Customer Reviews

I Can See Your House From Here

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

 

 

I had not listened to Camel's "I Can See Your House From Here" in a few years, and being a Camel/prog rock enthusiast, I decided recently to give it another few spins. Well, there is some fine music to be found here, and this album successfully straddles the fence between pop/AOR (check out tracks like "Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine", and Neon Magic") and the more progressive fare that Camel is renowned for (check out "Who We Are", the classic guitar-driven instrumental "Ice", the melencholy orchestral piece "Survival", and the opening track "Wait", with it's quirky rhythmic changes.) One disappointment here is the awful new wave-ish track "Remote Romance", which sounds far too simplistic and mechanical for Camel, and was probably a falied attempt at a hit single (this embarrassing song brough my rating down from four stars, to only three!). As with most Camel albums, it is Andy Latimer's guitar work that really adds color to the songs and drives the music along. Although Andy's solos throughout much of the album are not very long, the 10 minute plus guitar showcase at the end ("Ice") more than makes up for it. Drummer Andy Ward is solid as usual, and the keyboard duo of Jan Schelhaas and Kit Watkins more than covers for the absence of original memeber Pete Bardens (who left the band shortly before the recording of this album). Most of the lead vocals are aptly handled by bassist Colin Bass (this was his first album as a member of Camel), while Mr. Latimer puts his deep & husky voice center stage for only "Neon Magic" and "Who We Are". There is much to appreciate here if you are a fan of Camel, or even a fan of other bands such as The Moody Blues, Barclay James Harvest, or The Alan Parsons Project, who often walk that musical line between progressive rock and Beatle-esque pop. To hear Camel at their absolute best, check out the live albums "Never Let Go" (1993) or "Coming Of Age" (1998), which feature superior production & sound quality, as well as a good cross-section of Camel's best material over the years.

I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE is not Camel's best album. Some of the songs are too pop for camel. The playing is, as always, excellent but some of the songs are lacking. However, this album has 10 minute instrumental, ICE, that makes the whole thing worth owning. Other good songs include HYMN TO HER and EYE OF THE STORM.

This album is Camel's fourth five star album in a row. Previous three being Breathless, Raindances and Moonmadness. There are many new wawe influences and some traditional Camel instrumentals too.The album is almost flawless. They should have left over Remote romance that is absolutely Camel's worst song ever. It certainly is the idiotic song. I think this album is very soft, catchy and less poppy than Breathless. Ice is definately the centerpiece of the album. It contains the most emotional and hair bristling guitar solo ever. Well some of you might disagree, but it is definately compareable to any guitarist's work. The second best song is Hymn to her. It contains some emotional guitar work and vocals. It is the very moody and subtle song.

This album falls somewhere between the 70's and the 80's Camel. Wait opens this album nicely and there are some nice instrumentals like Survival, Ice and The eye of the storm through out the album. In the nutshell this is very entertaining Camel album that is still loyal to its roots and it has couple definitive classic tracks too. So sooner or later you must buy this album. It isn't as good as Mirage or Moonmadness but it is still a solid album.

This is Camel's eighth studio album and nineth overall. It is 46 minutes long. Pete Bardens has left the group and is replaced by Jan Schelhaas from Caravan and Kit Watkins. Richard Sinclair has also left the group after a two album stint and is replaced by Colin Bass.

This album is a nice rebound after the dreadful Breathless. Like most progressive rock acts at the time, Camel was trying to evolve their music to fit in with the latest musical styles and score big. Like most progressive rock groups, they were not that successful commercially.

But, this is a fairly good album throughout. It has some New Wave style songs, plus some traditional progressive rock type material. The New Wave songs are bouncy, tight and feature synthesized rhythms. It is sort of along the lines of Devo or the Fixx, but still keeping the Camel sound.

Remote Romance is bouncy dance tune that actually got some air and club play. Macy's used to play it in their edgy teen clothing section.

The CD ends with the 10 minute track Ice, which is mostly a guitar solo. It is very interesting and can hold your interest through about 20 playings. My only problem is that I over played and got tired of it after about the 50th time.

This CD starts out with the weakest track, and then just gets better all the way through. As an LP, you would typically play side 2 all the time, and only occassionally listen to side 1.

Worth it all 4 the 1st side, which includes the tricky, kinda pushy but-worth-it "Wait" & the gorgeous "Eye of the Storm" & "Who We Are." The 2nd side is notable 4 the cutesy "Remote Romance" (which grows on U like a fungus), & Andy Latimer's 10-minute guitar freakout instrumental "Ice," which is ... OK, if not the timeless classic older Camel fans would have U believe. The other stuff is avg. or Blow -- "Your Love is Stranger Than Mine" is obnoxiously catchy & obviously a strained try at a hit single, "Hymn to Her" is thin Xcept for Latimer's guitar work, & "Neon Magic" is revolting. So listen 2 the 1st side & then skip 2 "Ice" 4 the best of what's here....

I Can See Your House from Here (1979) continues heading in a mainstream direction and features only two of the original band members. As such, it does not sound as Camel-ish as earlier albums - in fact, I really missed the atmospheric synth work of Pete Bardens. Nonetheless, while this album is more commercial sounding, I consider it an improvement over the previous studio album Breathless (1978).

The lineup included long-time members Andrew Latimer (electric and acoustic guitars; flute; and vocals) and Andy Ward (drums); along with new members Jan Schelhaas (Hammond organ, Yamaha CS80, Prophet V, mini moog, Yamaha electric grand piano, grand piano, Solina string synth and EMS Sequencer), ex-Happy the Man member Kit Watkins (Hammond organ, mini-moog, clavinet, Solina string synth, Prophet V, Yamaha CS80, Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha electric grand piano, EMS Sequencer and flute); and Colin Bass (vocals and bass guitar). Joining the core group are Mel Collins (saxophone); Rupert Hine (vocals); and even Phil Collins (percussion). These guys are all great players and the vocals range from excellent to a bit dodgy (as on Neon Magic). The two keyboard player approach works pretty well (Kit is an exceptionally good player).

The nine tracks on the album span in length from 1:04 (Survival) to the 10:10 closing track Ice, which showcases Andy Latimer. Musically, the album presents a mixture of great prog rock and more straightforward tracks that show the band embracing newer musical trends including New Wave (the robotic and angular Remote Romance is a good example). Other styles that I can hear and that were popular at the time include British symphonic pop. Fortunately however, the disco influences were pared back considerably from the Breathless days. My favorite tracks include the delicate and dreamy track Eye of Storm, which (interestingly enough) was written by Kit and sounds like the material written for Rain Dances, along with Who We Are, the moody orchestral piece Survival, Hymn to Her, Ice, and the proggy parts of Neon Magic.

I have to admit that, in spite of the commercial material on this album, there is a lot of great proggy ensemble work to be found here. Other positive aspects include the intricate and skillfully played synthesizer parts and the fact that Andy Latimer cranks out some great leads on the electric guitar throughout the album.

This reissue by Deram features a few photos of the group and somewhat informative liner notes. The sound quality is OK.

In general, I feel that the prog and the pop tendencies are reasonably well balanced and found this album to be pretty enjoyable. If you are new to Camel however, I would personally recommend starting off with The Snow Goose (1975) and Moonmadness (1976). If you liked I Can See Your House from Here, you might also enjoy another great pop/prog album by Camel entitled Rain Dances (1977), one by Genesis including And Then There Were Three (1978) and Danger Money (1979) by U.K.

I've searched for a copy of this recording on CD for years and it's finally here! This record is introspective, brooding and melodic with lush instrumentation. Kit Watkins' keyboards wail and sing. If you enjoy Genesis (1975-1979 recordings in particular), Roxy Music (think Avalon), or even Talk Talk (Life's What You Make It), you'll enjoy the bittersweet tunes on this CD.

Interesting album but let's go by stages.

Wait is very commercial song with interesting twists .

Your love is stranger than mine shows somehow the far influence of Yes .

Eye of the storm is a very smooth piece of instrumental character with Mini Moog flute by Kit with military rhythms.

Who we are is has a character strongly imported from the jazz. which reminded me immediately to the first Metheny . The guitar never plays in a leader mood . It is a reminiscent ballad easy to listen.

Survival is a sad and very brief instrumental piece (1:04).

Hymn to her is one of the most solid and expressive themes. Drawn with elusive atmosphere and interesting rhythmical metamorphosis. Once more the echoes of Yes resound with notable masterful.

Neon magic looks back the rock roots. It promises with a surprising character typically commercial.

Remote romance is a very extremely original piece. The bass initiates the song with original curtains. But the chorus looks like imported from the Yes group.

Ice is the crown's jewel and justifies by itself the buy of this CD.. The fortunate combination between guitar an piano announces the main theme. a crying lament exquisitely phrased in a quiet mood. The guitar will take the leadership and draw a slender musical ellipsis which will finish in a very intriguing melody. Excellent theme.

This is the first studio recording for Camel following Peter Barden's departure and it marks a significant change in direction. Ice, at a little over 10 minutes, Eye of the Storm, the brief Survival and Hymn to Her are all terrific. The remaining cuts either fail due to a decidedly pop bent (Remote Romance, Wait, Neon Magic) miserable lyrics (Who We Are) or both (Your Love is Stranger Than Mine). What you end up with is half a good record. When not impersonating the Alan Parson's Project the band is in fine form. The keyboards are ably manned by both Kit Watkins from Happy The Man and Jan Schelhaas from Caravan. Colin Bass takes over for the departed Richard Sinclair on bass. Where he is not perhaps the equal of Sinclair he does an admirable job. Andy Ward and Andy Latimer do their usual wonderful work on drums and guitar. Overall, I'd say this is a disc for completists. Other than the limp Breathless all of the preceding recordings are far superior. The follow-up to this disc, Nude, is a fine return to form....Simon

Listen ICE and you are happy. Andy Latimer is a fantastic guitarist. With this CD Camel is a great group.