find a shelter from the storm
She said you are the air I breathe
The life I love, the dream I weave
Without a word, with just a touch
Now I realize you meant so much
Been awake so long
I feel like I belong
With the rain
Morning light appears
The feelings of the night
Remain
Somewhere in between
The waking and the dream
Feel you close to me
20 Hymn To Her (00:00)
(Latimer/Schelhaas)
Look to the mirror
I can tell no lies
Time drawing nearer
Still I wonder why
You are the giver
Me I never try
Now we're together
Still I wonder why
Please can you tell me
When you're by my side
And when my eyes see
Will I wonder why
If you are with me
I can only try
To find the answer
In the words that ask the question
Why don't we know
And why don't it show
I wanna find out
Try let it all out
Andrew Latimer Guitars, Lead Vocals
Jan Schelhaas Grand Piano
Kit Watkins Mini Moog, Clavinet, Solina, Hammond C3
Colin Bass Bass, Backing Vocals
Andy Ward Drums
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