Customer Reviews

Breathless (Reis)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the first album I ever heard by Camel, when I found it at some mom-and-pop CD store that was closing out a bunch of One Way Records discs like this one and its followup, 'I Can See Your House From Here.' While it may seem very tempting to automatically brand this as a pop album, my first impression held it in very high regard. Sure, there's some dancefloor influence in here and a couple of Lite-FM friendly numbers, but overall the musicianship is sincere and inspired. Poppy as the songs may be, the musicians involved definitely used a craftsman's approach in arranging this music to sound exactly like they wanted it too. And they didn't leave many loose ends. Silly as it is, "Down on the Farm" even shows a considerable amount of production attention, with Latimer's skittish guitar riff in the verse and the playful vocal harmonies in the heavier part. "Wing and a Prayer" features a fabulous sounding 12-string guitar part and a really catchy electric piano part. The softer songs ("Starlight Ride", "Breathless") make very good use of the flute and saxes, which give the songs a tasteful orchestral feel (without sounding overblown or overproduced). Lastly, the album doesn't at all kiss the better parts of "progressive" music goodbye. "Echoes" and "The Sleeper" feature outstanding instrumental performances that are definitely worthy of attention. These songs definitely stand up to the instrumental performances on Camel's earlier albums. The album also features plenty of odd times (often not obviously stated, which in my opinion is the best way to incorporate them), some great soloing and instrumental leads (Latimer's solo on 'Summer Lightning' is really well-done), and great bass playing (Sinclair uses a fretless which works well with the jazzy approach of the album). When I first got this, not knowing about Camel's so-called "classics," I was every bit as impressed with the music as I was when I later acquired "Mirage" and "Moonmadness." Sure, the style is more commercial and poppy, then say, all of "Snow Goose," but the performance is sincere and well-done. None of this music sounded forced, and it sounded like they were truly inspired when they were working on it.

On Breathless, you can begin to sense that Bardens and Latimer are going in different directions in their musical vision. But much like the Beatles' "Abbey Road" the divergence expands the group. (In this analogy, Richard Sinclair's "Down on the Farm" is Ringo's "Octopuses Garden"). In particular, the songwriting seems to be stronger, albeit less collaborative. The instrumentation for the band was never tighter, and Mel Collins' studio contributions are tremendous.

There is less of a cohesive feel than on some previous Camel albums, and a greater concentration on individual songs, but it tends to make each of the songs stand out a little more because of it.

Highly recommended

As a life long Camel fan, I am used to certain quarters criticising Camel's change of style for this album. Sinclair's exceptional Bass guitair adds a jazzier feel to the music while his vocals are more refined and are a vast imnprovement on Latimer's or Bardens. Admittedly there are one or two weaker tracks such as "Wing and a Prayer" and "You make me Smile" but the inclusion of "Summer Lightening" with its rippling keyboards that builds to a blistering guitar solo and Andy Ward's exceptional drumming, is enough to place this in my top 5 favourite Camel albums.
"Down on the Farm" is a whimsical Canterbury-esque piece, unsurprisingly penned by ex-Caravan member Richard Sinclair while "Echoes" and "The Sleeper" are strong tracks that you would expect from Camel, with the latter not sounding too disimilar from the classic "Lunar Sea".
Dont be put off by the change of style - this album is a must for all Camel fans and lover's of good music.

I have to confess that this 1978 album is not nearly as bad as people have made it out to be - (the reviews of the album on ProgArchives are particularly merciless and vicious). In fact, while Breathless may not necessarily present the band at their finest hour (especially in contrast with albums like The Snow Goose (1975) and Moonmadness (1976)), there is some good material to be found. Then again, Camel was no different from the other English prog bands active at the time and suffered from the same confusion with respect to what musical direction they were supposed to head in. Furthermore,(without naming names) Breathless is certainly no worse than other albums floating around in 1978.

The lineup at this point included Andrew Latimer (acoustic and electric guitars, Yamaha CS80/50, Vocals); Peter Bardens (electric piano, acoustic piano, synthesizers, Hammond organ, Vocals); Mel Collins (Flute, Saxophones); Richard Sinclair (Bass guitar, Vocals); Andy Ward (Drums, Percussion); and Dave Sinclair (Keyboards (uncredited)). In general the playing by all members is very good, with Andy Latimer contributing some fine playing. I have always been a fan of Richard Sinclair's vocals and bass playing, so his presence on the album works for me. Following this album, Peter and Richard left the band. Apparently Peter and Andy Latimer were having problems (creative differences), which precipitated his leaving the band, and he was replaced by two keyboardists for the Breathless tour including Dave Sinclair and Jan Schelhaas. For the I Can See Your House from Here album (1979), the two keyboardist approach was maintained, yet with Jan and ex-Happy the Man player Kit Watkins.

The tracks on the album range in length from 2'59" to 7'17". In general the music on Breathless is considerably different from previous albums and includes a greater percentage of mainstream styles, including a sizeable chunk of disco (Summer Lightning, You Make me Smile). The inclusion of Richard's whimsical Canterbury track `Down on the Farm", while entirely appropriate for a Caravan album, seems a bit out of place on a Camel album - although his vocal part is very interesting. Wing and a Prayer is not completely awful, and is actually just a very nice and well-written pop song, with great woodwind parts.

Although this may all sound very unappealing, there are however some nice "Camel-ish" pieces on the album that are actually very good including the highly melodic title track, the vigorous progger Echoes, the delicate Starlight Ride, another atmospheric/proggy track The Sleeper, and the synthesizer heavy and gloomy closing track Rainbow's End. I am of the opinion that the album is worth picking up just for those five tracks alone, albeit at a "used copy" price.

Well there you have it. While Breathless may not represent Camel at their finest hour, there is still some good material here. For those of you that are new to the band, start out with any of these albums: Camel (1973); Mirage (1974); The Snow Goose (1975); Moonmadness (1976); and Rain Dances (1977). Of these albums, The Snow Goose is a fan favorite (mine too).

It's a shame more people don't know about this album, because it is one of the gems of rock/pop music. It's one of those rare instances where the songwriting and arrangement is just so damn good that it stands out as something special and worthy of notice. In addition to the quartet, Mel Collins adds some flute and soprano sax parts, but the album never has the 'orchestral instruments for their own sake' syndrome that plague so many other albums that try to incorporate these elements. Rather, one can't picture the arrangements as being nearly as complete without them ('Wing and a Prayer' is a perfect example of this) and they fit into the ensemble as naturally as Latimer's guitar or Sinclair's electric bass. While I'm not totally enamored of the instrumental that clutters up the second side of the album, the overall product is so skillfully and tastefully conceived and crafted that I can't help returning to it time and again, as I do with other monumental records that--contrary to 'Breathless'-- have received virtually universal acclaim and notoriety (such as "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" or "Going for the One.") Permit a total stranger to do you a service, and let me advise you to plop down twenty of those new-fangled bucks to get a copy of what is surely one of the undiscovered treasures of pop music.

That's right - essential. Look, I own virtually ALL of the recorded Camel material, and if I had to compile a Top Five Songs list of the group, two of those five songs would come from THIS album alone: "Echoes" (my favorite Camel song of all time!) and "The Sleeper".

We diehard Camel fans will usually admit that it's the instrumentals that we love most about the band, with vocals only a peripheral element to the music. (Why else do you think we all feel that "The Snow Goose" is their best album?) Both "Echoes" and "The Sleeper" are heavy on the instrumental gymnastics. The few vocals that do appear in "Echoes" are really well-done, and flow perfectly with the rest of the song. The two-part "The Sleeper" is a classic Camel instrumental with odd time signatures and jazz-rock soloing. Clever drums, dancing bass lines, cool synthesizer sounds, and great guitar/sax/keyboard soloing in both songs make them essential songs for the serious Camel collector.

Hey, I'm compulsive enough to have plopped down good money just to own ONE song from an otherwise unnecessary album. But with this album, you get some decent secondary songs to make the whole purchase worth your while, as well as a heavy dose of great sax, courtesy of guest Mel Collins. Some of the "decent" music includes the title track that begins the album, and the three-minute Santana-like guitar outro to "Summer Lightning", which is simply STUNNING (despite the disco drumming). After those, you have some "nice" songs ("Wing and a Prayer" and "Rainbow's End") and the admittedly disappointing, blah, unremarkable ones ("Starlight Ride", "You Make Me Smile", and the Canterbury-ishly tongue-in-cheek "Down on the Farm"). Curses!

This was my very first Camel album purchase back in the mid-70's, so I've always tried to defend my little discovery against the critics. But there's no sense in denying that some commercialism crept into this album on a few tracks, and the album would have to stand behind at least 5 or 6 other Camel albums in terms of overall quality.

Unfortunately for your wallet, you NEED "Echoes" and "The Sleeper".....so buy the album if you can't find them on any other compilations.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 7.9/10; Performance = 9/10; Production = 8/10; CD length = 7/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.1 ("3-1/2 stars")

Breathless is best described as a frustrating effort of an excellent progressive rock band to make pop-oriented tunes and make money. I'm not beeing radical, it's just what I fell when I listen to this album. I'm an old Camel fan and I know what they did before Breathless. The departure of the strong bassist Ferguson after Moonmadness (76') killed some of Camel's vitality and virtuosism. Richard Sinclair is a very nice bass player, but he didn't fit in Camel's spirit, neither Mel Collins. The line-up is very strong, in theory, but it's not what I've seem in Breathless and later albums. There's another problem, Bardens started using those horrible plastic sounding keyboards avaiable at that time, altough playing them very well. Latimer and his singular guitar sound is just OK in the album, except in Summer Lightining and in You Make Me Smile, where he and the whole band are playing pure disco crap ! These tracks are among Camel's worst records (except for the excelent guitar solo in Summer Lightining)! Ward, that really kicks off in Mirage, Snow Goose and Moonmadness, is too much economic and shy in Breathless.. a serious disappointment for me and many other Camel fans all around the world ! Anyway, Breathless has some very good moments, bringing a soft Camel atmosphere that almost has gone after this album. The title song, Breathless, is a typical soft-rock Camel track, very good. Echoes is the best track, with Sleeper. Two excelent Camel progressive rock tracks, where Latimer, Bardens and Collins simply rocks ! Seven minutes lenght, each one, with beautiful guitar solos, non-plastic keyboard sounds and gentle wind instruments. The vocals are better than in any previous Camel albuns, but vocals never was Camel best characteristic ! The rest of the album are Camel late 70's songs, oscilating from good to not so good... There are some influences of Caravan and Cantebury (Richard Sinclair !), that gives an elegant contribution to the album. Well, not a Camel classic, neither a total crap. If you want to listen to Camel goodies, get Mirage, The Snow Goose and Moonmadness first. Then, try Raindances, and then Nude, or Rajaz.. After all these albums, try Breathless and maybe you'll not get disappointed with this marvelous band !

This is a great CD. It isn't as exerimental as previous Camel albums in terms of creating new sound scapes or innovative melodies. But it is a very pleasing mix of prog rock, pop, jazz and even disco elements. This is so much better than pop music released by Yes in the 80's. Even thought this is a poppy album it has a strong Camel feeling that captures a listener immediately. There are some pearls that make this album essential for any Camel fan. I mean Echoes(Great melody and some jazz influences too), Sleeper(jazziest tune on the album) and Summer ligtning (Very danceable and has a great guitar solo too).

This album is so full of hooks. The rhythm section is tight and the album is very well played. Wing on a prayer almost makes me wanna sing. Breathless has one of the most beatifull melodies I have ever heard and a slow section in the middle separates it from a normal pop love song. I don't understand why so many people hate Down on the farm. I was so happy when I first heard it and this album, because I noticed that this band can change their style and not just make rip offs of past glories. You have to understand two facts. Camel was under pressure to make a hit album and they wanted to evolve and expand their musical influences. In my opinion Camel succeeded and made their most entertaining album ever.

When I first heard Breathless, I must say,I was disappointed.
I was worried that after producing masterpieces such as MoonMadness, Mirage and Snow Goose along with their underrated self titled first, that Camel were truly moving in the jazzy popish direction, the clear influence of the great and sadly departed Pete Bardens,a period that spanned over three records (Breathless, Rain Dances and I Can See Your House..)
However some consider Breathless, to be Camel's transitional period between Bardens influence and Latimer's symphonic direction, and indeed it was obvious that the harmony and musical partnership between the two maestros that made earlier records such classics, was not there anymore.
This was so true, for Bardens left the band to pursue a new agey-jazzy/New Age solo career, while Latimer continued with Camel and returned to the band's original musical vision with Nude, one of their best albums.
Yet why would I give Breathless four points?? well there are two tracks that are absolute classic progressive rock. Echoes, which is complex, melodic and typical Camel sound, and Summer Lightening, which although is jazzy, it has one of the best Latimer guitar solos ever..long, emotive and very melodic.
So as a Camel fan, you should have this album in your collection, if only for these excellent tracks,and as a tribute to a very talented band that is responsible since the early 70s for producing ageless melodies for the heart, mind and soul.

UK's Camel were contenders on the progressive scene, but had to take second place behind bands like Genesis, Jethro Tull and Yes in the popularity stakes. This doesn't mean their music is any way inferior - Camel simply lacked the sheer audacity of pretension and scale of ambition that made works such as Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Songs from the Wood or Close to the Edge set texts in the 70s progressive canon. Camel chose to plough their own furrow, offering up a smooth blend of - mainly instrumental - rock with jazzy and classical overtones. And herein lies the secret of their failure - Camel were happiest doing long, meandering pieces and suites, letting Andrew Latimer's eloquent guitar do the talking while Pete Bardens' dreamy keyboards filled in the gaps. This worked well on records like Snowgoose and Mirage, but record company only wanted to release records with real singing, so Camel had to start writing tunes with lyrics. Breathless was the result of this new direction. More singing, broader appeal. But Camel never sold out the way Genesis did, and were never interested in courting chart success or blagging a slot on Top of the Pops. Breathless therefore remains refreshingly uncommercial, with the towering 7-minute magnum opus Echoes (Latimer's guitar playing on fire here), the jaunty goings on Down on the Farm (with some lovely flute work from Mel Collins); the poppy, infectious You Make Me Smile (and it does); the funky, danceable Summer Lightning and the joyous opening salvo of Breathless - all wonderful stuff. There's even a lengthy jam, The Sleeper, that sounds like an outtake from Moonmadness, but still a highlight. There are some weaknesses - on Starlight Ride, there`s a dire cod-baroque twiddling (now you realise why punk rock came along), on Wing and a Prayer Andy Latimer's shortcomings as a lyricist rear their collective heads. The sleevework and packaging is poor (compare this to Moonmadness) and the liner notes are unispired. So, not a coherent album concept, then, but more of a treasure grove of goodies to sooth our tired ears. Although less meditative than Moonmadness, and while lacking the artistic coherency of that album, these are still some of Camel's best, warmest tunes to date.