Camel – An amazing band who should be more popular.

The band Camel never achieved the mass popularity of fellow British progressive rock bands like the Alan Parsons Project, but they cultivated a dedicated cult following. Over the course of their career, Camel have experienced numerous changes, but throughout all those years, Andrew Latimer has remained a constant and is definitely the leader of the band.

Formed in 1972 in Surrey, Camel originally consisted of Latimer (guitar, flute, vocals), Andy Ward (drums), Doug Ferguson (bass), and keyboardist Peter Bardens, previously of Them. By the end of 1973, the group signed with MCA and released their eponymous debut. In 1974, the band switched record labels, signing with Decca’s Gama subsidiary, and released Mirage. In 1975, Camel released their breakthrough album The Snow Goose, which climbed into the British Top 30 and the band played a huge gig at The Royal Albert Hall with a symphony orchestra showcasingThe Snow Goose in its entirety.

The band’s English audience declined with 1976’s Moonmadness, but the album was more successful in America, reaching number 118 which was the highest chart position the band would ever attain in the U.S. Following the release of Moonmadness, Ferguson left the band and was replaced by Richard Sinclair (ex-Caravan); at the same time, the group added saxophonist Mel Collins. Latimer and Bardens conflicted during the recording of 1977’s Rain Dances and those tensions would come to a head during the making of 1978’s Breathless. After Breathless was completed, Bardens left the band. Before recording their next album, Camel replaced Bardens with two keyboardists, Kit Watkins (Happy the Man) and Jan Schelhaas (Caravan). Richard Sinclair was replaced by Colin Bass.

By the time Camel released their 1979 album, I Can See Your House From Here, the rock music scene had been changed by the emergence of punk rock, which resulted in less press coverage for progressive rock, as well as decreased record sales. Camel suffered from this shift in popular taste — I Can See Your House from Here received less attention than any of the band’s releases since their debut. Latimer returned to writing concept albums with 1981’s Nude but in 1982, drummer Andy Ward was forced to leave the band after suffering a severe hand injury. Camel’s 1982 album, The Single Factor, was a slicker, more accessible affair than previous Camel records, but it failed to chart. Stationary Traveller (1984) was another concept album about Berlin during the Cold War.

After the release of the 1984 live album, Pressure Points, Camel entered a long period of hibernation that lasted until the early ’90s. In 1985, Decca dropped Camel from its roster. Latimer wasn’t able to find a new label because he was embroiled in a difficult legal battle with Camel’s former manager Geoff Jukes; Camel eventually won the lawsuit in the late ’80s. Throughout this period, Camel produced no new music. In 1988, Latimer sold his home in England and moved to California, where he founded the independent label Camel Productions. By the time Camel recorded their follow-up to Stationary Traveller in the early ’90s, the band was, for most intents and purposes, simply Andrew Latimer and a handful of session musicians. Dust and Dreams (1991) was the first release on Camel Productions and was a work based on John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Grapes of Wrath. In 1993, PolyGram released a double-disc Camel retrospective, Echoes and In early 1996, Camel released Harbour of Tears. Another album, Rajaz , a concept album by Camel about……a camel, was released in 1999 and this was followed in 2002 by the album A Nod And A Wink. The band played a farewell tour in 2003.

It was later disclosed that Andy Latimer was ill and underwent chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant in 2007. He had recovered sufficiently to revive the band in 2013, recording a new version of The Snow Goose as a tribute to the late Peter Bardens. The band has toured regularly since 2013 and remains active. They played a gig at London’s Royal Albert Hall in September 2018 which was filmed and released on Blu-Ray.

Here are a few links to some live performances. I think you will agree that the musicianship and songwriting are of the highest order.

As a bit of a fun aside Pam and I are in the audience for three of these selections, Long Goodbyes (it was Pam’s birthday that day), Fox Hill and Stand in Line. We had an amazing time.

Lunar Sea – Live at The Hippodrome, London September 1977